Do-it-yourself Detroit is on borrowed time. Working around the democratically elected government of the city isn’t a long term strategy. One day soon we’ll have to figure out how to address the future of this city that stretches out beyond the horizon of our lifetimes, past the excitement of this burst of energy, past the frustration and decline that has plagued Detroit for 50 years. Inspiration and desperation come in waves. Good government provides consistency over time; failing government erodes stability. At some point we are going to have to institutionalize our best ideas and noblest principles.
There are many stories about the positive energy in Detroit, from bright new enthusiasm to hardscrabble ingenuity. There are residents in communities that have every right to give up yet somehow find the reserve to keep things going. There are stories of large deliberate efforts and small but inspiring injections of hope. Not all of these stories get the same airplay, but many share the same theme: citizens doing it themselves.
Detroiters are finding ways to fill in gaps that shouldn’t exist. People are pulling together to solve problems, from rescuing parks to community patrols to informal business support groups to dynamic large scale and small scale investments that drive a vision for economic development. There is a resolve that excites us even if city government isn’t working the way we want. It is a resolve that says this city can come back. It’s good and necessary and ... fun. Today, we are focused on what we can get to work, to grow every spark into a flame and make sure every domino is close enough to knock down the next.
Click HERE to read the full article!
Astro Coffee in Corktown, a Detroit neighborhood luring new businesses. |
At the ragged corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Street in the historic neighborhood of Corktown, where the Detroit Tigers played for 87 years, all that remains is a slice of an entrance gate, a flagpole and a barren field.
After the last out in 1999, the Tigers departed what locals call "the Corner," for the new Comerica Park downtown. The American League champions host baseball's World Series there this weekend. Back in Corktown, redevelopment proposals for the surrounding blocks foundered, and when Tiger Stadium finally was razed in September 2009, many feared the neighborhood would be lost to history. But Corktown is stirring again.
Young entrepreneurs have homed in on Corktown's main drag, which is now dotted with small businesses: a nationally acclaimed barbecue joint, a burger bar, a craft-cocktail nightspot and a hip coffee shop. A few boutiques selling sports apparel and vinyl records have sprouted along blocks that were once largely shuttered.
"When the bike racks are full, you know things are humming," said Dave Steinke, owner of the new Mercury Burger Bar, who plans to open an Italian restaurant on Michigan Avenue next month. "When you see some strollers on the street, you know they'll be back again and again."
Corktown—named for County Cork by the Irish farmers who settled there in the 1800s—isn't bustling, local boosters concede. But for Detroiters, the seeds of commerce in an area left for dead are sparking hope that some of the city's most forlorn neighborhoods can be resurrected. That hope hasn't touched other neighborhoods. New stadiums, office buildings and hotels have helped Detroit's downtown area recover from its gloomiest days. But farther out, residential and commercial corridors bear deep scars of population loss and business flight.
Click HERE to read the full article!
6. Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, MI
www.hauntedpontiac.com
Michigan is the haunted attraction capital of the world with more than 70 haunts in a 50 mile radius. Erebus prides itself as one of the most unique haunts in the country by building almost all of their own props in-house. This is not the haunted house you went to as a kid, but the one that makes you scream as an adult. Things will grab you, bite you, and land on top of you. Walk through a swamp. Be placed inside a room, door slammed, and get dumped on by 10,000 balls as you’re buried alive! How long can you hold your breath? Erebus, in Greek Mythology, is the son of Chaos and the brother of Night, this year they are bringing in the "Mother" - Chaos is coming fall 2012. Chaos is unleashing an all-out assault! She'll hit you from every angle with full on fear... and show no mercy.
Visit www.hauntedpontiac.com for more haunted house details.
Click HERE for the full list!
"A lot of people have that hesitation," he says. "They're not sure about moving to Detroit."
The city, which has lost half of its population in the wake of the auto industry collapse, has a bad reputation. Many buildings are abandoned, and thousands of residents live in some of the most extreme poverty in the country.
But Hughes, a Michigan native, and his Detroit Labs partners saw the potential of the city as fertile ground for a thriving tech startup--and after visiting, their candidates do, too.
"We bring them down to our office in a beautiful old building," says Hughes. "We show them what's going on in the area, and they change their minds. People are really loving it here."
The city is home to a small, but thriving tech community, with companies including Quicken Loan, Compuware Ventures, and Galaxe Solutions based downtown. And while many storefronts are vacant, the local businesses that do exist are all worth visiting, says Hughes. "There aren't 50 or 100 restaurants to choose from, like you'd see in most cities, but the 10 or 20 that are there are very high quality."
Will McDowell, a recent grad working as a business analyst for Detroit Labs, lives downtown, as do many of the business' younger employees. "I think we have just as much fun here, and just as much to do at a lower price than in any other city," he says.
Click HERE to read the full article!
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Photo: Lundgren Photography |
Jobs added from 2010 through 2012: 92,407 (up 5 percent) According to a report published by think tank Brookings Institution, Detroit tops the nation — coming second only to Charleston, SC — as the area that's added the most manufacturing jobs in the country from January 2010 through 2011.
Source: CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists (EMSI)
Click HERE for the full article on Business Insider.
The final weekend of Tashmoo Biergarten is here! On Saturday, October 27 Tashmoo will run in conjunction with the Villages Fall Festival, and on Sunday, October 28 Liquid Table Beverage Solutions is coordinating The Brewers’ Brunch as the final event of the 4th Annual Detroit Beer Week.
Many local brewers, as well as the Detroit Beer Week staff will be on hand to discuss the beers. From 12 noon until 3 pm, enjoy a Michigan Bloody Mary bar, coffee and beer drinks from Great Lakes Coffee, and a menu of suggested food and beer pairings featuring our participating food vendors: Simply Suzanne, Corridor Sausage, Treat Dreams and People's Pierogi.
Last year a vacant patch of land in Detroit’s West Village was transformed by a group of local artists, foodies, designers and writers into the Tashmoo Biergarten, a pop-up, European-style Biergarten. After serving more than 7,000 people and raising funds for multiple community organizations,
Tashmoo came back in 2012 for three consecutive weekends, Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28, being the last.
Saturday, October 27- Sunday, October 28
Tashmoo Biergarten
1416 Van Dyke
Detroit, Michigan 48226
About Tashmoo Biergarten
Since it has opened, Tashmoo Biergarten has brought over 7,000 people to West Village, raising awareness for the historical neighborhood, with proceeds from past events going to the Villages Community Development Corporation and to the Waldorf School. Tashmoo is made possible by the hard work and dedication of Team Tashmoo, and army of volunteers and the generous support of our partners, lovio george | communications + design, Marvin Shaouni Photography, Vitamin Water, Simply Suzanne and the Villages of Detroit. All of the funds raised go to the Villages Community Development Corporation.
Find out more about Tashmoo Biergarten at tashmoodetroit.com, or on Facebook at www.fb.com/TashmooDetroit or www.facebook.com/DetroitBeerWeek
The Michigan Film Office announced today three projects – the Internet program Detroit Rubber, the feature film RoboCop and the web series The Castle – have been approved for film incentives from the state.
“All of these projects present an opportunity to showcase Michigan – whether through our filmmakers, our iconic locations, or the talented cast and crew we have here in the state,” said Carrie Jones, director of the Michigan Film Office. “We are seeing the rise of young entrepreneurs through Detroit Rubber and the return of RoboCop to Detroit, which is a testament to the range and diversity of projects we are supporting in the state.”
The feature film RoboCop was also awarded an incentive of $294,312 on $1,057,356 of projected in-state expenditures for second unit shoots in Detroit. The project expected to hire 81 Michigan workers with a full time equivalent of three jobs.
In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.
Scenes shot in Michigan include various Detroit landmarks and other exterior shots.
Click HERE to read the full article!
“All of these projects present an opportunity to showcase Michigan – whether through our filmmakers, our iconic locations, or the talented cast and crew we have here in the state,” said Carrie Jones, director of the Michigan Film Office. “We are seeing the rise of young entrepreneurs through Detroit Rubber and the return of RoboCop to Detroit, which is a testament to the range and diversity of projects we are supporting in the state.”
The feature film RoboCop was also awarded an incentive of $294,312 on $1,057,356 of projected in-state expenditures for second unit shoots in Detroit. The project expected to hire 81 Michigan workers with a full time equivalent of three jobs.
In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.
Scenes shot in Michigan include various Detroit landmarks and other exterior shots.
Click HERE to read the full article!
Can 30 creative thinkers make a difference to a city in need? A Detroit economic and entrepreneurial development organization called The Collaborative Group is betting on it.
Devastated by the collapse of the auto industry that fueled the region's growth, Detroit has fallen into dire straits. The city, which has a poverty rate of 37.6 percent, is the poorest major city in America. Residents are moving out in droves: Detroit's population has shrunk by a quarter in the past decade.
Led by the vision of The Collaborative Group board member Doyle Mosher, the group's Challenge Detroit initiative is focused on building a young, educated workforce in the region, starting with just 30 people.
In September, Challenge Detroit brought 30 talented young people--hand-picked from a group of nearly 1,000--to Detroit for an innovative one-year program that challenges them to live, work, play, and give in the nation's most impoverished major city.
The 30 Challenge Detroit Fellows are a mix of recent college graduates, artists, lawyers, urban policy specialists, and other innovators. As Fellows, they've received year-long job placements with local host companies from large businesses like Quicken Loans and Chrysler, to startups like ePrize and HiredMyWay.
"We found companies that were willing to step up and take a chance on innovative thinkers," says Deirdre Greene Groves, executive director of The Collaborative Group. "Some had defined roles in mind, while others said, 'When we meet the person we want, we'll know and let them define the position.'"
Click HERE to read the full article on The Atlantic!
Jeanette Pierce stands on an outside balcony in the high-rise apartment building she lives in downtown Detroit, Michigan on October 16, 2012. Credit: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook |
When Jeanette Pierce moved into a downtown Detroit high-rise seven years ago, she could always count on getting into The Well, a local bar with wood-paneled walls, dartboards and an X-Box in the corner. Now she can barely squeeze in.
"There could be a line with as many as 150 to 175 people at the bar," said Pierce, 31, co-founder of a nonprofit that promotes Detroit. She's wistful for the nights when just 50 patrons would show up.
Pierce's neighborhood is an example of the renaissance and growth seen in a handful of areas in Detroit, a city whose overall fortunes and population have tumbled, especially in the last decade with the contraction of the American auto industry.
City officials and business leaders, who bristle over media fixation on crime and budget misery, are hoping to turn attention to Detroit's green shoots: bustling restaurants, community gardens and long waiting lists for apartments.
Last month the nonprofit Detroit Regional News Hub, which connects journalists to people and organizations involved in rebuilding the city, held a promotional day-and-a-half event. "Transformation Detroit" featured talks by city officials, including Mayor Dave Bing, business owners, real estate developers and others invested in the city's recovery.
Among them was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which recently finished moving 3,400 employees who had been based in the suburb of Southfield to a complex of five buildings huddled near the Detroit River.
The city is also home to 1,400 gardens tended by 15,000 to 20,000 mostly volunteer gardeners, said Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of the Greening of Detroit. The 23-year-old nonprofit agency seeks to reclaim open spaces and restore the local ecosystem through tree planting and urban agriculture. The produce - 200 tons are harvested each year - is distributed to the community and sold at neighborhood farmers' markets in Detroit, and the income is plowed back into the collaborative.
The event was partly sponsored by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, a nonprofit whose board is appointed by city officials.
"We have to create the kind of environment to make people stay," Bing, a Democrat elected three years ago, told reporters. "We're well on our way to doing that."
Click HERE to read the full article on Reuters!
Detroit had earned its hangover — the Tigers pulling off a sweep of the Yankees on Thursday to win their 11th American League pennant — so I left the slumbering city early Friday and hit the road home to New York. Soon after I got around Toledo and turned east on the Ohio Turnpike, I came to a realization about this insanely important swing state: it’s so flat and so boring that driving across it gives your mind a chance to roam. And mine was way off the leash.
Through my ancient Mazda’s cracked windshield, I kept seeing vivid snapshots of my three whirlwind days in the Motor City. Odd to say, but one of the most memorable days was Wednesday, when Game 4 was scheduled but no game was played. It proved to be a great day for conspiracy theorists.
I arrived at the ballpark late, detained by a fat Dominican cigar and a much fatter raconteur at a downtown saloon. “It’s a myth that Dick the Bruiser beat the tar out of Alex Karras at the Lindell A.C.,” he told me with iron conviction, disputing something I had reported as fact in this newspaper. “Never happened!”
Chastened, I quit the saloon. The game should have been half an hour old by the time I approached the turnstiles at Comerica Park, but the packed stadium, usually a house of bedlam, was eerily quiet. I turned to a guy standing next to the big statue of the tiger and asked what was up.
“Rain delay,” replied Terry Franconi, who had come to the game carrying a broom — a goad for the Tigers to turn their 3-0 lead into a four-game sweep. Alas, brooms were banned from the ball yard. Besides, Franconi didn’t have a ticket.
“But it’s not raining,” I said.
“They say it’s going to.” Then he offered a prediction that had nothing to do with the weather: “I honestly don’t think the Tigers are going to win tonight because there’s too much money to be lost if they sweep. The umps and refs know how to make it a close game.”
It wasn’t raining inside the park either, but I heard people talking about a big storm that was to the west and closing in fast. Half an hour passed, an hour, an hour and a half — and still no rain. It was like being trapped inside a jampacked keg party with 43,000 guests, everyone getting hammered because there was nothing else to do. I noticed that the grounds crew hadn’t even pulled the tarp over the infield dirt, despite that big bad storm that was supposed to be on its way. Strange. I started thinking about how much money the concession stands were making, and that got me thinking about Terry Franconi’s remarks. Maybe some kind of fix really was on.
Finally, the rain started to fall two hours after the first pitch was supposed to be thrown — plenty of time to get in most of a game — and the tarp came out and the fans went home. It was a first for me: a two-hour rain delay without any rain.
After the nongame, I went to a different saloon and bumped into Brian McGuire, who works as something called a search engine marketing analyst for a Detroit advertising agency. “I don’t mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist,” he told me, “but I think the powers that be knew this game wasn’t going to happen. The interest is in money — the chance for advertising, marketing, alcohol sales. Let’s milk the cow, then put her to bed and milk her again tomorrow. It’s capitalism.”
All these dark theories became moot the following day, when sunshine drenched the field and Game 4 started on schedule a little after 4 p.m. As I gazed out at the emerald outfield, I had to admit that I, like many old-schoolers before me, had been utterly seduced by Comerica Park, which opened in 2000, replacing Tiger Stadium, the charming old dowager where I grew up watching baseball and football games. They tore the place down in 2008, breaking many hearts.
Click HERE to read the full article on The New York Times!
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Excerpt:
So, how did the Tigers end up winning the American League pennant and winding up in the World Series? Simply put, by becoming less a collection of stars and an actual team.
All season, the Tigers’ general manager, Dave Dombrowski, and Leyland made adjustments — trading for pitchers like Anibal Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante and gambling on rookies like Quintin Berry and Avisail Garcia. And, they were patient with the starting pitchers, who eventually became the key to the team’s playoff victories over the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees. Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Sanchez — who one sportswriter joked are the Tigers’ equivalent of the Four Tops — have become the glue that has held the team together.
You also can’t overlook the participation of the Tigers’ loyal, if sometimes frustrated fans. Before the season began, the Tigers sold 22,000 season ticket packages, or more than half the seats available for any game, based on the excitement generated by Fielder, who signed a $214 million, nine-year contract.
All summer, it was more likely that Comerica Park would be sold out than not, despite some of the hottest afternoons and evenings in recent memory. And while Tiger fans have vented their anger at times, they never booed their players as loudly as Yankee fans did in recent weeks. They’ve been consistently loyal, if questioning.
Click HERE to read the full article on Forbes!
Courtney Smith, 27 Chris Krsteski, 32 Café d'Mongo's Speakeasy Detroit |
COURTNEY SMITH: I call myself a lot of things. But when I'm here, that's what other people call me.
You call yourself a speakeasy. What secret activities are engaged in?
CHRIS KRSTESKI: I try to raid my dad's stash of moonshine and keep that here at all times. Ryan Gosling came in here two weeks in a row. We did a shot with him, and he killed, like, three bottles with us. Larry [Mongo, our boss] brought it out. We got ruined. Brought out another one the next time he came back, and another one. Started jamming on the piano. He was totally cool. He started playing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" on the piano.
What's the city's drink?
CS: I have a drink I like to make — the Detroit Brown. It's whiskey, Vernors [ginger ale], bitters, and a secret ingredient. People in Detroit drink a lot of ginger ale.
CK: We have another one called the 1439 — that's our address. That's just Captain Morgan and Rock & Rye.
Morgan and what?
CK: Rock & Rye. It's a Faygo. It's a Detroit-based soda.
You guys seem really into soda.
CK: We call it pop.
What do you know about drinking that the rest of us don't?
CK: One of the things people love is seeing their bartender doing a shot with them. "No way! He can drink?"
Why do people go to a bar?
CS: When you're at a restaurant, you're not getting up from your table, saying, "Nice tie. Let's talk."
Read the full article HERE on Esquire!
Back in the bad old days, office workers in downtown Detroit staged a macabre daily sporting event. At quitting time there would be a mad dash to the parking lot — eyes out for muggers, or worse — then, quick, fire up the car and race home to the suburbs. As night fell, downtown turned into a ghost town.
Those days are a dim memory — and not just on sunny days like Thursday, when Game 4 of the American League Championship Series drew more than 40,000 Tiger fans downtown to Comerica Park, their eyes dancing with visions of sweeping the despised Yankees from the playoffs. Today, as often as not, people who work downtown don’t race home to the suburbs for a simple reason that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: they also live downtown, in buildings that once stood empty.
The reverse exodus has become so pronounced that downtown Detroit can now be fairly accused of imitating such desirable New York addresses as Chelsea or TriBeCa. Yes, it’s gotten so bad — or good — that it’s now nearly impossible to find a vacant apartment to rent in downtown Detroit.
Mandy Davenport is a recent volunteer in this army of foot soldiers, mostly young people, who have moved into downtown. Many work in high-tech jobs, or they pursue creative careers while supporting themselves with day jobs, or, like Davenport, they’re part of the real estate boom.
“The only thing I used to know about downtown Detroit was Tigers games,” says Davenport, 30, who moved from tiny Williamston, near Lansing, about six weeks ago to take a job as office manager in the Broderick Tower, an elegant 34-story tower on Woodward Avenue that is being converted into luxury apartments. “My friends in California told me I was stupid to move here, I’m going to get killed. Frankly, I thought it was going to be scarier. There’s a lot to do — bars, restaurants, concerts, games, the Eastern Market. It’s a lot of young people, people moving in from the suburbs. A lot of people want to walk to work.”
As she speaks, she’s standing in the Broderick’s duplex penthouse apartment that looks down onto the diamond where the Tigers and Yankees are doing battle. From the other side of the apartment you can see the muscular clump of downtown skyscrapers, the silver ribbon of the Detroit River behind it and, off in the distance, Windsor and the vastness of Ontario.
Click HERE to read the full article on The New York Times!
If you have ever visited the city of Detroit but haven't been back there in the last few years, you may be in for a pleasant surprise. The city has endured enormously difficult times, especially recently, but if there is one bright spot in Detroit, it would be the city's heart, downtown. Much has changed since I first visited Detroit in 2002. Businesses, retailers and restaurants have opened downtown, which is amazing considering it was written-off for dead. Quicken Loans, General Motors, Compuware and others large and small have made significant investments. The riverfront, waterfront and Campus Martius have become draws. Downtown is also seeing an influx of people to live, work and play.
Vacancies continue to plague the city, but downtown's historic properties, many vacant for decades, are finding new uses. Buildings are being renovated into offices, lofts or hotels, including the Westin Book-Cadillac hotel which is a model for the reusing Buffalo's Statler. At 29 stories, the Book-Cadillac was the world's tallest hotel when it was built back in 1924. It was vacated and left for dead in 1983 until finding new life in 2008.
This hotel, and the Holiday Inn Express across the street, have put some life back on Washington Boulevard, which was a failed pedestrian mall similar to Main Street in Buffalo. Like the Statler in Buffalo, the Book-Cadillac has played host to numerous weddings and receptions, bringing much-needed business into downtown.
Each of my four stays at the Book-Cadillac have been great and the rooms are very nice. The hotel takes up the first 23 floors and the top six floors are luxury condos. The Westin's trademark Heavenly Beds are almost second-to-none in comfort. Rooms are modern yet retain reminders of the building's history. There's even a cool gift shop of Detroit "swag" on the ground.
Redevelopment in the city has been focused on sports (Comerica Park, Ford Field and Joe Louis Arena), the arts and culture (Detroit's Theater District is said to be second only to New York's for the number of theaters), education, health care, and casinos (three).
My last visit was in September, while attending a couple of Detroit Tigers games and over the weekend, paid a visit to the Henry Ford Museum in the nearby suburb of Dearborn (which is about a $20 cab ride or 7 miles from downtown). The museum includes the incredible historic Greenfield Village, where you can find Henry Ford's childhood farm and home, the Wright Brothers Bike Shop and House, and Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory.
Click HERE to read the full article on Buffalo Rising!
Vacancies continue to plague the city, but downtown's historic properties, many vacant for decades, are finding new uses. Buildings are being renovated into offices, lofts or hotels, including the Westin Book-Cadillac hotel which is a model for the reusing Buffalo's Statler. At 29 stories, the Book-Cadillac was the world's tallest hotel when it was built back in 1924. It was vacated and left for dead in 1983 until finding new life in 2008.
This hotel, and the Holiday Inn Express across the street, have put some life back on Washington Boulevard, which was a failed pedestrian mall similar to Main Street in Buffalo. Like the Statler in Buffalo, the Book-Cadillac has played host to numerous weddings and receptions, bringing much-needed business into downtown.
Each of my four stays at the Book-Cadillac have been great and the rooms are very nice. The hotel takes up the first 23 floors and the top six floors are luxury condos. The Westin's trademark Heavenly Beds are almost second-to-none in comfort. Rooms are modern yet retain reminders of the building's history. There's even a cool gift shop of Detroit "swag" on the ground.
Redevelopment in the city has been focused on sports (Comerica Park, Ford Field and Joe Louis Arena), the arts and culture (Detroit's Theater District is said to be second only to New York's for the number of theaters), education, health care, and casinos (three).
My last visit was in September, while attending a couple of Detroit Tigers games and over the weekend, paid a visit to the Henry Ford Museum in the nearby suburb of Dearborn (which is about a $20 cab ride or 7 miles from downtown). The museum includes the incredible historic Greenfield Village, where you can find Henry Ford's childhood farm and home, the Wright Brothers Bike Shop and House, and Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory.
Click HERE to read the full article on Buffalo Rising!
Photo: Detroit News |
Road trip, thy name is trepidation.
What’s the source of this dread I’m feeling? It’s not the fact that I left my Alphabet City apartment in the predawn dark on Tuesday and pointed the snout of my rust-bucket 1989 Mazda west toward my hometown, Detroit, 600 miles distant. It’s not even the sheer lunacy of my day’s itinerary — across the George Washington Bridge and the Garden State, then over the corduroy hump of Pennsylvania, and finally across that enormous dinner plate of a battleground state called Ohio.
All of this just to go back home to see my beloved Detroit Tigers take on the Yankees on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
(Wait a minute, you’re thinking, a man in the 21st century wants to get from New York to Detroit to see a baseball game, and he drives? Well, yes, because I was born and raised in Detroit, and when a Detroit guy wants to go somewhere, he gets into a car and drives there. It beats showing up at La Guardia six hours before your scheduled departure and then being treated like a criminal. I rest my case for keeping my wheels on the road.)
Most surprising of all, my dread is not coming from a feeling that the Yankees’ batters are going to wake from their collective coma and start Ping-Ponging hits all over the park.
No, my dread comes from something much simpler, a question: What if my very first visit to Comerica Park stinks? What if the successor to Tiger Stadium is a “cookie cutter,” as I’ve heard it described? What if the fans are obnoxious? What if the whole experience is just another dreary episode in The Great Overpriced American Racket of Keeping the People Entertained?
To fully understand my anxiety, you need to understand that I grew up in Detroit in the 1950s and 1960s, attending baseball and football games at a glorious old pile of a stadium that hosted its first game in 1912, a few weeks after the Titanic sank. It was called Navin Field back then. When I first visited, it was known as Briggs Stadium, and the name was changed again in 1961 to Tiger Stadium.
It was a great green open-air room that held about 50,000 fans but somehow felt intimate because everyone was close to the action. The stadium was enclosed, meaning you couldn’t see anything but the game that was being played before your eyes. The world went away for a few hours when you were in that place, and that was a big part of its magic.
If you loved the Tigers in the years of my youth, it was a given that you also despised the Yankees. In the first decade of my life, the Yankees won the American League all but two times — in 1954, when Bob Feller and the Cleveland Indians awoke, briefly, and in 1959 when the Chicago White Sox had a rare and uncharacteristic summer of success.
Click HERE to read the full article on The New York Times!
Another masterful performance from the starting rotation has the Detroit Tigers two wins away from their first World Series appearance since 2006.
So Motor City, can you taste it?
With three games upcoming at Comerica Park, Detroiters have reason to believe that their blessed boys will drive a stake through the Yankees some time in the next week.
And as an impartial observer, I'm buying it.
Five reasons why...
1. Swing-and-Miss Stuff
Among baseball's final four, no starting rotation is better at punching out opponents than Detroit's.
Each one of the Tigers' postseason starters—Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, and Anibal Sanchez —struck out more than 7.5 batters per nine innings this season and boasted a SO:BB ratio north of 3.45. No other postseason foursome can make either claim.
Translation: Tigers starters are really hard to hit.
Of course, in any month, generating whiffs is a recipe for success. It's one of the few outcomes where a pitcher isn't at the mercy of his defense.
But in postseason play, the ability to strike batters out can carry an extra special situational boon. In games where runs are at a premium, holding baserunners at third with less than two outs takes on added importance. Strikeouts are the best way to do that. And so often we see teams strategize with that very outcome in mind.
Now, when most teams need a strikeout to prevent damage, they're forced to lean on their relief corps—even if that means removing a starter who's been reasonably effective. Take a look at the top K/9 rates in baseball this year and you'll see why.
But not the Tigers. With two starters averaging a strikeout an inning or more (Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer), manager Jim Leyland can ride his horses in situations where opposing manager might have to tax the 'pen.
Click HERE to read the full article on the Bleacher Report!
A burst of youthful energy – from native Detroiters and new immigrants – debunks the opinion that nothing can be done to jumpstart the Motor City.
Stories of Detroit's emerging comeback often highlight the city’s attraction to young hipsters. According to plentiful media reports, well-educated twenty-somethings are streaming into the Motor City to test out new ideas, explore art and music projects, or launch D-I-Y revitalization initiatives.
You can spot a number of once-dormant corners of the city now pulsing with activity thanks to young entrepreneurs. Corktown now sports pubs and restaurants that would fit in Brooklyn or Portland. Midtown shows all the makings of a creative class hub, complete with hipsters hanging out at the Good Girls Go to Paris creperie, the Avalon International Breads bakery, and the N’Nmadi Center gallery, devoted to the rich tradition of African-American abstract art. Recent college grads can be seen all over town from the bountiful Eastern Market to bustling Campus Martius square to festive Mexicantown to the scenic Riverwalk to the yummy Good People Popcorn shop downtown, featuring flavors like cinnamon and chocolate drizzle.
This burst of youthful energy – even in the face of the city’s continuing economic and social woes – debunks widespread opinion that nothing can be done to jumpstart the Motor City. While a new, more positive narrative about Detroit is welcome, there are problems in focusing entirely on idealistic young adventurers swooping in to save the city – it reinforces the stereotype of native Detroiters as hapless, helpless, and hopeless.
The truth is, locals have been working hard for years to uplift the common good in Detroit, which drew the interest of outsiders. And newcomers aren’t the only ones stirring up excitement around town. Good People Popcorn, for instance, was started by two sisters and a cousin, all of whom grew up here. Sarida Scott Montgomery, one of the founders who is also a lawyer and executive director of the Community Development Advocates of Detroit, says people are often surprised she grew up in the city. "Not in the suburbs," she says, "but in Detroit itself."
Regina Ann Campbell, director of the Milwaukee Junction Small Business Center incubator in Detroit's North End, grew up on the Northwest side before earning a Masters in urban planning degree at the University of Michigan. "I welcome all the new people," she says. "But it’s important for them to understand they are building on some things that have been going on for years. I want to help them appreciate the city though the eyes of the people who have lived here."
Ms. Scott Montgomery and Ms. Campbell are both part of a new initiative that matches the talents of bright, young professionals with local organizations working at the frontlines of reviving Detroit. The Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program (DRFP) selected 29 fellows with backgrounds in urban planning, economic development, finance, real estate, and related fields.
Click HERE to read the full article on Christian Science Monitor!
The Detroit Public Schools Foundation announces that 300 Detroit students will participate in the Future City Competition this school year because of a grant from ITC Holdings Corp. (ITC).
The $20,000 grant will cover the cost of the students to take part in the Competition, which is coordinated by the Engineering Society of Detroit.
The Future City Competition challenges students to design a city of the future - and have fun doing it. This program was designed to promote technological literacy and engineering to sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. The program fosters an interest in math, science and engineering through hands-on, real world applications and helps students better understand the practical applications of mathematical and scientific principles. The Future City Competition is a team-based program consisting of students, a teacher, and an engineer mentor.
“ITC is proud to support the Detroit Public Schools Foundation and its efforts to increase the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum in its schools,” said Gregory Ioanidis, president, ITC Michigan. “The Future City Competition will help Detroit Public School students better understand the practical applications of math and science principles through hands-on, real world application of their studies.”
Through its Charitable Giving Program, ITC awards grants to qualified 501 (c) (3) organizations that deliver charitable services in the counties where ITC operates. Grants support programs and projects that reflect the values of ITC: education, environmental stewardship, social services and health and wellness.
“Thanks to ITC, hundreds of motivated Detroit students will get first-hand experience with science and math that will build on what they have learned in the classroom and, hopefully, propel them toward college and careers,” said Dr. Glenda Price, President of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation. “This is a shining example of the successful educational programs we are here to support.”
About ITC Holdings Corp.
ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC) is the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. Based in Novi, Michigan, ITC invests in the electric transmission grid to improve reliability, expand access to markets, lower the overall cost of delivered energy and allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems. ITC’s regulated operating subsidiaries include ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and ITC Great Plains. Through these subsidiaries, ITC owns and operates high-voltage transmission facilities in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, serving a combined peak load exceeding 26,000 megawatts along 15,000 circuit miles of transmission line. Through ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries, the company also focuses on expansion in areas where significant transmission system improvements are needed. For more information, please visit ITC’s website at www.itc-holdings.com. (itc-ITC).
About the Detroit Public Schools Foundation
The Detroit Public Schools Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to raising, managing and stewarding funds and other resources to support value-added programs and activities for the benefit of the Detroit Public Schools, DPS-authorized charter schools, DPS schools placed in the Education Achievement Authority, and their respective students. Detroit Public Schools Foundation operates independently of the Detroit Public Schools. For more information, visit detroitpsfoundation.org.
The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) is celebrating happily ever afters at the Romulus Women’s Center during the nonprofit’s annual Harvest of Blessings dinner and fashion show on Friday, Oct. 19. Festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and continue with a sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. provided by the nonprofit’s culinary arts program.
The highlight of the evening will come during a fairytale-themed fashion show emceed by WXYZ Reporter Erin Nicole and featuring twelve women currently enrolled in the women’s program. Each beneficiary will be dressed in attire from one of the 33 metro Detroit Salvation Army thrift stores, and themed to reflect one of the princess fairytale stories.
“The ladies who live at the Romulus facility truly undergo a massive transformation while participating in our rehabilitation program,” Cheryl Miller, administrator of women’s and families ministries for The Salvation Army ARC. “The fairytale theme of the Harvest of Blessings fashion show is representative of the positive changes the women make to rebuild their lives on the journey to recovery.”
Throughout the evening, guests will be invited to take part in a silent auction of items donated by various local businesses and organizations, including a ticket package to the Detroit Zoo; tickets to a Detroit Pistons game; a boat ride on the Detroit Diamond Jack; a spa package; custom golf clubs; a selection of gift cards; and exclusive items from each of The Salvation Army’s 33 metro Detroit thrift stores.
All proceeds will directly benefit the nonprofit’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers in metro Detroit.
“The ultimate goal of the Harvest of Blessings event is to raise money to provide support for beneficiaries and their families,” said Merle Miller, administrator of The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center. “Since all of our ARC programs are independently-funded, this annual fundraiser plays a key role in continuing our ability to assist men and women looking to overcome their addictions.”
For more information visit www.salarmythrift.com or call 313.965.7760.
The highlight of the evening will come during a fairytale-themed fashion show emceed by WXYZ Reporter Erin Nicole and featuring twelve women currently enrolled in the women’s program. Each beneficiary will be dressed in attire from one of the 33 metro Detroit Salvation Army thrift stores, and themed to reflect one of the princess fairytale stories.
“The ladies who live at the Romulus facility truly undergo a massive transformation while participating in our rehabilitation program,” Cheryl Miller, administrator of women’s and families ministries for The Salvation Army ARC. “The fairytale theme of the Harvest of Blessings fashion show is representative of the positive changes the women make to rebuild their lives on the journey to recovery.”
Throughout the evening, guests will be invited to take part in a silent auction of items donated by various local businesses and organizations, including a ticket package to the Detroit Zoo; tickets to a Detroit Pistons game; a boat ride on the Detroit Diamond Jack; a spa package; custom golf clubs; a selection of gift cards; and exclusive items from each of The Salvation Army’s 33 metro Detroit thrift stores.
All proceeds will directly benefit the nonprofit’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers in metro Detroit.
“The ultimate goal of the Harvest of Blessings event is to raise money to provide support for beneficiaries and their families,” said Merle Miller, administrator of The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center. “Since all of our ARC programs are independently-funded, this annual fundraiser plays a key role in continuing our ability to assist men and women looking to overcome their addictions.”
For more information visit www.salarmythrift.com or call 313.965.7760.
Social entrepreneurs are on a mission to improve our communities. Like us, do you believe in their potential? If so, please join us in our efforts to revitalize the region's economy through social entrepreneurship and donate to our Groupon Grassroots campaign. Funds raised will go directly to the winners of our Startup SOUP pitch competition for social entrepreneurs.
Here's what you can do to help out:
1. Go to the campaign page to donate and help us reach our goal.
2. Share campaign news and progress on Facebook and Twitter, as well as through email.
Thank you for your support! We certainly appreciate all contributions, as every dollar raised is essential in our efforts to aid these startups through their early stages of growth.
Want to attend Startup SOUP? Click here to register.
5:30-8:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9
Gleaners Community Food Bank
2131 Beaufait St.
Detroit
Cost is $5 CASH at the door. Startup SOUP provides an entrepreneurial twist on the established, highly popular crowd-funding model. To host the event, TechTown has partnered with Detroit SOUP, a micro-granting dinner that funds creative projects in Detroit.
For more information on TechTown's programs, visit techtowndetroit.org.
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Random Acts of Kindness
Photo: Jessica Lundgren McCarthy, Heidelberg Project |
DETROIT
Although the Motor City still has its fair share of problems, it has undergone an impressive — and very recent — renaissance. Characters, artists and tourists are all welcome here.
The Henry Ford: Its self-proclaimed significance as “America’s Greatest History Attraction” is only a slight exaggeration. Here, you will find the chair in which Abraham Lincoln sat on the night of his assassination, the actual bus that Rosa Parks famously refused to move to the back of, and many other artifacts and curiosities. An impressive collection of autos includes several presidential limousines (including the Cadillac that carried John F. Kennedy on that fateful day in Dallas). thehenryford.org
The Heidelberg Project: Taking up an entire city block in a rough downtown neighbourhood, this outdoor art installation mixes the whimsical with the just plain weird. A lawnmower perches atop a mountain of shoes; a beached boat is heaped high with oversized stuffed toys; an entire two-storey house has been painted with bright multi-colour polka dots. It’s all the brainchild of Tyree Guyton, who fought city hall (and won) to keep his sprawling project alive. Guyton is now celebrated internationally for his work with found objects, and you can come to Heidelberg, view his work and chat with the earnest local volunteers who help interpret — all free of charge. heidelberg.org
Russell Industrial Center: With 1 million square feet of space, this former auto parts factory now provides studio space for dozens of Detroit artists, from glassblowers and photographers to bona fide painters and even a silk-screen artist who has created album covers and concert posters for everyone from Patti Smith to Alice Cooper and Kid Rock. Call ahead and make an appointment to tour the showrooms, or visit on the weekend, when the complex hosts a public flea market. ricdetroit.org
Click HERE to read the full article on the Toronto Star!
43. Corktown
Location: Detroit
Notable Businesses: Hostel Detroit, MGM Grand Detroit, Nancy Whiskey, Slows Bar BQ, Sugar House, Rachel's Place, Astro Coffee
Corktown is Detroit's oldest neighborhood, and today it's become a diamond in the rough—proof that the D isn't all gloom and doom. There's a non-profit youth hostel called Hostel Detroit, where beds start at $18 and the volunteers go above and beyond to make guests feel at home. If that isn't your scene, there's always the MGM Grand Detroit, which toes the line between Corktown and Downtown like a wide receiver (in this case, Calvin Johnson) trying to stay in bounds. Slows Bar BQ is arguably the best restaurant in the city, and you should try that Yardbird sandwich for confirmation, and you can hit up Nancy Whiskey to drink responsibly. Vintage rules here—clothes can be found at Rachel's Place, and books at the John K. King store. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and things are steadily on the up and up. It's about time you heard about something good out of Detroit, right?
Click HERE to read the full list on ComplexStyle!
If you’ve taken a stroll along the River Walk, ridden your bike on the Dequindre Cut, enjoyed the carousel at Rivard Plaza, sat down to take in the breathtaking views, or simply feel a sense of connection to the vision of the continued transformation of Detroit’s beautiful riverfront.
The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy invites you to be a part of the conversation as we discuss some of the exciting new developments along your riverfront.
Be a part of the transformation!
Reserve your spot to attend by contacting info@detroitriverfront.org or (313) 566-8248.
Attendees will be entered to win several terrific prizes from our riverfront partners.
Location UAW - GM Center for Human Resources
200 Walker Street
Detroit, MI 48207
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Labels:
Detroit Development,
Detroit River Front,
Places to Go People To See
Join the Detroit Historical Society for an evening of remarkable history, Detroit-centric food and fabulous entertainment with the Re-Opening Gala at the Detroit Historical Museum from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17.
“This is a very exciting time at the Detroit Historical Society," said Bob Bury, CEO and executive director of the Detroit Historical Society. “We’re proud to welcome our donors and patrons for a sophisticated evening, as we celebrate the completion of the newly renovated Detroit Historical Museum.”
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by WJR Radio Host Paul W. Smith and featuring Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Bob Bury, and Honorable Co-Chairs Maggie and Bob Allesee, Marcia and Eugene Applebaum, Marlene and John A. Boll and Ann and James B. Nicholson, who will present the newly renovated museum to the city for the first time.
Guests will enjoy the sounds of The Contours, Ben Sharkey and Marion Hayden, while enjoying hors d'oeuvres and a strolling dinner prepared by gourmet caterer Forte Belanger.
From 7-10 p.m. guests will stroll the museum and its new exhibits, including Detroit: The Arsenal of Democracy, The Allesee Gallery of Culture, The Gallery of Innovation and the Kid Rock Music Lab, as well as the revamped and enhanced Streets of Old Detroit, Doorway to Freedom and Motor City exhibits.
Three levels of tickets are available, offering each patron a unique event-going experience ending at 11 p.m.:
Legend Ticket – Legend level guests will enjoy an intimate VIP soiree and ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as the strolling dinner and live entertainment, for $1,000 per person. Legends are invited to enjoy the entire celebration, starting at 6 p.m. Patron Ticket – Patron level guests are invited to mingle with Detroit legends, enjoy live entertainment and a strolling dinner for $500 per person. Patrons are invited to join the celebration beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Next Generation Ticket – Next Generation level guests will join an after-hours party featuring Detroit-made bourbons and beers, dessert, late-night snacks and live entertainment, with dancing, for $150 per person. Next Generation ticketholders may join the festivities at 9 p.m.
The Re-Opening Gala begins the countdown to the official public re-opening of the Detroit Historical Museum on Nov. 23. The museum has been closed for renovation since May, as part of the Society’s Past>Forward campaign, a fundraising effort to raise $20.1 million towards new and expanded exhibits, technology upgrades, educational offerings and enhancements to the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum and the Detroit Historical Society Collection. The upgrades and improvements funded by the campaign represent the first major renovations of this scale since the museum was expanded in the 1960s.
To purchase tickets to the Gala or to learn more about the event, visit detroithistorical.org or call 313.833.1801.
Detroit Historical Society
The Detroit Historical Society is a private, nonprofit organization located in Midtown, the heart of Detroit’s cultural center. Founded in 1921, its mission is to educate and inspire our community and visitors by preserving and portraying our region’s shared history through dynamic exhibits and experiences. Today, the Society operates the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. In addition, the Society is responsible for the conservation and preservation of more than 250,000 artifacts that represent three centuries of our region’s rich history. Through its museum exhibits, school tour programs, community-based programs and history-themed outreach efforts, the society serves more than 100,000 people annually. For more information on the Detroit Historical Society, visit detroithistorical.org.
Last year a vacant patch of land in Detroit’s West Village was transformed by a group of local artists, foodies, designers and writers into the Tashmoo Biergarten, a pop-up, European-style Biergarten. After serving more than 7,000 people and raising funds for the Villages Community Development Corporation (CDC), Tashmoo returns, kicking off the fall season on Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th at 1420 Van Dyke Avenue, in Detroit’s West Village. Hours of operation are from 12 – 9 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday, through Oct. 28th.
Now in its second year, the family-friendly event provides a venue for both Detroiters and beer drinkers from everywhere to enjoy a cold brew, and come together. Tashmoo Biergarten will pop-up for three weekends in October and feature a rotating selection of beer by Michigan brewers, local food vendors, a corn hole court, and ample board games such as chess and checkers to keep patrons entertained throughout its run.
“Last year’s event was so successful, that we’ve been able to return with a larger list of vendors and more partners,” said Aaron Wagner, co-founder of Tashmoo. “As a part of this year’s fun, we’ll be taking Tashmoo ‘On the Road’ to Atwater Brewery on Oct. 20, participating in the Villages Fall Festival on Oct. 27 in addition to adding Treat Dreams, Avalon Bakery and Detroit Vegan Soul as new food vendors to our roster.”
This season’s dates are listed below. Tashmoo will be located at 1420 Van Dyke Ave Detroit MI 48214 unless otherwise noted above.
Oct. 13-14 from 12 – 9 p.m.
- Vendors for Oct. 13th include People’s Pierogi, Avalon, Porktown Sausage and Treat Dreams.
- Vendors for Oct. 14th include People’s Pierogi, Corridor Sausage and Treat Dreams
- On Oct. 20th Tashmoo will be at Atwater Brewery for Atwater Brewery’s Blocktober Fest.
- Vendors TBD
- On Oct. 27th Tashmoo will be a part of the Villages Fall Festival and Oct. 28th will be the Tashmoo closer as well as the close of Detroit Beer Week.
- Vendors TBD
The name Tashmoo has a rich history. It was an early 20th century Great Lakes steam ship, and the former lead engineer lived in a house that used to be on the Biergarten lots. Tashmoo was also a former amusement park on Harsen’s Island and is an American Indian word meaning “meeting place.” Plenty to talk about over a good bier. The atmosphere at Tashmoo Biergarten is family friendly featuring communal tables and benches, as found in traditional European beer gardens, made from recycled materials.
Tashmoo, year two- Meet up. Drink Bier.
Find out more about Tashmoo Biergarten at tashmoodetroit.com , or on Facebook at fb.com/TashmooDetroit.
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Detroit Film Industry,
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Detroit Music
MichiganModern.org |
Lafayette Park in Detroit consists of three high-rises, 24 single-story courthouses and 162 two-story town houses, completed in the early 1960s. It was an urban renewal project built on land that was once a working-class black neighborhood. It was designed by one of the 20th century’s most famous modern architects, Mies van der Rohe.
All these elements have spelled disaster in other cities, and yet Lafayette Park has been a success, with high occupancy rates, a racially diverse population and a strong commitment to maintaining Mies’s architecture.
In their new book, “Thanks for the View, Mr. Mies,” which is due out at the end of the month (Metropolis Books, $29.95), the editors Danielle Aubert, Lana Cavar and Natasha Chandani, graphic designers all, offer a portrait of Lafayette Park very different from the classic Mies monograph.
Contents include interviews with residents of Lafayette Park’s towers and town houses; archival materials from the complex’s history; an account of nine days spent trying to climate-control a corner apartment; and essays on Mies in Detroit, the Lafayette Park landscape, bird-watching and a record of bird-strike deaths (birds and plate glass don’t mix).
At-home portraits of residents by Corine Vermeulen show Mies’s architecture as a strong frame for personal expression. Some homes look like shrines to 1958, while others reflect the lived-in décor of decades. Jacqueline Neal, an interior designer and 12-year resident of the Pavilion, the smallest of the complex’s three towers, spoke last month about living and accessorizing with Mies.
What kind of interior design do you do?
For the past 17 years, I have been doing commercial design, corporate offices, working for C.E.O.’s. But the commercial industry has not come back as quickly as residential furniture. Residential is not difficult for a designer.
How did you come to live at Lafayette Park?
I went to college at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich. When I came back to Detroit, I kind of stumbled upon it. What drew me to the building was the ambience of the space when I would come by at night. When you drive down Rivard, you pass the town houses, and it gives you that serene feeling. Then you pull in and see the doorman at the Pavilion. When I finally came in and they gave me the brochure, I said, “I studied this guy in college.”
Design-wise, what do you like about the Pavilion?
I like the floors and the green marble walls in the lobby that are accented with chrome trim and chrome elevator doors. The housekeeping staff does an excellent job in maintaining the space. The floors are always done. Everything is original. When you invest in quality, you do get what you pay for. That’s a sad thing a lot of people don’t understand or appreciate.
Click HERE to read the full story on The New York Times (dot) com!
Unleash your inner artist and explore ancient ceramic techniques at Pewabic Pottery’s annual Raku Party on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Guests will work alongside Pewabic artists to glaze and fire a handcrafted pot that they can proudly display at home.
Raku is an ancient firing process in which the ceramicist fires the pot with extreme heat until the glaze melts. The pot is then treated to a series of steps in which water, air and other elements combine to reveal unpredictable designs and patterns on the piece—making each one truly unique.
“The experience doesn’t end once the pot’s been fired,” said Barbara Sido, executive director of Pewabic Pottery. “You can take the pot home as a memento of your day at Pewabic and keep it as a constant reminder of your ability to create something from nothing.”
Guests can register for a two-hour session between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Cost is $60 per person, including materials. Space is limited and advance registration is required. To register or receive more information call (313) 626-2010.
Pewabic Pottery is a non-profit arts and cultural organization and National Historic Landmark which is dedicated to engaging people of all ages in learning experiences with contemporary ceramic art and artists while preserving its historic legacy.
Pewabic is a historic working pottery which is open to the public year round and offers classes, workshops and tours to children and adults. Pewabic creates giftware, pottery and architectural tile, showcases more than 80 ceramic artists in its galleries, and operates a museum store that features pottery and gift tile made on-site. Visitors are welcome, free of charge, Monday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more about Pewabic Pottery call (313) 626-2000 or visit www.pewabic.org. Pewabic Pottery is located at 10125 E. Jefferson Ave. in Detroit across the street from Waterworks Park.
The story of Detroit is one of decline and hopelessness. From headlines about rampant unemployment to traveling photo exhibits of “ruin porn,” the story America tells itself about Detroit is that of a dying city overcome with despair.
That is simply not true.
On the last weekend before fall set in, I joined 120 invited guests at a curated weekend called Another Detroit is Happening. Hosted by a small committee of young Detroit entrepreneurs, the weekend’s purpose was to invite other young business leaders, technologists, investors, philanthropists, and artists into the city to tell them the other stories of Detroit. What started as a mysterious gathering of friends quickly caught attention (including the governor’s!).
I’d written about Michigan’s burgeoning start-up scene last December (“The New Start-Up Scene: Silicon Strip to Silicon Mitten”), so I was thrilled to dive in and explore a region I call Silicon Mitten. As I’ve mentioned before, the “Silicon” moniker isn’t literally about tech—it’s about being innovative, young, hungry, and not afraid of failure. The risk-taking spirit of Silicon Valley is evident all over the city of Detroit, from the social entrepreneurs to the urban farmers to the street artists, and they’ve added their own distinctly “mitten” flair. If all you know about Detroit is the story of a struggling automotive industry, here’s a peek into what’s really happening at the center of the Mitten State:
The Alley Project
We also visited a residential neighborhood in southwest Detroit where the community is using art to battle problems with gang graffiti.
The Alley Project (TAP) connects artists with homeowners who allow the garage doors of their neighborhood’s interior alleys to feature spray paint murals. The murals enrich the aesthetics of the community, provide a creative outlet for the artists, and have earned the respect of local gangs who largely steer clear of the installations. Every mural installed also becomes a workshop where local youth can build and create: Fixtures are reclaimed from closed schools and sliding glass doors feature DIY “stained glass” made from the lids of used spray paint cans. “The spray can is an iconic symbol,” said one of TAP’s curators, holding up one of the small pyramids of empty cans glued together, which serves to create bricks for furniture and structural art. “We look at them as building blocks, using them as the foundation of street art culture here in our city.
Click HERE to read the full story by Anneke Jong on Forbes.com!
That is simply not true.
On the last weekend before fall set in, I joined 120 invited guests at a curated weekend called Another Detroit is Happening. Hosted by a small committee of young Detroit entrepreneurs, the weekend’s purpose was to invite other young business leaders, technologists, investors, philanthropists, and artists into the city to tell them the other stories of Detroit. What started as a mysterious gathering of friends quickly caught attention (including the governor’s!).
I’d written about Michigan’s burgeoning start-up scene last December (“The New Start-Up Scene: Silicon Strip to Silicon Mitten”), so I was thrilled to dive in and explore a region I call Silicon Mitten. As I’ve mentioned before, the “Silicon” moniker isn’t literally about tech—it’s about being innovative, young, hungry, and not afraid of failure. The risk-taking spirit of Silicon Valley is evident all over the city of Detroit, from the social entrepreneurs to the urban farmers to the street artists, and they’ve added their own distinctly “mitten” flair. If all you know about Detroit is the story of a struggling automotive industry, here’s a peek into what’s really happening at the center of the Mitten State:
The Alley Project
We also visited a residential neighborhood in southwest Detroit where the community is using art to battle problems with gang graffiti.
The Alley Project (TAP) connects artists with homeowners who allow the garage doors of their neighborhood’s interior alleys to feature spray paint murals. The murals enrich the aesthetics of the community, provide a creative outlet for the artists, and have earned the respect of local gangs who largely steer clear of the installations. Every mural installed also becomes a workshop where local youth can build and create: Fixtures are reclaimed from closed schools and sliding glass doors feature DIY “stained glass” made from the lids of used spray paint cans. “The spray can is an iconic symbol,” said one of TAP’s curators, holding up one of the small pyramids of empty cans glued together, which serves to create bricks for furniture and structural art. “We look at them as building blocks, using them as the foundation of street art culture here in our city.
Click HERE to read the full story by Anneke Jong on Forbes.com!
Best Pizza Places in the U.S.
Top chefs and legendary bakers are among the new breed of pizzaiolo who are just as fanatical about the temperature of their ovens as they are about the provenance of their ingredients. Here, F&W names the best places for pizza around the country from these new guard spots—including a Bay Area pizzeria that uses locally-milled flour—to century old East Coast institutions.
The Bismark |
Located in the beautifully restored public Eastern Market, this cozy checkerboard-floored pizza shop serves terrific pies at long wooden tables with metal stools. The signature Supino pie is topped with roasted garlic, black olives, creamy ricotta, mozzarella and finished with a drizzle of chile oil. supinopizza.com
Detroit: Buddy's
Pizza Signature Item: This fabled pizzeria specializes in Detroit-style square pies like The Super (with pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, green peppers and ham), and even uses some of the same seasoned pans from when they opened more than 50 years ago. buddyspizza.com.
Click HERE to read the full list in Food & Wine!
The year is 2025. Detroit, the poster child of the Great Recession, is emerging as a model of urban life. The transformation could be called a miracle but for the fact that the change was wrought by the very things that first made Detroit great: innovation, industriousness, and a will to win against all odds.
The metamorphosis grew from desperation. In 2008, two of the Big Three carmakers were swirling toward the sinkhole of bankruptcy. The city's population, which peaked at 1.85 million during the post—World War II auto boom, was approaching 700,000. Tracts of wilderness, abandoned factories, and empty houses sparked a perverse fascination with Detroit's ruins. "This whole area really bottomed out," William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr., Ford's chairman and a great-grandson of the automotive company's founder, says.
But then something powerful and unexpected happened: Visionaries and ordinary citizens, tired of living in a crumbling city, decided to quit waiting for someone to fix it. "I think there was a realization by everybody in this region, not just in Detroit, that the way we were doing things was a broken model," Ford says. "At Ford we had to completely reinvent ourselves."
The reinvention was aided by the group that Ford's great-grandfather had resisted so viciously, the United Auto Workers (UAW). "When things were the bleakest," Ford says, "UAW president Ron Gettelfinger and the union took concessions that allowed Ford to survive and ultimately thrive. Ron said to me, 'Look, we've got to get out of this together.' If you can take entrenched institutions like the auto companies and the UAW and completely redefine the relationship, then it should be possible for the city of Detroit to do it too."
That was Bill Ford's epiphany; other Detroiters had their own. People with foresight and guts began investing in the city again. Detroit natives who had fled their broken hometown trickled back, joined by pioneering young people who saw past the city's blight. Instead, they saw available buildings, cheap rents, and a welcome mat for innovators. They saw an iron work ethic and fierce energy. And in a landscape ravaged by depopulation and decay, some bright people saw a blank canvas on which to paint a new urban model.
LANDSCAPE URBANISM
Reemerging waterways and feral forests claim land left open by sharp population decline. Detroit goes green with planning that takes advantage of the city's unique ecology.
Read More Detroit 2025: After the Recession, a City Reimagined - Popular Mechanics!
The metamorphosis grew from desperation. In 2008, two of the Big Three carmakers were swirling toward the sinkhole of bankruptcy. The city's population, which peaked at 1.85 million during the post—World War II auto boom, was approaching 700,000. Tracts of wilderness, abandoned factories, and empty houses sparked a perverse fascination with Detroit's ruins. "This whole area really bottomed out," William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr., Ford's chairman and a great-grandson of the automotive company's founder, says.
But then something powerful and unexpected happened: Visionaries and ordinary citizens, tired of living in a crumbling city, decided to quit waiting for someone to fix it. "I think there was a realization by everybody in this region, not just in Detroit, that the way we were doing things was a broken model," Ford says. "At Ford we had to completely reinvent ourselves."
The reinvention was aided by the group that Ford's great-grandfather had resisted so viciously, the United Auto Workers (UAW). "When things were the bleakest," Ford says, "UAW president Ron Gettelfinger and the union took concessions that allowed Ford to survive and ultimately thrive. Ron said to me, 'Look, we've got to get out of this together.' If you can take entrenched institutions like the auto companies and the UAW and completely redefine the relationship, then it should be possible for the city of Detroit to do it too."
That was Bill Ford's epiphany; other Detroiters had their own. People with foresight and guts began investing in the city again. Detroit natives who had fled their broken hometown trickled back, joined by pioneering young people who saw past the city's blight. Instead, they saw available buildings, cheap rents, and a welcome mat for innovators. They saw an iron work ethic and fierce energy. And in a landscape ravaged by depopulation and decay, some bright people saw a blank canvas on which to paint a new urban model.
LANDSCAPE URBANISM
Reemerging waterways and feral forests claim land left open by sharp population decline. Detroit goes green with planning that takes advantage of the city's unique ecology.
Read More Detroit 2025: After the Recession, a City Reimagined - Popular Mechanics!
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Innovation Station
Peter Baker |
America’s Motor City is no longer running on fumes.
Fans pour into Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Tigers take on the New York Yankees. Across Woodward Avenue, at the Fox Theatre, hordes of young girls wait in line to see the popular British boy band One Direction. Down the road, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing to a full house at Joe Louis Arena. And the loud hum of revving engines in the distance is the sound of Formula 1 racing cars practicing for the Grand Prix on Belle Isle, the first time in three years the race will be held in Detroit. This city, once the poster child for the Great Recession, is hopping.
This city, once the poster child for the Great Recession, is hopping. This might come as a surprise to folks who thought Motown was ripe for vultures — especially considering the steady diet of “Detroit on the decline” stories these past five years. It’s easy to forget that it wasn’t always this way; that Detroit wasn’t always the punch line of a cruel national joke. In 1950, a thriving automobile industry helped the city’s population swell to 1.85 million, making Detroit the fifth-largest city in America. Slowly, though, the city changed. Race riots in 1967 and an exodus of citizens to the suburbs took a heavy toll on Detroit, as did the sagging fortunes of the U.S. auto industry. By 2008, the unemployment rate was above 20 percent, and crime and poverty soared. It got so bad that Detroit made national news when it was discovered that inmates were committing new crimes immediately after release so that they would be rearrested — because they preferred a jail cell over a life of freedom in the city.
The city got more embarrassing national attention that year when then-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was forced to resign and went to prison after being charged with 10 felony counts, and the NFL’s Detroit Lions lost every game they played en route to a 0–16 season.
Then, in 2009, two pillars of Detroit industry, Chrysler and GM, went bankrupt. The 2010 census found that the city had lost a staggering 25 percent of its population over the past decade, making it the 18th-most populous city in the United States, with 713,000 residents. The reduced tax base simply couldn’t support the city’s infrastructure, and debt rose to a mind-boggling $12 billion.
From afar, the former home of boxing great Joe Louis looked like it was about to be knocked out.
Yet in the midst of all this turmoil, certain areas were showing signs of life. The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy started to convert an area of urban blight into the first phase of a river walk that will one day extend 5.5 miles between the east and west riverfronts and 1.35 miles inland on a rail-to-trail called the Dequindre Cut Greenway. Downtown, the long-dormant Book Cadillac, the tallest hotel in the world when it was unveiled in 1924, underwent a $180 million renovation and reopened as a Westin in October 2008. In August 2010, Dan Gilbert, the founder and chairman of Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures, made the decision to move his headquarters from a western suburb to the city’s financial district. In spring 2011, longtime community developer Sue Mosey created a program called Live Midtown, with incentives that would help spur growth in her neighborhood.
Today, GM and Chrysler are both out of bankruptcy, having paid off their government loans ahead of schedule. GM posted a record profit and is once again the world’s top-selling carmaker, while Chrysler’s net profit exceeded $150 million in 2011. Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures have moved more than 6,000 workers into the city, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan recently relocated 3,000 workers from Southfield to downtown’s GM Renaissance Center. A new port will host several cruise ships touring the Great Lakes this fall. More than 500 people have already taken advantage of Mosey’s Live Midtown program to move into that neighborhood. And with the 2012 NFL season a quarter of the way done, the Lions look back on a 2011 that saw their first winning campaign (10-6) since 2000 and their first playoff berth since 1999. No wonder the city buzzes with optimism.
Click HERE to read the full article on American Way!
The M@dison
Location: Detroit Square feet: 50,000
Designers: Doodle Home & Neumann Smith For nearly 25 years, the Madison Theater, a dingy, worn-out theater on a quiet stretch of Detroit's inner city, stood vacant. But in 2011, Dan Gilbert, the billionaire founder of Quicken Loans purchased this 1917 building, and created an all-out Mecca for start-ups. It opened last year, and now houses more than a dozen start-ups. The "industrial chic" building also includes a 135-seat auditorium, and a giant rooftop patio.
Click HERE to read the full article on Inc.!
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