Griswold and Grand River has been adorned with orange, coffee, and techno courtesy of the Urban Bean Company (UBC).  The two story space is retro comforting with its brown on brown carpet and stylish with its loft set up, copper bar, and orange and glass exterior framing and showcasing its offerings.  Last night a techno DJ was spinning, which was perfect as I had walked into purchase Movement (Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival) tickets.  The Urban Bean Company is the only outlet in the city selling tickets; weekend passes are for sale: $40, cash only.  Advanced tickets online are $45.20 once you pay out the mandatory processing fee.  I would suggest supporting Detroit Techno and Detroit Coffee by heading to the Urban Bean Company dropping $40 on the ticket and $5.20 saved on coffee.    

I have been sharing my pleasure with the Weight Watchers program on this blog from time to time, especially since HAP covers this program as part of its heath insurance package.  I am happy to report that there is now a branch at the Harbortown plaza.  I have now reached my weight goal and am very scared I am going to put all the weight back on.  So, I decided to do something good for my mental and philanthropic state.  I got rid of all my big clothes as well as all the ridiculously small ones that I thought I would “fit into one day”.  The Salvation Army Store at Fort Street and 6^th Street is a favourite haunt of mine.  I love VHS, buying old CDs I couldn’t afford in my youth, and finding tattered old books.  Sunday the store is closed, but it accepts donations.  Just pull up to the loading dock off Fort Street, ring the bell, and hand your stuff up to the attendant.  I was so excited to make some space in my closet that I didn’t ask about getting a receipt.  The website has all the tax deduction info.  

I wonder why Bravo! Bravo! chose the French route instead of the Italian: Brava! Brava!  Either way, Bravo! Bravo! is certainly worthy of its congratulatory title.  The fundraiser for the Michigan Opera Theatre is being held this Friday at the Detroit Opera House.  Tickets are $65 in advance and $85 at the door.  High priced VIP tables may also be reserved.  I went with the $65 ticket.  The price is well worth its weight even if philanthropy is at the bottom of your list.  Last year the opulence of the Opera House surrounded a couple thousand guests dining on the most delicious strolling supper catered by the finest restaurants in the city.  The DJs were skilled and scattered throughout the venue.  The people-watching alone is well worth the money.  I would suggest buying a ticket ahead of time because you don’t want to miss out on a minute of this evening.   

Last week I attended the third annual Made In Michigan Writers Series party at the Magic Stick bar/concert venue.  In years past the event has been held in more literary environs: the Scarab Club, the Detroit Historical Museum.  The Magic Stick was an interesting experiment.  This year three new books of creative non-fiction were recognized along with gems from years past.  The author event, held earlier in the evening of April, 22^nd was literary in nature, while the real treat followed when poetry and guitars got together to sparkle.  Readings from Conrad Hilberry were charming, romantic, biting, and endearingly naughty.  Janet Kaufman’s readings were appropriate on Earth Day with her eco-feminist style.  M.L. Liebler was lead singer for the opening band, read his own poetry, then recited to the musical accompaniment of the band High Strung.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.    

I have not been blogging for some time as I had lost all inspiration.  What I had forgotten was that my city is my loyal muse that shelters and provides for me even though I lose sight of her power at times.  It took a bewitching walk down her haunted streets, in the wee hours of the morn, for me to find her magic again.  Walking in a city is allowed me to discover hidden architectural treasures I miss when I am encased in my car.  Appreciating nature amidst city structures is difficult to do without being physically connected to the pavement, brick, and grass, by something other than tires.  The wind blows differently around each building and in Detroit, it blows eerily through many of our buildings.  The Fort-Shelby hotel – which is being renovated to become a Doubletree Hotel – is frightfully delightful with backlit plastic floating in its naked windows.  Moral of the story: take full advantage of the city and walk.     

This weekend? Next?

Well, go find it yourself.

I peeked around a bit on Detroit’s new Metromix site today, and while the layout isn’t my absolute favorite kind of user friendly, it is packed with some good places to check out, and events that are happening in the area. As with most Detroit-happenings sites, the focus is pretty heavy on Downtown (if you’re like me and can’t help but cry “There’s a whole city here!” hit up the Contact button and submit other sites and events for coverage), but there’s enough to keep you busy for quite awhile. These Metromix sites are already running for cities like Chicago and New York, so Detroit’s addition is another baby step toward glamour city status.

It’s no Metroblogging (!), but it is a pretty neat site.

Being one who made a personal choice not to drink, I always feel like I’m cheating whenever I visit bars, clubs, and mostly breweries.  The last time I visited MotorCity Brewing Works – which was ages ago – it had not had its brick oven pizza menu in place.  Now I have a means to support Detroit brewing through my gluttony.  The dough for the pizza is hand kneaded, stretched, and topped with quality ingredients such as fresh basil, goats cheese, and fresh mozzarella.  I am still partaking in Weight Watchers, so this was the perfect healthy meal of flatbread and vegetables with a slight splurge on cheese and meat.   

Metrotimes Blowout Begins tonight.

Go

here

here

here

here

and

ahem, here,

for picks and previews.

Why not make Detroit a Monopoly city? I know I’d love to play Detroitopoly, so I’ve cast my vote.

Head on over to Monopoly’s website to write in Detroit as a wildcard city.

That’s right – those folks at Monopoly didn’t think enough of The D to place it on their list, so it’s only hope it to qualify for a wildcard spot.