Living in the D

Category: Scenery

Bringing some sunshine from Maui

One time, long ago, my sister went on a luxury house tour and upon returning to our much-more-humble home, she kicked it and yelled "I hate this place!"

That's kind of how I felt when I returned to Detroit on Sunday after a week in Maui. I know, there's no comparison between carefree vacation time spent on a tropical beach and the regular workaday routine of home, but it was depressing to see Detroit again, gray and foreboding, after those days in the sun.

The weather isn't the only way Hawaii felt like the polar opposite of Detroit. The "default" music in Maui is reggae - perfectly suited for the laid-back surfer lifestyle. You hear it on the radio, in cabs, at family picnics. In Detroit, it seems every car that goes by is blasting loud, horribly uninventive gangsta hip-hop - perfectly suited for our well-known attitude problem.

One road we drove in Maui was dotted with unmanned "honor system" fruit stands. Prices were posted, you took what you wanted and put your money in the box. They trusted you, even with the trees where the goods came from standing right there, practically begging you to pick a few star fruits and run. Could you imagine that in Detroit? The stand and those trees would be picked bare and the thief would be selling them on an offramp, claiming the money would go toward youth basketball.

Still, I don't want to go negative. It was a great vacation and I'm very lucky to have experienced it. Let's share some of the good vibes with this lovely tune by the late Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole. It's sure to put a smile on your face. Aloha!

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Category: Scenery

The little theater that could

Like many once-proud intersections in our city, the corner of East Warren and Outer Drive needs some love. It's been getting some, in small batches, from a group of neighbors and optimists led by one man on a decadeslong quest.

For 26 years, local resident Geoff Gowman has been on a mission to renovate and reopen the Alger Theater. The 825-seat room, first opened in 1935, sits vacant but full of potential, having seen multiple owners and revival plans that have come in fits and starts since it closed in 1977. In the early '80s, a church almost set up shop there; in 1984, it reopened briefly as a B-movie house showing horror films.

It's been a long journey, and Gowman and the Friends of the Alger Theater have made miles of progress, but as with any effort that depends solely on regular folks' donations, sweat and sheer hope, it's a big job.

Back taxes of more than $30,000 were owed when the group took ownership in 1986, and "the city would not bend," Gowman said. The bill was finally paid off some eight years ago. The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Sunday, the Friends opened the lobby for a peek inside. It was one of those beautifully incongruous Detroit scenes I've grown to love: trays of wine and cheese served amid peeling plaster and dust; the Balduck Mountain Ramblers playing bluegrass under a bare lightbulb hanging from a water-damaged ceiling; people in church clothes or flip-flops or Detroit T-shirts milling around, gawking at the long-darkened interior. A recently donated vintage projector stood in the hall, threaded with a reel from "Saturday Night Fever."

What's next? The roof has been fixed, so now the Friends can set their sights on repairing years' worth of water damage inside, member and architect Mark Tirikian said. After that, there's plenty of renovation work to do, including undoing some renovations done in gaudier times (red shag carpet on arm ledges and blotchy paint jobs on the original metal wall sconces, for example).

The hope is to get the building back in shape and reopen it as an entertainment destination and anchor of the neighborhood. How long will that take? Nobody knows, but the drive is there and they've come this far already.

For more information check out the Friends of the Alger Theater.

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Category: Scenery

Artists 'tag' blighted buidling into work of art

I returned from Burning Man two weeks ago and assumed I would return to not much having changed in Detroit while I was out in the desert surrounded by art cars, and sculptures and 41,000 people glowing at night.

It appears I was quite wrong as I found out when I was taking my normal route home on Grand Boulevard east of Woodward. There I saw the side of a nine-story building being painted bright, almost neon, blue. I knew something was up and boy was there. As the week progressed the building began to look like a cross between a Jackson Pollock painting or a Rorschach inkblot test - both in Technicolor.

I made sure I drove past the building at least twice every day to see how the drips and scribbles were progressing as I tried to figure out just how it was being created. No one was ever painting when I went by so they must have been doing it under the guise of night.

Then one day I saw a truck in the lot and stopped by to inquire. I found two very tired artists. I spoke with Sam, Sammie Tuggle, who is a teacher working on the project with Catherine Craig, (Katie) another teacher in Detroit who was not there. Catherine was awarded a grant and is working with Detroit Arise on an art program for kids. She also works with the Vanguard Community Development Corporation and with North End Neighborhood kids to help create the mural when they are not working at night. I drove by one afternoon to see kids on the roof pouring paint off the building to drip down the mural. How exciting that must have been!

Catherine brought in the help of a local graffiti artist, tag name Elya, to help with the Pollack/Rorschach style of painting. Actually it is a style of tagging that is applied with a fire extinguisher. I have seen it numerous times around the city spelling out words. It is not my favorite style of graffiti; I actually find it too sloppy in nature. But for this application it is perfect!

The arches of rainbow-colored spattering bring something to this neighborhood that it sorely needed; proof that there is life there. Sam told me that sometimes up to 100 people a day were coming up to them when they were painting during the day (which is why they switched to night) to tell them how wonderful it was, to thank them and just shout out support and honk as they drove by!

It's a far cry from the "666" or "FUD" that were painted on there in the past. If it can contribute to people taking pride in there neighborhood and becoming involved in programs to improve the morale for people living there, I say put paint cans in the hands of everyone.

Click to see more images of the building by Detroit News Photographer Daniel Mears.

CORRECTION: Katie was working with "community+public arts:DETROIT" through CCS not Arise Detroit. C+PAD according to Sioux Trujillo the Associate Director currently has seven projects in progress throughout the city. Each of the artist or teams of artists received $30,000.00 to work on these projects that were funded by The Skillman Foundation, The Kresege Foundation and The JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

Category: Scenery

Lots of local art shows this weekend for Art Detroit Now

It's gallery season in Detroit, a time when the exhibition schedules start to pick up after the summer lag. And this weekend kicks it off into high gear.

Friday night, galleries, art institutions and nonprofits will have special programs, exhibitions and events in the Midtown Cultural Corridor. All of these events are part of Art Detroit Now and are walkable to one another.

One of the galleries participating in the event is the Detroit Artists Market with an exhibition entitled "Landscape: A Modern Sequel" focusing on how artists see landscape in unique ways. Work by two Detroit artists I admire, Nicole MacDonald and Catherine Peet will be showing. Just west of there at the Elaine L. Jacobs Gallery is an exhibition showcasing local collectors Burt Aaron, Gayle and Andrew Camden and Marian and Stephan Loginsky entitled "Detroit Collects, Part I: The Nature of Art."

Then Saturday all over Metro Detroit, 50 galleries will host openings, lectures, demonstrations and workshops in their spaces from 1-6 p.m. Check www.artdetroitnow.com for a downloadable pdf of locations for the events as well as a list of participating galleries and what they are exhibiting.

Later that evening out at the Cranbrook Art and Science Museum there is an opening for "Animal Logic: Photography and Installation by Richard Barnes" from 6-8 p.m. From 1 p.m. to midnight at the Russell Industrial Center there will be an open house in Building 2 where you can visit studios, view exhibitions and see demonstrations by the 150 artists who work in the building. The Pioneer Building, right around the corner from the Russell, will also be having its 9th annual open house with the studios of 27 working artists open to peruse and buy art. Both sites have ample parking.

I am looking forward to gallery hopping this season and I thank Art Detroit Now for doing so much of the leg work for me! Hope you take advantage of it, too! Stay connected to other art events in the area by using the Detroit News events calendar too!

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Category: Scenery

Hunting in Detroit? It happens more than you think

When I arrived in the office one morning, I eagerly told my co-workers about my run-in (almost, but not literally) with a pheasant that crossed my path as I cut through a Highland Park neighborhood. Turns out, such sightings are not all that uncommon.

One guy I work with says locals hunt pheasants and other small game at an east side neighborhood park and they've seen coyotes at the nearby cemetery.

Today, Detroit News writer Charlie LeDuff writes about the Coon Man, a 69-year-old licensed hunter and furrier and retired truck driver who supplements his Social Security check with the sale of raccoon carcasses that go for as much $12 and can serve up to four. The pelts, too, are good for coats and hats and fetch up to $10 a hide.

Charlie writes that a beaver was spotted recently in the Detroit River, fox skulk at the Palmer Park golf course, wild turkey roam vacant fields and bald eagle, hawk and falcon dot the city skies.

Mind you, hunting is prohibited within Detroit city limits. But with things being what they are, "Starvation is cheap," Glemie Dean Beasley says.

Read the full story.

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Category: Scenery

Is this Belle Isle ice pile for real?

I have lived and/or worked in Detroit all of my life, but I've never heard or or seen, that I can recall, this giagantic ice pile on Belle Isle.

Photographer Chris Rabior writes that this free form ice sculpture has been an annual attraction since at least the 1960s. That would be my whole life. Never heard of it. Have you?

One of our photo editors tells me that the city makes it every year. "In the old days, a hose was run up a big blue spruce and let the spraying water encase the tree. Now it's some kind of wood construction that gets covered with ice," Jan Lovell tells me.

Better get out there to see it soon because we're supposed to get a serious warm up this weekend. Just in time for Detroit Winter Blast, of course :).

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Category: Scenery

Detroiters get in on the action with their own political signage

Even as the ballot for Detroit's special election remains unconfirmed mayoral candidates seem to be everywhere.

Mayor Ken Cockrel, Dave Bing and Freman Hendrix are getting ready to debate.

Mayor Cockrel is on television.

Rev. Nicholas Hood can be seen on billboards all over the city.

Plus, a (possible) gubernatorial campaign is starting to make headlines as well.

At least one Detroiter with billboard tastes on a sandwich board budget decided to make his own political statement.

Spray painted on some white wood at the corner of 8 Mile and Cardoni the sign reads: Wanted: Governor who wasn't in bed with the mayor.

"Obama" is awkwardly painted over the message. Could have been an afterthought of the artist, or another political Detroiter needing a canvas for his message.

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Category: Scenery

Detroiters have the weirdest pets

I saw a sign today. I was on 7 Mile, must have been pretty near John R.

This was a handwritten sign, certainly nothing very fancy, but what it said really caught my eye.

"Cockroaches $50.00. Call SuperPest."

Now, this was (I hope) just an oddly worded advertisement for extermination, but the way I read it I couldn't help picturing this SuperPest guy trying to sell someone a $50.00 cockroach.

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Category: Scenery

Living it up at the Book Cadillac

What timing. The gorgeously restored Westin Book Cadillac threw its doors open right as I was trying to round up a surprise for my husband's birthday, which was Sunday. After putting out the My Tuesday section last week and drooling over photos of the place, I walked down there and booked a room for Friday and Saturday, and quickly become the envy of all the people I'd told to keep the secret.

So how was it, they're asking today? In a word: Sweet!

The Motor Bar was packed with well-dressed people Friday night as I arranged for a friend to scoop the man from the Lager House and drop him off to meet me and some other friends there for the big "reveal." I ordered a round of drinks as he walked up, telling the bartender "this is on me - bill it to my room." Then we went upstairs, my husband beaming, to check out where we'd be staying for his birthday weekend.

The rooms are beautiful, not over-the-top glitzy, but the perfect mix of modern and classic. A flat-screen TV hangs over a dark-wood credenza that contains the mini-bar and plenty of storage space. The "Heavenly" king-size bed practically sucked us in and made it near impossible to climb out. The bathroom was spa-like, bigger than any I'd ever seen in a hotel.

The view? Well, what are you gonna do - unless you're one of the lucky condo buyers on the upper floors, it'll be either Washington Boulevard, the abandoned but artfully graffiti-ed Lafayette Building, or Capitol Park. We got a decent ninth-floor spot overlooking Capitol Park, which I've pointed out recently is on the rebound from being downright scary some 10 years ago.

The view from the room

The hotel staff was absolutely wonderful. A tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries and a handwritten birthday card awaited us in the room, and we were surprised again Friday with a late-night delivery of brownies and ice cream. The concierge hooked us up Saturday with discount tickets for the movie theater at the Renaissance Center. Everyone was eager to help with directions, taxis and restaurant recommendations (which we didn't need, being familiar with downtown and walking everywhere.) The bellhops got a kick out of us stumbling in at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, a steaming bag of coneys in hand, blabbering about our luck at the MGM Grand casino and the birthday shots we pounded at Cafe D'Mongo.

Good times.

It's strange knowing you're likely the first person to stay in a hotel room. "They'll know it was us!" I'd say as I cleaned up any crumbs or spills. In the pool and hot tub, a steady stream of "tourists" passed by and gawked through the windows, making us feel a little like zoo penguins, but we just waved and smiled.

The undisturbed pool and hot tub

What I found even more remarkable, as someone who has lived, worked and played downtown for 14 years, is not just the building itself - but a feeling, an exuberance you can't quite put your finger on. It's asking yourself, wasn't this once a depressing place? Wasn't this beautiful building once abandoned and trashed, wasting away and bringing tears to the eyes of those who remembered it in better days? This place, with its bright flowers and sparkling lights and people milling around, marveling and taking pictures? It's overhearing "I can't believe I'm in Detroit" over and over. For years, we'd stared at this spot and wondered "what if." Now the "if" has come true.

One more thing: People have been asking me how much this weekend stay-cation cost. I already told the hubby, so here ya go: It was probably less than you think. The rooms, on a weekend, start at $209 (which was what we got) and there's a limited-time grand opening offer in which the second and third nights are only $19.24, in honor of the year the place was built. (Click on the story link in the first paragraph for details on that, and definitely ask the the hotel about any restrictions.) Adding in taxes and the five drinks I charged, the entire bill was $301. Not bad.

Category: Scenery

A glorious walk through downtown

I just took a quick walk through downtown to get a late lunch, and it turned into one of those awesome slice-of-life moments when I wish I had some out-of-town visitors with me.

It was a lovely fall afternoon, about 70 degrees and sunny, and people were everywhere. I had intended to get a quick coney, then figured that I it'd be much healthier if I kept going, to the Good Girls Go to Paris crepe stand on John R just east of Woodward.

I cut through Capital Park, a plaza that was a virtual minefield of urban hazards ten years ago, when I went there frequently to record at a studio at Grand River and Griswold. Now, with hip little spots popping up like Cafe D'Mongo and the Urban Bean Company, it's starting to look more like Brooklyn and less like Baghdad. A well-dressed man was selling newspapers, people were bustling around the bus stops, and amazingly, not a single panhandler or bum bothered me.

Over past Woodward, people milled about and there was a line at the crepe stand. The always-smiling owner Torya knew everyone and chatted them up while cranking out orders, crammed into the 6-by-8-foot niche with two other workers.

My friend Jackie, who lives in a loft above, came around the corner unexpectedly with her roommate's dog, and I accompanied them down to Campus Martius while passersby stopped and fawned over the pooch every few steps.

Over on Lafayette, several white-aproned workers from the dueling coney islands were lined up on the sidewalk while a filmmaker goaded them to fight over which one was superior. Laughs and thick Greek accents floated behind me as I detoured to get out of the shot.

I spent the last few glorious steps down Lafayette basking in the sun, pondering how far this gritty downtown has come in the past decade or so, and yes, wishing I could've shared the moment with a visitor, just to say: This is the way it's supposed to be.