Road Trip – Day 2

So day two involved Logan and I not driving at all.  We left a day early so that we could stay 2 days with family, so we woke up at 8, went to watch our 8 year old cousin play football.

We pretty much spent the day swimming,

eating and hanging out with family. My uncle makes the best steaks I’ve ever had, so we ended up having my mom’s whole extended family over and eating steaks.  It was a great way to end the day.

I wore this Detroit shirt

and talked to my aunt’s neighbors about Detroit a little but not much since they seemed more interested in football.

All and all a quiet day, not driving feels nice.

Today holds more of the same, except it will hold more mexican food.

Road Trip – Day 1

As per my last post, I am driving across America wearing Detroit t-shirts.  September 24th 2011 my brother Logan and I started our trip. Sorry I did not post this last night when we landed, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open!

I have all of these shirts to rotate for my trip.  I am really excited about the shirts that people donated, and of course for the shirts that I have in my own personal Detroit collection.

I wore a t-shirt from the Detroit Professional Movers, they were the first people to offer to give me a shirt for my trip, so I figured it was appropriate to wear it.

So we left at 3am from Detroit. Our goal for the day was to drive from Detroit to Dallas.  It was a 20 hour drive and of course it was raining last night when we left.

20 hours, rain in the forecast from Detroit all the way through Tennessee, and it was cold. So the drive started. We had the goal of driving the whole way, so this was not really the fun day of driving.  Our mom’s family lives in Dallas, so we drove in one day to spend 2 days with family.  We drove through MI and Ohio without stopping.  We stopped once in Kentucky for gas, but it was dark, rainy and no one wanted to talk.  I was disappointed in my first experiment with the Detroit shirt project.  But on the road we go.

We stopped at the Tennessee Welcome Center to go to the bathroom.  Nice bathroom, nice people, but no one commuted on my shirt or had anything to say about my shirt.

Sad, but on we go.  We stopped for lunch to go and gas.  By this time we have made good time and wanted to get to Dallas.  So on we drove, the rain finally stopped, and it was nice to see the sky.  The sun was up and we missed it coming through the side of the car.

The rest of the drive was pretty quiet.  There was a semi who’s tire was shredded and people were just flying past him, so we pulled up next to him, Logan gave him the international hand signals for “Your tire has exploded and it’s throwing shrapnel into the air!” The guy, clearly knew what Logan was saying, so he pulled off at the next exit.

That was a good feeling.  We stopped one more time for gas.

The bummer about the trip is that we had to go west into the sunset.  Amazing for taking pictures from the passenger side windows, horrible for driving.

But when the sun goes down – totally worth the drive!

Cut an hour off the overall time for the trip.  We got to our aunts house around 9pm. unloaded some of the car. Showered, ate pizza, then pretty much went to bed by 11.

Stats for day one -

Miles driven 1,200+

Money spent on gas – $120.

Comments/Statements made about Detroit – none (unless you count me talking about how no one was talking about it – then the comments were more like 300)

Beverages consumed – 4.5 Dr. Peppers, 3 waters, 1 root beer.

Food consumed – 4 mom made gingersnap cookies, 1/2 bag of honey mustard pretzels, 20 chicken nuggets, 2 roast beef wraps, 1/2 bag of sugar free candy.

Trip duration – 3am – 9:12pm.

Road Trip

So, I’m taking my love of Detroit on the road.  For the next 2-3 weeks I’ll be driving to LA from Detroit.  I’m taking the long way, down to Dallas, out to LA, then swerving my way back to the Motor City.

I’ve decided that I want to see what reactions I get if I wear Detroit shirts every day of my trip. So I’m stocking up on shirts that say DETROIT on them and I’ll be posting up here my adventures everyday.  I am assuming they will be positive experiences from people who have visited, people who used to live here, and people who just love Detroit.

The plan is to photograph the shirt I wear, wear it, record (textually) what happens, post. Repeat the next day. I will be traveling September 23- October 7th.  If anyone makes really awesome Detroit t-shirts, please get a hold of me tomorrow as I will be leaving at 1am on Friday morning.  And I’ll need the shirts tomorrow before noon.

See you soon Detroit!

Erika Fulk

City Living…

Inside Detroit just did the 13 person, 4 hour, change your viewpoint, change your life – bus tour, you can check it out here.  We tried to show people that our tours aren’t just your standard run of the mill history lessons, our tours are guided by people that live in Detroit, they share their experiences with you, give you a real feel for what the city is like.

Here’s an example (this wont be on the tour) – This morning on my way to work I wanted to run by the Wurlitzer Building. I heard yesterday that while doing maintenance on the building to take the decaying fire escape off the side of the building, the fire escape collapsed, part of it was still hanging precariously. I wanted to see it, photograph it, I thought it would be visually stunning.  It wasn’t.

What I didn’t expect was to walk into a scene from Mary Poppins or Home Alone 2 Lost in New York.

As I rounded the corner from Grand River onto Library Street, behind the YMCA I noticed all the pigeons.

I didn’t understand why there were so many, I tried to ride my bike as quietly as possible up to them to see how close I could get without them flying away…  Not very close. They all took off and flew around me! It was pretty amazing.  I tried to get my phone back out to snap some more pictures, but I couldn’t get it to open fast enough. All the birds flew onto a building and I was alone on the street again.

But then I tried to get close to the building and see if I couldn’t manually recreate the birds flying around me with my camera out.  And they flew all around me, but I was too stunned to take the picture.  Then I noticed all the birds flew back to the same sidewalk.  ”How curious,” I thought.

By this time I decided it was a science experiment.  I wanted to see if I went over to them if they would fly back to the building. Hundreds of birds perpetually flying between building and sidewalk.   But what I hadn’t paid attention to was the little old lady that happened to walk by me as I was staring at the birds on the building.  She had pulled a cart full of bags, trinkets and who knows what else past me, and I had noticed her, but didn’t pay attention, until that is, I turned around to go back to the birds on the sidewalk.  I turned around and she was standing in the middle of the birds.

From her cart she pulled a bag of bread crumbs.  She poured out some here and some there, walked a little ways and threw more out.  She made sure all of the birds had food, threw some on this side of the fence, threw some on that side of the fence.

I rolled up on my bike with my phone at the ready, she laughed as she said “Yes, take their picture”.  It was a weird statement, I’m not sure if she was laughing at the ‘tourist’ who looked like they had never seen a pigeon before, or if she was laughing because this was so mundane for her and so intriguing for me. I’m not sure why she laughed, but I did respond by saying “They are just so pretty and amazing.”  She laughed again and rolled her cart out of the middle of the pigeons.

They finished their food quickly and moved on.  Leaving this once bustling corner of Detroit empty again.

I got on my bike and rolled into work, a weird feeling in my stomach, so much life all around, then it was gone.

Poof gone.

Rachel our Retail Merchandising Intern

I’m Rachel Force, a 22 year old Retail Merchandising Intern at the Inside Detroit Welcome Center. I came across this great opportunity through my school, The Art Institute of Michigan in Novi. Growing up I didn’t know a lot about Detroit because I grew up downriver in Trenton, MI. It wasn’t until I started to attend the Art Institute of Michigan that I really traveled outside downriver for events, shopping, etc in the state of Michigan. Of course I did some traveling to Detroit for Red Wings Games, Tigers Games, and for night-time fun, but I never came here to enjoy what the city has to offer.

Inside Detroit has given me the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of running and maintaining a retail business. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity because this non-profit organization has done so much to promote the City of Detroit. I started my internship at the end of June and for the few months that I have been here I have learned a lot about bringing in vendors and keeping an inventory of the Detroit made merchandise that they bring in. Also I have learned a lot about Detroit and the great city that it really is; all the food and bar locations, historical museums and buildings, the types of events that happen downtown, and how Detroit is a great place to live, work, and shop. I am very exited to be named employee of the month for such a great organization.

Recent Reviews of our Tours

“I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, it was, indeed, an eye opener and provided a wonderful insight as to the amount of new energy, as well as investment, that is being infused into the City. I moved here 35 years ago & still remember my trips to Hudsons, Saks, The London Chop House, The Caucus Club etc. even the Ren Cen when it wasn’t user friendly! and am extremely excited to learn that there is a positive push for the return of residential, retail, dining & commerce. Hopefully this will significantly enhance the partnership between the City and the suburbs, particularly the communities along the Woodward corridor. Thank you Jeanette, it was great fun and your own enthusiasm added much enjoyment to the outing. Kind regards, Gillian”

“Very good tour, and learned a lot about Detroit. Would like to take one to other areas of the city sometime.”

“Loved the tour and suggested that our broker offer them quarterly for any new families who have moved to our area. I grew up in Detroit and LOVE Detroit. You did an awesome job!!!!!”

“You were wonderful!!”

“It was terrific. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would have liked to spent a little more time at a couple of the stops.”

“GREAT tour – Thank you Jeanette!!!”

“Although I have never been uncomfortable coming to Detroit, we just don’t frequently make the effort. The tour was very motivating and informative. My daughter and I have a plan to go to “Good Girls go to Paris” on Sunday and then to Mass and St. Peter & Paul’s. Thanks for such a fun experience!”

“I had a great time meeting you; and, especially learning more about the City. Thank you so much for a delightful day in Detroit!”

“Impressive, both the guide & driver were the best.”

“greatly appreciate the enthusiasm of our tour guide! (as group tours like these tend to be a handful of quiet people… but our guide did not seem bothered by our lack of conversation!)”

If’ you’ve been on a tour, let us know how it was! Survey!

Detroit 2020

Hello! I know you’ve seen a lot about us on the Detroit 2020 lately. We gave a tour to 13 suburbanites who were skeptical of Detroit.

Some were scared of the city and it’s reputation, some just thought it had nothing to offer them. We took them on a 4 hour tour to really show them what Detroit was like. And wow, were they ever impressed! Check out the links or video’s below, then come on a tour and see if we can change, expand or just solidify your perceptions of Detroit! All tours can be found here, if you want to take a tour like they did, check out our Greater Downtown Community Bus Tour! Or book a private tour!

http://detroit2020.com/2011/09/02/detroit-2020-bus-tour-can-we-change-some-minds/

http://detroit2020.com/2011/09/02/d2020-tour-sights-and-insights/

Here is a list of the places we went

Check out some of the Before and After conversations with the people on the tour!

And an article by Jewel Gopwani, writer for the Free Press, and her experience on the tour

Visit Detroit

Detroit – is a place for lovers, friends, sisters and bothers, uncles and cousins, family, growth, change, acceptance, fear, style, class, fun, amusement, music, dance, bars, restaurants, bikes, cars, the future and the past.

I like to start with a random train of thought and then play off of it.  For today’s blog I want to write about Detroit. Not unlike what I do most days, but today I want to write about the city and the people that come here.  Working in the Welcome Center I meet new people every day, people who come to Detroit because they’ve heard good things, or bad things, and want to check them out.  In the Welcome Center in just over a year, we’ve had all of these people come in to see us

How great is that?! And of course that isn’t everyone, those are just the people that we’ve remembered to ask to put a pin in the map (sometimes I forget to ask, since the map isn’t facing the store anymore).  Point of the picture is to show you that people from all over are showing up and stopping into Detroit. They are asking questions, learning things and just generally curious about what it’s like in the city.  I just spent the past 20 minutes helping 2 German tourists find some pretty cool things to do in while they stay in Detroit for 2 more days.  Pretty exciting stuff!

I also, thanks to some pretty outgoing friends of mine, had the pleasure to meet Darren who is doing a Baseball Biking Tour.  He is 144 days into a bike tour of all the Major League Stadiums in the country. He came to Detroit the day before yesterday from Toronto, and stayed with some friends of mine.  He then needed a place closer to Tigers Stadium to crash for the night.  I gladly excepted before checking with any of my roommates, I love meeting new people and love even more when they have something to do with biking.   So yesterday Darren and my friend Dave stopped into the Welcome Center, Darren wanted to leave his packs somewhere while they went out to tour around Detroit and during the Tigers Game.  Darren unloaded his very minimally packed saddle bags, and Dave unlocked my bike.  Dave, having never ridden a fixed gear bike, wanted to show Darren around.  Their plan was to check out the Riverwalk, then head out to Mudgies Deli for an amazing lunch, then to stop by and check out old Tigers Stadium, where Dave is very happy and proud to be a part (maybe a leader) of the constant clean up crew that helps keep that space clean.   Then they came back to the Welcome Center, so Dave could go to the dentist and Darren could go and get some work done.  I sent Darren to Volt where he could have a beer while surfing the web.

And then they were gone.  I was a little sad to see my bike back after having an adventure without me…  It was weird to think that while I was sitting here my bike was out there touring Detroit with a man who’s touring all over the country and then some.  But as always my adventure continued, I spent the next few hours helping some Italians try and find a hotel, I sold one of my favorite photographs to a man who said he was “tired of seeing it on our wall and not his” and just working on a newsletter to send out to you today.

But then at 6pm, I logged myself out of the computer, left my backpack with Darren’s stuff headed home really quick to eat a bit more and then head back to the Tigers game with Martin.  Before I even knew that Darren was coming to Detroit, I had made plans with my brother to go to the game with him.  His best friend left today to go study abroad in Argentina for four months, and this was his going away party. So we met my brother and 8 of  his friends at the game, went in, had the $8 beer and $6.50 nacho’s with jalapeno’s (my favorite reason to go to sporting events!). We watched the game and eventually Dave and JD (his girlfriend, one of my best friends and an amazing designer) showed up, Darren was being interviewed by Fox Sports and they wanted to give him some space, so they came and hung out with us.  Even though the Tigers lost, it was a pretty amazing night.  The weather was great, the company superb, even the kids screaming behind us when the marquee said “Make some noise”  were really cute.

Then after the game we waited by the giant Tiger Statue, meet up with Dave, JD and Darren, said goodbye to my brother and his friends, unlocked our bikes and headed to the Welcome Center to pick up Darren’s bags.  It was a surprisingly nice night to ride a bike home, normally I hate trying to avoid motorists leaving Tigers Stadium, but it wasn’t that bad last night. A few times I had to go around cars on the sidewalk, but nothing to terrible.  We made it home and ended up talking about traveling, Martin and Darren talked about fresh powder, to which I could not chime in as I am still a newbie when it comes to snow sports. We talked for a while about just random things.  One of my roommates is currently touring on his bike up around the thumb area of Michigan, so we talked about riding and touring, and Darren’s lack of ‘stuff’ for being 144 days into a bike road trip.  He didn’t need much, sleeps on concrete when it’s convenient, sleeps in motels and with friends when concrete isn’t around.  Just a pair of street clothes, riding clothes, rain clothes and when it’s right he can also pull out his hammock.  I’ve seen seasoned backpackers carry more than Darren did.  Really impressive. We eventually all decided to go to bed, we had all had enough fun for the day.

This morning Martin got up so he could go train on his bike, Darren ate a Cliff Bar so he could start his trip to Chicago, I forgot to eat my bagel which is currently still sitting in the toaster oven.  We chatted, had a friend take a photo of the 3 of us, a tradition that Darren has after crashing at someone’s place. Then both boys took their bikes and left, leaving my dog Jake and I to sit on the stoop in our little house in Woodbridge and contemplate what just happened.  Jake looked like he was contemplating more than I was, I sometimes get distracted by shiny objects.

With a little luck and some really good friends, we were just a part of history.  The history of biking, of Detroit, of The Tigers, of Major League Baseball, of the many amazing couch surfers we’ve had stay with us.

Detroit does that to you, one day you’ll find that you are just hanging out, thinking you’re doing nothing special, and the next day you’ll realize that you were a part of history.

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Scavenge Detroit – Press Release!

ScavengeDetroitPressRelease

Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser Wants You to Find What You’ve Been Missing in Detroit

DETROIT (August 26, 2011) – Think you know Detroit? Inside Detroit wants you to prove it. On October 1^st they will be hosting a large-scale scavenger hunt that will let you test your Detroit knowledge and enhance it at the same time.

Scavenge Detroit  (Scavenge [skav-inj]: To search for valuable material among that which has been discarded) is about finding value in Detroit though many have discarded it. Teams of 4 will ditch the cars and hit the streets of Downtown Detroit to answer clues about Detroit’s assets: from small businesses to big landmarks and everything in between.

This 50-clue scavenger hunt will be unlike any other scavenger hunt around! You won’t be solving math problems. You won’t have to tie a bow on a chair with your teeth. Instead, you and your friends will scour Downtown to find answers that relate to Detroit’s history, culture and community. You’ll use your knowledge of the city to get to as many clues as possible in 2 hours. It’s more than a scavenger hunt; it’s a two-hour deep dive into Detroit details that you’ve probably never noticed.

The registration fee for a team of 4 is $100 before September 15^th and $120 after.  Registration includes souvenir drawstring backpack full of goodies, food and entertainment at the After Party at Hard Rock Café and a chance to win $500 in gift certificates to Detroit’s best restaurants and shops. The Hunt begins at 3 p.m. outside of the Hard Rock Café in Detroit followed by an after-party at 5 p.m. For more information visit InsideDetroit.org.

“Whether you’ve been in Detroit a day or a lifetime, this event will have you discovering the city in a whole new way,” said Maureen Kearns, co-founder and director at Inside Detroit. “Not only will everyone have fun but they’ll find a new appreciation for what’s in their own backyard.”

The fundraiser will benefit Inside Detroit and their Downtown Welcome Center. As the only Welcome Center downtown, it has over 1,000 visitors each month and features locally-made products from Detroit entrepreneurs. The event is made possible by the generous contributions from Quicken Loans, Hard Rock Café, Text Ripple, Detroit 2020 WXYZ Channel 7, The Metro Times and the Detroit People Mover.

Inside Detroit is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to utilize an insider’s perspective and passion to educate the public about Detroit’s history, culture, community and livability, in order to spur economic development.

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Security Excercises on the Detroit Riverfront Aug 22-23!

MEDIA ADVISORY

CITY OF DETROIT AND U.S. COAST GUARD TO HOLD ANNOUNCEMENT AUG. 22 REGARDING INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EXERCISE ON DETROIT RIVER

More than 60 U. S. and Canadian agencies at the federal, state, and local levels will take part in a full-scale international security exercise on August 23-24 along the Detroit River from Trenton to Detroit and Windsor.
WHAT:  Detroit River Readiness 2011 Full-Scale Exercise Announcement
WHEN:  Monday, August 22, 3 p.m.
WHO:  Daryl Lundy, City of Detroit Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director
Captain Jeff Ogden, U.S. Coast Guard

WHERE:  Milliken State Park, located at Atwater at Riopelle
For more information, contact Pam Shivers, City of Detroit Homeland Security Public Information Officer, at (313) 596-1646, or Lt. Justin Westmiller, USCG Exercise Public Information Officer, at (313) 701-6016.

THE CITY OF DETROIT AND U.S. COAST GUARD TO HOLD
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EXERCISE ALONG DETROIT RIVER AUGUST 23-24

The City of Detroit and the U.S. Coast Guard will work with more than 60 U.S. and Canadian agencies to stage an exercise on August 23-24 involving an explosion on the Detroit Princess boat, evacuation of passengers and an oil spill on the Detroit River.
The full-scale exercise involves U.S. and Canadian agencies at the federal, state, and local levels and will test and measure the Area Maritime Security Plan, contingency plans of participating agencies, and public information outreach.  Detroit River Readiness 2011 will take place along the Detroit River Corridor from Trenton to Detroit and Windsor.
The exercise begins around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 23, with an actual, controlled explosion and smoke coming from the Detroit Princess boat.

Passengers will be evacuated from the boat and transported to an emergency medical facility located at Milliken State Park.  The exercise will continue on August 24 as crews respond to an oil spill on the Detroit River.

Exercise organizers are asking media outlets to inform area residents about the exercise to minimize concerns about the explosion and subsequent smoke. Individuals with questions or concerns are encouraged to call (313) 567-3007.

Interagency coordination and communication will play key roles in the exercise’s success, as well as enhance readiness for future incidents. This exercise culminates from three years of planning to prepare the area maritime security committee members and surrounding communities to respond to all threats and hazards that may arise at anytime.
This exercise is NOT open to the public; however, media is invited to attend. Reporters will be able to cover the exercise from two locations:

• · At the scene of the incident with a viewing area set up in Milliken State Park, located at Atwater at Riopelle
• · From outside of the Port Authority Complex, located at 130 Atwater at Bates

For more information, contact Pam Shivers, City of Detroit Homeland Security Public Information Officer, at (313) 596-1646, or Lt. Justin Westmiller, USCG Exercise Public Information Officer, at (313) 701-6016.

THE CITY OF DETROIT AND U.S. COAST GUARD TO HOLD
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EXERCISE ALONG DETROIT RIVER AUGUST 23-24

The City of Detroit and the U.S. Coast Guard will work with more than 60 U.S. and Canadian agencies to stage an exercise on August 23-24 involving an explosion on the Detroit Princess boat, evacuation of passengers and an oil spill on the Detroit River.

The full-scale exercise involves U.S. and Canadian agencies at the federal, state, and local levels and will test and measure the Area Maritime Security Plan, contingency plans of participating agencies, and public information outreach.  Detroit River Readiness 2011 will take place along the Detroit River Corridor from Trenton to Detroit and Windsor.

The exercise begins around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 23, with an actual, controlled explosion and smoke coming from the Detroit Princess boat.  Passengers will be evacuated from the boat and transported to an emergency medical facility located at Milliken State Park.  The exercise will continue on August 24 as crews respond to an oil spill on the Detroit River.

Exercise organizers are asking media outlets to inform area residents about the exercise to minimize concerns about the explosion and subsequent smoke. Individuals with questions or concerns are encouraged to call (313) 567-3007.

Interagency coordination and communication will play key roles in the exercise’s success, as well as enhance readiness for future incidents. This exercise culminates from three years of planning to prepare the area maritime security committee members and surrounding communities to respond to all threats and hazards that may arise at anytime.

This exercise is NOT open to the public; however, media is invited to attend. Reporters will be able to cover the exercise from two locations:

• At the scene of the incident with a viewing area set up in Milliken State Park, located at Atwater at Riopelle
• From outside of the Port Authority Complex, located at 130 Atwater at Bates

For more information, contact Pam Shivers, City of Detroit Homeland Security Public Information Officer, at (313) 596-1646, or Lt. Justin Westmiller, USCG Exercise Public Information Officer, at (313) 701-6016.

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