Detroit, decaying

I'm interrupting the calendar series to post some links about Detroit. Time.com had a link to a stark article about the ways big and small that Detroit is dying. It's a wrenching article, very hard to read but not one you should skip. There was also a link to a Detroit photographer who is blogging the decay of the city, and that is equally wrenching and important to see. They don't even have working fire hydrants anymore. How can that be?

I have grown to love Detroit over the years; it's ugly and sad and broken, and it hurts to see an American city brought down to its knees like this. (In comparison to Detroit, New Orleans is thriving.) But it has been trying to recover, and many of my photographs that I take when I am there celebrate that. The article and blog above force me to acknowledge that the growth there has been is still far surpassed by the decay and desperation that remains. For every step forward, Detroit is still fifteen steps behind.



I took this on Christmas Eve day 2007. That white bundle is a homeless person sleeping above the steam grate for warmth. (The steam grates are frightening things, imo; at night they make the streets feel threatening when all you see are shadows of people walking out of the smoke. They're used for a purpose in movies, and it's all the more unsettling in real life.) The thing about this photo that is the most unsettling is that this is the "nice" part of the city, between Greektown and the RenCen.

Umbrellas

Detroit Yacht Club



New Orleans storefront



Anderson Japanese Gardens

Going, going, gone

Taken in the pedestrian walkway at the RenCen in Detroit.

Detroit Greektown

My husband reminded me yesterday that I hadn't finished posting all the photos from our trip to Detroit. This is Greektown, a small but thriving neighborhood in downtown Detroit; it's only about a block long, but is full of great restaurants. Of course, this being Detroit, it also has a thriving casino. Mere blocks from our hotel!





We don't go to the Chicago pizza place. In case you were wondering. :)



I think this is the restaurant we like the best, but I can never remember which it is. You'd think the giant Greek guy on the door would help me remember, but you would be wrong.



Greek and American flags. These are my favorite shots of the street this time.

Skate-off: Detroit vs. Chicago

Which downtown ice rink is prettier?

Chicago:



(Better viewed in large.)

Detroit:



(Better viewed in large.)

I have to give it to Chicago, even though I prefer the buildings and expanse of the ice in the Detroit shot. The problem is Detroit picked terrible colors for the banners and the tree; the blues clash with the red and green of the tree, and the tree colors themselves are too drab and harsh. (The particular hue of green of the tree makes it look dead, even close up.) I did try to crop out the blue line of the rink's edge on the bottom, but it didn't help the color scheme.

Such a shame, because it could be such a pretty scene, right in the middle of downtown. The colors of the buildings are all so complimentary right there, but the decorations drag your attention away from them. Alas!

Coney Island Countermen

A trip to Detroit would not be complete without a stop at Lafayette Coney Island. (A Coney, if you've never had one, is a hotdog with chili, mustard and onions. My husband is a very big fan.) The place was pretty empty, (unsurprising for 11am on the day before Christmas) and the countermen were nice enough to let me take pictures. I'm not crazy about the colors -- they came out with a lot more yellow than I remember there being -- but there is something so timeless about the place I had to post them.











The whole set can be found here.

Extra Reindog: JJ, the Family Reindog

This is JJ, my in-law's dog. He couldn't make it to the Reindog Parade, but he still was willing to pose for me! So cute.

Detroit under Fog

Here's what it looks like outside our window on the 54th floor of the RenCen at 8:30 am this morning.





As a frame of reference, here is the Ambassador Bridge as I shot it two nights ago.

It's amazing as it rolls in over the city.





Good thing we're driving rather than flying today!

Polish Onesies

The Hamtramck Labor Day Festival had a fantastic assortment of funny Polish t-shirts, full of phrases I have never seen on fabric before. Two of the dirtier sayings included:

-You bet your dupa I'm Polish!
-Of course I'm Polish. Wanna see my kielbasa?

Haha. I decided to keep it family-friendly and post a shot of the baby t-shirts available. The larger view allows you to see the actual phrases. Very cute!

Guest Photographer: Richard Plocinik

My husband recently went on a trip with his family to Michigan and Pennsylvania, and inspired by my passion for photography, decided to take a camera with him. He hadn't used one in a long time, but I was pretty impressed with what he found!



This was taken in Stony Creek State Park in Michigan, in a random unmarked clearing. I love the light in the trees behind, and the perfect framing of the bench. You get a great sense of how tall the trees are, and how quiet it must have been.




This was on a priest's gravestone, in the Pennsylvania cemetery of the church where he served for forty years. I loved the intricacy of the detail; the priest was someone they obviously respected, but the shared love of the church comes through even more.




The house's decorations are split completely in half, right down to the different shades of yellow paint and even the different walls along the sidewalk. Impressive!

All these shots are even better viewed in large:
Bench in Clearing
Priest's Gravestone
Split House


My husband has a good eye, doesn't he?

Puppy Love

Taken at the Hamtramck Festival in Detroit Michigan, Labor Day weekend 2007. He had no idea I was aiming a camera at him.

Here it is in color; I can't decide which works the best!