Lincoln Street Art Park - So much more than graffiti

Without a doubt, the greatest aspect of doing this project is gaining insider knowledge of the best places to visit in Detroit, then checking them out first hand. Recently, my work schedule allotted me a random weekday off so I decided to take full advantage of this free time by heading down to Mae's for brunch. Thanks to a tip from my good friend, Alex Kenny, this restaurant located on 24060 Woodward Ave has been on my radar for the last couple weeks.

I arrived alone with only my appetite as company (while everyone else was slaving away at work). Not wanting to take a table away for potential parties of two or more, I instead snatched a spot at the diner-style bar. I think it was obvious how highly I was anticipating this meal, because the waiter's service was very quick and friendly. Within minutes I had a menu in hand and full-on anxiety over which meal to choose. After much thought I went with the Hippie Scramble. Thankfully, my choice did not disappoint. My cup of coffee raneth over, my eggs were perfection, and as for the homemade applesauce - no words. 

To avoid scarfing my meal, I sparked a conversation with Vinny, one of Mae's newest cooks. He is an artist who just moved to Detroit from Pennsylvania, and I caught him on his 2nd day on the job. Not only did he provide me with an excellent meal, he also gave me a tip on where to spend my afternoon, "Have you checked out Art Park yet? Over on Lincoln?" Nope! I had not, but I now knew where I was headed after brunch. 

As I turned onto Lincoln Street in downtown Detroit I was greeted by a hand painted mural of RoboCop exclaiming, "Attention citizen: Recycle here." This was only the start of the quirky/beautiful/thought-provoking art yet to come. In full disclosure, I am not an art critique nor connoisseur. Although I have great respect for all forms of self expression, if you hear me mutter the words, "Even I could have done that" I likely was not overly impressed with what I was seeing. At first glance I wasn't sure how to take Art Park. Was this stuff trash? Art? An odd combination of both?

However, as I admired the dinosaur sculpture made of scraps and the graffiti murals I thought to myself, "This is spectacular." Colors were splattered everywhere. Not a spot left untouched. And just when you think you've seen it all, your eyes stumble upon Carl Winslow printed on an old U.S. Postal Service sticker. Essentially, Carl's photo expressed the beauty of Art Park - fun, unique and completely random.

At the Lincoln Street Art Park anything goes. Basically, the more I explore Detroit the more I realize that this concept applies to every aspect of its culture. When a city is as beaten down as Detroit has been, there is no where to go but up. The landscape truly is an artist's dream. With a slate this blank "anything goes." So…have at it artists! Keep making our city interesting. I, for one, commend you for it.

To learn more about the park, check out their Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lincoln-Street-Art-Park/179542518761761

Carl Winslow sticking around Art Park

Hostel Detroit - A temporary home for adventure seekers

I recently posted an article about the Hostel Detroit on the Detroit Letters of Love Facebook page, but after personally exploring and touring the Motor City Hostel, I felt it deserved a more detailed shout-out.
 
When people think hostels, their mind wanders to visions of traveling through Europe with no plan and a single backpack on hand. Although hostels can be found in the states, overall the American culture tends to choose pricier hotels as a place to rest their heads after a day of sight-seeing. Sure a hostel may not have all the conveniences as your own personal hotel room. You will have to share your bathroom, you will likely have to wait for a shower, and you may even find yourself sharing a room with a loud-snoring stranger. However, the Hostel Detroit provides something FAR greater than these little comforts, and that's education about the city of Detroit.

In fact, education has become the Hostel's mission - it even mentions it on the website where it eloquently states, 

"Our goal is to teach each of our visitors about the history and evolving future of our city. We want our guests to leave Detroit with the perspective of someone who has experienced it first-hand. We want them to eat from our urban farms, cycle our streets, enjoy our locally owned boutiques and eateries, and take in our festive atmosphere. We help Hostel guests tap-into what’s happening around town. We offer maps, “adventure-planning”, self-guided explorations, and personalized tours led by local ambassadors."

To any true traveler, this is a dream. After all, the main goal of traveling in the first place is to experience a new culture. Rather than looking at the same wall paintings in Marriott's across the country (no offense to the Marriott), wouldn't you rather bunk up in an Indian Village themed room? Or prepare a snack in the Eastern Market themed kitchen?
 
As an adventure seeker myself, I must say the Hostel Detroit did it right. Detroit should be proud of the effort exerted by Emily Doerr, Alex Manwell, and many others who were able to bring this unique vision to life. You don't have to be an out-pf-towner to enjoy it. As Detroit struggles to reignite the flame that once made it great, I personally think we could all take a little extra time to learn more about Michigan's largest city, and the Detroit Hostel is a great resource.
 
Look for yourself! http://www.hosteldetroit.com/

MadLibs: The Newest Way to Submit Your Thoughts

As you may have noticed, the Detroit MadLibs are our newest creation. I want to take the opportunity to explain how they can be used! It may seem obvious, since we have likely all done a MadLib as a kid, but being a new feature and all I thought a little more explanation wouldn't hurt.
 
Since starting Detroit Letters of Love, I have gotten some excellent feedback. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. This whole project truly is, as the name suggests, an act of love. It takes time and effort, but the response has been amazing, and sending positive vibes Detroit's way makes it all worth it. One suggestion I received was to better explain what the letters can contain. I have noticed that it is easy to get support for our little project, but when it comes to actually writing and submitting a short letter it is more difficult to get people to commit. 

Hence, the MadLibs! The MadLibs do the majority of the work for you! By copying and pasting the MadLib examples into the "Message" section under "Submit a Letter," you then only have to fill in the words in parenthesis with your own thoughts. 
 

For example, this: 

Have you heard of __[Detroit Restaurant]___? It’s located on ___[street name/corner]___, and it is the BEST place to get a ___[food/drink}. 

Now becomes this:

Have you heard of The Emory? It's located on 22700 Woodward Ave in Ferndale, and i is the BEST place to get Huevos Rancheros and a bloody margarita for brunch!

This is an example of a MadLib I submitted, because I have first hand experienced the amazingness of The Emroy's huevos rancheros on one particular morning when I partied a little hard the night before. I was so impressed, and I want others to enjoy the place as well! MadLibs are a great way to tell others about the hidden gems of Detroit. It is the first step to boosting our local economy. It only takes a minutes…submit your thoughts, we love to hear them! 

Never Too Old to Join the Circus

Hi all, 

After realizing I have neglected my blog writing, I thought I would take the time to sit down and tell you about something I am passionate about, and that few people know exists within the city of Detroit. Ever have dreams of running off to the circus? Of course you have. At one point in time I would bet money that it has crossed the minds of every child and adult (it still crosses mine). Fortunately for you it is not too late, and you can learn your new craft from talented trainers in your very own backyard. 

Most people go to the Eastern Market to load up on produce, often walking right past what I consider to be one of the best hot spots in town: The Detroit Flyhouse. 

The place oozes talent and art, and has every apparatus you ever dreamed of learning tricks on. Yes, I am talking about trapeze swinging, lyra hanging, aerial silk twirling circus acts. The skills taught at the Flyhouse are by far some of the most challenging, yet beautiful, exercises I have ever attempted. Each skill combines the flexibility of yoga with the grace of ballet, and is brought all together with brute strength.

To learn more about The Detroit Flyhouse follow this link: http://www.detroitflyhouse.com/

Live closer to Ann Arbor? No problem. The Ann Arbor Aviary just opened, and is an equally amazing place. Visit http://a2aviary.com/

For real though, try it, you'll be addicted. Even if your 9-5 job prevents you from actually running away, at least you'll live out your dream for that hour you are there.  

What has kept Detroit alive? Find out here. A special message from a traveling Michigander, Natalie Murray

Dear Detroiter,

I thought of you today, as I read an article in my local newspaper about the auto industry bringing jobs back to Detroit. The funny thing is, my local newspaper is the Virginian Pilot out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. A solid 724 miles away from Detroit.

Because of this, the title of the article caught my eye as I was skimming through the paper the other morning: "Detroit hungers for technology specialists."

As stated, the auto industry is beginning to look for workers in the technology field to to develop ideas for the latest and greatest automobile technology and to "create applications for the next generation of connected vehicles." 

What that really means? Well, I'm not exactly sure. But the good part of the article discusses bringing jobs back to the D.

The article states, "Ford Motor Co. plans to fill 300 positions in information technology this year, said Laura Kurtz, Ford's manager of U.S. recruiting. Chrysler Group, which declined to specify its plans, said it would hire more entry-level workers and was focused on attracting a highly skilled workforce."

Needless to say, as only a former Michigan resident (though I am adamant about maintaining my status as a Michigander), I was very excited about the article and the prospect of the auto industry bringing more jobs to Detroit. Many people may say that Detroit was built by the automobile, but I believe that the city has given the industry so much as well. Detroit has been a home to one of the oldest and most lucrative American businesses, and has harbored that production, allowing it to grow and flourish, creating international recognition at the economic and social level. And now, in a time when the city seems to have been abandoned by its creator, the industry is giving back.

I can only hope that this hiring boom will allow the city to continue to thrive and swell with its brazen spirit. Because I believe that that spirit is what has kept Detroit alive all these years. And I believe that spirit embodies the American dream of building something from nothing but hard work and optimism. And isn't that what Detroit is all about?

With my highest hopes,
Natalie