Tag Archives: Detroit

Detroit, 2025

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Preserved graffiti at Michigan Central

Detroit is here to remind us that sometimes things also get better. Writing this after Lord Vader ie The Dumb Duck and his sidekick Musty Musk have dismantled most of government for no other reason than because they can. Things that were fragile are now broken, things fragile nowadays destroyed while inflation spikes to 3% (I fear you will read this years or maybe just a couple of months from now and think “if only he knew how bad it would get.”)

The beautifully restored Michigan Central. Less than ten years ago it was an abandoned eye sore/ doing the Pulp Fiction dance at Royale With Cheese near Wayne State

A small part of me though still believes that things can get better. Like Detroit. It will likely never again be 1.8 million strong (America’s 4th largest city in 1920). But it’s a decade now past being bankrupt and where once there were abandoned, burned out buildings there now exist destination restaurants, art galleries, distilleries and coffee shops. People are moving back too causing a rise in rents (bad) but also a sense of community and pride (good). We love Detroit! Their pizza though not so much.

Where once there was an abandoned church now is The Congregation located just south of the Boston-Edison neighborhood

Met so many cool people it’s hard to sort who said what. But nobody said they remembered a better Detroit. We were there less than ten years ago and still couldn’t believe the changes. Read below to see what we wrote then.

Detroit, MI
Most people we met were nice. This guy though was a total d**k. Never once looked up from his paper.
Old Man Noel admires an Old Man Cactus/the oldest aquarium in the U.S. Located next door to one another on Belle Isle. Admission free, open only on the weekends.
Knocking them back at Two James Distillery- first distillery in Detroit to open post-Prohibition.
Le Supreme in downtown Detroit’s Book Tower building. Just a few years ago it was an empty space in a building that had seen better days. 
Maybe the official mascot for 2025? This little dude can regenerate his heart and even parts of his brain. If he can do that then we can regenerate Democracy once Dumb Duck is gone.

Detroit, MI

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new artist

Where once was a good size home is now a giant artist easel

 

Detroit is like any other post-apocalyptic city except that instead of zombies they got themselves some hipsters. Across the abandoned landscapes (whole city blocks with nothing more than a bunch of crumbling buildings and maybe one decent brewery) they nest, biding their time before the next art gallery moves in.

 

parade

Greek Pride parade in downtown Detroit

 

on the water

Along the waterfront on Detroit’s People Mover

 

loft

Our digs in Detroit. We were a bit nervous moving in and then quickly fell in love with the artist loft.

 

 

 

 

view

Our view off the back deck

 

 

Corktown mural done

Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood which at one time was home to thousands of Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine. Today it is home to a distillery, a great Udon noodle place, a used record store, and other similar fun places.

 

Detroit’s pretty cool. Never thought I would say that. For two nights we crashed in the upstairs of a former bar that has since been converted into an artist’s loft. Our landlord was next door in a former bank with windows only on one side of the building. From the street it all looked just another couple of abandoned buildings sitting in the ruins of a once great city.

 

conservatory

The Conservatory located on Belle Isle Park. Belle Isle Park’s main attractions (which include the country’s oldest aquarium, the conservatory and a nature museum) are only open a few days a week. So mostly tourists wander the island to gawk at building they are not allowed to enter.

 

In 1950 Detroit had approximately 1.8 million citizens. Today there are a little more than 650,000 people remaining in the city. That type of wholescale flight is going to leave a few empty buildings (by most counts at least 70,000). And into this void come the artists, urban planners, chefs, urban farmers and other dreamers all looking to lay claim on a new vision.  

Rise up!

They got tourists too. Some wander off to the obvious sites like the former Motown Studio and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Others roam the hinter land in search of art, food, used records and the other necessities of life. We did a little bit of both and cannot wait to return to take in some more. Long live Detroit.

 

DIA

One of the most impressive museums in the world, the Detroit Institute of Arts houses Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry” frescoes as well as collections from both European masters and more contemporary artists. 

 

portrait