Halley Stone, owner of the Amsterdam Café, and Brad Hales, owner of People’s Records, will be guests on Detroit Today this morning, probably anytime between 10:00-11:00am. If you miss it, WDET usually posts an mp3 of the show later in the day and makes it available for a month or so.

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Anyone who thinks a Friday night at an art museum sounds like a staid and snooty affair missed out Friday night on the kind of dynamic cultural event that Detroit can deliver. To celebrate the opening of two new exhibits, Holy Hip-Hop! New Paintings by Alex Melamid and ReFusing Fashion: Rei Kawakubo, the Museum of Contemporary Arts-Detroit (MOCAD) threw an all-night dance party featuring home-grown Hip Hop artists Mike-E Ellison and James “Suburban Knight” Pennington.
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Our hearts and pockets should all go out to the residents of Forest Arms and the owners of Amsterdam Espresso and People’s Records.

Detroit, trust me on this, especially during this time of year. When you’re feeling a little under the weather (and who isn’t feeling under in this weather?) and everyone keeps pushing you towards the doctor – LISTEN TO THEM! – or else you’ll find yourself a lot under the weather with some uncomfy poking and prodding going on. After a week’s worth of moaning, groaning and daytime television I was so glad to get back in the swing of things today, especially with the Winter Blast in full effect outside of my office. Okay, well, between the hours of 11 and 5, the Winter Blast being in full swing might have hindered work, but just a tiny bit! I can’t wait to set my recovery back a few days by heading down that giant slide, or celebrate my newly re-found appetite with all those tasty treats.

The non Winter Blast moral of this post? Next time you find yourself at Henry Ford’s New Center One office please stop into Lunchtime for some sandwichy goodness. Uncle Paul’s reuben is just to die for.

…yes there was.

After a couple warm(ish) days last week i was wondering about the fate of the 2008 Winter Blast but i had forgotten that in Michigan it can be sixty degrees on Tuesday then six dergees on Wednesday. you gotta love the Enchanted Mitten, huh? Anywho, with cool temperatures and more snow expected Friday night it’ll be a good time for sure. With dog sleds, a giant snow slide and ice skating along with all the other slightly warmer activities like shopping, eating and rocking there’s no excuse to stay home and be miserable.

When I have had the fortune of visiting major cities across the country, the first thing I look for is a quick tour to get the lay of the land. Double-decker tour busses, trolleys, and scary amphibian vehicles make up part of the congestion of many cities, but not so in Detroit. I am embarrassed to say that I don’t know what types of vehicles our tour providers use.

This weekend Inside Detroit is offering a taste of their Detroit tour offerings at this weekend’s Winter Blast. The free Discover Detroit tour will commence at the Compuware Building on February 9th and 10th from 3:00-4:15 and promises to keep you warm.

I plan on acting the tourist this weekend and getting in on the Discover Detroit tour at the Winter Blast after I do the giant snow slide.

http://www.insidedetroit.org/

The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is in its planning stages for building a permanent location downtown. They are now looking for sponsors – thank you Big Boy and Wright & Filippis for stepping up so far. This facility sounds like a wonderful addition to our downtown core. The new center looks to honor all Michigan athletes – amateur and professionals. Michigan Olympians, stadiums, arenas, and teams (high-school, college, and professional) will all be represented at the new facility. The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame 53rd Annual MSHOF Induction Ceremony will be held Monday, Feb. 11, 2008 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center. VIP and $35 “Upper Deck” tickets are available from the Detroit Symphony website.

Valentine’s Day is coming up and some of you are rolling your eyes. However, many of you are expected to pull out the stops come February 14th for fear of repercussion. I think Detroit is an utterly romantic place to be with dimly lit restaurants, the River-Walk, and even though it is not quite in season, you long walks on the beach at sunset on Belle Isle is unbeatable. If you are looking for something to give your favourite Detroiter, hit up the Bureau of Urban Living tomorrow. Not only is everything in there tempting, but the First Thursday program will be donating a portion of sales to a Detroit charity. Impress your Valentine with your impeccable taste and philanthropy.

Looks like I arrived home just in time.

Sleet is starting to come down pretty hard, and I just saw on Channel 7 that metro Detroiters living north of 8 mile are under a winter storm warning until 1 am and those living south of 8 mile are under a winter weather advisory until 1 am (if you’re as confused as I am by those weather advisory watches and warnings, a winter storm warning means that hazardous winter weather is occurring, imminent or likely, and is a threat to life and property; a winter weather advisory is when a significant winter storm or hazardous winter weather is occurring and imminent, and is an inconvenience.)

When it’s all over, total snow and sleet accumulation will be between 1 to 3 inches south of Detroit, 3 to 6 inches immediately north of Detroit, and 6 to 9 inches north of M-59.
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