Detroit Ruins

This is right off the River Walk near Centennial Park in Downtown Detroit. Outside, outside, inside. There are many abandoned buildings and homes in Detroit.

Renaissance Center at Night, Entrance

Renaissance Center at night, entrance. This is considered by many to be the center of downtown Detroit. You can see the people mover structure up above.

The People Mover Structure at night

The "People Mover" is a monorail type thing above the streets in downtown Detroit. I took this picture of the structure the People Movers travel on Saturday night. We were not at home yesterday and I am behind on commenting, for which I apologize.

Sculpture, Detroit Federal Building

Downtown Detroit.

I will be at the retreat house all day so will be unable to comment etc, as there is no internet there.

Poetry at the Detroit Opera House

I went--BY MYSELF--(and got lost both coming and going)--to theDetroit Opera House to hear a poetry reading.

1)the Opera House
2)Opera house and people mover
3,4,5)Poets reading their work

I will be away again Saturday though Saturday, August 2-9 or 10. We will be in upstate NY with my family burying my folks.

When I return, I will be attending the Woodward Dream Cruise with Biker Buddy as a guest of GM and will be blogging about it.

I have been away a lot and am behind. I hope to catch up on commenting, but I have to go to the store as we are out of food, and catch up and crucial things at home. Hope to visit you soon!

If you like poetry, you can read a poem that I wrote during my vacation to the UP. The descriptions in the poem are about stuff we actually saw and heard while there.

The Renaissance Center and People Mover

The Renaissance Center and People Mover, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Click image to view larger. The Gem of Detroit. As I mentioned yesterday, it is really beautiful, inside and out. And yes, I did fiddle a little with this image. There was a reason for it--a few distracting items like a traffic signal and light. And some sensor spots. In the interest of full disclosure, I will post the original here for those who are curious enough to care.

Detroit Renaissance Center

Detroit Renaissance Center, the jewel of Detroit, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Very modern and citified. Worth a visit. Click image to view larger.

Wayne State and Behind the Global Tra

Just in case you were getting bored with the Global Trading Center, I tossed in another shot from Wayne State University. It's the Auditorium, an aesthetically appealing building (to me anyway).

The next three shots are from behind the Global Trading Center, across from Tri-Centennial Park. What I wanted to show was how close the Renaissance Center (upscale, gentrified) is to the Global Trading Center where homeless live. What you see is an overgrown alley so full of weeds and junk no one could drive through, and the Ren Center in the background. The first of that series is taken with a wide angle lens with makes the background look farther away but gives you a better view of the alley. The second shows better how close the Ren Center really is. The third is part of the graffiti painted on a metal door--"power to the people." (or not)

Inside the Renaissance Center

This is a big posh place right in Downtown Detroit. I am behind on commenting, hope to catch up soon. Yesterday blogger would not let me comment; I tried several times. Notice it says General Motors. Biker Buddy is back at work, but the new contract has not been ratified yet.

Detroit Skyline just after sunset

Detroit Skyline just after Sunset from Belle Isle by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Click image to view larger. Belle Isle is part of Detroit.

Model of Renaissance Center and downtown Detroit

Scale Model of Renaissance Center and downtown Detroit

The People Mover (Downtown Detroit)

The People Mover (Downtown Detroit). This elevated makes a circle around downtown Detroit.

Detroit Ren Center

Detroit Renaisance Center

Detroit Renaissance Center, a study in symmetry. Photo by Mary Stebbins Taitt (all photo in this blog by me unless otherwise noted.)

Eastern Market

Marie posted market shots on her Montpellier Cityblog, so here are some from Eastern Market, a huge farmer's market near downtown Detroit. They sell fruits and vegetables, flowers, honey, bread and so on. It's usually bustling, but I was there at the end of the day and it was rainy and windy and people were leaving early.

Abstracts and art at The Federal Building

and at the Ren Center

Detroit Federal Building, Aurora Art Installation (Sculpture)

Detroit Federal Building

The green glass is an art installation representing the Aurora Borealis. I will show more pictures of it later. Photo by Mary Stebbins Taitt

Ren Center Original

Ren Center Original--ok, I also got rid of that wire top left and darkened the sky in the posted version, well, darn it, it made it look more dramatic, so shoot me already. Oh, and click image to view larger if you really want to see those sensor spots, LOL!