There’s not a better night’s sleep to be found than a night in the Raymond C Smith Carriage house at the Inn on Ferry Street. Upon waking we dress and walk the short distance to the main house of the Inn, the John Scott House; this is where guests check in and where breakfast and refreshments are served. The house itself is an orange brick Queen Ann with a wide front porch, built in 1886-87, original owner John Scott was a well-known architect. Scott’s firm, John Scott & Co. took in a young Albert Kahn (apparently he was everywhere!) as an apprentice, but let him go because he didn’t think Kahn had a future in the business–oops! The home, 84 E Ferry, resides on land that was originally part of the Ferry Seed Company, the property was later developed into an upper class neighborhood. Today the Inn consists of four restored Victorian homes and two carriage houses, close to museums, the DMC and Wayne State University.
We enter the house through the back door, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee permeates the air, guests conversation creates a low hum. The breakfast area is lovely; walls are olive green, a fireplace of rectangular glazed tiles graces the back wall, ceiling and walls are accented with beautiful wood. We choose a table near a large window, morning light streams in. We hang our jackets on the chair backs, grab plates and fill them with items like scrambled eggs, waffles, fresh fruit, muffins and yogurt; there is also an assortment of coffee, tea and juices. As we eat, the Inns shuttle driver arrives, he is driving a group of guests downtown; the shuttle is free and will drop you off and pick you up within a 5-mile radius. When we have finished our breakfast I sip my coffee slowly as we decide how we will spend the rest of our day.
The luggage is loaded and we have checked out. We walk to the end of the block, at the corner of Woodward and Kirby we step inside the Park Shelton. Built in 1926 as a residential hotel called The Wardell, it was named for Fred Wardell, founder of the Eureka Co. Interestingly enough, Kris’s mom and dad spent their honeymoon here back in the 1940’s, even more notable, Diego Rivera lived here while working on his mural at the DIA. The hotel was later bought by Sheraton and in the 1950’s renamed The Park Shelton Hotel; accommodations were luxurious, celebrities such as Bob Hope, George Burns, Gracie Allen and Raymond Burr were guests. In the 1970’s it became apartments, in 2004 the building was redeveloped into 227 luxury condos with retail and restaurants on the ground floor. The lobby has maintained its elegance with indoor fountains, rectangular columns capped in gold leaf, ornate plaster ceilings, dark marble accents and a gorgeous antique clock that hangs near the reception desk.
Down the hall we wander into the Peacock Room, this is one of those pretty stores; gorgeous architecture and decor, clever displays, attractive merchandise for women featuring great hats, handbags, jewelry, clothing…… Everything a girl needs and then some! A few feet down, we duck into Goods LLC, mainly selling customized and Detroit-centric t-shirts, the shop also sells items from local artisans. Exiting through the Woodward door we proceed to Emerald, the newest of the shops in the Park Shelton, mainly a men’s store they have a wonderful selection of hats, gloves, scarves, ties, cuff links and shaving goods. The space is attractive, the chandelier came from an old theater downriver, it’s super cool, someone told me display cabinets came from the old downtown Hudsons. They have a nice selection of gift items and books too.
After all that shopping we find ourselves hungry, lucky for us Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes is only a few steps away. Bright red walls are covered with French movie posters, the chalkboard menus of sweet and savory crepes have grown through the years. I order at the counter as Kris finds us a table, it seems this place is always busy. Owner Torya is behind the counter making crepes today, she makes it look so easy the way she spreads the batter, adds the filling and neatly folds each one. The Seine arrives first, a simple crepe with butter and sugar, to me there’s nothing better. The Dana is filled with chicken, Brie, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and herbs, it is delicious. We drop into 14 East next, serving gourmet coffee, tea and pastries it’s also a bit of an art gallery; furniture and decor are reminiscent of Mid Century design. We order at the counter, cold brew coffee for Kris and a pour over for myself.
We are less than a block from the DIA, we decide to stop in and have a look. It’s Sunday, the museum is active with tours, drop-in workshops, drawing in the galleries and the Sunday Music Bar in Kresge Court. We observe visitors of all ages at easels creating pencil drawings with the assistance of artists. The Contemporary Art gallery is one of our favorites, spanning the mid 20th century to present day, we find great American art from abstract painting to Pop Art. After a leisurely stroll through the building it is time to call it a day. It has been a fantastic weekend get-away, and we never had to leave our home town!
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