There are a lot of fabulous things about living in downtown Detroit – but sledding?
Yes!
Against all odds, Detroit’s riverfront has become a choice spot for careening down a snow-covered hill.
Milliken State Park, just east of the Renaissance Center and at the foot of the Dequindre Cut, features a 50-foot mound across from the Globe Building that is near-perfect for sledding. I assume the hill was created when the harbor was dug at the park.
My kids had a blast sliding down and then walking back up for about an hour. I kept marveling at how much life in the city has changed since I was a kid. I grew up downtown, in and around Lafayette Park, and we never really went down to the riverfront to play. It was all industrial. Dirty. Dangerous.
Now, most of the east riverfront is a grand promenade park, and it’s the centerpiece of my kids’ outdoor play area. It’s where they ride their bikes and scooters, and where we take summer evening walks along the waterfront.
Each summer, it seems there are more and more people along the River Walk; eventually, it’ll be like waterfront parks in other cities, packed to the gills with people and events.
When we got to Milliken, there was one other family sledding down the hill. When they left, we had it to ourselves.
I suspect this may be the last year for that kind of exclusivity. The Globe Building is being renovated as an indoor “adventure and discovery” center, with a “rock-climbing wall with zip lines, an interpretive forest, archery range and classroom space.”
The hill across the street? It’ll likely draw many more people’s attention, and inspire families from all over to come to downtown Detroit for sledding.
Easily one of my favorite days in Detroit – ever.
The Thanksgiving Parade this year was spectacular. Not just because of the floats and bands and balloons, but because of the amazing size of the crowd.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many people along Woodward Avenue Thanksgiving morning.
I’ve been to the parade most years I’ve lived in Detroit. When I was a kid, we used to stand near the corner of Woodward and Elizabeth, behind Fyfe Shoes and across the street from the Elwood diner, which was later moved to put it closer to Comerica Park and Ford Field.
Now my family meets up with friends a few blocks south, in Grand Circus Park. I got there this year at around 6:45 to hold our spots, and it’s a good thing I went that early. By 7:45, the entire block was full.
By the time the parade started, people were lined up four and five deep. No doubt, it helped that temps approached 60 degrees and the sky was a wonderful, deep blue rather than the steel gray we’re accustomed to this time of year.
But I’d also like to think the crowds owed, at least a little, to the optimism so many people feel about the city right now. Some of the folks I talked to were parading for the first time in years, and said they came down in part to see how things were changing – for the better.
The plant at 1331 Holden Street on Detroit’s west side was once owned by Henry LeLand, founder of Lincoln Motor Co, and later built car bodies for Ford, Chrysler, Packard and many others.
But on Oct. 6, 2012, it was the site for a “clandestine” birthday dinner for Jamie Kaye Walters, my close friend and producer of the two television shows I host or contribute to, American Black Journal and MiWeek.
Clandestine is all the rage right now in Detroit. The concept is simple: Stage a fancy dinner in a decidedly non-fancy space – an old factory or other rough-hewn place. It’s a way to suggest these buildings, which have become a morbid calling card for the city, have life still left in them, and potential to be productive once again.
In the gallery below, I’ve included the photos I took of the night, along with some of the plant during the early days of Lincoln – I’m pretty sure these are of this particular plant.
Special thanks to Matthew Naimi, who owns Detroit recycling program Recycle Here and who co-founded Green Safe, a manufacturer of earth-friendly products. The old Lincoln plant is where his businesses are now headquartered.
Kristin Lebo Naimi, Matt’s better half, cooked the fabulous meal.
And, of course, Vince Keenan, Jamie’s fiance and my high school classmate, was the organizer.
The idea is simple: Get as many people as possible to show for a bike ride through the city. It started small, a few years ago. This year, more than 5,000 people showed up. There was no way to miss it if you live in or around downtown or Midtown.
The featured shot here is my favorite – speaks volumes about the range of folks who showed and the backdrop against which all this stuff takes place.
My second favorite is below, where you can see the sign on Michigan Central Station more clearly.
Ok.
So I still call it “Montreux,” which was its name until 2000.
But that’s how indelibly the Detroit jazz festival is woven into my sense of the city and its culture.
The festival is one of the signature events of summer in downtown Detroit, and draws hundreds of thousands of people from all over.
I shot the festival on Sunday afternoon, and tried to take pics that highlight the festival’s backdrop in the city.
I have to admit: Once I was done, I was a little disappointed with the photos. They’re fine, and the composition was as good as I could manage. But they just weren’t that interesting.
So I took the color out of them, and tried to wash them over with a brownish monochrome look.
The net effect is both more interesting and defining – the architecture seems to pop more in the crowd shots, and even the pics of artists on the stage have more depth and character.
Earlier this spring, I interviewed the festival’s artistic director, Christopher B. Collins, on American Black Journal. You can see the interview at this link.
Next year, I’m going to request press access to the show, and take different, more intimate performance pics of the artists at the festival.
Dec. 28, 2012: Last show of the year! Christy, Nolan and I indulge a roundup of 2012, and a look ahead to what to expect in 2013. Nov. 9, 2012: Wrap-up time on election 2012. Will the Republicans be able to bounce back? And just how badly did they get beaten?
Nov. 2, 2012: Christy McDonald is out sick, so I sit in the big chair as host as Nolan Finley and I talk presidential politics. The Free Press’ Nancy Kaffer joins in to discuss polling, local ballot initiatives and the merger of two local hospitals.
Oct. 12, 2012: Recap of VP debate, and #StephenvsNolan Twitter debate, round 2. Plus – what’s up with Thaddeus McCotter and who decided to make an Oakland County ad dissing Detroit?
Oct. 5, 2012: Wrap up of #StephenvsNolan debate about the debates, and talk about Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee.
Sept. 14, 2012: Everyone’s back in the studio for the first time in three weeks, so we get right to business with the presidential primary and Obama’s growing lead, then turn to the flap over a proposed state lease of Belle Isle.
Sept. 7, 2012: With Nolan on the road this week in Charlotte, Christy and I talk with him via Skype, for the second week in a row, this time about the Democratic National Convention. The speeches, the platform, the record, we get into it all. Also, Free Press reporter Jim Schaefer joins us to discuss the upcoming Kilpatrick trial.
Aug 31, 2012: With Nolan on the road at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Christy and I talk with him via Skype about the speeches and the platform, and whether Mitt Romney will get a big enough bounce. We also talk city demolition with Karla Henderson, and welcome Bill Johnson for a segment about the opening of schools.
Aug. 24, 2012: With Christy on vacation, Nolan Finley takes the reins of MiWeek and WDET’s Craig Fahle sits in to discuss the upcoming Republican National Convention, the ballot petitions that are still fighting to see the November election and what the polls say about Romney and Obama heading into the fall.
Aug. 17, 2012: Who are the state Board of Canvassers and what do they do? And why is there such flap this election year about how they decide which ballot petitions pass muster? Plus, we talk Detroit school board and GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. Aug. 10, 2012: So what’s going on with the limbo surrounding Michigan’s emergency manager law? We talk with Nancy Kaffer from Crain’s Detroit Business about it. And the primary election has produced some interesting results and set up great fall matches. It’s a week where we could talk for hours! Aug. 3, 2012: Why is there such controversy over the state coming in to help manage and maintain Belle Isle? Why does known liar Kwame Kilpatrick continue to get access to the public airwaves, courtesy of journalists? And how will the Aug. 7 primary races shake out? Nolan, Christy and I discuss it all.
July 27, 2012: Christy McDonald, Nolan Finley and I discuss presidential polling, newspaper endorsements and the local congressional and senate races.
July 13, 2012: The always-provocative Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson joins the MiWeek gang for discussion of former Congressman Thaddeus McCotter’s political implosion, and we discuss the Detroit financial advisory board’s imposition of a contract on city workers.
July 6, 2012: Former local FBI chief Andy Arena kicks off the Michigan Crime Commission, and the Legislature passes a budget that still scrimps on K-12 and higher education.
June 29, 2012: The Supreme Court upholds health reform, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing still hasn’t restructured city government, and Michigan continues to lag on education funding.
Dec. 23, 2012: A look back at 2012 with the ABJ roundtable, and Johns Hopkins political science professor Dr. Lester K. Spence joins to discuss race and local politics.
Nov. 11, 2012: A new biography of Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, a look at how homeless veterans are finding help and Faberge comes to the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Oct. 14, 2012: Roundtable discussion about the survey that says nearly half of all Detroiters want to leave; a look at the link between unhealthy kids and urban design.
Sept. 23, 2012: Skype conversation with Detroit City Council member James Tate about Belle Isle, and an update from the Virgil Carr Cultural Arts Center.
Sept. 16, 2012: Techtown President and CEO Leslie Smith talks about the new alliance with the Brightmoor neighborhood. And two short films discuss recycling in the city of Detroit and Cleveland’s role in the birth of the green movement.
Sept. 2, 2012: Consultant Bill Johnson and Michigan Chronicle Editor Bankole Thompson join the ABJ roundtable to discuss presidential politics, and whether Mitt Romney’s 0 percent support among blacks in a recent poll will hurt his chances to win in November. Also, we talk about an even geared to getting more African-American men to take their health seriously.
Aug. 26, 2012: Teach for America is about to begin its third year in Detroit’s public and charter schools, and director Annis Stubbs talks about the program’s commitment to urban education, and to Detroit in particular. Also: Black Girls Code gets young, African-American girls involved with engineering and computer programming, and it’s coming to Detroit in September.
Aug. 5, 2012: Harvey Hollins, who is Gov. Rick Snyder’s urban initiatives chief, joins to talk about the relationship between the state and city government, and whether it’s changing life for Detroiters. Plus, the ABJ roundtable discusses the upcoming primary elections.
July 29, 2012: It has been 45 years since Detroit burned. Focus:Hope rose from the ashes of the riot and became a center of service and training for the city’s most needy. Also, we talk with Kirk Mayes of the Brightmoor Alliance about that neighborhood and what it needs for revitalization.
July 22, 2012: It’s election season, and newspaper endorsements are consuming most of my time at the Detroit Free Press. I talk with NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony and political consultant Darci McConnell about the process. Plus, what’s going on with the Detroit consent agreement?
July 15, 2012: Who’s working to be sure teenagers in Detroit get meaningful work experiences during the summer? Plus, we talk with folks from the Detroit Institute of Arts about their upcoming millage, and Detroit Bike City about the two-wheel revolution taking place in downtown and midtown.
July 8, 2012: Citizen Detroit seeks to educate the city’s residents about the tough choices facing their elected officials. And the Detroit Jazz Festival kicks off a competition that could put local talent on stage with international legends.
July 1, 2012: Discussion with Detroit planning exec Karla Henderson about the city’s new collaboration with Michigan State University to create pre-eminent urban agriculture installation; conversation with Austin Black III about Detroit real estate, and discussion of the Supreme Court’s health care ruling.
June 17, 2012: Discussion with former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams about his city’s turnaround, and what it might mean for Detroit. Plus, publius.org’s Vince Keenan and former Detroit corporation counsel John Johnson discuss the city’s charter, and the dispute over the consent agreement.
What a gorgeous and moving treat this past weekend at the Detroit Institute of Arts!
Heather Henson, (pictured at left, above) whose father Jim Henson created Kermit the Frog and all the other muppets, brought her puppet and kite show called “Celebration of Flight” to the museum’s north lawn.
The show, produced by Ibex Puppetry, tells the story of a crane that learns to fly, and is a spectacular combination of large-scale, life-like puppets and kites handled by dancers who manipulate them to music. At the end, as the crane becomes a fully mature adult, the dancers welcome children from the audience who join in the performance with their own, hand-made kites.
It was fascinating to see the kites and the puppets and the dancers, but also jarring to have it all unfolding in such an urban space, surrounded by the stone facade and arched windows of the Park Shelton on one side, and the museum’s lush green landscaping and the Maccabees building on the other.
In the show’s early sequences, the crane is a baby who’s visited by other flying creatures.
As the crane gets bigger, it learns to walk and encounters other visitors.
Kites take over much of the middle of the performance, and they’re flown with astounding precision and coordination.
The bird finally learns to fly once it’s big enough.
A butterfly’s dance greets the crane’s new-found flight skills.
Nov. 28, 2012: Tony and I discuss the regional transit authority’s passage in the state senate, the fiscal cliff, and the reopening of the Historical Museum in Detroit.
Aug. 22, 2012 Tony and I discuss the chances that Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson could lose to challenger Kevin Howley, and also debate the impact of Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s spectacular gaffe on Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency.
Aug. 8, 2012: Election day was a fiasco, thanks to Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s confusing and arbitrary rule setting. Tony Trupiano and I talk about what happened, and what might need to be done to prevent a repeat in November.
Aug. 1, 2012: Tony Trupiano and I talk about the idea of the Detroit consent agreement and what it might mean for the future of Belle Isle, and look back on 25 years of the Detroit People Mover, and wonder whether it will ever fulfill its original promise.
July 25, 2012: Tony Trupiano and I talk about the bizarre right-wing notion that President Barack Obama is somehow a socialist, noting all of the center-left and even conservative ideas he has incorporated into his first four years in the White House.
July 18, 2012: Tony Trupiano and I talk about the hijinx of Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger and Grand Rapids Rep. Roy Schmidt. And we go over the endorsement process for candidates at the Detroit Free Press.
Podcast for July 11, 2012: Tony and I talk about U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter’s decision to call it quits, forcing an expensive special election to fill his seat; Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano’s growing pension troubles; and City of Detroit lawyer Crystal Crittendon’s continued insanity.
Podcast for June 27, 2012: Tony Trupiano and I talk about Detroit firefighters and the city’s fireworks, and the Supreme Court’s health care and juvenile lifer rulings.
Podcast for June 13, 2012: Tony Trupiano and I talk about the consent agreement in Detroit, and the likelihood that it will be scuttled by the city lawyer’s lawsuit.
