Why I Love Livin in "The D"

read about all the crazy, insane, fun, and amazing things that only happen in Detroit

Abandoned Packard Plant (Look on the Bright Side)

Posted by Tina on November 13th, 2011

Please read this and consider the questions before viewing the slideshow. I also want to know your thoughts on this subject and what your answers to the questions are.

One reason that I don’t like shooting abandoned buildings is because it gives the city a bad name. However, it is still part of our history and I hope that somehow we can get rid of all the blight. There has been a lot of things that the City of Detroit has done wrong (esp when Kwame) was in office. However, now that Bing is in office things are really turning around for the good. I have noticed a lot of changes even in the past year since Quicken Loans has moved downtown. Bing is doing everything that he can to get rid of the blight, but it takes time. Quicken Loans is helping re-build the city by buying buildings and restoring them. Restoration is starting downtown though and the Packard plant is about 10 minute’s drive from downtown. I wanted to capture the buildings because it is fun to see them and explore them and also to have a piece of history on camera.

Hopefully one day this will be a spot for something magnificent, and I will carry a piece of history as to what it was. There are some areas though in Detroit that are bad, just like any major city. Detroit got hit hard when the automotive industry declined and a lot of people moved away and left behind vacant houses and buildings like this one. Most of the time furniture, papers, desks, old equipment, etc were all left in the buildings when they were evacuated.

Some neighborhoods in Detroit look like war zones and have been war zones for some time. The city is trying to help everyone that they can but they can only do so much on a limited and failing budget themselves. I do see Detroit as making a comeback though and slowly but surely we will rise again from the ashes.　However, what you don’t see on the news is all of the neighborhoods that are using vacant land to build community gardens, and cultivate food but also friendships, and long lasting bonds.

These gardens help keep the area safe and also help neighbors look out for each other. However, the news always likes to show the bad side of things and not the good. I love Detroit and I hate when people give it a bad name. It really isn’t as bad as the news portrays it out to be. It is funny how I post 100 awesome pictures of the city and these ruin photos are probably what you will remember most. Maybe seeing these photos will help us remember to take care of our city and our home and do everything that we can to make things better.

There are some awesome blogs about Detroit that I would love to share with you if you are so inclined to want to see the bright side of Detroit. Let’s all ban together and find ways to make Detroit an awesome city again like it once was. These photos are part of Detroit’s past but they don’t have to be a part of Detroit’s Future.

Everyone can look at the past and learn from their mistakes and work towards a brighter tomorrow. There may be a part of us that we don’t like but it has made us who we are. Taggers love this spot, it is an amazing place to create.

Here are some questions that I want you to ask yourself while you are looking at these photos:

Do you see hope or despair?

Does this make you sad, or does it bring about all the possibilities of what can be done with this space?

Art lives here Why not make it a safe place for people to create art and a safe place for people to view art?

Detroit Artists need more space to create art…why not here?

The foundation is laid, All that is needed is hope, fresh eyes, and a new start.

If people love to create art, and people pay to see art, why not use that money to create a safe place?

It is a win/win. What can we do to make this happen?

Click on Image to View Slideshow

These people saw something different at the Packard Plant…they saw a place to create art.

We do take for granted that we get to see the sun rise every day and everyone get’s to pray to their own God. We often forget these things that seem so small but really are astronomical.

Please read the blogs below to find other positive news stories about our amazing city.

My favorite Detroit Blogs/News:

http://www.detroitmoxie.com/
http://www.positivedetroit.net
http://www.thedetroithub.com/
http://www.detroityes.com/ to name a few

Check out these awesome pictures from the Packard Plant back in the day:

http://www.freep.com/article/20111114/NEWS01/111114013/Firefighters-battle-blaze-Packard-Plant?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Today I woke up to a Brand New Day!!

Posted by Tina on October 29th, 2011

I have been missing in action on my blog for quite some time now. I have been very busy with work and also dating a special someone. My life over the past year has been very full and joyous. It has had a lot of ups and downs but has always meant growth.

I enjoy learning and growing every day. I have taken up photography as a hobby and am loving it. It brings me a lot of joy and happiness and also gives my significant other and I something that we can share doing together. I have always loved photography but didn’t own a camera that had lens that I could change out. So, after using my significant other’s old camera for a while I finally got my very own “new to me” Canon D50.

I am enjoying learning the art of photography every day and also meeting others in the photography profession.

On October 22, 2011 my significant other and I woke up to this beautiful and amazing sunrise. It reminded me how fragile life is but also how every day is a choice to make this day better than the last day.

The same things holds true for the City of Detroit. As I have been on my journey of exploring, learning, and growing…so has the city of Detroit been explored, taught, and is in the process of growing. Over the past year a lot of people and organizations such as TEDx, Ignite Detroit, Crain Communications, Compuware, Quicken Loans, Hatch Detroit, Detroit Design Festival, Open_Show, The Workroom, and many others have all played a role in bringing new hope to Detroit. I can see the difference shining through already. I can see the hope in everyone’s eyes that we WILL rise from the ashes, and that Detroit will be a great city once again.

I am so glad and feel so fortunate that I am here to be a part of it all.

Belle Isle Winter 2010

Posted by Tina on May 2nd, 2010

Belle Isle

I just discovered Belle Isle at the end of Winter of 2010. I would put Belle Isle on my list of the top things to do when you come and visit Detroit (especially when on a budget because even visiting the conservatory is free of charge).

When I took my boyfriend to Belle Isle we really didn’t know what to expect…I had heard about the ice tree that they form each winter by using a bunch of cut down pine trees and they cover them with water and it freezes over….it is truly an amazing sight to see (I apologize that you will have to wait until winter to see this beauty for yourself). However, J Singleton did take some pretty amazing pictures of the very large ice tree in the slide-show attached above (just click on the orchid to view). You can see that it was starting to melt already (as it was March 7, 2010) and we had already had some warm days.

After we saw the amazing ice tree we went over the the Conservatory (Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory) that I had heard a lot of good things about. We were not disappointed. The Conservatory had a lot of beautiful and stunning flowers (as you will also see in the slide-show). In doing research about the Conservatory I found out that Orchids are what saved the Conservatory back in the 1930′s. I also found out that the Conservatory is available for weddings from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily, including holidays.

The Scott Memorial Fountain is also something that you will have to stop and see while on the Island as well. The fountain is made of white marble and the whole fountain is 510 feet in diameter.

I also found out that Belle Isle has a water slide which is open the second week of June through Labor Day and a full day pass is only $3.00. So I really can’t wait for the weather to warm up so that I can go on over and check it out.

There are tons of other things to do on Belle Isle also such as fishing, walking, biking, jogging, or just take a scenic drive. Also remember that Belle Isle is only five minutes from downtown so while you are in the area stop by and visit downtown as well. You can also make a day of it and visit one of the many restaurants in Detroit….(come back soon to see a restaurant section on this blog as well).

Photo Credits: J Singleton Photo http://jsingletonphoto.com/

Live to Give

Posted by Tina on April 25th, 2010

Click Image above to view Slideshow

I wanted to give a special shout out and Thank You to the Live to Give Foundation (L2G) for the free ticket to the April 7, 2010 Red Wings game. L2G had received six free tickets to the game from Celebrities Against Autism and so L2G decided to have a twitter contest to give away the free tickets.

The contest was for people to twitter about how much they loved Michigan, and I won a bonus ticket because of my passion for Detroit in creating this blog. I had an amazing time at the game and I would have loved to have met the other winners but somehow our seats were separated. I was also unable to tweet from the game due to network failure at the game, so I thought I would share my photos here.

The game was amazing, there was a huge fight that broke out in the first period (which is always amazing) and the Red Wings also scored the first goal in the first period. However, it looked as though The Columbus Blue Jackets were going to win as they had two points and we only had the one going into the 3rd period. However, we ended up scoring two points back to back, then another point a few moments later…It was AWESOME!! The final score was 4 to 3

I would encourage everyone to check out the L2G website and donate if possible. L2G has a huge heart for not only Detroit but for Michigan and all of the money that they collect in Michigan stays in Michigan. Kudos to L2G for making a difference in people’s lives!!

Detroit Chevy SXSW

Posted by Tina on March 9th, 2010

For those of you who keep seeing me tweet and facebook about #DETChevySXSW may be tired of seeing me talk about it or wonder what all the fuss is about. You can go to there personal blog Team Detroit Chevy to find out more and also follow along with them on there adventure.

#DETChevySXSW is a group of four individuals whom are traveling across country to Austin, Texas for an interactive music and film festival. @balanon, @bchesnut, and @davemurr are all personal friends of mine from the twitter community and I hope to meet (@walkerau) very soon. This event is sponsored by Chevy and also Urbane Apartments.

So, why do I keep blogging, facebooking and tweeting this? The reason is they are competing with 8 other teems to see who can get the most publicity and also complete the following list of 50 things View List Here

I think that #DETChevySXSW should win because Detroit has the most spirit and positive thinking than any other city that I know. We all already know this but lets show everyone else in the country what we already know. Sure Detroit has seen some hard times, but when we stick together and work towards our goals then we can make a difference!!

If it wasn’t for the twitter community I would have never moved to Detroit because I would not have seen all of the positive things that the city has to offer and I also would not have seen how passionate everyone is to see positive change and results. So, please let’s help support #DETChevySXSW because they have supported me in so many areas of my life.

How can you help? I

f you are on Twitter use the hash tag often #DETChevySXSW you can even follow along to win prizes. If you are on Facebook follow this link and join Team Detroit SXSW and make comments also you too can win prizes. You can also see why I fell in love with these amazing people. Together we all can make a difference even if in small ways!! Let’s be the biggest Digital City in the US!!!!!

Photo Credit: Team Detroit Chevy The picture was taken with a cop for Mission #2

Team Chevy on Local Channel 7 News: http://youtu.be/omxy9bFJI38

Artist Review: Emily Whitehead

Posted by Tina on March 8th, 2010

I had the privilege, Saturday March 6, 2010, of meeting Jason Gilmore (@jasonxgilmore on Twitter). Jason is very passionate about helping artists get recognized and has started a blog and magazine called Detroit Artist Review (DAR). The DAR will feature articles and reviews of contemporary art, book reviews, columns on cinema and popular culture, and feature advertisements from prominent galleries around metropolitan Detroit.

Emily above showing her work to Eric Simmons

Me (Tina bottom left) doing an interview at Café 1923 with Jason Gilmore (Emily’s work featured on the left wall in the background)

About the Artist Yesterday

Emily Whitehead’s work was showcased at Café 1923 in Hamtramck at a HATCH 4 event (where over 100 people were in attendance). I got a chance to talk to Emily extensively and she explained how she began drawing at a very early age. Emily works during the day but feels most comfortable at night when drawing as she does not feel like she is in her element when she isn’t drawing. Emily is very soft spoken and easy to talk to. She explained how she recently discovered that drawing is her life passion and she creates one to two drawings a month. Emily’s drawings are very detailed and you could spend hours studying it and finding new things in each painting each time you look at it. For me her art really makes me think about life and feel as if I were in the piece as I wonder what each layer and detail of the picture means.

How each piece is Created

Emily said she starts out with sketching about 50 to 100 drawings (per piece) and then she brings them together into a collage and from there she puts them onto a full size board and colors them with acrylic (or leaves them black and white). The whole process is about 250 hours of work for each piece. Emily receives her inspiration from life’s experiences and her piece “Basement Sun” (which was featured at HATCH 4) was inspired by how sometimes the light shines in on life and you think all is good but then you realize that sometimes that can be an illusion.

How is the work Reproduced

The two pieces of Emily’s work that is displayed at Café 1923 are reproductions where as the original pieces of work are about 3ft by 4ft and do not have glass over the. I also had the opportunity of meeting Kyle Engelhart who uses a custom built vacuum press to hold the original piece of work flat against the wall or on the floor then uses a high resolution camera to take the shot. The reproductions are created by http://stage3.com.

What is HATCH

HATCH’s 2010 is an all-media juried art exhibit (www.hatchart.org). I also had the opportunity to meet one of the founders and Presidents of HATCH Chris Schneider. He explained that hatch was created as a way for new artist’s to be able to network together and form a community that would promote art and Hamtramck in a positive way. The artists in this community work together at achieving their goals. Chris explained how they have purchased an old Fire Station in Hamtramck to use as a studio/art gallery and are currently taking donations for renovations which they hope to open in the spring. Artists are also welcome to submit their work online if they would like to be included in this art community. Consumers can sign up for the mailing list online to find out when and where the art will be displayed.

Musician Todd Luneack and Chris Schneider of HATCH

Special Thanks go out to JSP Singleton Photo for taking the pictures. All photos Copyright 2010 © J Singleton Photo: These images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission of J Singleton. http://tinyurl.com/y949k4k Twitter: @jsingletonphoto

Dog Show at Cobo Hall

Posted by Tina on March 7th, 2010

I decided to head on down to Cobo Hall yesterday in search of Samoyed’s. Since I was the proud mother of a Samoyed named Sheba for thirteen and a half years I know how sweet and loving these dogs can be. My beloved Sheba passed away a few years ago and I was in need of some Sammy kisses and white fur on my purple sweater

Samson, Sierra, and Misha of Snowchien Samoyeds

I was not disappointed, I probably spent over an hour talking to Mark who was very sweet to have listened to all of my stories about Sheba. I also talked to Mary and Jeff of Snowchin Samoyeds. They got there first Samoyed in 1980′s (but I will let you read all about them on their website, as they do a much better job telling their story than I ever could). They also allowed me to talk their ears off. I think they probably thought I was a stalker after a while LOL because I kept trying to leave but somehow kept finding myself back at their booth.
The above picture is of their three dogs Samson, Sierra, and Misha. Sierra and Misha are both around a year old and just getting started and Samson is about three years old.

I also had the opportunity of being kissed to death (something I thought I would never miss) from Cassey (top right and left picture). On the left Cassey is practicing her jumps for the competition, and on the right she is actually in full swing. She ran so fast my phone on my camera could not keep up. If anyone wants to give donations to the “get Tina a real camera fund” I am taking donations

I also got to see dogs drafting (top two pictures above), tons of vendors selling anything and everything related to dog supplies.

I would recommend that everyone get out of the house today and come down to the dog show at Cobo Hall. They are open today (3/7/2010) from 9am to 3pm. I would recommend looking at the board shortly after you walk in as they have where all of the breeds are located inside the building.

After you come downtown to check out the dog show you can stop to get a bite to eat at many of the restaurants at Greektown or Woodward Avenue.

To find out more about the Dog Show at Cobo Hall see the following links:

Cobo goes to the Dogs

Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows

Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows March 6&7, 2010

Are you on the Titanic?

Posted by Tina on March 2nd, 2010

Last night while I was on the people mover on my way home from a social media event #detchevysxsw one of the TSA’s (Transportation Security Administration) Polilce said that Detroit has a huge gaping hole in it and that we are all going to go down just like the Titanic did. I personally refuse to believe that “The D” is going to go down. Yes, we may have been bruised up and probably do have a few holes in us. Are we going to let them make us or break us?

I proceeded to tell the TSA that I personally refused to believe that Detroit is going to go down and that Detroit is and will make a comeback. He then kept arguing with me telling me how the huge gaping hole in Detroit could not be repaired and that we were all going to drown. I asked him why he felt this way and he said it was because everyone is moving out of Detroit and nobody is moving in. I told him that he was wrong because I moved downtown in October. I want to see a change in Detroit and I am doing what I can to do so. I love Detroit, the energy, the culture, and most importantly the people. It all is hard to explain unless you come down here to experience it yourself.

Why do I refuse to believe this nonsense? Maybe it is because I have surrounded myself by a group of people within the twitter and social media group who want to see positive changes in Detroit and we all believe that we are the change that we need to see. We all believe that we need to be proactive and not re-active.

How can we fix the holes? I believe one way is that we all need to stick together. We need to create events and buzz about the city so that people will feel safe and motivated to visit and to spend money downtown. Who is with me? I am one person but together we make up a group of powerful people that CAN and WILL bring about change. Are you going to go down with the Titanic or are you going to stand up and make things happen and fix the hole? If Detroit fails….we all fail!!!

What is my “Personal Brand”

Posted by Tina on February 27th, 2010

Sunrise from My Apartment

So I was reading an article called “What Belly Dancing Taught Me about Personal Branding” by Lisa Baron @Copyblogger I found this extremely interesting since I also have been taking belly dancing classes for over six months now. The article was very well written and told about how Lisa’s belly dancing instructor has her own “personal brand”. Being that I had just created this blog and have been wondering what to blog about got me thinking about my own “personal brand”.

I talked with Deb @blissmonger at #ignitedetroit about what I think that my personal brand should be and she suggested to just be myself (upbeat and happy). I was also talking to @jsingletonphoto about my focus and I had expressed to him how my specific focus would be to educate people about Detroit (from my perspective) as a person who works and lives Downtown. I know there are quite a few excellent blogs already about events, etc in Detroit (in which I hope to have links from my site to). However, mine will be more along the lines of going to events/restaurants/etc and reporting back my experiences good or bad. I would also like to hear from you (my audience) as to what kinds of things you would like to see and I would like to answer any questions that you may have about “The D” in particular. My personal goal is to bring more people downtown (to live, work and/or visit) because Detroit is an excellent place not only because of the great architecture but more importantly because of the great people here. I know a lot of people in social media who have a huge heart for Detroit, if it was not for them then I would have never moved here myself.

Along with what my “personal brand” will be I have also been contemplating how “transparent” that I want to be. I am not 100 percent comfortable with putting my last name out on the internet for everyone to see. However, I am pretty sure that my main audience will know who I am as I do attend a lot of social gatherings. So, I think I will be putting pics of me up, etc but you would more than likely need to know me on a personal leave to have access to more personal information. Please leave me comments or send me an email based on your thoughts, feelings, or personal experiences (whether they be negative or positive).

Why I moved to “The D”

Posted by Tina on February 23rd, 2010

View from my Apartment

Many people have asked me so why did you move to “The D” (downtown Detroit) I often have asked myself that same question…wondering at first if I had truly lost my mind. However, I have grown to love it here. There is so much history, diversity, culture, and architecture that I really can’t imagine living anywhere else.

I have lived in the area most all of my life but truly did not visit or know the city until I started working downtown in August of 2008. At first I was scared but then I became accustomed to the big city (or sometimes desolate) and found so many great places to eat, walk, and party. I finally decided to move downtown in October of 2009. I decided that I would no longer let fear control where I wanted to live, work, and play.

I hope that you follow me on my journey of all of the crazy, insane, fun, and amazing things that only happen in Detroit