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I just came back from one of the best birthday celebrations ever. The city of Detroit celebrated its 300th birthday. It is a city of surprising firsts and an incredible entrepreneurial and creative history. Here are a few highlights of the new and not-to-be-missed

New Detroit Science Center

The New Detroit Science Center offers visitors a unique and fun learning experience. The center has undergone a $30 million renovation, creating a new jewel of learning and discovery unlike anything in the state. Visitors can explore the center's five laboratory areas-Motion, Life, Matter & Energy, Waves & Vibrations and the Children's Gallery-which features hands-on activities; live presentations on the center's two science stages; the new IMAX movie Journey Into Amazing Caves; the new Digital Dome Planetarium featuring star shows, slide presentations, laser displays and video programs; and a diverse range of educational programs hosted in the center's new Ford Learning Resource Center. Programs focus on the physical, space, earth, life and applied sciences. Located in the heart of Detroit's Cultural Center, The New Detroit Science Center has an additional 65,000 square feet of space, bringing the total to 110,000 sq. ft. of space. The center will serve 500,000 visitors each year with an estimated annual attendance of 350,000 guests and an additional 100,000 children attending as part of organized groups. For more information, phone 313-577-8400 or www.sciencedetroit.org.

Riverfront promenade one of Detroit's birthday gifts

Detroit 300, the group overseeing Detroit's birthday celebration, developed a 3,000 foot long riverfront promenade between Hart Plaza and Joe Louis Arena that was unveiled on July 19. The $7.8-million walkway is lined with grass, trees, benches and decorative lighting as well as 13,000 sponsored bricks, 3,750 granite pavers and inscriptions on a Tricentennial Wall.

Cadillac returns to Detroit

A bronzed statue of Detroit founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was unveiled to the public on July 24 as part of Detroit's 300th birthday celebration. The statue is a gift to the city by the Michigan chapter of the French-American Chamber of Commerce in celebration of the city's French heritage. The chapter raised $250,000 as well as in-kind donations to complete the two-year project, which was designed by sculptors William Kieffer and Ann Feeley.

ATTRACTION HAPPENINGS

Detroit comes alive on the big screen with IMAX film Celebrate Detroit!

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village recently premiered Celebrate Detroit!, a six-minute signature IMAX film showcasing the heart and spirit of Detroit. The film features more than 120 photographic subjects and is intended to tell the story of metro Detroit-our rich culture, ethnic diversity and lasting traditions-using the magic of IMAX technology. The film serves as an introduction to feature-length films at the museum's IMAX Theatre for the next seven to ten years. The film highlights some of the area's most well-known venues, landmarks, events and personalities, such as Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Zoo, Eastern Market, Joe Louis Arena, International Freedom Festival Fireworks, Thunderfest and the Woodward Dream Cruise. Some of the Detroit personalities featured include The Honorable Dennis W. Archer, Marcus Belgrave, Willie Horton, Gordie Howe and Martha Reeves. The film's score was conducted by Neeme Jarvi and recorded live courtesy of the musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Fairlane Town Center treats vacationing families to exciting shopping, discounts and fun

Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn is now offering travelers visiting Southeast Michigan a VIP shopping card valid for special discounts at more than 60 stores and restaurants in the center. Fairlane's "Treat Your Traveler" program was developed based on a Travel Industry of America (TIA) study indicating that more than half of all shopping travelers plan their trips for the primary or secondary purpose of shopping. Shoppers who live 50 or more miles from the center and their local hosts can stop by the main information desk to pick up their VIP card. For more information, call 313-593-3330.

Café Cortina, fine Italian restaurant, celebrates 25 years

Ristorante Café Cortina, located in Farmington Hills, a western suburb of Detroit, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in September. As the winner of a Wine Spectator, DiRona and other prestigious awards, Café Cortina continues to set trends in today's fast-paced environment. They were one of the first restaurants to serve wild game, risotto and polenta dishes long before these foods became trendy. For more information, call 248-474-3033 or visit www.cafecortina.com.

The Gem and Century Theatres announce new fall productions, previews begin Sept. 5

On September 5, the Gem and Century Theatres will begin previews of two new productions, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner with Friends by Donald Margulies, and the off-Broadway smash Fully Committed by Becky Mode. A comedy about friendship in the age of divorce, Dinner with Friends tells the story of two forty-something couples whose relationships are fractured when one couple announces its separation. Fully Committed is a comedy about a reservations clerk at a trendy, overbooked eatery. A single actor portrays over 30 eccentric characters in this send-up of the four-star restaurant scene. Both productions are scheduled to run until December 31. Tickets are available through.

Arctic Ring of Life a cool new attraction at Detroit Zoo

This state-of-the-art, $13.6 million interactive facility l encompasses more than four acres of outdoor and indoor exhibits. It will allow visitors to trek to the North Pole and experience the tundra, open sea and pack ice of the Arctic environment, and the animals that are distinctively adapted to life there. In addition to featuring polar bears, seals, snowy owls and Arctic foxes, the exhibit explores the relationship between Arctic people (Inuit) and wildlife. The exhibit includes a 300,000 gallon marine environment, a 70-foot-long underwater Polar Passage, which takes visitors underneath diving and swimming polar bears and seals, and a frigid ice cave and igloo.

Dymaxion House premieres at Henry Ford Museum in October

In 1991, Henry Ford Museum acquired the parts to the only surviving prototype of R. Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion House. The concept, though a failure in terms of mass market, is a good example of how innovative house design can affect the way people live. Conservationists began work on the house's 3,000 components and, piece by piece, began erecting the structure on the museum floor in October 1999. The exhibit, "The Dymaxion House: A New Way of Living," will open to the public in October 2001. In a quest to fulfill his goal of offering "efficiency in living," Fuller in 1928 set his sights on designing homes that would have mass appeal and yet be practical for the buyer and the environment. Conceived and designed in the late 1920s but not actually built until 1945, the Dymaxion House was Fuller's solution to what he thought the world needed: mass-produced, affordable and easily transported housing. Held together using tension suspension from a central mast, the house was unlike anything anyone had seen before. It was hexagonal, had a roomy interior and could be easily disassembled, transported and re-assembled. However, despite a promising start, the project fell apart due to labor disputes and Fuller's unwillingness to mass produce by the guidelines of his investors. The prototype on display at Henry Ford Museum will offer visitors a rare look inside this amazing aluminum structure. The sights and sounds surrounding the exhibit will have a 1940s flavor to better set the date in the minds of viewers. For more information, please call 313-271-1620 or log on to www.hfmgv.org.

Construction continues at Ford Field

Construction continues on Ford Field, the future home of the Detroit Lions. The domed stadium will be a one-of-a-kind, 65,000-seat facility that will include a giant glass wall revealing the picturesque Detroit skyline. The old Hudson's Warehouse, originally built in 1920, is a major cornerstone of Ford Field. It will house all of the luxury seats, pressbox, restaurants, food courts, lounge areas, banquet facilities and retail and office spaces. The inclusion of the warehouse into the stadium project will make the sightlines of Ford Field among the best in the NFL. The new stadium will also be available for various concerts, conventions, tradeshows and other entertainment events. For more information, visit www.detroitlions.com.

COMING SOON

Bed and Breakfast will feature old Detroit charm

A new $7.5 million bed-and-breakfast is scheduled to open this fall on Detroit's Eat Ferry Avenue. The project was developed by the University Cultural Center Association and jointly owned with the Detroit Institute of Arts. Four 19-century historically preserved houses make up the Inn. They will hold 42 guest rooms and suites, a library, three parlors, several meeting rooms, kitchen and dining facilities.

www.visitdetroit.com

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