Yep, it's that time again. For many students the return to school happens after the Labor Day holiday. Not so for Detroit Video Daily. As a few of the faithful readers will remember, from posts about a statue or a building on the campus of Wayne State University, DVD is a student. And today was the first day of class for me. Even though I love school, I also love this view of the Fisher Building because it means my class is over, and I'm on my to Parking Lot 22 to pick up the buggy and head home for the evening!
Lots of signs. Fisher Building in the distance.
And to all the other WSU students, good luck to a successful semester!
When traveling through Southwest Detroit, home to a large Latino population, you will inevitably come across paintings of the Virgin Mary. Quite often the representation you'll see is of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe). To read her story click on this wikipedia link. She is the patron saint of Mexico, and the image is quite popular in stores and other locations.
Photos
The following is photo tour of some of my favorite images of La Virgen de Guadalupe that I've seen in my travels. The first photo in the series is a closeup and is followed with a longer shot to give some perspective of where the image is.
Faith
Regardless of your faith the images have cultural significance and add beauty to the neighborhoods. One of the photos isn't a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but it's still nice, so don't get technical just enjoy!
Virgin Mary
The sign at the West Vernor Market
Representation of the Virgin of Guadalupe
She is part of a larger mural
Classic bathtub Virgin Mary statue
Front of El Kiosko
At a vacant store
Former dollar store
Close up of religious store
A place where one would expect to see the Virgin of Guadalupe
Virgin of Guadalupe painting between storefronts
The stores are on W. Vernor
La Virgen de Guadalupe with graffiti
Virgin of Guadalupe in Detroit
The last two images are not the first time this painting of the Virgin Mary appeared in Detroit Video Daily. Check out this previous post to read about the photo. Note how the rest of the wall has changed.
What other spots in Southwest Detroit have paintings that I should check out? Leave a comment and let me know!
We finished placing our order at Supino Pizzeria in Eastern Market and went outside to enjoy a cool breeze that was finally starting to break a scorching summer day. Mrs. DVD glances over at Mootown Ice Cream & Dessert Shoppe and states she wants ice cream. The pizza wasn't ready, so in we walked to Mootown the shop next door. The decision was made: today it would be dessert first, then dinner.
Motown Meet Mootown
Mootown, to put it simply, is a great place to get ice cream. They sell Hudsonville brand ice cream (delicious and Michigan made) and other desserts as well. In fact, I merely sampled the ice cream because the Sock-It-to-Me cake was calling my name. And I wasn't disappointed with the sweet moist cake that had just the right amount of cinnamon.
Inside Mootown Ice Cream
Friendly Service
The inside of Mootown is bright and comfortable, and they even have a gift area in the back with an eclectic selection of items from clothing to jewlery. Besides the tasty ice cream, the service can't be beat. Happy, friendly people and cooling ice cream make Mootown located on Russell Street in Eastern Market an easy favorite to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Not shown, but there are tables outside to eat your treat.
Even the cute dog outside the shop was friendly!
Watching the comings and goings
Have you been to Mootown? Where do you go for dessert in Detroit? Leave a comment and let me know.
I don't have much information on this great mural project on East Jefferson other than it's unique. The installation is at the corner of Lakewood and E. Jefferson, and the garden and the murals offer a nice break from the busyness of the street.
If you click on the photos below, you'll get a better view of the art.
Creativity with a message!
Art and flowers = nice
So what do you think? Sure beats a vacant lot in my opinion.
Exploration. It's one of those words that we often think that other people do. You know, "space exploration" or travelers from days gone by exploring unfamiliar lands.
Ideas
But how about the exploration of ideas? And what better way to do that than through books. The statue, created by Joseph N. DeLauro in 1967, is simply called Exploration. It is a piece of public art that's outside of the Detroit Public Library's main branch on the Cass Avenue side. It's just outside the Explorer's Room at the Children's Library entrance.
Time
Too often we rush about hurrying to get things done, and that's unfortunate because that's when we miss things. I'm guilty of this myself, but I had some time after a recent visit to the WSU Farmers Market, and that's when I noticed the bronze statue outside of the library. Without a doubt, it's a beautiful statue and one worth spending some time with before going off to explore the library.
What do you think of this statue? Leave a comment and let me know!
The city of Detroit has always been known as a place with lush trees gracing the city streets and parks. Unfortunately, it has also seen its share of tree problems from the Dutch Elm disease to the relatively more recent Emerald Ash Borer problem discovered in 2002.
Hungry Trees
A couple trees in my neighborhood though have been content to live out their lives eating signs. And here are the pics...
Looks like a "school crossing" sign?
The building is no longer there. Just an empty lot.
I have no idea how long it takes for something like this to happen. If you have any idea, please leave a comment and let me know!
Life as a track race, a perspective on the city of Detroit, and an emotional tale of a war veteran were some of the themes at an outdoor poetry performance Wednesday afternoon. The mid-day poetry readings were an added benefit of visiting the Wayne State University Farmers Market. The InsideOut Literary Arts Project presented three poets who gave performances outside of the Farmers Market on Cass Ave. on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.
Crowd starting to form at the poetry reading
Student
As a student at Wayne State I received an email announcing that the Farmers Market would continue its weekly sale (every Wednesday through Oct. 31) from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. I've never gone to the market before, and will admit the poetry performance was a draw for me. DVD likes free art events, and poetry live on the city streets? -- Well, I just knew it would be good, and as you see in the videos at the end of this post, I wasn't disappointed. Here is a link with information about the market.
Poets Rising Above
Poets at the event
There was a construction project going on down the street that you can hear in the background on one of the videos, and the construction work did limit me from posting any other videos. However, all three poets, Joseph Terrell Verge, Justin Rogers and Chace "Mic Write" Morris did a great job rising above the noise and delivering poems with intellectual depth and emotion.
InsideOut
The organization InsideOut is one that I'm really not familiar with, but after checking out their website, I learned about some of the great things they are doing to promote the literary arts in the city. This is an excellent example of something good happening in our schools, when all too often, all we hear is the negative stories.
WSU Farmers Market
The Market
Not to be overshadowed by the poetry, the Farmers Market was great too! The market is a project of SEED Wayne, and it's another positive force in the city. Plenty of fresh produce grown locally and unique items also. For example, the Vang Family Farm booth had squash blossoms that you can add to salads or stuff with cheese and fry. Other vendors had more traditional produce, such as corn, squash, and tomatoes. Fresh fruit was also for sale at reasonable prices. There were even prepared dishes available, and a few people were enjoying a fresh lunch outside. If you have time during the day on Wednesdays, go check out the market, you won't be disappointed!
There's also free 15 min. parking, if you don't ride your bike :)
Unique and traditional fresh produce
Have you gone to the Farmers Market? Or are you familiar with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project? Leave a comment and let me know what your experience was like.
In the quest to capture a boat on video, I realized how little I knew about boats. I did know however, to visit BoatNerd.com to check the passage schedule of boats going up and down the Detroit River. I learned of the site from the blogger over at Michigan Exposures. After checking the schedule I headed over to Belle Isle near the Dossin Museum to go boat watching.
Freighter on the Detroit River
Names
But, what are these huge boats that glide effortlessly down the river? Are they barges, ships, freighters, vessels? How about "self-unloading bulk carrier"? The boat on the following video is the Tadoussac from the Canada Steamship Lines, and on the spec sheet she's called just that, a self-unloading bulk carrier. The ship can carry and deliver cement, iron ore and coal. And in case you're wondering she's 730 feet in length.
Enjoyable
Okay, so it may not be for everyone, but boat watching on the Detroit River is actually an enjoyable activity! You have time to hang out, soak up some sun, watch the sea gulls and just relax as the river flows by. So I guess that makes me a Boat Nerd, lol. By the way, it struck me that this type of boat watching is the antithesis of the roaring hydroplanes that I witnessed earlier this summer.
Well, what about you, anyone else like to watch the freighters? Where do you go to watch the ships pass by? Leave a comment and let me know!
