Tag: urban

DETROIT IS NOT DEAD

This is a love letter to Detroit.

It’s not a place for the faint of heart; it’s not Disneyland, the Mall of America, or the Las Vegas strip.

Detroit is gritty and honest; perhaps the most honest place I’ve ever been. It’s both new and old, beautiful and broken.

A trip to Detroit will leave you haunted yet invigorated, and its authenticity may alarm you.

*

“Don’t go to Detroit, you’ll get stabbed,” they said.

“It’s the most dangerous place in America,” they said.

“Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection last year,” they said.

Detroit is a dichotomy. Yes, there are abandoned buildings, lots of them. Yes, there is decay and poverty, lots of it. But the people of Detroit haven’t given up on their city, and neither should you.

Signs of new development and community projects include Dequindre Cut Greenway, The Heidelberg Project, the bicycle lanes (yes, this auto centric city is actually big on cycling), a thriving new business scene, which includes standouts like Slows Bar BQ, Astro Coffee, Sugar House, Motor City Brew Works, El Dorado General Store, Anthology Coffee, and Trinosophes. Of course, the Eastern Market (oldest and biggest of its kind in America) is still a must-visit. Talk to any of the young creatives who inhabit this city, and their energy will inspire you.

My favourite brunch was at Parks and Rec Diner, newly opened and housed in the iconic G.A.R. building!

As far as where to stay, I’d suggest booking Honor & Folly, a design-focused bed and breakfast right above Slows!

Detroit was shaped by risk takers and visionaries. A quick visit to the Henry Ford museum and the Ford Rouge Factory will provide you with some context of how this industrial city was shaped. I can’t overstate how the rise and fall of the automobile is at the core of Detroit’s demise. The factory still pumps out F150s according to dealership orders, and every employee can answer any question you might have about Henry and the automotive industry. There’s even a rooftop garden you can visit as part of the tour.

A visit to Corktown (where we stayed) will surely surprise you. Detroit’s oldest neighbourhood is experiencing a revival with the influx of restaurants, public artworks, markets, and parks. We happened upon a modern marching band festival, “Crash Detroit” while exploring the area. We sipped cocktails made from local ingredients while gazing up at the both derelict and awe-inspiring Michigan Central Station. Unlike Toronto, which is highly regulated, the security guard at Crash Detroit encouraged us to leave the beer garden to dance and mingle. “Enjoy yourselves, this is Detroit after all.”

July 21, 2014
Urban vs. Suburban

I recently came across this article in which Toronto Life chats with former urbanites who now reside in the suburbs. Having grown up in a smaller community of 20,000, I escaped for the bright lights of the city when I moved to Auckland (roughly the size of Calgary, Alberta) at the age of twenty. Since then, I’ve fully immersed myself in my urban playground of Toronto. While there’s something to be said about the idyllic vastness that is a rural environment, I won’t be trading in my shoe-box apartment for greener (and much more spacious) pastures anytime soon!

Here’s what I love about city life:

1. New Urbanism, which is a design movement, promotes walkable neighbourhoods and town centres. Having places to meet friends where you aren’t being sold anything is an amazing feeling.

2. Public transport is a godsend. Save yourself both time and money by hopping on the TTC.

3. Cultural cuisine. Feel like dim sum in Chinatown with gelato for dessert in Little Italy to follow? It’s entirely possible in Toronto.

4. Retail therapy for all budgets. Feeling spendy? Be sure to visit Holt Renfrew and the Mink Mile for some of Canada’s best shopping. However, if you’re strapped for cash or prefer something vintage, I highly recommend Kensington Market, where I just recently purchased a $1 blouse. Toronto has something to suit all budgets, tastes and styles.

5. A thriving social life. Whatever your interests, there’s a club for that.

6. Free events. Save your pennies, check out TIFF in the Park, stop in for a free yoga class downtown or engage in intellectual discussion at one of U of T’s renown lecture series.

7. Parks and green space. Toronto is a smog-filled concrete jungle, you say? I beg to differ. There are at least three parks within a 10-mile radius of my apartment. I do not have to drive anywhere to be one with nature.

8. Entertainment. And I don’t mean in the traditional sense of the word, although there’s plenty of that too. Just walk east or west on Queen Street, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Urbanites are fascinating to observe.

What’s your take on the Toronto Life article? Are you a city person or do you prefer the spaciousness of the ‘burbs? Alternately, do you like the serenity of a rural, more removed community? Weigh in here!

August 16, 2013