Fun, food, football... Detroit has Lions’ share
Perhaps the best way to get a true all-american experience on a trip across the pond is to head along to sample their sports.
Sure, there’s an annual taste of a gridiron gameday on our shores when American football comes to Wembley, but if you’re after fighter jet flyovers, passionate support and a big dose of pomp and ceremony, you have to see the real thing.
Myself and two friends had a few ideas about where to go to take in a game or two, and plumped for the state of Michigan, near the Great Lakes.
Here, there’s the big city NFL team Detroit Lions, as well as hugely popular college football team Michigan Wolverines, who boast the world’s second largest stadium.
The fact that they were playing their big rivals, Ohio State, during our Thanksgiving week trip made it all the tastier a prospect.
Our base was Ann Arbor, 40 minutes from Detroit. Strangely, the public transport links between the two aren’t great, so a taxi trip is the best option if you don’t have a car.
It’s well worth the fare, as the city with a reputation for being pretty rough around the edges is a real treat. There are certainly parts that are gritty, but the downtown area could easily be Manhattan.
There are stylish shops and character-packed street markets, and a stroll down to the waterfront allows you to wave over to Windsor, Canada, on the other side of the Detroit River.
A vital stop on any trip to Detroit is the Motown Museum, where booking a tour is essential. Hitsville USA, the small house that forms the famous record label’s first base, is like a TARDIS of musical history – small in square footage, but big on character.
The final stop in the tour is in Studio A, which is just as it was when the big stars – Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder – made hits here.
They all sounded a lot better than our group singalong to My Girl, mind you.
To whet our appetite for the big college derby game at the weekend, we also took in the
NFL match between the Lions and the visiting Chicago Bears.
The bustling Ford Field stadium is completely indoors. Around the stands are a variety of bars and food outlets that put anything we offer back across the pond to shame.
Our post-match destination was the Motor City Casino, where there’s a popular allyou-can-eat buffet.
The Assembly Line buffet offers any kind of meal you can imagine, pizzas, sushi, veg and a mouth-watering array of desserts. At $30 apiece, we certainly get more than our money’s worth.
Elsewhere in this giant former bread factory is the casino area, with lines of gaming machines and tables that stretch further than the eye can see.
Back over in Ann Arbor, those who had vacated the town for Thanksgiving returned in their droves the day before the game.
There’s a fantastic selection of bars offering a taste of Michigan’s local beer and bourbon. Ashley’s is a fantastic spot, and the bustling Brown Jug is a vibrant hub.
Saturday noon is the big kick-off, so we set out a couple of hours early to soak in the atmosphere.
Thousands of people around the ground take part in tailgates – with their own barbecues, beer and team branded gazebos.
After a quick visit to the club shop and a hot dog or two, we head inside for our first look at the interior of the place they call The Big House.
The world’s second largest stadium is an awe-inspiring sight. Hosting crowds of up to 115,000, it’s a fitting arena for this huge match-up between the soaring Ohio State and the underdogs Michigan.
Unfortunately the game ends in a thumping 56-27 scoreline in favour of the visitors.
That doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm though, with this bucket list spectacle ticked off the list.
Now to think of the next one...baseball, anyone?