Detroit Essentials

Keeping the Buzz Post Superbowl

I have been reading a lot about trying to maintain the energy and to some more importantly the money and commerce associated with the Superbowl's presence in Detroit.

Ray @ Detroitwonk sent out a call for suggestions and has already received a few responses (including one from myself--ohhhh, big self call!) but I think there is a lot more room for suggestions and perhaps a little creative synergy if we can feed off of each other.  Go ahead, do it.  Just feed off of me.

They are promising a "gift o love" for the best responses.  And I'll be honest, I would like a "gift o love."  Actually, I really just want to know what the "gift o love" is.  So if any of you make a really witty comment and win it, please write to me and let me know what it is.  I might send you a "bonus bag o crap" for the answer...

~bEckY

Update to iTunes Detroit

Update to It's DetROIT not DetRIOT.  It seems that iTunes changed the misspelling of Detroit.  Anant pointed it out to me and Detroit Wonk posted an update.

Detroit Pride while Traveling

So here I am in Phoenix on business, where I recently came back from dinner.  On our way out of the restaurant, we asked the hostess to call a cab for us.  After I jokingly told her we were toasted, I then explained that we were sober, but didn't have a rental car to get back to the hotel.  She asked us where we were from, and I proudly said, "We're from Detroit."  She didn't seem very impressed; in fact, she seemed somewhat put off.  My co-worker asked why I said we were from Detroit and not Michigan.  I said that I'm not ashamed to be from the Detroit area.  Few people outside of the Detroit metro area know where Royal Oak is, so there's no point in saying that.  As a native Clevelander, (not a North Olmsteder), I tell people I'm originally from Cleveland because I'm proud of that also, and nobody knows where my suburb is anyway.

So, the point of this post is to advocate that you all tell people you're from "DETROIT" whenever you travel.  If you mention a suburb and then apologetically address the confused looks by explaining that you live in Detroit, then you're perpetuating a negative image of the city.  If we are confident about our city, it will help change perceptions.  If people react negatively, be tough.  That's part of what makes us resilient Detroiters to begin with.

- Atul

It's DetROIT not DetRIOT

Zack at Detroit Wonk noted that iTunes now has a Detroit playlist containing songs by artists from Detroit.  But iTunes had one glarring error.  From Zack's words:

UPDATE 11:43PM I did not notice this until Ray pointed it out to me, but the Detroit iTunes Essentials graphic has misspelled "Detroit" as "Detriot," emphasis on "riot." I urge you all to email iTunes here, and ask them for an explanation - or, lacking that, merely ask "What the hell?" Of all the categories for request, perhaps "Augment a Genre" fits best - though if "Point out a gross oversight" were a category, that would be most fitting.

Misspelling?  Or something else??  I did send feedback to iTunes.  Regardless of what happened, it needs to be fixed.  Check out Detroit Wonk for the entire article and many great comments.

-Jovina

Lafayette Coney Island: The first and the best

   

To those unfamiliar with the Detroit area, Coney Island does not refer to a theme park in NYC.  It's essentially a type of dineresque restaurant in the Detroit and mid-Michigan area, more often than not owned by Greeks, serving cheap Greek food and typical American diner food.  The specialty is a Coney Island hot dog, which is a hot dog smothered in chilli.

Two brothers started the first Coney Island in the early 1900's and quickly feel into disagreements about business matters.  They broke the Coney Island in half--one is called the American Coney Island and the other is called Lafayette Coney Island--and both now claim to be the first Coney Island.

The Lafayette Coney Island is a little more pared down, but it's where you'll find an authentic Coney Island experience.  It only sells Coney hotdogs and loose hamburgers (kind of a like a sloppy joe), the waiters yell out orders and deliver them instantaneously (under a minute). It's open 24 hours a day but the best time to go there is late at night after the bars close because everyone knows everyone, and if they don't know you they'll get to know you.  It's one of the few places where people from the suburbs mingle with people from the city (everyone from the fashionistas to the police), whether it's over hot dogs or while waiting in line for the bathroom that's so small you'd be amazed that you can fit in their with the door closed.

Lafayette Coney Island
118 W. Lafayette, Detroit
(313) 964-8198

~bEckY

DetroitWonk

I found a great blog called DetroitWonk through Technorati.  This blog tackles many issues regarding Detroit, but specifically sports, culture, and politics.  It is updated very regularly and it seems to have a strong reader base. 

One of the best things this blog site has though is the BlogRoll list.  This list has the most comprehensive list of blogs about Metro Detroit I've seen so far.  I've been using this BlogRoll to find out what other blogs are saying about Detroit. 

We plan to use this site to start conversations with and be added to the BlogRoll. 

http://raywert.blogspot.com/

-Jovina