summer daze

it's been a while, sorry... but it's prolly been a while since anyone has read this blog anyway!!! i'm part of so many blogging networks, it's hard to keep up on everything, but i do love the D and want to keep writing positively about it...

still waiting on Quicken to announce it's plans for downtown... it's all speculation, but it appears that they are planning to move downtown... that'll be huge!!! my hopes are that they move to the Grand Circus Park site... that'll really liven up Washington Blvd, especially since the Book-Cadillac will be at the other end... i imagine more things moving to Washington Blvd. should Quicken choose the Grand Circus Park site... here's hoping and praying...

in my neck of the woods (Midtown) i've heard very unofficial rumors about the corner of Cass and Canfield... rumors of an Ace Hardware, Papa John's Pizza, Sprint Store and Chipotle Restaurant have been spreading to possibly fill the presently vacant southeast corner... it'll be incredibly awesome if these rumors are true (plus it will enhance my view exponentially!)... however, as always, you have to take all rumors with a grain of salt... who knows if these plans will go through (though i've been told that Papa John's is a definite)??? it'd be a pretty big deal though for Midtown...

Wayne State has been doing a lot for Midtown as well... they're finally tearing the old Forest Apartments on Cass and Forst... that's needed to happen for a while... also, they're working on the new residences (lofts?) on Woodward between Forest and Canfield (which i believe are on Forest as well)... that's gonna be a sweet addition and they're working on it pretty diligently to have it done when the signs say they'll have it done, which would be by Summer 2008... if these residences go up and the area i mentioned in the previous paragraph gets worked on too, Midtown as a while will look completely different... YES LORD!!!

anyways, that's my love for Detroit for today...

Asian Village

well, Asian Village has finally opened on the River!!! kinda... according to my sources, the coffeehouse and the sushi bar are open, but the rest of the place has a couple more weeks to go... eventually it'll have a fine dining restaurant as well as some grab and go kinda stuff... they're trying to give you the feel of walking down a street in a major city in Asia by offering you typical things that you might find there... i.e.- some sort of Asian bbq pork, fresh fish and Asian deserts... i think it's gonna be great... most of all, i can't wait for the Bubble Tea!!! unfortunately, it is not quite yet available, but is supposed to be soon...

spent a lot of time on the River this past weekend... totally awesome!!! the River Days festival has been a success so far... i'd never seen so many Detroiters in one spot (when i say "Detroiters" i mean actual citizens of Detroit)... everyone was just chillin' out and havin' fun... i think the whole city is glad that we can finally use the riverfront for fun instead of work... it's really only the beginning... some people are predicting Detroit's demise in the coming years, i predict the exact opposite: a new Renaissance, one that will defy the odds... one that will show just how powerful God is...

sound crazy??? good!

Detroit Jokes

i am so sick of Detroit jokes... trust me, i love to joke around... but i hate hearing jokes about how violent Detroit is... it isn't because i don't think it's true... i know Detroit is still high in crime... it is mostly because i think the jokes don't help... i pretty much think that if you don't have anything good to say, why say it??? the city is getting better... jokes about Detroit's violence don't help the city, they only hurt it... and if you think that's not true, just ask any person not familiar with the city... they're terrified of the city, not because of experience, but because of what they've heard from others who prolly don't have experience either... conversely, i talk to people who have lived down here and they want to stay here... they're excited about the future and they love things how they are now... i wish people would talk more about that stuff... which is why i can't stand Detroit jokes... they don't tell the whole story... they don't tell the better part of the story... for some strange, twisted reason, people love to hear all the bad about something and don't really care much about the good... it is definitely twisted...

Festivals and Walks

headed to the Detroit Festival of the Arts today... very cool... it seemed bigger and more populated... a good indicator for how things are faring for our beautiful city...

Detroit a beautiful city!?!?! yeah, it is... you just have to have the eyes to see it... if you're looking through the lenses of tired old viewpoints passed on through hearsay or lack of experience, you couldn't possibly believe it's beautiful... but come on down, come to the right places and you'll see it's pretty beautiful...

also, the Riverwalk expanded this past week... very cool!!! haven't been down there yet , but you can bet the wife and i will be there a lot... my main concern with the Riverwalk is parking... where will we be able to park??? how much will it cost??? i think i've talked about this before, but these are relevant questions... if i have to park and walk across Jefferson everytime i wanna head to the River, what good is that!?!?!

anyways... that's good for today...

Running the River

ahh yes, Detroit's greatest and until now most underused asset is the river... i just love going down there in the summer... i recently found out that they opened a YMCA in the RenCen so the wife and i have been going there a lot because it's less busy than the Boll Family Y and the RenCen one has newer machines... not to mention it has a decent view of the river!!! however, when i workout down at the RenCen i don't do my cardio inside, instead i run the river!!! very cool!!!

a few days ago i ran at around noon and it was great because all the folks from GM were out on lunch and the riverwalk was fairly well populated!!! i just love being around people, even if i don't know them, so it was a great experience... i really believe it's only a matter of time before the river becomes THE place to go in Detroit...

Bureau of Urban Living

the Bureau of Urban Living is a cute little place inside the Canfield Lofts on Canfield just east of Second... to be honest, the first time i checked it out i was a little disappointed because it's just so small... i walked around it and saw some little knick knacks here and there that were pretty cool... however, i went back a second time and checked it out yesterday as i was given a gift card there and i realized that the place is pretty cool... they've got a lot of things that can make a loft cooler than it already it is... yesterday the wife and i went and found a few things that we want to pick up once they come back in stock... add in the fact that it's right around the corner and it makes the place pretty sweet... i wish it was bigger and had more product, but i recommend checking it out... i don't doubt that you'll find something you'll like...

CMP love

i know i post on here a lot about Campus Martius Park, but it really is da bomb!!! after working out at the Y i always drive around it, even though it's totally out of the way... this afternoon it is filled with people of different ages, ethnicities and economic strata... it was a serene feeling during my short drive around CMP... it was like "all was well in the world"... ha...

another thought i've had recently is that Willis between Cass and Woodward prolly has more broken glass on it than any other street in the world... that's prolly an exaggeration, but it seems like the whole street is lined with broken glass (the likely result of multiple car burglaries/thefts)... i walk that street at least once a week and yesterday i had the privelege of seeing some guy pee on someone elses car... at first i thought it was his car and he was just looking at the car (stupid me)but then i recognized his posture (the peeing posture: legs slightly bent, back slightly reclined and/or slouched)... this was basically on the corner of Woodward and Willis... sheesh!!! the guy had no shame as he looked directly at me during and after his relief... whatever... i suppose it gives character to the city??? yeah, that's a nice spin...