Detroit is a beautiful city
Title: Detroit is a beautiful city.
Now, all cities have some fine points, but I believe Detroit is special.
In my opinion Detroit has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. In 1679 Father Louis Hennepin, a Frenchman was riding down the Detroit River on the ship Le Griffon.He cried out "this place is perfect." About 21 years later, the king of England sent Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac and his team to lay claim to the land. They saw what I see. It is true that the French were attracted to Detroit for its close proximity to the waterways for shipping was the main mode of transportation. What the French probably couldn't have imagined is how Detroit's landscape would expand and be developed.
Detroit's riverfront is one of the best with its true picture beauty. The riverfront is ideal for walking and bike riding. The scenery is breathtaking with views of the Canadian skyline and the Ambassador Bridge. It's impressive how the riverfront has been developed and still kept its natural beauty. The Riverwalk is amazing with plenty of benches and a backdrop of some architectural jewels like the Renaissance Center, the soon to be renovated Cobo Hall, Veterans Memorial Building and the new Port Authority. The riverfront has Milliken State Park, many open plots of lands, great fishing spots, marinas, Hart Plaza and more.
One aspect of the Detroit's landscape that people don't see are the salt mines which are roughly 1200 feet below ground and stretching almost 1400 acres and 50 miles of road.
I have partied on boats parked at the many marinas that dot our riverbanks, from St. Jean Marina, to Harbortown, to Erma Henderson to the Riverfront Apts. I have sat on the 4 story tall hill that stands along the river and watched the ships go by.
Detroit has its own island, affectionately called Belle Isle. The island was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park in New York City. It sits only minutes from downtown, it takes only minutes to cross and it offers the most fun you can have. As a youngster, it was always a joy seeing the waters of the Scott Fountain change colors, or sledding on the snow in the winter, or walking out on the docks to throw bread to the fish, or picnicking in the summer, or partying in the casino, or swimming at the beach, or just cruising around the island.
Detroit is so unique, I know of a neighborhood that resembles Venice, France with water canals that come right up to the backyard garage. Our cities have beautiful homes designed in many styles from Tudor, Victorian, colonial and they come in sizes from mansion to small.
Detroit has some really nice parks like Palmer Park with its tennis courts, a challenging golf course, Rouge Park with its Olympic size swimming pool and high dive platforms. Chandler Park for its Water Park and curvy streets. And, the many smaller parks that line various neighborhoods like Boston Edison or Rosedale Park, Broadstreet Park and GreenAcres Park, just to name a few. Once the heart of our of theater district, Grand Circus Park has two breathtaking fountains. And in the center of downtown is Campus Martius park which has a stage for performances in the summer and ice skating rink int he winter.
I like that Detroit has one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in the country, Eastern Market. I used to go every Saturday and get this cherry and sour cream Danish and the guy would sneak and put some powdered sugar on top. I still go often since I'm trying to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, plus I love seeing all the people.
The new Midtown or old Cass Corridor has emerged. I like that they have renamed it Midtown. I have walked down Willis Street and bought some cookies, a funky hat an uplifting book, and ate a sandwich that was super healthy. Midtown has several noted events that highlight the area from the Noel night in the winter to the Dally in the Alley in the summer. Also the area is anchored with campuses for education, Wayne State Univesity and Center for Creative Studies, medical treatments, Henry Ford Health System and Detroit Medical Center, and our arts and museums with the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Museum, Charles Wright Museum of African American History, and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
I like that Detroit has some ethnic communities, which makeup up the landscape of the city. Greektown is where I holler "opa" when I order the flaming cheese and Mexican Village is where I holler when I add too hot of a sauce. And, there are pockets on the Southwest side of the Detroit, where the Mexican influence is really prevailent.
I guess the only thing Detroit doesn't have are mountains and I’m ok with that.
I see the beauty in Detroit, just like Cadillac did and I'm sure others do, when we take the time.
Submitted by
Anthony Brogdon,
Producer of a soon to be released documentary, The Great Detroit?
For more information about the film go to www.strongdetroit.net or our funding campaign is www.indiegogo.com/Thegreatdetroitdocumentary
