tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76707773920217207562024-11-05T21:48:37.795-05:00Exploring Detroit. And writing about it so you can read about it.kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comBlogger297125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-86723475794687714202012-12-18T23:29:00.000-05:002012-12-18T23:29:48.437-05:00

Elmwood Cemetery sprawls quietly across Detroit's near-eastside, a seven-iron from people chucking dice on craps tables in Greektown. Martin Luther King High School lives just across the street. City Sports Center lives just across the fence. It rests in the shadows of downtown Detroit, and yet Elmwood - an 86-acre chunk of historic real estate - provides an interesting reminder that

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comElmwood Cemetery, Detroit, MI 48207, USA42.349068 -83.01935309999998942.337333 -83.039523099999982 42.360803000000004 -82.9991831tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-65008087683739489192012-05-09T14:37:00.002-04:002012-05-09T14:39:17.728-04:00

Sure, Verlander's arm and a couple of choice hits from Dirks had something to do with it. But no doubt a little DT Love went a long way in helping the Tigers beat the Mariners last night. With that, we continue the magic... Funny that old pal Karl Z should happen to hop aboard the Times train earlier today. Even funnier that we're unintentionally pilfering his Facebook thread that raised an

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comComerica Park, 2100 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201, USA42.3389922 -83.048570242.3272552 -83.0683112 42.350729199999996 -83.0288292tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-56899041832162386482012-05-08T13:45:00.000-04:002012-05-08T13:45:06.933-04:00

In the wake of Octavio Dotel's momentary inability to throw a baseball straight, we figured that maybe what the Tiges need to get rolling out west is a little DT Love. In the coming days, look for anything Tigers related to fill this space, which we hope is at least a slight improvement over our recent habit of posting nothing at all. Will it work? It's anybody's guess, but I like the odds.

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comComerica Park, 2100 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201, USA42.3389871 -83.048566642.3272501 -83.0683076 42.350724099999994 -83.0288256tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-52274575616678866362012-02-16T11:36:00.000-05:002012-02-16T12:37:30.523-05:00

First came those annual NHL games on New Year's Day. Then came the Big Chill at the Big House. The outdoor hockey craze continues its roll this weekend when the Red Wings take to the outdoor rink at Clark Park for a one-hour, open-to-the-public practice. Crews were hard at work Thursday morning setting up bleachers. They tell me a temporary press box will be constructed on the opposite side

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-8415008050874033262012-02-08T03:47:00.001-05:002012-02-08T03:48:24.094-05:00

A thought struck me the other day. My career may have taken me out to the suburbs, but that's no reason that this fine publication or its audience should suffer. So after quickly - and needlessly, I'm sure - apologizing for my absence these last few months, I'll resume my exercise of lowering journalistic standards more than I already have. How? Check out the Times'

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-37483069685296889662011-09-07T12:55:00.001-04:002011-09-07T12:55:48.848-04:00

The Grand Trunk Pub might be more known for its huge selection of brews, but there's one menu item you've got to try the next time you're down on Woodward at lunch time. We never pass up the chance to indulge in a bowl of the Trunk's Shepherd's Pie, a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, corn and seasoned beef topped with a thin layer of cheese. It's good eatin'. Click on Detroit Food to see

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.com616 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226, USA42.330647028666569 -83.04570257663726842.330280028666571 -83.046319576637273 42.331014028666566 -83.045085576637263tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-63689854092844396102011-08-31T15:33:00.000-04:002011-09-07T12:56:08.118-04:00

Rule No. 1 in attracting customers: make sure they know you're there. Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill, tucked in a low-traffic corner of downtown Detroit that sees little action when the Red Wings aren't in-season, is turning to the basics as it tries to gain traction in the space long occupied by Mac's on Third. Leading the changes are the additions of a black and orange awning and building

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-19445574128339560802011-08-18T11:36:00.001-04:002011-08-18T11:40:16.784-04:00

Peddling through Corktown the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one recently announced plan in Detroit was actually finding its way beyond the drawing board. The addition of designated bike lanes to certain streets downtown – a plan announced sometime last year – is already becoming a reality, led by lanes on both sides of Michigan Avenue on the western edge of Corktown. (I was

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-38864039839980584332011-08-17T11:15:00.000-04:002011-08-17T11:15:37.930-04:00

When I was a kid, "sliders" were those occasionally edible mini-burgers from White Castle. Times change. Swing through the Big City Grill in downtown Detroit sometime and order up a three-sandwich platter of the Angus Sliders. I wouldn't even put them in the same food group as the White Castle version. Oddly, I'm no fan of onions and these babies are loaded with 'em, but they're so sweet I don't

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.331419068580523 -83.05063542040716142.321835068580526 -83.065485920407156 42.34100306858052 -83.035784920407167tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-54644763481764051072011-08-11T15:14:00.001-04:002011-08-11T15:14:22.786-04:00

I have no idea what you expected when news broke of Compuware's plans to develop the site of the old Lafayette Building into an urban garden. Heck, I'm not sure what I expected. But it wasn't this. As plans become reality, the Lafayette Greens development is blossoming into an impressive site that far exceeds the rows of cabbage and corn that may have popped to mind with initial word of the

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-56041077236053874562011-08-04T17:04:00.001-04:002011-08-04T17:04:21.291-04:00

I don't think they're authentic Chuckie T's, but they are Pure Detroit. The fact that these black canvas sneaks have been dangling from a light post at the corner of Second and Lafayette for weeks – maybe even months – presents some pretty interesting questions, and perhaps a few ideas as to how city officials might approach future streetscaping projects. Our first thought goes across town to

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-15124179615212363282011-06-29T16:32:00.001-04:002011-06-29T16:35:55.887-04:00

Follow along closely, this could get a little confusing. There was a church with a hole in the roof. Then a writer wrote a book in part about that hole, and the book raised money to help repair the roof. Then the book sold so well they decided to make a movie of the story. Last week they filmed it, returning to the actual church for taping. Except the hole had been fixed by then, so to film

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comWoodbridge, Detroit, MI, USA42.342625166613139 -83.07274755152587942.335625166613141 -83.083898051525878 42.349625166613137 -83.061597051525879tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-11343628436838514682011-06-22T12:49:00.000-04:002011-06-22T12:49:16.291-04:00

The Dime Building lobby If this were a game of Monopoly, Dan Gilbert just added another color to his set of property cards when he reportedly snatched up the Dime Building earlier this week. Just to be clear, this is no 'Baltic Avenue' purchase. The Dime has got to be considered one of those orange properties. Maybe even a red. The Dime Building now joins the Chase Tower, the Madison Theater

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.330911455651275 -83.04798539790039142.321327455651279 -83.062835897900385 42.340495455651272 -83.0331348979004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-26041256561391728452011-06-20T17:38:00.000-04:002011-06-20T17:38:00.106-04:00

In a day when "Buy Michigan" is our best defense against a crappy economy, the good citizen in us all should swing by the Park Bar in downtown Detroit and drink a little rum. While much has been written about the quality and quantity of Michigan's homegrown beer assortment, our state's spirit-making skills are less publicized. It turns out though, that the Park Bar - one of our favorite

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.337565618731723 -83.05327471407775942.327981618731727 -83.068125214077753 42.34714961873172 -83.038424214077764tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-80316953105645283112011-06-17T09:30:00.000-04:002011-06-17T09:30:06.327-04:00

Turns out there was a lot we didn't know about the man whose voice we all knew. Ernie Harwell was one of those rare public figures in Detroit that nobody dared to dislike. How could you? No doubt that's at least partly why "Ernie" – the play about the legendary broadcaster written by Mitch Albom – has been so strongly received in its short time at the City Theater in downtown Detroit. Everybody

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.338477624454093 -83.05250196037906142.328893624454096 -83.067352460379055 42.34806162445409 -83.037651460379067tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-77301913858005295262011-06-09T16:32:00.000-04:002011-06-09T16:32:13.034-04:00

In a quiet little corner of downtown Detroit, removed from the foot traffic of people hurrying through Foxtown, Greektown or Campus Martius, a little bar sits behind the towering, ancient Fort Street Presbyterian Church. For years, you've known that little bar as Mac's On Third, assuming you knew the place at all. But Mac's is gone. Meet Tommy. Bringing the best of the old Beaubien Street

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.327064568270067 -83.05354293497924842.317480568270071 -83.068393434979242 42.336648568270064 -83.038692434979254tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-75985808192891725752011-06-07T14:26:00.001-04:002011-06-07T14:27:27.191-04:00

You might recognize the aging red-brick wall in this photo as the side of the old Arcade Bar. Then again, you might not, since for years this wall was hidden by the once-hulking Lafayette Building. In any event, when the Lafayette was brought down last summer, word on the street was that a park was in the plans. And, if spreading grass seed constitutes building a park, the word on the street was

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.331403205738468 -83.049337231243942.321819205738471 -83.064187731243891 42.340987205738465 -83.0344867312439tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-38580032778887612182011-05-26T15:40:00.000-04:002011-05-26T15:40:40.689-04:00

Painting of this extent doesn't happen overnight. But over three-plus decades, the possibilities are endless. The Metropolitan Building in downtown Detroit, the one-time hub of the city's jewelry retailers, has stood empty on John R just south of Grand Circus Park since the late 1970s. Since then, nearly every window in the 15-story building has served as the canvas for an especially

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.335440169983237 -83.04886516245727542.32585616998324 -83.06371566245727 42.345024169983233 -83.034014662457281tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-64018482289750278912011-05-24T10:11:00.000-04:002011-05-24T10:11:41.206-04:00

From the mural that adorns the Cadillac Tower and stands over Campus Martius Park, to the Broderick Tower billboard that hawks cellphones to folks at Comerica Park, building-side billboards seem to be a growing trend in downtown Detroit. Before you go popping off with a real clever "At least they're using that building for something!" comment, our latest sighting graces the side of 1001 Woodward

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.332085304333191 -83.047427498425342.322501304333194 -83.062277998425287 42.341669304333188 -83.0325769984253tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-49261236334043313982011-05-19T16:00:00.001-04:002011-05-19T16:00:50.080-04:00

Shackled by the misfortune of sharing a neighborhood with one of the more neglected corners of Detroit, Historic Fort Wayne is a marvel, if only for the fact that it still stands. Surely, anyone who's had the pleasure of taking a recent sight-seeing tour through Delray to witness the high weeds and broken bricks up close will vouch. But yet there it is, Historic Fort Wayne, sprawling like a

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDelray, Detroit, MI 48209, USA42.299538424551095 -83.09893882565307942.2837884245511 -83.121502825653081 42.315288424551092 -83.076374825653076tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-84681673933858553922011-05-11T15:48:00.000-04:002011-05-11T15:48:18.349-04:00

Down on Woodward between Campus Martius and Hart Plaza, there's a big, brown-glass building. Not sure what's in there, and didn't have time to research it. But it gives off a cool reflection of the buildings across the street.

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.329733619245957 -83.04579135092620842.32014961924596 -83.0606418509262 42.339317619245953 -83.030940850926214tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-72506387918024620192011-05-04T11:07:00.001-04:002011-05-04T11:08:29.694-04:00

Every now and then we let our "reporting" wander out of downtown Detroit. Sometimes, even outside the city. This Pistons' tribute at the Marathon Oil Refinery actually sits in Melvindale just outside the city boundaries, but it's still one of the coolest Detroit sports tributes around town. Marathon turned this huge sludge vessel (that's really what is stored in there) into a Pistons homage

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comMelvindale, MI, USA42.276200100661022 -83.16102441462402342.259749100661018 -83.18253441462403 42.292651100661026 -83.139514414624017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-27227253830051584572011-04-18T12:48:00.001-04:002011-04-18T12:49:07.617-04:00

Following in the footsteps of so many iconic Detroit buildings, demolition of the Old Cass Tech High School is in full swing. Walls of the graffiti-covered, broken-windowed hulk of a building on the north side of I-75 at Cass Avenue remain, but if you want to get one last look, you best get downtown by mid-summer. No one's ever accused us at The Times of snubbing Detroit's great, historic

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comMidtown, Detroit, MI, USA42.337295976227345 -83.0594974389923142.326695976227349 -83.07109793899231 42.347895976227342 -83.047896938992309tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-56248770089368135792011-04-07T10:27:00.001-04:002011-04-07T10:28:12.680-04:00

Just call it the Holiday Inn-And-Out-And-Back-Inn. It was just in January when we reported that the Holiday Inn Express & Suites signage was removed from the facade of the building on Washington and Michigan avenues in downtown Detroit. Now, just a few months later, new temporary Holiday Inn Express & Suites signage hangs from the hotel's awning, which prompted our news hounds to wander

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.331331822899834 -83.05056031855468742.321747822899837 -83.065410818554682 42.340915822899831 -83.0357098185547tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670777392021720756.post-59756502537985382712011-04-06T16:59:00.001-04:002011-04-06T17:00:15.092-04:00

Not long ago, crews filming 'Transformers 3' set up shop in Capitol Park in downtown Detroit. The brief resurrection of the Farwell Building was something to see. Before that, the remake of 'Red Dawn' filmed just down the street, while Faye Dunaway's 'Master Class' was a few blocks away in Grand Circus Park. So when George Clooney and crew were in town last week filming scenes for 'Ides of

kagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07643550945408814731noreply@blogger.comDowntown, Detroit, MI, USA42.333520859766381 -83.04987367304687542.323936859766384 -83.064724173046869 42.343104859766378 -83.035023173046881