Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit

The Book Cadillac Hotel (also known as the Westin Book Cadillac) is a historic skyscraper, luxury hotel, and high-end residential tower in downtown Detroit, Michigan. When it first opened in December 1924, the Book Cadillac was the tallest building in Detroit and the tallest hotel in the world. It's perhaps not surprising then that this flagship hotel hosted everyone from Babe Ruth to Elvis Presley to John F. Kennedy when they came to Detroit. 

Over the years the property changed hands to become the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel in 1951, the Detroit Cadillac Hotel in 1975, and the Radisson Cadillac Hotel in 1976. By the 1980s Detroit's economy was worsening and the property ended up finally closing its doors in 1984. With few prospects for renovation or redevelopment, the contents of the Book Cadillac were liquidated in 1986 and the structure was abandoned. Explore abandoned images of the Book Cadillac here.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. After being abandoned for nearly two decades, the Westin Book Cadillac reopened in 2008 after a $200-million restoration project. The new property houses luxury condominiums and penthouses in addition to over 450 hotel rooms. It's officially reclaimed its reputation as one of the finest hotels in Detroit, and for my Dad and I, the Westin Book Cadillac proved to be the perfect hub for exploring downtown along with this year's North American International Auto Show.  

Announcement of the Book Cadillac opening in 1924.

Archival image of the Sheraton Cadillac.

Archival image of the Book Cadillac.

Archival image of the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel.

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore is one of those iconic American landmarks that you have to see at least once in person. Carved between 1927-1941 by Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, Rushmore features 60 foot heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.  

It was on a 2007 road trip that my friend Andrea and I made our way to South Dakota. We also stopped off at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, Chimney Rock in Nebraska, and the other nearby mountain sculpture, the Crazy Horse Memorial also in South Dakota.

From North by Northwest to Team America, there's always something pretty cool about seeing a landmark in real life that you've already seen so many times in pop culture. For instance, I had no idea what the area around Mount Rushmore actually looked like, or that you could walk a trail that lead directly below the mountain. It gave me a completely different perspective on something that I thought I'd already seen. Plus, there was a surprising amount of other things to do surrounding Mount Rushmore that made for some pretty entertaining exploring.

The original design of the completed Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore in a rainy fog.

The view from the trail below Mount Rushmore.

Jumping in the rain at Mount Rushmore.