Campus Martius

i can say with confidence that Campus Martius park is easily my favorite place in the city… i had been thinking that i wanted to move to Detroit for a couple years before the wife and i actually did, but never in all those years did i think that i’d be able to enjoy a place like Campus Martius…

Campus Martius is a great place simply because it’s an outdoor place where you can gather with other citizens for an event or just simply hang out with your friends at all year round… and since this is Detroit, safety is unfortunately a concern, but it’s not a concern at Campus Martius… they have their own security forces who are always visible, in addition to Detroit police and even Michigan state police…

while it’s only been open for about a year, i’ve already had several great and memorable experiences at Campus Martius… one of the park's best assets is that it has several great restaurants nearby… if you’re looking for breakfast, you can head to the Detroit Breakfast House and Grille, just a block north up Woodward… they serve breakfast all day, but have more than just that… hoping for something Asian??? try Oslo for sushi (2 blocks north up Woodward), Orchid Thai (half a block east on Monroe) or Bahn Thai (1.5 blocks east on Monroe)… of course only 2 blocks east down Monroe there’s Greektown, which is full of too many great restaurants to mention here… looking to experience some Detroit eating tradition??? head west on Michigan Ave. and you’ll be staring Detroit history right in the face!!! both Lafayette and American Coney Islands are only a block away… of course, if you don’t feel like walking at all, inside the park itself is Au Bon Pain and just across the street is Hard Rock Café Detroit…

another great thing about Campus Martius is the events!!! during the summer, they have bands from all over the country every weekend filling the streets of Detroit with great music!!! my favorite memory from this past summer was listening to a band play a whole bunch of Motown favorites on a friday night… what’s better than hearing live Motown music outside on the streets of Motown itself!?!?!? also, they have the Jazz Fest that like many events that took place this past year, extended from Campus Martius 4 blocks south to Hart Plaza… also in the summer, they have weekly movie nights where people can gather with their families and others to watch a movie outside in the park... it's a great family environment and good for the citizens of the city... in the winter, the folks at Campus Martius set up an ice skating rink for all who are willing to bear the cold!!! at the same time, the light up a ginormous Christmas tree... ice skating in downtown Detroit is also one of my favorite memories at Campus Martius… there’s just something about ice skating in the middle of the city with dozens of other citizens as snow falls lightly upon you and skyscrapers tower over head… the Penobscot building is in plain view from Campus Martius, and since it's like my favorite building in the whole world, being able to view that building so easily while chillin’ in the park is quite meaningful to me… see the events portion of Campus Martius' website for their event calendar...

i’m grateful that such a wonderful place has been situated in the heart of the city i love… it’s the kind of place you want to take people… seriously, everytime i take people who are afraid of Detroit down to Campus Martius, they’re perception of the city changes… Campus Martius is a great place and is good for the city of Detroit because it brings unity to a city that is often divided... i look forward to having many more great memories there with friends and family alike down there… hopefully my kid and my kids’ kids will too…

checkout the park's link here