I made this lovely sidewalk discovery last week while walking down Cass Avenue.

if you’re driving on Woodward Avenue this Friday and you pass something that looks like Myspace.com blew up spewing all it’s inhabitants onto the Comerica parking lot don’t be alarmed for it’s nothing more than the annual mall-core jamboree known as the Vans Warped Tour! as in years past i’m sure it’ll be full of thousands of seventeen year olds with nautical star tattoos and tight pants that are willing to pay nine dollars for a bottle of Aquafina solely to fling it away into the crowd in hopes of clubbing some poor unsuspecting shlub who is, ironically, standing on line to purchase his own aquabomb…ah, to be young, dumb and eager to impress. oh well, if a full day of pop-punk, skateboarding, boys in eye liner and hundreds of vendors willing to literally turn you over and shake the money out of your “target demographic” pockets is your thing then this is the event for you…and here’s a little tip for you: the beer lines are always WAY shorter than the water lines and if you look even one day over thirty you might as well be a hundred because the kids are gonna look at you like you’re the oldest person on the earth.

How much more appropriate can one be in catching a drive-in movie in the Motor City? This Saturday MOCAD is screening “Cry, Dr. Chicago,” preceded by short films including Invisible City – a look at Detroit – by Jack Cronin.

I think I’m having a bad day. . .the fire alarms went off this morning. When it goes off a female voice penetrates every apartment saying, “There has been a report of an emergency. Calmly exit the building. Do not use the elevators. Use the stairs.” It keeps repeating until the fire dept. turns it off. I have lived in the Kales for about three years and, in that time, the alarm has gone off on occasion. I always go down the stairs and hang out in Grand Circus Park with other residents until it’s safe to return.

Because of this I decided to take the elevator. I push the button and it arrives. The doors open and water is dripping from the shaft. . .and I smell smoke. I took the stairs. At the sixth floor I notice water pouring from the bottom of the the door that leads to that floor’ I open it and see two inches of water filling the hallway. As I desended there is water leaking its way down at every level. This is not good.
(more…)

The Ponchatrain Hotel, in its day, was the place to be. In the 60’s and 70’s this hotel on the corner of Washington and Congress across the street from Cobo Center had everything. Three nightclubs that were packed with customers all night every night. During the Republican National Convention in 1980 you couldn’t even get in. A list guests filled the restaurant called the “Top of the Ponch” located on the highest floor. In the last two decades the Ponch’ has declined into disarray. Owner after owner never put a dime into it. Until now that is.

Now a new flag will be waving at the front door. That of Sheraton. After more than two years of remodeliing she is set to open restored to its original beauty. I just returned from a grand tour of this building and I can tell you first hand it never looked better. 450 rooms, 20,000 sq. ft. of banquet space and a new indoor swimming pool. In additon a gorgeous new bar has been built in the lobby with a huge fireplace deviding the lobby level restaurant. No expense was spared to bring the Ponch’ up to Sheraton standards. Look for the ribbon cutting event next month.

The worst riots happened 40 years ago on this day, the Infamous 1967 riots.

You can find more information and history on various media sites, but basically the police raided an after-hours bar, where 80 black patrons were, and soon after police took them out, people on the streets began breaking into storefronts, vandalizing, and looting. Within 48 hours national guard moved in, and restored order eventually.

The riots have had a lasting effect in the minds of Detroiters and the suburbanites outside of the city.

The mayor was spoke at the ceremony held at Virginia Park this afternoon in the city.

The coolest, hippest and free happening of the summer is at the Positively Fourth Street Fair today. Shhhh, this event is the best kept secret in the D’ and if you have the time tonight, check it out. Great live music. Rock on the stage at the end of the street and country/folk/grass roots on the lawn between two houses. Local artists selling hand made jewelry, paintings, vintage books, magazines and film souveniers. One guy has about a thousand odd buttons from years ago from past political campaigns, and just about everything else under the sun. If you are hungry they offer all kinds of home made food. Try the Sweet Roased Corn on the Cob. MMmmm. Tastes like candy and, yes, they sell adult beverages. This event is put on by the Fourth Street area community and only lasts one day. Open till’ midnight, (they stay later than that) the fair is located at Fourth and Holden in the Wayne State University area. From Woodward, take Warren to Third and turn right. Listen for the music just past the I-94 bridge.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano announced this week that the county is purchasing the 36 story Guardian Building, an adjacent office site and the 1st St. Garage at the corner of !st St and W. Congress. Price tag? $33.5 million. The Guardian itself went for $14.5 and the garage for $17 million. It sounds like a lot of mulla but when you consider that they payed over $102 million since 87′ to rent the old Wayne County Building at Randolph and Congress, it’s a steal. One question comes to mind. Why the @#$% didn’t the county do this a long time ago. Next time you walk by the old county building, ask yourself: Why would anyone rent it for $5 mill a year?? That is more than three times the going price for property this size.

I have been breathing Harry Potter for the past few weeks. I was at the midnight premier of the fifth film last week and tonight is the night millions will be lining up for copies of the book. While I am dying to know what happens next to my beloved characters, I am one who prefers the library’s services to purchasing books. I will be on the Detroit Public Library’s site bright and early to get on the waiting list, the DPL does not allow one to place holds on books that are being processed. I don’t know what type of madness will ensue at the library tomorrow, but I’m sure all the library staff will ravage the books before we get a chance. I’m going to try and hit up a party or two in the Detroit area this weekend and just be awed by the impact one woman has had on cultivating generations of ravenous reading children.

This is my favourite time of the summer in Detroit. This weekend the Arab & Chaldean Festival kicks off a series of weekend cultural festivals in Hart Plaza. I would follow the links on the city website as some of the dates appear to be incorrect. These events include entertainment, ethnic food choices, and unique vendors. Go out and celebrate our cultural diversity.