City of Pawn Shops, Lighthouses, and Baseball

A few weekends ago, my parents came up for their second visit since Brad and I moved up here. It was kind of a last-minute thing, but since they were already in the neighborhood (six hours away instead of the usual nine to ten), we all said, “Why not?” and planned for a weekend in Detroit.

Now, maybe you’ve heard of it, and maybe you haven’t, but my dad loves this show called Hardcore Pawn. I’ve seen it a few times, and it really is entertaining–if you enjoy watching a bunch of disgruntled people snap when they find out their TVs have been sold. And the best part about the show? It’s shot at American Jewelry and Loan, which is conveniently located in the Metro Detroit area. Needless to say, we had to stop by.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, are some of the treasures we came across at AJ&L:

Dont worry–I don’t think I will.

Biggest raccoon I’ve ever seen. Ever. He could eat your dog.

We were able to get a photo of my dad with Les Gold (store owner and reality TV star) and one of his body guards. Such a happy trio . . . but you probably don’t wanna mess around with these guys.

Next stop: Downtown Detroit. We were in town for a Tigers game, but decided to get there a little early so my parents could take a quick tour of the city. And boy, was it a beautiful day to do just that.

Hanging out beside the Detroit River

Go, Tigers!

Me and my Daddy

As most people eventually do around the middle of the day, we got hungry, and rolled down the road looking for food. AND WE FOUND A FUDDRUCKERS. I love that place. Had no idea there were any around here, but I was happy just the same.

Lunchtime

And, of course, game time. In the year that I’ve lived up here, I had not yet been to a Tigers game (sad, I know!), but was glad that the first one I went to was with my parents. My mom and dad were actually supposed to visit a couple weeks later when the Orioles (my dad’s favorite team) was in town, but the change of plans suited us fine. At least I didn’t have to decide who to root for.

I love the view of Detroit’s skyline from Comerica Park–it almost doesn’t look real.

During about the third inning, however, some monster clouds rolled in and started to dump rain all over us. Trying not to get trampled by thousands of people, we all rushed to the nearest stairwell before everyone else caught on and waited in the concessions area while all the other fans flooded into the crowded area. The game was delayed for probably about a half an hour, but at least it gave me enough time to sneak downstairs to the ice cream booth for a scoop of butter pecan.