It is still hard to rise before 8, and I did not try. I climb out of the hotel bed, find clothes in the suitcase for today, and then head to the shower. There is no coffee maker in the room at this IHG (something that I have yet to forgive when they removed them a year ago), and I resisted making instant coffee. I do all the usual things and take my meds. Text Deborah that I am awake and headed down for breakfast (coffee!) and to write the blog.
The blog was short, as it was about a quiet hang-out day that Deborah and I decided to do for this trip. We have missed each other and want to be together. Deborah headed to the hotel, and we spent some time together before grabbing something quick at Panera Bread, within walking distance of the hotel, and heading to Meadow Brook Hall.
This manor house, built in the 1920s for the Dodge-Wilson family, was donated to create Oakland University. Matilda remained there until her death in the 1960s. The house is mostly unchanged, and most of its furnishings are original. We got a mixed tour, as the manor house was busy with a wedding. We learned there is a behind-the-scenes tour that covers some of the secret staircases and so on. Someday. Our tour guide’s English made us wince a few times, but overall it was a great time to walk through the house. The use of carved wood was amazing. The ability to never leave the second floor, as everything was brought up there, was interesting. I would love to see it again for Christmas and get that behind-the-scenes tour.
We went shopping next. Deborah picked out a new dress for dinner at The Whitney Mansion today. We then split up; I took a nap, and Deborah had a few things to do. I got up around five, got dressed in a suit, and picked up Deborah, who looked stunning in her new dress and shoes, wearing the earrings I gave her and a necklace. We had no trouble reaching the Detroit-based mansion, but valet parking was complicated, since the in and out were the same, onto Woodward. Eventually, I threaded the traffic and got the Dodge handed over.
We had a nice table in the Drawing Room, which we later learned was where people were drawn to after being received in the Receiving Room. The house retained only a few fixtures, paintings, and furniture from the Whitneys’ time there. The house had been a hospital and other facilities until it was purchased as a dream project and made into a restaurant and meeting space. A wedding reception was busy and took up the Ghost Bar on the third floor.
The house was the first to use electricity, and Edison wired it; the few remaining fixtures were also originally wired by Edison. The windows were full of Tiffany glass, but one window was lost in the riots years ago and replaced; while it was a good match, it is part of a set, and it doesn’t quite match. The house was lovely and, like Meadow Book Hall, over-the-top.
James was our waiter, and dinner was marvelous. We had cooked Brussels sprouts as a starter. We ended up taking some home. We both ordered Beef Wellington, and it was excellent. The wines were good, and we each had dessert. The carrot cake (without nuts) was excellent. The Pumpkin Panna Cotta was dreamy.
Dinner was followed by the Ghost Tour. The tour was given by a waiter who had been with the mansion for ten years; I did not get her name. She described many events and was clear that most were not at the house but in the slowly failing carriage house. She described plates, glasses, and other items being flung without cause in the main house, but she said most of that had stopped.
(This is original and was wired originally by Edison)
She gave us a brief house tour, with occasional mentions of a haunting in a few rooms. The house tour was mixed up, as only rooms not in use can be toured. Still, it was fun. Sadly, the ghost bar was closed for the wedding guests’ use, but they sent drinks down, and I sipped them a few times before putting them down. We had steps to climb, and I did not need a drink for that. The leather-impressed wall cover was interesting (we were told it was also used on the Titanic). I have seen some black-and-white pictures of a wall treatment like this. I did not know it was leather.
Our tour took us into a ruined space which was haunted, we were told, and was shown in various ghost shows. Little light balls that, when touched, would light up were placed, and they lit on their own. Our tour guide then talked to the spirits, and they wanted to play, and more things lit up. A special teddy bear for ghost hunting was used, but it did not react. The lights went on and off. Very spooky.
The next area was haunted, according to our guide, by an unfriendly spirit. The room was dark and musty, with lots of cool air movement. It was creepy and perfect for setting you on edge. I often looked for something I thought moved at the edge of my vision. I was strongly affected. More stories were told (I will not repeat them here as they are for the guide to tell, not me).
Having done stage magic and close-up tricks before and knowing my chair in the house vibrated every time the light rail went by on Woodward Avenue, I think I can explain most of it. That and thermal changes could explain some of it. And the power of suggestion in a spooky old building with air leaks can make everything seem real. But it was an excellent show, and it makes you believe. The best stories and magic tricks are like that. Real or not? Take the tour and decide. It was creepy and fun.
Recommended: dinner and a spooky tour of Whitney. Recommended: Meadow Brook Hall for a trip back to the 1920s.
