Tag Archives: detroit

Nov16

nothing more nor less.

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early evening in the washington boulevard historic district of detroit

i’m reminded of the whimsy of willie wonka’s chocolate factory

—

‘genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will.’
-charles baudelaire
*Charles Baudelaire was a 19th-century poet French poet, critic and essayist who explored themes of modernity, urban life, and decadent beauty. He is considered a father of modern poetry and an influential figure in Symbolism, a movement he helped inspire through his exploration of subjective experience, mortality, and “spleen”—a state of melancholy and ennui.  

Baudelaire was fascinated by the details of the bustling, modern city and its inhabitants, capturing both the beauty and the decay he saw in everyday life. 

Jun28

‘the only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.’ – wallace stevens

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Browndog Creamery has teamed with Better Made Snack Foods to create three flavors of ice cream

together, the two Michigan companies have created some unusual flavors 

it’s the creamy, refreshing collaboration you never knew you needed

The new flavors will be available in pints ($9) and scoops at Browndog in downtown Northville  and Lansing  beginning on Thursday, June 26. They can also be ordered and shipped through Browndog online.

On top of the three Better Made snack flavors below, Browndog has added to its Faygo partnership with Faygo Root Beer Float ice cream, in addition to its lineup of a half dozen other Faygo flavors.

“This isn’t just ice cream, it’s Detroit in a scoop.” said Paul Gabriel, Co-Founder of Browndog Creamery. “We’re honored to team up with two hometown icons to bring you something bold, unexpected, and ridiculously delicious.”

The three Better Made Browndog flavors are:

  • Detroit Mix – Cheddar cheese popcorn ice cream swirled with salted caramel.
  • Snack Attack – Peanut butter ice cream with chocolate-covered Better Made pretzels.
  • Motown Chip – Malted vanilla ice cream with chocolate-covered Better Made potato chips and caramel ribbons.

—

‘my advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.’
-thornton wilder

*Thornton Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and for the plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a U.S. National Book Award for the novel The Eighth Day.

 

—

source and  photo credits: mlive.com, edward pevos, bettermade, faygo, browndog creamery

Feb27

on memory alone.

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Detroit is getting another home renovation series on HGTV and this one promises to tackle the toughest projects in the city.

“Condemned” is scheduled to premiere this summer on the cable network. The show, which will have eight one-hour episodes, will star a father-daughter rehabbing team, property investor Kristyn Patterson and her builder dad, Pancho Patterson, according to HGTV.

“Kristyn and Pancho have a tangible passion for Detroit and the necessary skills, grit and humor to renovate crumbling homes no one else will touch. Our cameras will follow the highs and lows as they grow their family business and prove that no home is too far gone,” stated HGTV head of content Loren Ruch in the announcement.

They will be facing what is being touted as the city’s “most blighted homes.” As the news announcement for the series puts it, the Pattersons “will stop at nothing to rescue The Motor City’s worst houses that are destined for the wrecking ball.”

Along the way, they will encounter financial pressures, people who have moved into the properties without permission, the challenges of a Detroit winter and more, as they set out on their reality-TV mission.

—

‘this house is standing on memory alone.’

-roberta brown 

 

 

 

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source credits: Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, HGTV

Jan28

hamtramck disneyland.

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after a wonderful lunch with friends at the polish village restaurant

a bakery visit, and trip to the local grocery

in hamtramck, michigan

(a small city on the edge or detroit

now filled with a mix of polish and yemini people)

we stopped to visit the famous

hamtramck disneyland

located in the middle of an old neighborhood

a one-man folk art display

created over 30 years

in his backyard

 it’s really a lot to take in

ao incredibly creative and wonderful

see the story below:

Hamtramck Disneyland Is A Site-Specific Folk Art Installation Created By Artist Dmytro Szylak

Dmytro Szylak grew up in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States with his wife in the 1950s. Mr. Szylak worked for General Motors for 30 years; after retiring in the mid-1980s, he began building Hamtramck Disneyland atop the two garages on the properties he owned. The project took nearly 30 years to construct, and was constantly being updated and modified by Mr. Szylak until his death in 2015, at the age of 92.

In its heyday, the installation filled the air with whimsical kinetic structures that rattled and whirred as they spun in the wind. The garages were painted in bright stripes, and the space in between was filled with found photographs, posters, and classic Americana images mixed with those of the Europe of Mr. Szylak’s past. It is one of Michigan’s most significant works of folk art; thousands of visitors from all over the world have made Hamtramck Disneyland one of their stops.

After Mr. Szylak passed away, his estate was in limbo, with no plan to protect or keep the art. Driven by the energy and support of the community, a group of residents and artists formed to save this great local treasure. Hatch Art, which operates an art gallery and studios in the former Hamtramck police station, took ownership of Hamtramck Disneyland in May of 2016.

Hatch Art repairs and maintains the installation, preserving the core components of the artwork while proceeding with gradual updates as materials succumb to the elements. The intention is to honor Dmytro Szylak’s work by keeping the future of the installation as lively as he did in the past.

“Hamtramck Disneyland” has been the subject of two documentaries and is one of the top tourist attractions to Hamtramck, a city located within the boundaries of Detroit. It is one of Michigan’s most significant artist-built environments, along with the Heidelberg Project and MBAD African Bead Museum, among others.  Thousands of visitors a year from all over the world have made “Hamtramck Disneyland” one of their stops. In 2006, famed photographer Bruce Weber did a photo shoot with Kate Moss at this location.—

‘art is life seeking itself. It is our intractable expressions of love

for the beauties, ideas, and epiphanies we regularly find.’

— vincent van gogh

 

—

text source credit: hatch art, detroit

 

 

Sep8

ahoy!

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a beautiful morning spent paddling in the detroit canals and on the river

 not long after

we began this perfect day

it looked as though we’d been traversing the atlantic for weeks

having weathered the storms, sea, sharks, pirates, and the slightly bigger boats

catching rainwater in our hoods

 eating our last pack of dry ramen

thanks, for the adventure, friends

best day ever!

‘i’m afraid i’m an incorrigible life-lover, life-wonderer, and adventurer.’

-edith wharton

Jun23

saving Michigan Central.

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opening of Michigan Central Train Station, 1913, Detroit, Michgan, USA

one of the great historic icons in Detroit

the last train came through in 1988

it became a victim of neglect. abuse, theft, time, and the elements

the locale for a number of end of world/armageddon films

the city couldn’t afford to demolish it

bill ford (grandson of henry) bought it in 2018

these 2 pics, above and below

show how it looked on the last day we could go in

before it was shut down and renovation plans began

 he had plans to

make it ford world headquarters

create a newlab technology hub

support the surrounding neighborhood

develop a 30 acre campus

restore the parks around it

after 6 long and incredibly challenging years

at last restored and ready

he returned this landmark

to it’s original luster

the city could not have a greater gift.

“how soon country people forget. when they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. as thought there never was a time when we didn’t love it. the minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. there, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves; their stronger, riskier selves.”

-toni morrison

Nov26

downtown.

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downtown detroit

on a very chilly and beautiful november evening

sparkling christmas tree

ice

music

family from near and far

laughter

winter market

lots and lots of food

warm drinks

lights

comfort.

—

“downtown. lights on buildings and everything that makes you wonder.

and in that moment, i swear we were infinite.”

stephen chbosky

Aug6

soul food.

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it’s happened, my favorite is back!

—

Sanders resumes production

of its beloved  toppings

after nearly year-long pause

Sanders will once again produce its famous dessert toppings after taking a pause last year because of manufacturing challenges and extremely high demand.  They will start manufacturing with its famous milk chocolate and caramel fudge – the two best-selling flavors.

“We truly appreciate the love that customers in Michigan and beyond have for our products that spans the generations and has been a part of family traditions for nearly 150 years,” said Jennifer Bauer, Chief Marketing Officer for Second Nature Brands. “That is why we committed to resuming manufacturing of our toppings as soon as we could. It is because of the support born in our hometown that Sanders is the fastest-growing chocolate brand in the country.”

Sanders expects to begin re-selling the toppings at stores in mid-August and by the end of August, they will be available on the Sanders website.

Life is good, and even better very soon.

—
“chocolate is health food for the soul.”
-miranda gray
—
credits: scripps media, sanders bakery, a special thanks for letting me know, leah
Jun17

day in the d.

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fun day with colleagues in detroit

starting on the detroit river

visiting the only mailboat in the world with its own zip code

still waiting for someone to claim this bag

then off to the detroit river fire boat

and one of the oldest fire stations in the city

sculpture in riverside park

featuring steel from the old joe louis arena

made my detroit’s nordin brothers

and on to detroit’s central station

brought back to life

and lovingly restored

by ford motor company

soon to be their new world headquarters

so many people in the city, working hard

keeping it running and building it back

—

“i think detroit is where muscle meets brains.”

-*dan gilbert

 

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*Dan Gilbert is an American billionaire, Detroit businessman, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and majority owner of Rocket Mortgage, founder of Rock Ventures, and owner of the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Dan Gilbert cofounded what would become Quicken Loans, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S., in 1985 at 22 years old. He and his companies have invested $5.6 billion to purchase and rehab a swath of buildings in downtown Detroit, with a plan to create 24,000 jobs.

Dec20

memories gather and dance.

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Toy Department during Christmas season in the J.L. Hudson store, Detroit – 1957

 loved this view of the toy department at the store during the Christmas season.

toys were displayed on shelves, tables, and display cases,

with decorations featuring elves, a sleigh, and reindeer in background.

—

this is where i went every year

all dressed up fancy

to buy little gifts (with help from the elves) for my family

to see santa

to have a special lunch

 always, always amazed

by the glamour and magic of it all.

—

“like snowflakes, my christmas memories gather and dance –

each, beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.

-deborah whipp

 

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credits: detroit memories, linda yates rudnicki, j.l. hudson’s