Friday night we visited Corktown and saw a bit more of the worn down side of Detroit the media likes to focus on.
In particular we got an opportunity to get some photos of the Michigan Central Train Station, one of the places most used in showing the urban decay that has happened here.
It is worth noting that this building's condition really has little to do with the 2008 financial meltdown -- it was actually abandoned in 1988 after having been underused and troubled basically since it's construction in the early 20th century.
Nearby we also found the other side of the coin - amazing graffiti. There's a lot of it!
Today we spent a lot of our day at the Eastern Market, a giant market on the East side of Detroit. The outdoor part runs Tuesdays and Saturdays, it is pretty fantastic. And vibrant!
A lot of life and a lot of lives going on at the market, leading to a really awesome atmosphere.
In the afternoon we got a wonderful your of Midtown, the part of Detroit we are in, by a very passionate resident who I won't name but who was involved in our DIA stuff yesterday. We stopped at some galleries but the larger focus of the tour was the revitalization. This part of Detroit is under great motion and is highly desirable to many people. It was neat to hear the stories of what things had been and what they are becoming or already are.
This evening we saw some more of this as we had dinner right in Campus Martius, a park and public space in downtown. Much of this space had been repaired and reinvigorated by a single (very wealthy) developer/investor. It is pretty incredible. A little bit of sketchiness (especially after dark) but more just a well utilized and highly enjoyable public space. This is what cities need more of!
There is no doubt this city has faced tough times and has more ahead, but there are also passionate people who love this city and are doing a lot to make it a place with community, energy, and purpose. We can learn from that.
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