DEE's BIZZ

Breaking with tradition once again, I traveled to a never-before-visited city during the Thanksgiving holidays. This time it was Detroit, Michigan. Yep. It’s kind of crazy to even consider traveling to “The D” during the winter, but I decided to take my chances and things worked out well.

This trip was a bit different because I united with a second cousin whom I had not seen in decades —   Ginger Lee. We are both originally from Asheville and related via the Toatley bloodline. (The Toatley’s, migrated from Irmo, South Carolina to the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina at some point way back when and it’s been rumored this name was acquired because our ancestors “toted” water as slaves.) My grandmother, Emma Toatley Dixon, and Ginger’s grandmother, Mamie Toatley Hall were sisters.

My flight to Detroit arrived early in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day. After checking in at Hotel Indigo and getting settled, Ginger and her husband Jimmy picked me up for dinner at her son’s beautiful home. This is where I met my extended family. It was such a warm wonderful experience meeting them all.

I enjoyed the spaciousness of my room at Hotel Indigo, although the lobby seemed always super-packed with slightly raucous Lions fans. It was very cold with light snow every day. Thank God, it didn’t stick, but the temperature nonetheless made it quite challenging to walk around and explore. On Friday, my main mission was to find a Whole Foods store to get some healthy breakfast food. Uber got me there.  

There were so many places in Detroit I wanted to visit, including the Motown and Ford Motor Museums, but I just didn’t have enough steam. I did manage to drag myself out into the cold on Saturday to do a little walking and rode the Detroit People Mover and QLine to the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Historical Museum. It was worth the struggle, and I felt a sense of accomplishment upon returning to my room.

On Sunday, Ginger and her husband picked me up to meet and dine with some of their close friends at their lovely condo in Southfield, Michigan. It was a great time of fellowship, and the food was beyond delicious.

Visiting Detroit was a great experience for me, and I am so grateful for the hospitality extended by Ginger and her family. I didn’t realize what a great city Detroit is, and I definitely want to plan another visit — only this time in the spring.