My Bride and I are still tourists in Detroit, even though I was born in the borough of Delray, then Southwest Detroit and went to school and college there, while my Bride had her first real job in downtown.  During the holiday season we went to see the pop-up retail establishments in Campus Martius and Kennedy Square; not to mention the ice-skating rink.  Campus Martius was adjacent to the Old City Hall, and after they tore down that building, they developed a huge underground parking structure with a big concrete topping and a fountain that was eventually removed.  The grounds were named Kennedy Square, many years after John F. Kennedy spoke during the Labor Day festivities while campaigning in 1960.

We decided to go to the Book Tower as my Bride had a thirst for a Spanish Coffee.  It was about an eight block walk and I still enjoy the architecture of Detroit,  The Book Tower was built by the Book brothers, who at the time were the wealthiest two men in Detroit and they had a desire to make Washington Boulevard competition to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.  They built the Book Cadillac  Hotel, and the Book Tower and both became instant Detroit Landmarks with their Roman-influenced designs and embellishments.  Both buildings along with others were designed by the architect Louis Kamper and they were built during the heyday of Detroit, before the Great Depression.  We decided to go to Kamper’s, which is the city’s largest rooftop bar and lounge and evokes a Basque tapas establishment.  It is on the 14^th floor, but we had to get permission to go there, and security had to make sure that there was a table for us, then they contacted us on our phone that we could go up the elevator, the funny thing is that there was no 14^th floor, but security tapped the controls in the elevator and then we were taken to our table.  The view was wonderful, as I saw structures for the first time, not from the street. 

Alas, my Bride was disappointed again, first we tried on the main floor at Le Supreme for a Spanish Coffee (who didn’t have whipped cream or Crème Fraiche) and Kamper’s didn’t have coffee.  You would have been proud of us, as we were able to find an alternative, while admiring the scenery, as we stepped out onto the rooftop to be tourists.   While my Bride decided on having one of her backup drinks of a Negroni, I opted to maintain the theme of the room and had Bodegas Agro de Bazan Granbazan Etiqueta Verde Albarino Salnés Valley Rias Baixas 2023.  Bodegas Granbazan is considered a crown jewel of the region with its pronounced French chateau influence.  Albarino has been praised in the area since the days of the Galician kingdom.  The wine is pure Albarino from vines that are over thirty-five years of age, grown on high granite soils on the banks of an estuary with strong Atlantic influence.  The fruit is destemmed and undergoes cold maceration for six to eight hours, with controlled fermentation in Stainless Steel tanks.  The wine rests on fine lees without batonage, and then bottled four to five months after fermentation is complete.  A bright yellow wine offering notes of stone fruit, tropical fruits and white florals.  On the palate there were notes of white stone fruit, mandarin, touches of marzipan with refreshing acidity and a good medium count finish of salty air (salinity). Afterwards, when we arrived on the main floor, we found out that the Rotunda Bar could make a Spanish Coffee, and another trip and adventure.