I checked out of the Holiday Inn Express Detroit-Birmingham. Like I shared before, I loved the heartwarming messages on the TV screen that said "Good Morning" and "Good Evening" along with my name. However, on the morning of my departure, I was caught off guard by a disappointing contrast. The screen bluntly read something like, "Pressing check-out will immediately deactivate your room key." If they had kept using my name and added, "How was your stay? We look forward to welcoming you back," it would have warmed guests' hearts and given the hotel a much better reputation.
Collie came to pick me up at the hotel and dropped me off at the Somerset Collection in Troy. Leaving my suitcase in his car, I planned to spend my day there while he was off at work.
North Court Lounge in Somerset Collection North
This is my absolute favorite spot❤︎ It’s the North Court Lounge, located right near the first-floor entrance of Nordstrom in Somerset Collection North. The modern, calm atmosphere of this public lounge is so open and beautiful. As the pleasant morning light streams in, I open up my laptop... Time just seems to glide by peacefully here.
Panda Express!
I was SO happy😂 This was exactly the kind of meal I had been dying for. When traveling in the US, Panda Express is truly a lifesaver! It completely satisfied my cravings and filled my appetite♡
(And yes, I brought along a bottle of water I had picked up at Kroger during my hotel stay as my little companion.)
In fact, after trying it on over and over and pacing back and forth to make up my mind, I was completely exhausted—but by the time I sat down for lunch, I had finally scored a brown autumn coat at ZARA!
After a whole day of exploring the Somerset Collection, I stopped by Beyond Juicery & Eatery for the perfect wrap-up to a full, pleasant day. A refreshing smoothie was just what I needed to quench my thirst! I think I ordered the "Total Energy" smoothie with 🍓strawberry and 🍌banana.
By the way, there was a necklace at Nordstrom that I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Later during my stay in Michigan, Collie brought me back there, and I got to buy it (using the pocket money he gave me 😄).
At ZARA, I had also fallen in love with a black oversized coat. But I didn't have the courage to lug two heavy coats back to Japan, so I walked away from it. Still, since it’s a classic piece whose design changes a little bit every year, I knew I wanted the specific one I had tried on in Michigan. In the end, I managed to track it down and get it through BUYMA (a Japanese online fashion marketplace) a few months after returning to Japan!
Evening came, and Collie arrived to pick me up. "I bought an autumn coat♪ ^^" I told him. But in reality, that necklace and the black coat were still lingering in the back of my mind.
The moment I reunited with Pepper—Collie’s mom’s dog—on this trip was when I spotted him inside Collie’s car. Apparently, Collie sometimes brings Pepper back to his place to look after him or take him to the vet. "I'm so happy to see you again," I said softly, gently touching Pepper. He had grown older and frail, but was sitting upright, nestled safely inside a soft, cushioned box in the backseat.
Now, as I sit in Japan writing this Michigan memoir, I still haven't told Collie that I actually got the exact same black ZARA coat from back home.
◇ Quick Update ◇
You can now find my Pinterest and Instagram links under "FIND ME ON," just beneath the ABOUT ME section. Since I regularly update those spaces with my curated photos, they’re a wonderful place to enjoy more visual moments and stay connected between my blog posts🌷
