Miscellaneous Midweek

I saw these boats this past Saturday as I was riding the People Mover downtown. Seeing these boats remind me of the JW Westcott Mail boat, which brings the mail to US freighters. Check out its website here . I remember seeing the JW Westcott in action when my Dad and I went to the riverfront so dad could stake out a potential spot to go fishing a couple of years ago.

This old store was a former Rite Aid Pharmacy. You can barely see the lettering on the sign above the doorway there. I'm not sure when the store closed. Currently there's a CVS nearby on Woodward, and also at the RenCen, which opened in 2006 and 2008, respectively. I wonder if it'll get an owner sooner or later.

The Industrial-Stevens Building apartments has an interesting design to it. I like the crown up at the top of the building. This building, according to its Wikipedia Page, was built in 1928 and incorporates two styles of architecture. I like to look at all the old buildings downtown and wonder what they were in a past life, whether they were a store, offices, or maybe even a school or a small college.

It's almost that time of year again. I may have posted this picture in a previous entry, but here it is again if I did. The Baseball season officially starts on Sunday evening with the Yankees-Red Sox on TV. The Tigers start play on April 5 against Kansas City. This jacket will be removed by the Home Opener. I think this Carhartt jacket looks very dashing on our Tiger :-D

Biggby Bear

This ad for Biggby Coffee was really cute. I like the little bear in the right corner there, who looks like he's saying "Try some coffee at Biggby!!" . This is one of many ads for Biggby that I've seen. One of them that I remember said I Love B, with a heart instead of Love and Biggby there, as well. This ad is in Downtown Detroit This billboard holder has housed many ads . I haven't been to a Biggby, but I hope to go soon, though. Just wanted to post this picture with the bear today :-D
Lauren

Holy and Solemn Times

Holy Week in the Christian world is here again, so I decided to post this picture of a Cross I made with two Palms at Palm Sunday Vigil Mass. Palms were blessed by our assistant pastor at church. Passover is here as well, so I wish all my Jewish readers a Happy Passover!! These are very solemn and holy times in many religions, and I hope that you get to celebrate accordingly. I went to Church today and prayed a Rosary. The Rosary is one of my favorite prayers to recite. It was an all right day today, weatherwise, so I took in some fresh air, as well. More soon.
Lauren

Tiger Stadium

Baseball season is fast approaching, so I decided to make my annual pilgrimage to the site of old Tiger Stadium This first picture was taken across Michigan Avenue. This was the home of the Tigers for numerous years until the final game in 1999. They began tearing the stadium down within the past couple of years, and the last part of the stadum was demolished late last year. . Many people have memories of "The Corner", which refers to the corner of Michigan and TrumbullI remember going to Tiger Stadium to see the Tigers in 1993 and sitting in the Grandstands with my Dad . I also remember watching parts of the last game on TV with my parents in 1999, and seeing the long line of Tiger Alumni on the field after the final out, as well as before the game in a pregame ceremony.
This picture was taken on the walkway of the Cochrane street overpass of I-75 here in Detroit. It looks so unusual to not see the stadium here anymore. I remember taking pictures here with other Tiger Fans as the crews were tearing down the stadium. it was so quiet there, a respectful silence. It was a part of many people's lives, like a loved one, for so long, so I definitely understand the silence. I stood quietly and recollected about my time at Tiger Stadium at the only game I attended there.

Ernie Harwell Day is 4/9/10

I just read in the Detroit Free Press that April 9, the day of the Tigers' home opener, is Ernie Harwell Day in Michigan. I think that it's a really nice tribute. THis picture, which I used in a previous entry, is of Ernie Harwell's statue at Comerica Park during the 2010 TigerFest. The left side contains all his broadcasting stops through the years. He retired from broadcasting at the conclusion of the 2002 season. I remember watching his speech last September at Comerica Park, which was shortly after he announced he had incurable Cancer. I said a prayer for him, and continue praying for him now. For all my Detroit readers, what are your memories of Ernie Harwell? I don't remember hearing him on the radio, but I remember I met him in 2007 and 2008 during Opening Day festivities at Comerica Park. More soon,
Lauren

The Two Davids (Broderick and Whitney)

This picture is of the "Two Davids"-The David Whitney Building on the right, and the David Broderick Tower on the left. These two buildings are familiar sights downtown. I remember the Whitney building from when I was young. There's a People Mover stop inside, and my Mom and I went through here to get on the People Mover when I was a kid. The station is now accessible by stairway only since the Whitney Building closed. The sign on top that reads "David Whitney Building" used to light up at one time. The David Broderick tower once held many offices and radio station. The last business located in the Broderick Tower was a Sports-Themed restaurant, the "Sports Town Grill". It was the Flaming Embers for a long time before it closed giving way to the "Pit Stop" and the "Sports Town" Grill. Under that Verizon ad on the side of the building is a Wyland-painted sign of whales going up the side of the building. I've seen pics around the internet and in books of the buildings in their heyday. They ended up closing in the later parts of the 20th Century after many businesses went out of business or moved to the suburbs and other parts of town from downtown. The last I heard, someone was preparing to make lofts out of the David Broderick tower, and I'm not quite sure about the Whitney Building. I hope they can resurrect some businesses here.

Art Sculptures

These two pictures were taken on Saturday on my walk. This bronze sculpture is called "Variations on Logo". It was designed for the former Detroit Bank and Trust, which is now Comerica Bank. It sits near the bank dowtown. It was designed by Hamilton and Piet while they were in Art School. It's their interpretation of the logo for the former Detroit Bank and Trust. I like this sculpture with all its twists and turn. Even though the bronze has turned green, that makes it lovely. I like to look at nice pieces of art. I remember going to the Detroit Institute of Arts as a kid with my Mom to look at different types of art. My favorite types of art are Religious, American , and Modern/Contemporary. Hope you get to see some art someday

Moving People on the People Mover

I like this picture of the People Mover scooting along Cass in Downtown Detroit as it heads to the Michigan Avenue station from the Fort-Cass station. The People Mover has been in existence since 1987, and has been going clockwise since 2008. It had been going in a counter-clockwise pattern from 1987-2008, and switched directions after track repairs. This WADL wrap is one of many wraps on the People Mover It has logos for shows such as Soul Train, Cheaters, Cribs, and more. . Some of the former wraps that I remember are the Greektown Casino-Hotel wrap (Yellow with a pretty girl on it and the phrase "Let the Party Begin"), Pepsi Optimism (My personal favorite. The O in Optimism was a Pepsi Globe and multiple M's at the end), and an earlier version of the WADL Wrap that was red. The People mover moved many people last Saturday, because of a Hockey tournament and a cheerleading competition. I think the most people that rode the People Mover in its history was the Super Bowl in 2006. I hope you like this train wrap as much as I do.
Lauren

Stroh's Ice Cream

As I was taking my Walk, I noticed the old Stroh's Ice Cream factory near downtown. Stroh's is most noted for its Beer. The Ice cream business started around the time of Prohibition, and stayed around after prohibition ended. According to the Wikipedia page, the Facility shown here was built in the 1980s, and Stroh's Ice cream merged with Melody Farms in the '90s, and was sold to Dean Ice cream in the mid '00s. Stroh's beer ceased operations in the '80s. The Stroh's Name is remembered fondly here in Metro Detroit and around the country by Detroiters who have moved elsewhere.

Picture it now!

Here are a few pictures that I took yesterday that I find interesting . I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. This picture was taken at the CCHA Fan Fest for the Hockey Tournament. These are the Regular season Championship trophy (right) and the Mason Cup (left). Lots of fun activities were held at the FanFest. Bands , mascots, and cheer teams from CCHA schools performed and mingled among the fans. I enjoyed listening to the bands and being among the fans.
This picture is of the Eastern Market sign near Downtown Detroit. A lot of people come here for many things. one of the more popular traditions at Eastern Market is the yearly Flower Day, where people can go to start planting their gardens in the late spring. I like this sign, because it's unique and it's visually pleasing to the eyes This little cat is on the Avanti offices on Congress downtown. There are a number of humorous images on the building. Avanti is based here in Detroit. You may have seen the cards in card and gift stores.
Hope you like these pictures! More soon.
Lauren

Inspiring prayers and encouragement

I attended church today to pray and to go to confession. Today is the feast of St. Joseph, so I stopped to say a prayer to Saint Joseph to intercede for me. Today was a good day, so I said a rosary outdoors. Lots of people were out and around today, so I thought of ideas for new stories while I was out. Here is some inspiration for you all today. I found this song by Neil Sedaka as I was searching YouTube yesterday. I first heard this song when I was about 12 or 13, and it was already 20 years old then. I hope it inspires you like it inspires me. Enjoy!

Generational Blog

I saw this article in USA Today about more people living in a multi-generational home. They say that as of 2008, about 16 percent of people live in this type of living arrangement. I think that it's cool in a sense, but I can see where it's becoming commonplace now because of the economy and other situations. This type of living arrangement reminds me of back in the days when numerous generations stayed in one house or right near each other on the same block. My mom told me that my grandmother and her sisters lived near each other when Mom was growing up, so she had cousins living nearby. My father lived near members of his family when he was growing up, as well. My grandmother lived near me when I was growing up, and I went to her house after school when I was young until my parents came home from work. How has your family adjusted to a multigenerational format? More soon.
Lauren

Duke in the Starlite

I was going around town today, and I spotted the marquee for the old Duke Theatre in suburban Detroit, shown here as a old bowling alley. A picture of the Duke in its heyday can be found here at the Wayne State Virtual Motor City Collection. Reading the profile page about the theatre on Cinema Treasures, the theatre was named for Duke Ellington, and opened in the late 1940s. It closed a few years later as a theatre, and as you can see, a Bowling alley was one of a few reincarnations. I remember seeing signs for a Heating and cooling store here before they took the signs down for that recently. I like the color of this marquee, an aquamarine color. The design of this marquee reminds me of the old United Artists marquee in downtown Detroit that was removed from the buiding in late 2005 in cleanup efforts for the Super Bowl. More soon.
Lauren

Walking into Family History

I took a walk on this nice day in Metro Detroit. It was at least 60 degrees today. As I walked, I saw many other people taking a walk, and kids playing on the playground, as well as teenagers playing basketball. I'm sorry I didn't write yesterday. I was working on my family tree, and that took up most of my evening. I talked with my Dad about his family history, as well. I'm coming along with a lot of good information, and my Dad found out lots of info he didn't know about his family. My mom told me some info about her family before she passed. I learned a lot more on the internet. I hope you all had a nice day. If you didn't have such a good day today, keep your head up, tomorrow is a new day to make a new start.
Lauren

Early St. Pat's Day blog

St. Patrick's Day is coming up, and I thought about The Old Shillelagh in downtown Detroit being one of the hotspots for parties. The St. Patrick's Day parade was today in Detroit, and it seems like it was a great time for all attendants and participants (article from the Detroit News). If you are going out to party, drink, or make merry out on the town Wednesday (or any other day), Have lots of fun, be responsible and don't do anything that's out of character for yourself. I'll be relaxing and thinking Green for St. Patrick's Day. More later or tomorrow.
Lauren

Prayer and Scripture

I'm currently reading Catholic Online right now to keep up on all the Catholic news and notes. Just clicked on a link for the Stations of the Cross. I did the Stations of the Cross at my church so far this lent, and I should do it again sometime soon. They help me to reflect on the Passion and Death of Christ for my sins. I'm currently thinking of my favorite Bible verse: Psalms 86:11-12 The first passage that I listed is about Learning the ways of the lord, and praising His name. It's been my favorite for the past few years now. Well, more later or tomorrow.
Lauren

School Blogs

I've been hearing about the School Closings in Kansas City and the restructuring ideas being put on the table here in Detroit. Reading an article in the Murray State News about the Kansas City school closings , The school closures are being planned to avoid bankruptcy by the school district. Here in Detroit, a plan is being laid on the table to close failing schools, and to make the mayor responsible for the Public schools. I'll have to read more about this plan to see how I feel about it. How do you all feel about the education systems in your area? What can be done to improve or maintain it, in your opinion?
Lauren

Summer is (almost) here!

Nice weather is here again, and you know what that means: Time to go out and enjoy it! This picture of a seashell was taken at TigerFest at the old Fifth Avenue Nightclub. I went out to enjoy the weather today. I thought about the summertime, and thought about everyone hanging out at various venues in the summertime, from Belle Isle to Comerica Park, from their backyards to their favorite hangouts around town. I like hangin' out in the summertime, and watching people having a great time, as well. Summer is just around the corner, so get out and enjoy the nice weather!
Lauren

TWaSbL's Ol' pics

I was looking through some of my old pictures from 2003, and I decided to post a few of them for you all. These pictures were taken during the summertime. The picture of the two tigers was taken in May 2003 at Comerica Park. I was leaving the Downtown Hoedown and decided to take a walk downtown afterwards. There was an afternoon game going on, and many people around taking photos with the Big Tiger, which is partially pictured. The middle picture of the Fox Theatre was taken the same day. The stage show Blast was at the Fox through the weekend. I think Blast was the Marching Band-style performance with many instrumentalists and lots of music. Also pictured in this photo is Hockeytown Cafe'. It's a popular restaurant here in Detroit, and it seems to always be filled on game days for various Detroit Sports Teams, and for many downtown events. The bottom picture is of the Guardian Building as seen from the bus stop near City Hall in Downtown Detroit. As of 2010, Wayne County offices are located there. There's a skywalk to the left of the building, and the People Mover track right above my head. The other buildings pictured here are of the Comerica Tower, which is closest to the camera, and in the background behind the Guardian building are the Penobscot building, and the Chase Building (which was BankOne at the time). I hope you all like these pictures. More later or tomorrow.
Lauren

Some Nice songs that I like

As I wrote in an earlier entry, I've mentioned my favorite songs to you all. As I was looking at some videos on YouTube, I ran across a few videos with some songs I thought were cool by some of my favorite Oldies artists.This video, posted by YouTube user Soundsoftheseventies, is of the song "Help, Help" by the Keane Brothers. This song has an upbeat tempo and is a danceable song.
Heres the Video slideshow by YouTube user 58sunnysky of the song "Leaving LA" by Deliverance. I like their harmonies in their songs. More later or tomorrow.
Lauren

Catch the Bus on Sunday

I'm currently looking at the Detroit Transit History website and all the info on the Detroit buses of the past and present. I've been looking at this site for the past few years, and the information and pictures here are really interesting and informative to read and look at. I enjoy reading about all the old bus routes. My parents remember many of these bus routes, and I remember some of them, as well. I like the pictures of the older buses, as well as the more recent ones. There are even some YouTube videos of the old buses, as well. If you visit, check out the pictures of the old buses as well as the route histories.
Lauren

Girl Scout Week is fast approaching

Tomorrow starts Girl Scout week. Girl Scout week usually is the week around the founding of the Girl Scouts, in March of 1912. Here's a history of the Girl scouts on their website. I'm a former Girl Scout, going through all levels (Daisies through Seniors). I remember doing things for Girl Scout week when I was in Brownies and Juniors. We focused more on jobs and volunteering when we got to Cadettes and Seniors. I still have many of my pictures from bridging ceremonies, Investiture/Rededication ceremonies, trips, and more. I remember being at church with my troop for Girl Scout Sunday one year as a Brownie. I've reconnected with one of the girls I was in Scouts with back in the days via Social Networking (Twitter, Facebook). More tomorrow.
Lauren

Spring is near!

Spring is in the air, and I decided I'd add this picture, taken while at the Detroit Winter Blast in mid-February, because it reminds me of flying kites and a general spring-like image The weather's getting warmer here in Metro Detroit, and everyone's trying to get outside again, which is a good thing. It's always good to see people out and about. Soon enough, people will be out in parks and other places getting fresh air in the summer doing things with their families and friends. I've seen lots of Family Reunions around town the past few years. It's always a good sight to see during the summer with all the people there to celebrate family. The Tigers are coming north soon, so many people are going to see them, as well. I hope you all get to go out and about this spirng to spend time with those you care about the most.
Lauren

A tidbit from the news world

I was watching TV today, and I saw a story about the 20th anniversary of the late Hank Gathers. I found this article on USA Today while looking around Yahoo. Reading the article, I found out about his friend, Bo Kimble, starting the Forty-Four for Life Foundation to help people learn more about heart disease and other heart ailments. I think that Heart Ailments should be further studied so they could have better treatments can be found to help or cure them. I also think that there should be a low-cost way to help people get tested for any heart problems. More later or tomorrow.
Lauren

Soccer and Festivals

I saw this sign at the Winter Blast for the Green Soccer Bowl. As you can see, this is the first year for it, and it seems like it'll be a great event with teams from Kenya, Puerto Rico, Malaysia and Ghana. I never really followed soccer (or Football as it's called in various parts of the world), but I'd like to start following it. The Silverdome has sat vacant for the most part since the early 2000s, when the Lions left for Ford Field. A few events have been held there in the past few years, but it's mostly been vacant. I remember going to a carnival at the Silverdome as a kid. A new owner bought it from the city of Pontiac within the past few years. As I wrote that last sentence, I thought about Jambalaya, which was a festival held in downtown Pontiac. The only year I went was in 2005. I enjoyed myself a great deal. I can't wait to go to many of the festivals around town this summer.
Lauren

Sing along to the songs

I was just thinking of my favorite songs today that I originally heard on Canadian Radio.One of the songs that I heard on there that I liked was the song "Sherry", by the Keane Brothers. I heard the song the first time a couple of years ago and immediately liked the song. I looked up some info on them, and found out that they were young when the single and their self-titled first album came out in the late 1970s. They also had their own Variety show, as well (variety shows were popular in the '70s). For more info on the Keanes, check out a blog dedicated to them with lots of pictures and other info. Another of my favorite songs is "Leaving LA" by Deliverance. This song reminds me of cruising along on a summers evening with friends, or sitting on the shore of a river or a lake taking in the scene. This song was recorded in the late seventies, as well. I heard a song by the group Dr. Music called "Sun Goes By" on the radio, as well. I like listening to the radio. My favorite Genres of music are Rock, Country, Pop, R&B, Electronic and Jazz. I grew up listening to Country with my Dad as he drove along, and Pop/rock/R&B with my Mom as we traveled together. I started listening to Electronic Music in about 2000 or so, and really got into it after going to the Techno Festival in Downtown Detroit. What are your favorite kinds of music?
Lauren

Baseball season is coming up!!

One Stylish Tiger
Originally uploaded by femaletrumpet02

Since it's March 1, I decided to post this picture of the Detroit Tiger at Comerica Park. Since Opening day is a little over a month away, Baseball is the first thing on my mind. I've been following the Tigers since 2001, and with great interest since 2003. The first Tigers game I attended was in July 1993, when I went to Tiger Stadium with my Dad to attend a game against Kansas City, who we happen to be playing Opening Day. I remember going through the Turnstiles, and looking at the blue interiors on the way to our seats, as well as seeing all the people waiting in line at Concession stands, Gift stands and on their way to their seats. My First game at Comerica Park was on April 9, 2005 against Cleveland. I was downtown and didn't have much to do. I noticed that the Tigers were playing a day game, and decided to go to see them. I got my ticket at the door, and headed to my seat. It was the beginning of the second inning when I to my seat. I was thoroughly impressed with my first trip to Comerica Park. I've been seeing them regularly since 2006. I enjoy seeing the Tigers play the competition. This year, I need to learn how to keep score so I can follow the action. I hope you get a chance to follow your favorite team in whatever sport you like. More later or tomorrow.
Lauren