Jul
24
2008
If you’ve lived in Detroit long enough, you remember fondly summer excursions to
Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park on the
Bob-Lo Boat with
Captain Bob-Lo! (Obviously, I remember!)
In the years since Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park closed, several unsuccessful attempts have been made to bring back the “Bob-Lo Magic”. For those of us who remember, it is a toss-up of which was more fun, the rides at the Park, or the voyage down the River by way of
Amherstburg Ontario on the boat! (Remember, Bob-Lo is actually a part of Canada…always has been…)
Well, Bob-Lo Island is now a marina resort community (still only accessible by boat or plane), but we in Detroit can still experience that cruise up and down the Detroit River under the Ambassador Bridge by booking a lunch or dinner aboard the new Detroit Princess Riverboat.
The Detroit Princess is a true riverboat, with five levels (the top two levels almost totally outside), and perfect for summer fun. Both lunch and dinner public cruises are available every day of the week in warm weather; charters are available for private parties and special events.
If you are looking for a great way to enjoy your summer in Detroit with family and friends, cruising the Detroit River, seeing the beautiful sights of the skylines of both Windsor and Detroit, book a 2 1/2 hour on the Detroit Princess. Unlike Gilligan and the SS Minnow, you’ll be back on land in less than 3 hours!
Jul
23
2008
Just about every day of the year, even in winter, the
Detroit River has long and low freighters making their way around the
Great Lakes. Of course, the freighters have people working on them for long periods of time…did you ever wonder how the workers got their mail? (
View a live Detroit River webcam and see freighters going up and down the River in realtime…)
Betcha didn’t know that Detroit has the world’s only floating United States Post Office! Located just south of the Ambassador Bridge is the headquarters of the J.W. Westcott II Mailboat. Founded in 1874 by Great Lakes Captain J. W. Westcott who originally used just a rowboat to deliver orders to passing vessels, the company began its unique and official mail service in 1895.
The J.W. Westcott has its own ZIP Code (48222), to send mail to a vessel, one just addresses the mail to the vessel in care of the the “Marine Post Office, Detroit MI 48222″. If you need to send an invitation to your next party to a sailor on the Detroit River, you can find the schedule of the freighters from the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, where you can also view a live webcam of the freighters on the Detroit River.
(All MailBoat/Westcott Pictures by Jim Hebert)
Shameless Plug for my husband’s blog: Read The “D” Spot…
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