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Page 14-Saturday, April 15, 1978-The Michig n Daily Travel Supplement'
Here's to Scotland (and her pubs)
The Michigan Daily Travel Supplement-Saturday, Apr
Take another look at Detroit
(Continued from Page10)
ETROIT," HE said firmly.
"That's where all the torpedoes
come from."
I stared at him blankly. Torpedoes?
"You know," he continued impatien-
tly, "hit men. For the syndicate."
What could I say?-I agreed with him.
The pubs in Scotland (the focal point
of my trip) live up to their reputation
for excellence, and fortunately for the
weary, thirsty sojourner they are fairly
plentiful even in the less heavily
populated areas. A tip for fellow
travellers with similar interests: avoid
at all costs pubs and restaurants
recommended in guide books,.
especially in the peak vacation months
of July and August, for you will find.
them populated primarily by other
tourists with the same book. If you want
to discover what the people are really
like, look for the unheralded establish-
ments, or ask a local where his favorite
spot is.
O NE CAN TAKE advantage of the
Scots' nationalistic tendencies in
order to drink well on a minimum
amount of money in these establish-
ments. Simply strike up a conversation
with one of the locals in the pub, and tell
him about your travels. It'is inevitable
that sooner or later he will ask you how
you like Scotland. Now since many if
not most of the people in Scotland tend
to look with some enmity upon the
English, (whom they feel interfere in
Scottish affairs a bit too much), you
simply assure the person that Scotland
is wonderful and far superior to
England. Lying about the greatness of
Scottish soccer teams helps also. The
local will probably be overjoyed with
your attitude, and he and his friends
may very well insist on paying for your
drinks. I used this ploy successfully on
several occasions. .
If you are more interested in what
goes on outside the pubs, a good sight-
seeing route to take in Scotland is to fir-
st head north along the eastern coast, a
course which will land you in Edin-
burgh, a definite must on anybody's
itinerary. It's a beautiful city,
dominated by an historic castle that
dates from the 12th century and looks
over the main streets from the top of a
high ridge. Edinburgh contains a num-
ber of other choice sites for the history
buff, the most famous being the Palace
of Holyroodhouse, which is still a royal
residence and is connected to the castle
by a road known popularly as the royal
mile.
As an alternative to cheese san-
dwiches, there are a number of cheap,
greasy fish and chips restaurants
around, which provide good survival
food. There are also. numerous non-
violent pubs.
F ROM EDINBURGH continue north -
to Aberdeen, a beautiful city built
largely of gray granite that sparkles in-
credibly in the afternoon sun. Aberdeen
is a good jumping off spot for the more
remote areas of Scotland. If windy
solitude is your 'preference, catch a
boat to the northernmost islands - the
Orkneys and Shetland (it's where the
ponies come fromt). Or else head west to
Loch Ness (where the famous monster
allegedly resides). The Loch Ness area
has become a bit touristy in some spots
- there is a huge green replica of the
monster that stands outside of one hotel
near the loch. But still, I have a vivid
memory of camping in a field by the
water's edge, and awakening to the
sight of sun-torn patches of fog sailing
in a morning breeze across the surface
of the loch and into the nearby hills. I
hate to use this adjective but, well, it's
picturesque. From Loch Ness. you can
head towards the western coast, or if
you are as short on time as I was,
return south through the stark Gram-
pian -mountains, back towards
England.
Places to avoid: the cities of Inver-
ness (very boring) and Glasgow
(heavily industrialized and appears to
consist primarily of slums).
Corn wall:
Peaceful
countryside,
misty moors
(continued from Page 11)
not have unexpected visitors, so just en-
joy the Mount from a distance.
As you go farther south in Cornwall,
the countryside gets bleaker. Old mine
shafts from Cornwall's tin-mining
boom of the 1800s dot the landscape.
The fields bordered by trees and
hedgerows disappear. The boulders left
by prehistoric glaciers begin to out-
number the trees and shrubs.
You begin to'feel like the Cornish
miners must have felt back in the last
century as they saw their livelihood
being destroyed by cheaper imported
ores from the Far East. Then you get to
the end,-Land's End. You look out over
the ocean as many of these miners-
turned-emigrants must have. You look
across the water, to Canada, Mexico,
ltd the 9hi=da.t
By Chester Maleski
S 0 YOU HAVE cosmopolitan tastes
and a Michigan pocketbook. You
can still have that vacation of a life-
time. Visit Detroit. Yes, Detroit.
Only an hour from Ann Arbor, the
city of Detroit is one of the largest
cultural centers in the Midwest. It plays
host to high-calibre entertainers, ar-,
tists and sporting events on a regular
basis. You need not be especially enter-
prising to have a good time in Detroit.
And, no, you won't get killed.
Any tour of the Motor City these days
must include a visit to John Portman's
landmark architectural creation, the
Renaissance Center. Located on the
riverfront at Jefferson, the RecCen
dominates the Detroit skyline and is
visible for miles. It houses the Detroit
Plaza Hotel, a 70-story monstrosity
which looms some 740 feet over the city.
The hotel lobby is eight stories high and
features a clear skylight criss-crossed
by aerial walkways and hanging gar-
dens. Seventy stories up, the revolving
Summit restaurant provides a spec-
tacular view of Detroit and Win-
dsor, Canada. The rest of the RenCen
complex includes other restaurants and
exclusive shops.
North on Woodward about 10 minutes
from downtown is Detroit's Cultural
Center, consisting of five museums, the
Detroit Public Library and Wayne
State University. The Detroit Institute
of Arts, the nation's sixth largest art
museum, features works by VanGogh,
Rembrandt and Monet, as well as
collections of , period armor and
weaponry. The Detroit Historical
Museum brings the city back to the
1850s with a cobblestone-paved exhibit
-of the streets of old Detroit. The newly-
relocated Detroit Science Center is
renowned for, its visitor-operated
displays, making learning a firsthand
experience.
THE CENTER of the city's Greek
community, Greektown, is within
walking distance of the Renaissance
Center. The two-block long commercial
area houses a number of .fine Greek
restaurants and a few local curio shops
and art studios. Entertainment aboun-
ds, and many claim that Greektown
doesn't really start to swing until 2 a.m.
In the ethnic spirit of the community,
Detroit hosts a summer series of week-
long ethnic festivals. Featuring live en-
tertainment and cultural delicacies, the
festivals celebrate nearly every ethnic
group that inhabits the city.
Traditionally, the festivals are held
along the Detroit River, near Cobo Hall.
Belle Isle, as its name implies, is a
beautiful island park on the Detroit
River, encompassing 1,000 acres of
wooded area. The island features miles
of nature trails, a bathing beach, a priv-
te marina, picnic grounds, a golf course
and canoeing. Special attractions in-
clude botanical gardens, a conser-
vatory, an aquarium, a children's zoo,
and band shell concerts by the Detroit
Concert Band. There is no admission
fee to the island itself, though several of
the attractions-charge nominal sums.
Belle Isle demands a full day's worth of
attention for optional enjoyment. a
The performing arts are thriving in.
Detroit. The Detroit Music Hall presen-
ts a year-round potpourri of drama,.
comedy and dance. The Fisher Theatre
offers top-notch Broadway successes on
national tour. The Hillberry and the
Bonstelle, two Wayne State University
theatres, stage classics for reasonable
prices.
On the music s
many of the large
pearances in Mic
Jefferson near the
pia Stadiu, on Gra
of the rock concer
on Temple south
Ford Auditorium,
Cobo Hall, mainly
Acoustics are far
all seats afford a g
Ford Auditorium
Detroit Symphony
Saturday night
In
To ledo,
Ohio
By Shelley Wolson
OR AS LONG as I can remember,
my hometown of Toledo, Ohio has
been the butt of cruel jokes. Famous
comedians have immortalized in their
routines what they see as Toledo's lack
of excitement and entertainment. John
Denver even sings a song poking fun at
the place (Saturday night in Toledo,
Ohio is like being nowhere at all ...).
I wish all of the teasing would stop.
Toledo doesn't deserve the bad press it
receives. As an 18-year native of the
town, I can honestly say it has been a
pleasant place to live, comfortable and
peaceful. What's more, you can find
plenty of things to do there. It's not the
sort of backward, hick town that some
people visualize.
Toledo has plenty of interesting
sights to see. First and foremost,
there's the Toledo Art Museum. For a
long time it has been one of the coun-
try's top museums, with a very good
assortment of art collections and new
exhibits always on hand to spark your
interest. For years, Toledo elementary
schools have sent thousands of classes
by the busload to this cultural mecca.
NEXT, THERE'S the Toledo Zoo. It,
too, shares top ranking among its peer
facilities in the U.S. and continues to be
one of the real hot spots in Toledo enter-
tainment.
The nightlife? The restaurants? Well,
there's uh, um . . . It looks like John
Denver was right.
LOCATED ON THE riverfront, the gleaming Renaissance Ce
architectural landmark, dominates the skyline and offers this
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