By: Bill Buccalo
From restaurant start-ups, new art installations and parklands, transformational real estate developments, and a migration of businesses back to a city that had long been in decline, Detroit is fast becoming both an urban playground and a land of opportunity. People from all over Detroit, Southeast Michigan, and around the world are witnessing and experiencing the transformation of a great American city. And it’s incredible to see and experience. On this blog, you will see some of my favorite things Detroit – mostly focused on the urban playground aspects of the city, including the emerging restaurant scene.
I’ve been living near and playing in Detroit for over three decades. As the sweatshirt suggests, I guess that makes me kind of “Detroitish.” Having grown up in a small town, I was always captivated by the images of big cities – skyscrapers, interesting architecture, bustling crowds of people, pro sports teams, art, music and nightlife.
While Detroit has much of that, it’s different. It has always felt smaller to me (even though it’s not), and those of us who claim it as our city seem to hold an underdog’s chip on our shoulder. Most of us didn’t experience Detroit in the 40’ and 50’s, just heard stories of how grand it was. Those days are long gone and what has emerged is a city that has its own vibe, character, and strong pride – it’s uniquely Detroit.
As the narrator said in the 2012 Eminem / Chrysler Super Bowl commercial, “…but this isn’t New York City, or the Windy City, or Sin City, and were certainly no one’s Emerald City.” No, this is Detroit. And while the city was enduring unprecedented maligning from the national press, fallout from criminal hearings against a former Mayor, and preparing for the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the country, there was a renaissance afoot. Maybe we couldn’t see it through all of the bad ink, but it was there, just slowly percolating.
Fast-forward and you might not recognize many of the downtown streets, buildings, shops, activity and events of today. The city is vibrant, growing, promising and fun! No doubt, there is a very long way to go, but I for one am very hopeful.
If you have not recently shopped at the historic Eastern Market, spent an afternoon at Belle Isle, ducked into an old speakeasy or made your way to one of this year’s best new restaurants, hopefully you will pick up a few good tips and spend some time Grazing Detroit!
