Tour de Troit

September 25, 2010

Today I enjoyed a leisurely 30-mile-ish bike ride around downtown Detroit on the Tour de Troit. We started at Roosevelt Park, by the amazing ruined Michigan Central Station, whizzed downtown and through Campus Martius by the Compuware building, crossed the Belle Isle Bridge and spun around the circumference of Belle Isle before stopping in Gabriel [...]

A taste of Detroit: tahini and Vernors (gratitude #44)

November 29, 2008

The holidays is a time for family gatherings. We hosted my in-laws this weekend. Originally from Michigan, they love living in Massachusetts. Next weekend, I’m going to visit my sister in Tennessee. Born and raised in Michigan, my sister is happily now a southerner. But, I think that no matter how happy they are in [...]

I heart Detroit Coolers: Vernors and Vanilla Ice Cream (gratitude, week 7)

February 18, 2008

Mmmm….Vernors…. again, originally uploaded by DetroitDerek. Back in the day there was a Sanders ice cream parlor on the main street of my town, and a big day was when I got to go there and order a Detroit Cooler–Vernors and ice cream. Vernors was one of the first soft drinks in the US, of [...]

Dance that lifts the spirit – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Detroit (gratitude week 5)

February 3, 2008

Last night I saw the spectacular, athletic, precise, and joyful Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Detroit Opera House. On the way in, I marveled, as always, at the looming ruins in Detroit – burned out and boarded up homes adjacent to the freeway, the Amtrak building, tall and empty. The desolation makes me [...]