City 14: Detroit, Michigan, or, “How about I buy you a city block for Christmas?”

Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview at a Time:  The Northeast Cities According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews
 
Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real resource to the northwestern cities.  While I am an observant person, I have no background in city development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background on these cities.  For the most part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will be moving to one of these cities in the spring.  And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to read this blog in the upcoming two months.  Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to very many art and craft projects.
 

Our hosts' cat looked like an aye-aye lemur.

Streets of Detroit.

Abandoned.

Used to be a car manufacturing plant.

Henry Ford's house.

Beautiful building down town. 

I have to admit, I’m exhausted.  At this point in our trip, we’ve been away from home for almost 8 weeks.  Eight weeks living out of a suitcase (actually, it’s more like various items used for carrying clothes, including a cardboard box and hamper), eight weeks sleeping on strangers’ beds, friends’ floors, and even once (only for a couple hours), in the car.  It’s been an adventure. 

And yes, it’s been a while since the last post.  We’ve actually been in Minnesota for the past two weeks, and been procrastinating writing this one last post about the trip. Yes, I’ve been busy with other things here in MN, that’s part of it.  But, I also know that Detroit rustled up many feelings within me that I knew would be difficult to express in words, and thus, I’ve been putting off the difficult task.  But let me try.

Detroit.  At first, it seems like you have driven into a scene from an apocalyptic movie.  It seems that more buildings are boarded up than are lived in.  Business seem nonexistent.  People are missing, you feel.  Even some of the tallest buildings downtown are abandoned.  Falling down, forgotten.  And yet—you have been deceived!  You realize that there are new things being built all over the place.  People are in the process of renovating so many of the buildings!  People are moving into these buildings.  There is life, and lots of it!

But my, I feel that I am not adequate to fully describe Detroit and all of the things happening there.  It’s our number one choice for so many reasons (Peter has been obsessed with the city for the past year—he even visited the city last spring!)  There is hope, and as cliché as is sounds, there is a “place” for us as community members.  There is the possibility to personally make a difference because there is no one there right now!  But if you build it, they will come, right?  In Detroit, there’s the possibility of opening a business and become a part of the local economy.  It is the place, as someone that Peter quotes all the time (sorry I can’t remember his name!), “…Where the embers of the American dream still burn strong.”  ModelD does a really good job of highlighting all of the happenings in the city.  100 Abandoned Houses is a beautiful and haunting website that captures the emptiness that you can sometimes feel in the city, but I always see potential as well!!!  HuffPost Detroit is the newest claim to fame in Detroit, as is the new rapid bus system that has been proposed in the city.  That, and the amazing urban farm plans, the beautiful architecture, the cute and clever businesses that are popping up in the area, and the opera.  These are all things that make me excited about Detroit.  Check it out and see for yourself!!!  Meet you in D-Town!!!

Whew!  And with that, I conclude my review of the cities!  We’ll find out where we go in March, and I’ll be sure to let you know where at that time!  Thanks so much for reading, folks!