COMMUNITY
JEWFRO
Fine Art Appraisers and Auctioneers -. Since 19.9:7
March Auction Dates
Friday the I ith
At 6:30 p.m.
Saturday the 12th
At 1 1:00 a.m.
Sunday the
13th
At Noon
in the
Present Tense
Detroit
HANDEL
By Ben Falik
'TREASURE
sr-N etroit exists existentially at extreme ex-
tremes — packed stadiums and empty
ISLAND'
i i schools, casino profits and municipal
REVERSE
PAINTED
LAMP
MIGUEL BERROCAL PUZZLE Box
STERLING DESK SET C.1913
ADE CENSER
AMERICAN WALNUT 5PC. BEDROOM SET
'What's in your Attic.?
Find out the value of your treasures at DuMouchelle's free appraisal clinics -
Wednesdays and Saturdays from ipm-Zipm, we will be
pleased to accept artwork and antiques for our upcoming monthly auctions.
409 E. jEFFER.soN, Dr:TWIT , MI 48226
T E L 313.963.6255 ww\x/nUmOARTA om
8 March 2011 I
RID THREAD
deficits, fast cars and slow progress. Or, so
they would have us believe.
Not to diminish the greatness of Detroit's
attributes or downplay its challenges,
but the more time you spend in the city,
the more it seems remarkably like a place
where, every day, everyday people live,
work, struggle and strive — away from the
spotlights, sirens, bells, whistles, smoke,
mirrors, dogs, ponies, etc.
For all the preoccupation with Detroit's
past, and speculation over its future, there is
a compelling present tense to the city that
is as easy to sense when you're here as it is
to miss when you're not. By way of example:
Hockeytown may have a new arena in its
not-too-distant future and, with it, a fight
over who should pay for it and complaints
about how expensive both the beer and
parking are.
But Detroit already has a new hockey
venue, albeit without the Swedes or octopi.
The rink at Clark Park merits a dedicated
trip down to Southwest Detroit, as if the
pupusas at El Comal weren't already reason
enough. Neighborhood kids from 4 to 16
take to the ice there and even boast former
state Rep. Steve Tobocman as a coach.
And, in the true spirit of the nearby
Ambassador Bridge, Clark Park has hosted
Cranbrook vs. Catholic Central, Bloomfield
vs. Berkley and others. So, strap on your
skates, then go to the top of the park to
carb up at the Mexicantown Bakery and
warm up at Cafe Con Leche.
For a city so begrudgingly identified
with cars, there may be no better way to
see Detroit than by bus. For my money
($1.50), the best ride downtown is SMART's
445/475 Woodward Limited. You can make
new friends, people-watch or just stare out
the window and, like RFK, dream of things
that never were (or haven't been for quite a
while) and ask, "Why not?"
As light rail makes its way up from the
river to Grand Boulevard and then Eight
Mile Road over the next few years, don't
speed by alone in your car and miss those
dreams becoming realities.
Epic stories crowd Detroit's history and
headlines, but its smaller narratives pack
the biggest punch. For evidence, look no
further than the standing-room-only scene
at Cliff Bells downtown for WDET's Moth
Story Slam.
February's theme, "Love Hurts," put the
human condition on full display, albeit not
suitably for reprint here. For better or for
worse, I was not among the 10 volunteers
chosen at random to bear their souls for five
minutes before the impressively attentive
audience.
If you must know, my story begins in New
York posing for a Seventeen magazine photo
shoot and ends in Detroit doing research
for a thesis about Focus: HOPE — while in
the throes of mono. Though, I suppose, that
was just the beginning of another story.
What's your Detroit story? There has
never been a better time to start writing it,
to pick up where you left off or to publish it
— just make sure it's in the present tense.
www.redthreadmagazine.com