Rainbow City Roller Rink

Rainbow City Roller Rink is an art collection which has recently opened downtown Detroit. The collection is created by FriendsWithYou and brought to Detroit by the Library Street Collective. Rainbow City has also been installed in Toronto, New York and in Miami.  

The rink is located in Detroit, at 1001 Woodward Avenue which is kiddie corner from the Ice rink in Campus Martius. Skate times are Wednesday through Sunday from 2:00-9:00pm, however reservations must be scheduled in advance. You can reserve your skate time online at rainbowcitydetroit.com. Entrance to the rink is free, as well as skate and locker rentals. You must complete a waiver prior to entrance. Pro tip- print and fill out the waiver before getting to the rink to speed up the process. My husband and I pre-printed and filled out our waivers and we got to the front of the line this way as many people were spending their time waiting in line to get a waiver and then sitting around to fill them out. We were actually first in line to get into the rink. You are also requested to arrive 15 minutes before your skate time and you are given 45 minutes for your reservation. 

The installation is playful and quickly brings me back to childhood. The rink floor is green and white striped and there are large ballon-like installations on the ceiling that are multicolored. In the center of the ceiling is a large 30ft rotating "snowman" balloon. As standard at any roller rink there is fun upbeat music as well as multicolored lights flashing while you skate.

It clearly had been quite some time since Nathan or I have roller skated.  We may have almost wiped out a few times, but we eventually got into our skating groove. The installation has a circular bench in the middle of the floor which was a great place to stop and rest or to sit and snap a few pictures as you are not allowed to have your phone out while you are skating. 

Overall Nate and I  had a really great time. It was a fun way to spend some time on a Saturday. I would highly recommend checking out Rainbow City Roller Rink for any age. If you are interested in skating, don't forget to make your reservation online before the installation is taken down,. Rainbow City Roller Rink will be in Detroit until January 27th! 

                                                                      

The Fed Community

The Fed is hands down the cutest restaurant I have ever been to. The interior of the restaurant is a blend of farmhouse with major Anthropologie vibes. Right when you walk in to the restaurant you are welcomed by beautiful black and white tiles on the floor that say "Hello". The restaurant is completely stunning. If I'm being honest, I have nothing negative in the slightest to say about The Fed. This restaurant was once the Jossman State Bank and was built at the turn of the century. The owners, Sarah and James Schneider have spent two years renovating the former bank into the gorgeous venue that it is today. The Fed is located in Clarkston, MI and I highly recommend anyone nearby take some time to enjoy a meal or at least a drink at The Fed.

The Fed serves brunch on the weekends and lunch and dinner every day. I have been twice for brunch and once for dinner. Everything at The Fed is farm to table and they source a lot of their ingredients (maybe all) locally. Each meal that I have ordered and friend's meals that I tasted were delicious and I would for sure order each again.


The first time I went to The Fed was to celebrate a dear friend's birthday. We went for brunch so of course I ordered a Mimosa. My friend, Jackie raved about their goat cheese and honey toast so we started off with an order of that. I adore goat cheese and pair with honey on some crispy toast was phenomenal.  I ordered the Rancheros and she ordered the Lemon Souffle Pancakes. The Rancheros are stewed black beans, sharp cheddar cheese, fried eggs, whipped avocado, pico de gallo and crema served on corn tostadas. I splurged and added the pulled chicken for $2 more. I love a good southwest/Mexican inspired brunch entree and boy this did not disappoint! The Lemon Souffle Pancakes are made with ricotta, and served with fresh berries, raspberry syrup, and whipped cream. Im usually not that into pancakes but I went home looking for recipes to mimic these pancakes, because they were that good. I mentioned to the server that we were celebrating Jackie's birthday and she ended up bringing out a small dollop of chocolate chip cookie dough with a large sparkler candler. It was a perfect photo op, and the server really made Jackie feel special on her birthday. 

The second time I went to The Fed was for a girls day. We arrived between lunch and dinner and the kitchen was actually closed, so we sat by the bar and ordered a bottle of rosé. We were quickly seated in a large comfy window booth.  The server was really friendly, and made great suggestions. My friend Ashley and Jackie both ordered the Grass Fed Double Double Burger, I ordered a really great shrimp and scallop pasta (I don't think they carry on the menu, as it changes with local ingredients being available). Initially when my pasta came I kind of thought the portion was a bit small, however I was mistaken. It was the perfect amount! The flavors in the pasta were fantastic. I really hope they add this item back to their menu at some point. Ashley and Jackie both loved their Double Double Burgers. 

The third time I went to The Fed was with my husband and we were celebrating my birthday. We went early enough that we didn't have to wait for a table. We started off with Mimosas and this time I ordered myself those delicious Lemon Souffle Pancakes that Jackie had ordered previously. My husband orders pizza pretty much everywhere we go and here was no exception. Nathan ordered the Breakfast Pizza which had sausage gravy, sharp cheddar cheese, cherry wood smoked bacon, bell peppers, tomato and scrambled eggs. When our food came out, we noticed that my pancakes were burned. The server was very apologetic and had the kitchen remake them quickly. When they came back out they were perfect. The manager even stopped by to apologize and made sure to take it off our bill. We were very appreciative of the fact that they went out of their way as they didn't have to do that. They really handled the situation well. While we waited for the pancakes to be remade I ended up stealing a couple slices of Nathan's breakfast pizza. The pizza was plenty big enough for sharing, and it was banging! After we finished our meals the server brought out an eclair and ice cream dessert with a large sparkler candle on it. It was a really fun way to celebrate my birthday.

I look forward to returning to The Fed again. It for sure is one of my most favorite restaurants. They are able to accommodate large groups and have private dining rooms in the downstairs. The Fed is full of character and I love how they maintained original parts of the bank. The old vault of the bank was turned into a unique dining room for a large party and even one of the old security deposit rooms in the basement was converted to a bathroom. Dont forget to check out the bathroom when you stop by as they have really awesome wall paper and tilework! The Fed also has a patio which I look forward to sitting at one day. If you are in the Clarkston area or are looking for a great place to eat, please check out The Fed.

Holidays in Detroit

I absolutely love Detroit during the holiday season. The city really knows how to do it up! Not only are there many great restaurants and bars to eat at with family but the city completely transforms into a winter wonderland. The Holiday Markets at Cadillac Square are absolutely adorable and a great way to support small business. Cadillac Square also has a Lodge which will put you in the holiday spirit. Cadillac Lodge is decorated exceptionally and is a warm, inviting area for friends and family to gather around on couches, and at tables to play games and enjoy one another's company. There of course is a small bar in the Lodge where you can purchase beverages. Nathan and I sat inside for awhile warming up playing checkers. It was a simple way to spend some quality time together and we both enjoyed the nostalgia of playing checkers. My best friend and I also explored the city on our Detroit Day Date and we had a great time riding around the city on the Bird Scooters exploring all the best holiday spots!

        

Capital Park also has Holiday Market Shops and a large area to gather around fireplaces. Capital Park even has a small turf area for dogs! There is also a small shop to purchase Christmas trees as well as wreaths and other festive holiday plants.

 

Campus Martius has an outdoor ice skating rink and of course the 60 foot tall Christmas Tree proudly sitting on a platform above the fountain. This is the first year that the Tree was sourced from Metro Detroit. The tree is decorated with  about 19,000 lights and ornaments. It's one of my favorite spots to get a picture in front of every year. This year Campus Martius will host a second rink, however this one is not for ice skating, but roller skating! The Rainbow City Roller Rink is located at 1001 Woodward Ave just across the corner from the ice skating rink. The Roller Rink is completely free of charge, including skate rental, and lockers! The rink does accept walk ins however, it appears that they fill up very quickly, but you can make a reservation online! My husband and I have a reservation for this Saturday and I cannot wait!

The walk from Campus Martius to the  Spirit of Detroit Plaza is pretty magical. There are multi-colored light installations that guide your way and swinging benches to rest on the way there (even though the walk is short). My favorite is the arch walkway made from pine that is laced with white lights. It smells completely like Christmas as you walk through and of course is a perfect photo op! Once you get to the Plaza there are adorable igloos that are heated where you can lounge and play games like Jenga. I brought my Mom and younger sister, Kayla down and we played Jenga and had a great time. Of course, my luck I knocked the Jenga tower over.

 

       

I could go on forever but if you are looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon I would highly recommend visiting downtown Detroit during this holiday season. I am planning to spend NYE downtown and will be sharing what we get into then! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to send them my way!

Garrido's Bistro Brunch

I saw this cute little Venezuelan bistro in Grosse Pointe Woods on Instagram a few months ago and I immediately added them to my Detroit Bucket list of places that I wanted to go. They  offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving traditional American Breakfast with their signature, Venezuelan Specialties all day and a full menu for dinner. What really caught my eye on the Gram was their Extreme Shakes and brunch menu. I am a huge sucker for a good brunch. The fact that they serve authentic latin food made them so much more appealing than just your standard American brunch joint. 

My husband and I headed out on a Saturday morning around 10:30am hoping to catch a table just before the brunch rush started. Luckily when we arrived we found that although the bistro is small there were plenty of tables available. We grabbed a table right by the window and were pumped we didn't have to wait as we were hungry.

We were quickly greeted and the brunch menu had quite a bit to offer from scrambles, Belgian waffles,   traditional Arepas, and "Wake Me Ups", which are Garrido's take on breakfast bowls. My husband ordered the ChocoBanana Belgian Waffle and I ordered Godzilla's Nest Wake Me Up. The ChocoBanana Belgian Waffle comes with fresh bananas and Nutella, however the server let us know they were out of bananas and offered to substitute the bananas for berries. Godzilla's Nest Wake Me Up is a waffle with melted cheddar, bacon, ground beef, poached eggs, and Guasacaca. 

Our meals were both fantastic. Nathan is always down for pancakes or waffles and the berry substitution on his ChocoBanana waffle didn't disappoint. Initially he wanted to ask for syrup, because it was served without, but after first bite he discovered he didn't even need it. The waffle was so good! My Godzilla's Nest definitely did not disappoint. It was such a unique flavor. The ground beef and bacon were delicious and the cheese sauce just combined all the flavors. I would highly recommend Godzilla's Nest. Both of the waffles were quite large and I ended up boxing up half of my meal. 

The Extreme Shakes were initially what caught my eye, so of course we had to get one! We ended up getting the Rockin' Reese's Extreme Shake and it blew my world. This shake was GIGANTIC. It comes stacked with waffles, an ice cream sandwhich, some type of peanut butter pie, chocolate ice cream, a Choco taco and whipped cream! We had the option to have the base be peanut butter shake or hot cocoa. Nathan loves peanut butter so I went with the shake. Let me just tell you, we couldn't finish it. This shake was definitely made to share, probably with at least four people. 

Overall, Garrido's was a great experience and I absolutely plan to come back for dinner sometime. I have my eye on their Paella. Let me know if you check them out what your thoughts are! 

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hey Girl Heyyyyy

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog.

My name is Felecia, yes, as in Bye Felecia. I am 29 years old and live in the Metro Detroit area. I absolutely love living in Metro Detroit and think that the city of Detroit has so much to offer! I work in the city, and love spending time on the weekends downtown. I originally grew up in the Grand Rapids area and love going back to visit often. Grand Rapids is beer city and everyone knows how much I love craft beer. I'm a foodie and love exploring different restaurants and breweries across the state.

Speaking of love, I have been happily married for a year and a half to my wonderful husband, Nathan. Together we have two terriers, who we absolutely adore. Audi is our seven year old Cairn Terrier and Oliver is our two year old Schnauzer mix. I am 100 percent a shameless dog mom. Don't judge!

My interest also include cooking, party planning, beauty, health/fitness as well as reading. This blog will cover my life and my loves so please stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe!