Yesterday, a few of these friends set out on an epic road trip to Austin, Texas to attend the annual South by Southwest Interactive Festival.

Henry Balanon, David Murray, Audrey Walker, and Brandon Chesnutt make up Team Detroit SXSW. I know the 3 guys pretty well and they are crazy funny and whip smart. I have yet to meet Audrey, although we have attended the same events, but I’m sure she’s just as fabulous as the guys.

Why is this an epic road trip?

This is the 2010 Chevy SXSW Road Trip Challenge. Eight teams from around the country are being sponsored by Chevy to not only make their way to Austin but also to complete challenges along the way and interact with their local communities on Twitter and Facebook.

Team Detroit, Brandon Chesnutt, David Murray, Audrey Walker, & Henry Balanon, completing mission #5.

The digital/tech community in Detroit is strong and growing. These people are the innovators, entrepreneurs, and big thinkers that will lead Detroit into the future. If they win, Detroit wins.

How YOU can help:

If you’re on Twitter:

1. Follow the Team Detroit hashtag, #DETChevySXSW, and check out some of the things they are doing while on the road.

2. Tweet and Retweet using the team hashtag LIKE MAD starting on Monday, March 8^th. There are supporting agencies tracking the volume of tweets for each team hashtag. The higher the number, the better. Participation is critical. They cannot win without our support.

If you’re on Facebook:

1. Become a fan of Team Detroit SXSW on Facebook.

2. Comment and “like” their posts.

What do YOU get out of this?

1. They have tons of awesome sponsors that have given them cool stuff to give away on their trip. They have sweet t-shirts from Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company, Detroit Pistons tickets courtesy of Fist of Detroit, delicious Biggby Coffee, a wine tasting at Vitner’s Cellar and many other prizes. Pay attention to their hashtag and follow their blog and you just might win something!

2. If Team Detroit wins Chevy will throw an epic tweetup in Detroit.

So, put your hands up for Detroit and follow along on their crazy antics!

Try not to think of construction season as the pain that it is. Instead, think of it as extreme driving. Don’t forget to avoid the potholes!

Now, as you know, my husband is not from around these parts. He is used to driving on the wrong side of the road and shifting with his left hand.

Driving in Detroit has some unique particularities that I had to explain to him.

The Michigan Left

In the Detroit metropolitan area you can’t just turn left whenever your heart desires. No, sometimes you must either turn right and then make a U-turn or you must go straight, past where you wanted to turn left, and then make a U-turn and then turn right.

A street sign on Telegraph Road that attempts to show how to make a Michigan Left.

Easy enough, right? If that confused you take a look at this animated explanation of the Michigan Left from MDOT.

The first Michigan Left was installed at 8 Mile Road and Livernois in Detroit in the 1960’s. More on Livernois later.

The Lay of the Land: Mile Roads

The mile roads run east and west and it’s a pretty simple system. Although, I’m still not sure that my husband understands. Apparently, when giving directions in the UK they don’t use north, south, east, and west. At least he still has "Little Miss Garmin" to help him out.

The first few months he was here I gave him directions to everywhere via 15 Mile Road (Maple Road). One day he declared, “all roads lead to Maple.” Um, no they don’t but thanks for playing.

The only time the mile roads can be confusing is when they change names as they cross city and county borders like 15 Mile & Maple as stated above. 6 Mile Road is also McNichols and 5 Mile is also Fenkell.

Eight Mile Road is always Eight Mile. It is also somewhat of tourist attraction to non-locals who only know of it because of the movie. Thanks, Eminem. So, a bit of a PSA to all the tourists: It’s just a road! Move on, there’s nothing to see here.

My "Big Beaver Road, Exit 69" t-shirt.16 Mile Road probably has the most names; Metro Parkway, 16 Mile Road, Big Beaver, and Quarton. Our exit off of I-75 is Exit 69, Big Beaver Road. It always gets a chuckle and I even bought the t-shirt.

How Do You Say That?

For those of you who are new to the area or are visiting, the easiest way to stand out as someone ‘not from around these parts’ is to mispronounce the following street and city names. The husband still giggles every time we pass Schoenherr, like he’s in on an inside secret.

• Grosse Pointe, the E’s are silent people!

• Schoenherr Road is pronounced SHAY-ner.

• Livernois is pronounced LIVER-noise. Yeah, we pronounce the S.

• Gratiot Avenue is pronounced GRASH-ut.

• Notice that the h is before the s in Lahser Road. It’s pronounced LAH-ser. If you say Lasher to me I’ll punch you. Seriously.

Now, as far as the driving goes you’re on your own. However, I will say that if you are going the “suggested” speed limit on the major freeways then you’re going to have some trouble.

Photo from Alan Vernon via Flickr.

Weekend Roundup

1. The Moth Story Slam - The theme for the once-a-month event at Cliff Bell's is "busted." Tell a story about being busted or busting someone or just watch and be entertained. You can also become a judge. March 4th.

2. Metro Times Blowout Festival - 200 local bands will be playing at 15 venues in Hamtramck. Crawl from bar to bar and immerse yourself in the local music scene. March 3-6.

3. Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows - In addition to the normal judging, the show also includes demonstrations of search and rescue, canine first aid, Leader Dogs for the Blind, flyball, and much more. March 6-7.

4. Detroit Independent Film Festival - In its first year, this 5-night film festival is dedicated to showing short films from Michigan and around the world. Now through March 7th.

5. Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles - Transport yourself back in time and follow the Fab Four from their first appearance in the U.S. through to their hippie stage, featuring nearly 200 songs. March 7th.

Bonus: Are you in Olympics withdrawal? Don't fret; there is a Benefit Figure Skating Exhibition for CARE House of Oakland County (Facebook link) on Saturday, March 6th. 2010 Winter Olympics ice dancing silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White will make a guest appearance.

Double Bonus: Don't forget that the Academy Awards are on this Sunday, March 7th. If you're sick of the normal Oscar ballots check out these free Oscar Bingo cards.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

When I move to a new city one of the first things on my to do list is to secure my bright and shiny library card. I love to learn and a library card means knowledge and opportunity.

All this library love and I had never stepped into the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. Actually, as far as I know, I’ve never been in any of the branches of the DPL system.

The main branch of the Detroit Public Library is nestled in Midtown, the cultural hub of the city, and the first thing you notice is the amazing architecture, both inside and out. Cass Gilbert designed the early Italian Renaissance-style structure, which opened in 1921. The building expanded in 1963 when wings were added to both the north and south ends of the library.

The Detroit Public Library at night.

Our meeting began in the Old Fine Arts Room on the third floor. It’s a grand room with lovely views of the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is directly across Woodward Avenue.

A view of the DIA from the Old Fine Arts room.

The DPL system houses approximately 7 million books, second only to Boston. It boasts 23 branches throughout the city. The city of Detroit ranks low for being wired so the computers and internet accessibility at the libraries are incredibly important to the residents of the city.

Steve Teeri showed off the new and improved Detroit Public Library website. The new site, still under construction, is fresh and user friendly. I particularly liked that in certain sections, such as new arrivals, the image of the book jacket is shown.

After the reveal of the website, Conrad Welsing led our tour throughout both the old and new sections of the library. Conrad knows this building inside and out and his love and knowledge of the building was infectious.

It was great to see that renovations are currently in progress. The designs for the new children’s area look fabulous.

One part of the library that has already been updated is the teen center, H.Y.P.E (helping young people excel). With listening stations, computers and gaming consoles this is the place to be. The room is comfortable and contemporary. The husband wanted to hang out in here but I had to drag him away.

There were two areas of the library that I had never heard of. The Harwell Room (officially called “The Lulu and Ernie Harwell Room”) is an ode to our favorite Detroit Tigers announcer and the genealogy section were the highlights of the tour.

The Harwell Room includes a mock broadcast booth, seats from Tiger Stadium, and a portion of the Ernie Harwell Sports Collection, which is the second largest public collection next to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Conrad told us that Mr. Harwell has been known to make appearances and sign autographs in the room.

The genealogy section is quite amazing. This is one of the few places in the library that you’ll see the old card catalogs. If you are interested in your family history this is a great place to start or continue your research. The librarians are experts and will help guide you and they have the research materials and software to get you on your way.

The Detroit Public Library is a fountain of knowledge. All libraries are. The DPL hosts special events including lectures, classes, and live performances. The library also participates in the Museum Adventure Pass program.

If you haven’t been to the Detroit Public Library I suggest you visit. I know I’ll be going back soon to explore.

(Check out An Evening at the Detroit Public Library by Juanita Chronowski, who also attended the event.)

So you won’t get any snow or Olympic updates today. Not from me, at least.

All I have to say today is enjoy Detroit.

The Enjoy Detroit mural is off of Jefferson Avenue.

Weekend Roundup

1. Young Frankenstein - The classic Mel Brooks movie is now a musical and Dr. "Fronkensteen" is live on stage. Now through March 14th.

2. Disney on Ice presents Let's Celebrate! - More than 50 characters from 16 Disney stories hit the ice at The Palace of Auburn Hills. February 25-28.

3. Spring Artists' Market at Leon & Lulu - 38 Michigan artists will be showing their wares at this fanciful home furnishings store housed in the former Ambassador Skating Rink. February 28th & March 2nd.

4. Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival - Programs will feature exciting sessions on Great Lakes shipwrecks, as well as exhibits from the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and others. February 27th.

5. 2010 Outdoorama - If you're into hunting, fishing, boating, canoeing, hiking, mushroom hunting or bird watching this is the place to be! February 25-28.

But wait! There's more! Don't forget about Word-Up! Talking Trash for Kids on Saturday, February 27th. That's where I'm going to be on Saturday night.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

Sarah has lived in the Grand Rapids metro area her entire life, and was raised Catholic. She has a passion for local history, and after learning about her ancestral ties to the Basilica of Saint Adalbert she became interested in researching historic Catholic churches. She recently landed her dream job in the Local History department of the Grand Rapids Public Library, where she gets paid to work in the archives and assist patrons researching local history. She often travels to Detroit to hang out with her friends from her online home at Icrontic.com, where she serves as Official Sexy Librarian.

The Basilica of St. Adalbert, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Here is a picture of my church, the Basilica of St. Adalbert, courtesy of their website.A year and a half ago I did a research project covering the history of my church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, The Basilica of Saint Adalbert.

My great-grandparents were married in that church when they came to the United States from Poland. They traveled to Grand Rapids to stay with friends and were married in 1910 in the first Polish church in Grand Rapids.

My mother and I did the research to discover which church they were married in; we fell in love with St. Adalbert's and have been members ever since.

The architecture is breathtaking, the Basilica is full of a rich history, and the parishioners are very welcoming. Listening to the beautiful choir sing from the loft sounds like angels singing on Sunday mornings.

The Basilica of St. Adalbert was built in 1913 and named a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1980, making it the only basilica in Michigan, and of only a few in the United States.

Detroit Catholic Churches

My research paper also discussed how our Basilica was different from a couple of specific Catholic churches in Detroit. I recently made a special trip to certain areas of Detroit to see and take pictures of some historic churches I had read about and was told about by my Michigan History professor. What an adventure it was!

Sweetest Heart of Mary

Sweetest Heart of Mary. This church has been kept in good condition. This side faces a beautiful courtyard.The first church we went to visit was the Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church, located at 4440 Russell Street. It is an important church to the Polish community of Detroit, built in 1892, and is still used extensively for masses, weddings, and events.

It was in much better condition than many of the other churches I visited, although some restoration was still needed. This church is also a Michigan Historic Site, and the windows of the church won prizes at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition and contains one of the oldest Austin organs in existence.

One of the bell towers of Sweetest Heart of Mary.

St. Albertus

St. Albertus, Detroit's first Polish Catholic church. This church and neighborhood have seen much better days.The second church we visited was St. Albertus, at 4231 St. Aubin Street. St. Albertus was founded in 1872, with the present Gothic Revival church built in 1885, as the first Polish Catholic church in Detroit. The church was closed by the Archdiocese in 1990, although it is named a Michigan Historic Site as well.

The church was in one of the worst neighborhoods I have ever been in, as there were vacant and condemned buildings all around. The St. Albertus School looked like it has been vacant for several years. They still hold monthly mass at the church and hold tours and other events, as the church has such a rich history.

Ste. Anne de Detroit

Ste. Anne de Detroit, Detroit's first Church, established the same year as Detroit. It is a beautiful church with a gorgeous courtyard area.The front doors to Ste. Anne de Detroit. This structure was built in 1886, and one of the priests is buried under the main altar.The third church we visited was Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church, at 1000 Ste Anne, which was the first church founded in Detroit in 1701, only two days after Detroit founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac came to Detroit and began to build Fort Ponchartrain.

This church is amazing and has a rich history. It is near the Ambassador Bridge to Canada, and the church continues to thrive in the lively Hispanic community. They hold regular mass, in both English and Spanish.

St. Stanislaus

The façade of St. Stanislaus, with a partial Promise Land Baptist church sign. This was the fifth Polish Catholic church in the city of Detroit.The last stop was another Polish Catholic church, St. Stanislaus. It is located just south of Hamtramck, near the intersection of I-94 and I-75. St. Stanislaus was formed in 1898 to relieve overcrowding at St. Albertus.

The baroque structure was built in 1911. During the years after World War II, the demographics drastically changed in the neighborhood surrounding St. Stanislaus, with the flight of young couples and wealthy families—as well as  the tragedy of I-94 bisecting the neighborhood, which displaced families and businesses.

Another view of St. Stanislaus, showing missing windows. A heartbreaking sight to see.The parish closed in 1989 and the church of St. Stanislaus now houses The Promise Land Missionary Baptist Church.

When visiting the church, we noticed that the Baptist Church is only using the basement, as heating the sanctuary would be expensive, and many of the stained glass windows are missing, broken or damaged. Seeing this church was very disheartening to me. This church used to be thriving along with the Detroit Polish Catholic population.

As with much of Detroit, devastating occurrences led to many people leaving for the suburbs, leaving behind cherished memories without looking back.

An image of the old deteriorating St. Stanislaus Rectory, with broken windows, missing trim, damaged roof, and damaged bricks. There was a photo uploaded to Flickr two years prior to this photo, and it was in pristine condition. Things sure change quickly.The St. Stanislaus church structure has very few stained glass windows remaining, and the roof is damaged. The church rectory is abandoned with the trim around the windows and along the roof being missing, all of the windows are broken, and there is graffiti  covering the rear of the building.

There are few funds to maintain this church, as the Baptist church has a much smaller community than the original Catholic community this church was built and intended for. It would be interesting to see how it would look like today if the history of Detroit had been different.

Grand Rapids and Detroit

It is difficult to come up with a fair comparison between Catholic churches in Grand Rapids to those in the city of Detroit. Detroit's history is complex and very different from that of Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids did not have flight of young and wealthy families on the scale that Detroit had. Many families in Grand Rapids have still moved out of the inner city, yet parishioners of the Basilica of St. Adalbert continue to drive downtown to attend the church of their ancestors. The parishioners of the Basilica of St. Adalbert haven't all fled from their memories and family history, and the neighborhood surrounding the church isn't frightening. As long as the neighborhood continues to be safe, parishioners will still attend mass at the lovely Basilica of St. Adalbert. I hope to continue attending for years to come.

The USA beat Canada in men’s hockey last night at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. My allegiances were torn before the game began. Do I root for my country, that I love, or do I support Mike Babcock and Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings?

As soon as the game began I found my answer and it wasn’t just because Team USA scored in the first 41 seconds of the game. My heart belongs to the United States and my immense love of the Detroit Red Wings wasn’t going to change which country I was rooting for.

North Americans Need to Stick Together

I might be a true-blooded American but that doesn’t detract from the fact that Canada is the best neighbor you can have. They’re the ones who’ll shovel the snow off your drive just because they’re doing their own.

While in Dublin, on my very first trip across the pond, I became friends with a Canadian guy named Jamie. We lost contact shortly after my trip but something he said while we were in Dublin has always stuck with me. “Us fellow North Americans need to stick together,” he said.

I don’t know why but I never thought of myself as a “North American” before that point. I never saw it from a continental point of view.

South (of) Detroit

Detroit is an international city and our shared border with Windsor, Ontario not only connects us but it makes both cities stronger. 

And I’m sure the Windsorites share our frustration with the lyrics from ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey. If you are born and raised in south Detroit you are Canadian and from Windsor!

Last November I took my husband to Windsor for the first time. We both marveled at the fact that we were standing in another country looking at the Detroit skyline. It hovers over Windsor in the most beautiful way.

After returning from Windsor I found out about the Cross-Border Communication project from Broken City Lab. From their website:

Broken City Lab is an artist-led interdisciplinary creative research group that tactically disrupts and engages the city, its communities, and its infrastructures to reimagine the potential for action in the collapsing post-industrial city of Windsor, Ontario.

In November of 2009 they reached out to us Detroiters, lending their support and hoping to open up a dialogue between the two cities. They did this by projecting images in Windsor that could be seen from across the river in Detroit.

Hello!

It's better than being alone.

OK, what's up?

I hope so.

I always have hope.

Yes!

I saw the images and my heart leaped. Yes, I want to be friends! Yes, I want to engage and start a dialogue between our citizens. We are lucky to have each other to lean on in difficult times. Detroit and Windsor need to be best friends forever!

So, what do you think Detroit? Can we come together with our friends across the river to make a positive impact in both communities?

All photos courtesy of Broken City Lab.

Standing in Windsor with my beloved Detroit over my shoulder.

I’ve heard people in Seattle, who are in the same time zone as Vancouver, bemoan the fact that they are on a tape delay. People all around the country have been complaining about which events are being shown, finding out the results ahead of time, the announcers, and missing crucial moments.

Here in Detroit we’ve been a bit spoiled over the years. One of the perks of sharing a border with Canada is that when we don’t like the coverage on the American TV stations we can flip over to CBET, the CBC station out of Windsor.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for these Olympics. The CBC lost the contract to broadcast the Olympics to CTV. So, us Detroiters are stuck with NBC just like the rest of the country.

All of this reminded me of the 2004 Summer Olympics. I had just moved to the UK and was a bit confused as to why certain events were covered over others. I didn’t expect them to pay special attention to the American athletes but I wasn’t prepared to watch endless coverage of what some might call minor events.

This is an email I sent my friends and family back in 2004:

Watching the Olympics here in England is an odd thing. Great Britain won their first medal of the games (silver) in the ‘Jump Into The Water At The Same Time’ event. Synchronized diving? Who knew? Worse, it's MENS synchronized diving!

Other events Great Britain has won medals in thus far: equestrian, badminton, archery, and canoe. Is this the Summer Olympics or summer camp? I'm not making this up.

They did win a medal in swimming; I’ll give them that. Their next major chances for medals, and probably even gold ones, are sailing and rowing. Ah... it's a very posh summer camp!

But not to worry, track and field is coming up. The husband says their best events are the egg and spoon, the sack race, and the three-legged race. God Save the Queen!

So, I guess we could be subjected to hours of curling coverage. Oh wait, we are.

(To the curling lovers throughout the world, please don't hate on me, it was just a good analogy. And I don't like sweeping. It's a lot like housework.)

There has also been a lot of grumbling about NBC’s coverage but I’m not going to get into that right now.

So, let’s get on to the good stuff.

Photo from mybulldog on Flickr.

Weekend Roundup

1. Cinematic Titanic - The creator and original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) invade the Royal Oak Music Theatre for a feature-length movie riffing show. February 19th.

2. August: Osage County - Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago brings their hit show about a large dysfunctional family to the Fisher Theatre. I worked for Steppenwolf for many years and they do exceptional work. February 19-21.

3. What Can You Hemi®? - This exhibit at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum features a snow-blower, merry-go-round, barbecue grill, and an ice resurfacer built with Chrysler's 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine. Now through May 2nd.

4. The Ark's 23 Annual Storytelling Festival - "Liars and other storytellers" is this years installment from The Ark in Ann Arbor. February 20-21.

5. Owls in Winter - Head to Metro Beach for a talk on Great Horned Owls and then go outside and search for them. February 21.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

Belle Isle Aquarium

The Belle Isle Aquarium

First up was the Belle Isle Aquarium. The now closed aquarium, which was designed by Albert Kahn, opened to the public in 1904. It was the oldest continuously run aquarium in North America.

Only one tank was filled with fish.

Unfortunately, the Belle Isle Aquarium closed in 2005 and was only open to the public on the day we visited to raise awareness and funds to reopen.

The green Pewabic tiles that adorn the walls and ceiling are striking. I was also delighted that one of the tanks had fish in it. The Belle Isle Aquarium may be small but it’s a perfect little jewel.

They had candles lined up on the dividing wall in the aquarium.

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory

Next, we walked into the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory.

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory

I snapped my first photo.

Ooops! Although, I am kind of liking this 'mistake' now.

Whoa! I knew something was wrong immediately. I looked at my lens and saw that it was all steamed up. I’m pretty new at this photography stuff and didn’t really know what to do.

My husband handed me his hanky (yes, he carries a hanky) but I wasn’t sure that was the best answer.

Meet Ralph Jones

I saw a man a few feet in front of us who had a better camera than mine and more gear. He also looked, even all bundled up, like he knew what he was doing.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said. He turned around and I explained my situation to him, “what should I do?”

He pulled out a dust cloth, very similar to my husband’s hanky, and I wiped the steam from my lens. I felt a bit stupid for my amateur freak out moment but I got talking with this man.

Ah, much better without the steam!

They grow oranges, bananas, and pineapples in the Conservatory.

I asked him if he was a part of the photography group that was doing a photowalk on that day. He said, “No, I’m just Joe Blogger.”

My ears perked up a bit, “I’m a blogger too,” I blurted out. He kind of looked at me in disbelief as my husband explained Detroit Moxie to him. Ralph told me he also blogs about Detroit.

Ralph and I exchanged business cards and said we’d check out each other’s blogs. Ralph was headed over to Ice House Detroit after Belle Isle, I told him that we just came from there and showed him some pictures on my camera.

I checked out Ralph’s blog as soon as I got home. His photo blog of Detroit is amazing. Ralph also checked out Detroit Moxie and I got an email from him the next day. I do hope our paths cross again.

I made a new friend. And of all the people who were walking around with cameras that day, I’m sure glad it was Ralph that I stopped to ask for help.

Lastly, I had to check on my Ice Tree. I’ll only share one shot with you today. I loved that you could see crystals and the water spray at the top.

The Belle Isle Ice Tree, 2/6/10.

The husband acting like a child.

All in all, what a fabulous Detroit day!

Check out Ralph Jones' photo blog 'Detroit Highlights & Shadows'.