A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to document the Torchbearers Akron trip to Detroit - I'll have more about that fascinating experience in the next blog. Here I am posting some of the photos I had the chance to take when we had a bit of free time during the action packed trip. We were only there for a couple of days - but you'd find that hard to believe seeing all the pictures I took. I hadn't been to Detroit since 2003 or 04 - and I was so surprised by what I saw. Yes - the famous post-apocalyptic scenes still exist there - but the downtown area has been transformed and is bustling. More commentary later - here are some photos.
Our dinner the first night was at 'Traffic Jam and Snug' which specialized in locally sourced and scratch-made food. My food was great but their beer was just average.
"Beer Menu"
After dinner there were no other events planned - most took the bus back towards the hotel(in Greektown) but Jonathon and I decided to hit a few of the nearby breweries. The first stop being Jolly Pumpkin.
Jolly Pumpkin's actual brewery is in Dexter, Michigan but they turned this former industrial space into a really cool bar/restaurant - serving their beers and North Peak's too.
My first beer - a dark saison - delicious.
Next I had a sour beer - very tart - if your're a fan of sours Jolly Pumpkin is the place.
Next we walked over to Motor City Brewing Works - were we made fast friends due to
....a game of 'Gringo Bingo'!
In which Jonathon won a round - a very special prize indeed.
Back to the hotel/casino to retire. I was thinking to myself about the fun and great conversations we had at the breweries. This is a huge reason why I love travel - seeing new things is great - but even better is meeting new people and the things you learn from them.
Detroit at night.
From the other side of the hotel - in the morning.
I didn't get a lot of sleep but we didn't have a lot of time in Detroit - so I popped out of bed with the sunrise and hit the streets for a solo walk before breakfast time.
"Walking"
"Steam Plant in Morning Light #1"
"Straight Facade, Crooked Building" - obviously built for what was - or what was supposed to be.
"Facing the Morning Sun"
There is tons of amazing architecture in this city - and lo and behold it isn't all empty and falling down.
"Fox Theatre" - Opened in 1928 it was the first theater fitted for sound.
"Fillmore Theatre" - the last few times I was in Detroit I saw bands here. I remember feeling like there was no point in heading too far in any direction from the theater - and that it probably wasn't a good idea to do so at night. Now the area feels perfectly safe and there are nearby bars and restaurants. The opening of the baseball stadium I'm sure has had a positive influence of the revitalization of the neighborhood.
Looking down the road to the old Michigan Central Station. When it was built in the 1910's it showcased Detroit's power. This building has now come to be a symbol of Detroit's decay - the inside designed to look like Roman Baths is now covered with graffiti. Its full of vandals, homeless and ruin porn photographers. Some want it torn down but it is National Historic Landmark - it closed in 1988 and hopefully one day will be resurrected as a symbol of Detroit's rebirth.
"Renaissance Center" Now owned by GM and used as their World HQ. When it opened in the late 70's there were now entrances on the street - you drove and parked in underground decks. I guess then after work you could had straight back to the suburbs and ignore the rest of Detroit declining around you.
"Car Wash"
This neighborhood of beautiful but falling down buildings fascinated me on my last trip here. People were just starting to renovate some of the houses then - and most of them looked like this - beyond renovatable. I photographed a few of the same structures this time around and will have a post on that soon. I'm still tracking down my old analog Detroit photos.
"Dichotomy"
"Abandoned Building, Public Art"
More on the complex and exciting times in Detroit in the next few days...
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