10 Reasons Every American Should Visit Detroit

Photo: USA Today

Understatement alert: you probably won't find Detroit on too many travel destination short lists. Bold statement alert: missing out on the Motor City means depriving yourself of a singular representation of the American experience. While daily headlines seem to dwell exclusively on decay, bankruptcy, and the possible placement of Robocop statues, the reality on the ground is there's plenty to impress even the pickiest of travelers (though no Robocop statue, yet). Here are 10 reasons to start planning that visit:

1. We still rock. This is Motown, baby! Every wedding reception you've ever attended owes a debt of gratitude to Hitsville USA, where Berry Gordy introduced the world to the likes of Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and so many more. But Detroit's music scene extends beyond museums. This city still keeps the beat with the likes of the Detroit Jazz Fest, the Downtown Hoedown, DEMF… (ahem)… the Movement Electronic Music Festival, and Dally in the Alley.

2. You like beer? Great, we have beer! Michigan is on any short list for best brewing state in the country (unless that list is terrible and misguided and made by people who hate beer). Go ahead and check BeerAdvocate’s list of the top 250 beers. See all those from Founders, Bells, and Dark Horse? Sure, those are not brewed in Detroit per se; however, you’ll be able to find plenty of those tasty brews at nearly any respectable purveyor of alcoholic beverages in the city, not to mention fine selections from true Detroit-based outfits like Atwater, Motor City Brewing, B. Nektar Meadery, and Dragonmead.

3. Belle Isle means "beautiful island" and backs it up. New York has Central Park. Detroit has Belle Isle. And while both were designed by the same guy (that Frederick Law Olmsted was one busy cat), the similarities pretty much end there. At nearly 1000 acres, Belle Isle’s a giant island-park (giant-er than Central Park, take THAT, New York) right smack in the middle of the Detroit River, complete with an aquarium, a zoo, a conservatory, a golf course, a yacht club, and plenty of places to bike, jog, fish, or picnic. It's a picturesque setting where you can take in views of Detroit AND our friendly neighbors to the North.

Click HERE for the full list! 

Detroit Needs This

Great Video From Red Bull House Of Art Featuring Detroit

Dan Gilbert and Warren Buffett Want To Make YOU A Billionaire!

Call it the office pool to end all office pools.

Quicken Loans and investment firm Berkshire Hathaway are teaming up to offer a $1 billion prize to anyone who can correctly call the winners of every single game in this year’s NCAA March Madness men’s college basketball tournament.

Since the odds of anyone calling all 63 games correctly appear to be vanishingly small, the companies are also offering to split $2 million among the 20 most accurate predictions submitted for the contest.

Quicken says it will also donate $1 million to educational charities in Detroit and Cleveland, the two cities that are the main focus of Quicken founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert’s activities.

“We’ve seen a lot of contests offering a million dollars for putting together a good bracket, which got us thinking, what is the perfect bracket worth? We decided a billion dollars seems right for such an impressive feat,” said Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer of Quicken Loans.

Any qualified entrant who correctly enters the contest and predicts the winners of every game in the tournament will share the total $1 billion prize paid in 40 annual installments of $25 million dollars. Alternatively, the winner may elect to receive an immediate $500 million lump sum payment or share in that lump sum payment if there is more than one winner.

Free registration for the ‘Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket’ will begin on Monday, March 3, and runs through Wednesday, March 19. All participants registering prior to the tournament selection process will receive their brackets the evening of Sunday, March 16, when entrants can begin filling out their bracket.

To be eligible for the $1 billion grand prize, entrants must be 21 years of age, a U.S. citizen and one of the first 10 million to register for the contest. Submissions will be limited to a total of one per household.

All qualified entrants are eligible for the 20 awards of $100,000 for selecting the competition’s top 20 most accurate “imperfect” brackets.

Click HERE for the full article! 

Fun. Launching Campaign Raising Funds for LGBT Detroit Youth

The pop-rock trio fun. is launching a campaign to raise money for at-risk LGBT youth in Detroit.

The band said Friday it plans to raise $250,000 to build a community health center for the Ruth Ellis Center, which provides housing, meals, clothing and medical services for LGBT youth in need.

Funds will be raised through its gay support organization, The Ally Coalition.

Members of fun. are singer Nate Ruess, guitarist Jack Antonoff and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost, who is from Detroit. The group had a breakthrough in 2012, topping the charts with "We Are Young" and "Some Nights." Last year, fun. won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best New Artist.

The band started The Ally Coalition with Antonoff's sister, designer Rachel Antonoff.

Fit To Be Square: Buddy’s Pizza Offers Healthy Options Great For Your Taste Buds AND Waist Line!

Buddy’s Pizza has good news for its patrons. Detroit-style pizza fans can still eat their favorite pie and keep their health and fitness goals in the new year. Whether you are watching your waistline or have a dietary restriction, Buddy’s has choices to suit your needs – and it’s not just whim.

The family-owned restaurant has consistently consulted with nutritionists to ensure menu items not only taste delicious to reflect the high standards of Buddy’s Pizza’s traditional menu items, but also offer high levels of nutritional value. The Buddy’s team has strived to reduce sodium levels throughout the years and prepares all dough daily without sugar or oil. Most recently, Buddy’s added four new Sicilian-style thin crust pizzas to the menu, giving guests another way to enjoy the traditional crust that has been served since 1946.

“In an increasingly health conscious world, people want to know what they’re eating – they value transparency with restaurant recipes and want to trust the claims made,” said Wesley Pikula, Buddy’s Pizza vice president of operations. “Nutritional facts about our menu items are listed on our website which makes it very easy for guests to see exactly what they are getting. We consistently maintain and update the website to keep our guests informed.”

Delicious and healthful options start right with Buddy’s famous pizzas! Gluten-free and vegan options offer diners with dietary restrictions a way to still enjoy their favorite square pie, while numerous topping options and multi-grain crust make building a nutritious Buddy’s Pizza very easy.

Patrons who want to create their own healthy square pizza are encouraged to try these options:

• Buddy’s multi-grain or gluten-free crust 
• Buddy’s original tomato basil sauce 
• Buddy’s lowfat mozzarella cheese or our new Daiya casein-free vegan cheese 
• Buddy’s Pizzas can be made with light or no cheese upon request 
• Healthier toppings include onions, green pepper, mushrooms, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, olives, spinach, carrots, zucchini, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro or basil Buddy’s also offers a selection of specialty pizzas, including:

Tuscan Vegan – Daiya cheese, cannellini beans, diced red onion, roasted garlic, parsley, oregano, tomato basil sauce and extra virgin olive oil, served on Buddy’s multi-grain crust with a lemon wedge

Antioxidant - brick cheese, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and tomato basil sauce, served on Buddy’s multi-grain crust with a lemon wedge

Along with build your own options, four gluten-free pizzas:

• 5 Cheese – Mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago, Feta and Provolone cheeses with tomato basil sauce, served on Buddy’s gluten-free crust 

• Italian – Mozzarella-Parmesan blend and Asiago cheeses, pepperoni and tomato basil sauce, served on Buddy’s gluten-free crust 

• Spinach Lovers – Mozzarella-Parmesan blend and Asiago cheeses, sautéed spinach, fresh garlic, tomato basil sauce and Buddy’s Spice, served on Buddy’s gluten-free crust 

• Paesano – Mozzarella-Parmesan blend, Asiago and Provolone cheeses, fresh basil, tomato, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, served on Buddy’s gluten-free crust 

Other nutritious menu items include specialty salads as well as Buddy’s homemade soups, made fresh daily with hand-cut vegetables and meats. Buddy’s offers an abundunce of choices that allow guests to build a meal that is best suited to their needs.

Detroit Art City: The Detroit Institute of Arts Story (video)

Detroit Bikes Partners with Bicycle Technologies International for US Distribution

Detroit Bikes, LLC, and Bicycle Technologies International are very happy to announce that they have begun working together to bring Detroit Bikes to over 4000 of BTI's clients.

Bicycle Technologies International is one of the largest distributors in North America, with over 23,000 unique bicycle parts, accessories and clothing items representing 300+ premium brands. BTI supplies local bike shops across the country, bringing high performance products from around the globe. BTI celebrated their 20th Anniversary in 2013 and looks forward to growth in the next 20 years by partnering with brands that are committed to fostering the cycling community with great products. BTI is excited about the addition of Detroit Bikes to their portfolio of brands: "Detroit Bikes’ A-Type is exactly what the cycling community needs…a Made in the USA utilitarian bicycle that is crafted with high quality, yet priced affordably."

Detroit Bikes, LLC is a bicycle manufacturing company in west Detroit, marking the return of high-volume frame manufacturing to the United States. Each bicycle frame is built from 4130 chromoly steel tubing cut, coped, welded and painted in Detroit Bikes’ 50,000 square-foot factory on Elmira Rd. This location has the capacity to produce 40,000 bikes a year.

“This is a key partnership allowing us to continue our growth going into 2014” said Zak Pashak, owner and president of Detroit Bikes. "As we expand our retail network we can begin focusing on increasing our marketing efforts".

Detroit Bikes seeks to encourage cycling by making an accessible, enjoyable bicycle while continuing Detroit's legacy of quality manufacturing and design. Its headquarters and factory are located at 13639 Elmira Road, Detroit, 48227. For more information, visit www.detroitbikes.com.

NY Times Explains Why You Can Breathe Easier Today: The DIA Can Keep Its Art

“The Wedding Dance,” at the Detroit Institute of Arts, was valued at $100 million to $200 million. Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times

National and local philanthropic foundations have committed $330 million toward a deal to avoid cuts to Detroit retirees’ pensions and to save the Detroit Institute of Arts’ renowned collection, federal mediators involved in the city’s bankruptcy proceedings announced on Monday.

The plan was a first both in the foundation world, which has not been a source of money to shore up public-sector pensions in the past, and in municipal bankruptcy cases, experts said. It also offered the first indication of progress in the intense mediation with Detroit’s creditors to resolve the city’s financial crisis. Those talks have been proceeding under strict secrecy guidelines.

Nine foundations, many with ties to Michigan — including the Ford Foundation, the Kresge Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation — have pledged to pool the $330 million, which would essentially relieve the city-owned Detroit Institute of Arts museum of its responsibility to sell some of its collection to help Detroit pay its $18 billion in debts. In particular, the foundation money would help reduce a portion of the city’s obligations to retirees, whose pensions are at risk of being reduced in the bankruptcy proceedings. By some estimates, the city’s pensions are underfunded by $3.5 billion.

As part of the plan, which negotiators have been working on quietly for more than two months, the museum would be transferred from city ownership to the control of a nonprofit, which would protect it from future municipal financial threats. The foundations would stipulate that Detroit must put the money into its pension system, said Alberto Ibargüen, president of the Knight Foundation.

The unusual effort by the foundations was not the first instance of charitable groups’ and high-profile figures’ trying to help the ailing city. Previous contributors include Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, and Warren E. Buffett, the billionaire investor, who attended an event with city and state leaders in November to announce a $20 million initiative to help small businesses in Detroit.

But it is far from certain whether the new pledges will bring about a deal to save the museum while also helping the city meet its pension obligations, and several possible roadblocks remain. As much as $500 million may be needed to protect the art from an auction, officials have said, so additional philanthropic donations are being sought. Detroit is also contending with some 100,000 creditors in its federal bankruptcy case, and some are expected to oppose the plan. Even if the notion were to proceed, it would not be enough to resolve the city’s pension underfunding, but merely to ease it somewhat.

Click HERE to read the full article! 

Shiver On The River Is Saturday, February 1st on Belle Isle!

Detroit Auto Show Is In Full Swing! Finance That New Car With Your Local Credit Union and Save!

"Make Your Money Matter" is a grassroots campaign introduced by 8 credit unions from across the country and PSCU that aims to educate a new generation of consumers about the wealth of benefits credit unions provide over big banks.

 To learn more about the benefits of joining your 

 Local Credit Union, click here! 

*This post is sponsored by Make Your Money Matter, in association with PSCU, though all views expressed are my own.*