Urban Crawling

Well its been a bit of time since I have blogged about my adventures in the city of Detroit and the surrounding communities. Its not that I have lost interest in doing it, its just well to be honest we had the strangest winter. I wouldn't even call it a winter. Actually it was more of a frigid cold, rainy less snow than usual kind of winter. There were many days I had the desire to go out and do some urban exploration but the minute I stuck my head out the door I changed my mind. There is just something about a freezing cold day and rain that can put a damper on things. This isn't to say I didn't go out once in a while and just take a look.

There were a couple of "good days" to go out for a ride. I discovered that some of my favorite haunts had been boarded up, torn down or even burnt to the ground. A few places even had high fences around them to protect what was left of the structure.

There are often times as I am taking photographs that I wonder about the building, home or house of worship. Who lived there? What were the people like? Why did they move? What mysteries does the house hold? How many people lived there? Did they have children?

 In the case of "abandoned" buildings I often wonder are they truly abandoned? Did the owner just lock the door and walk away or was it just left empty for a long period of time with no interest in finding a new purpose for it. Structures have purpose. They house manufacturing, worship, a place for people to live. So why just walk away? I guess in reality I will never know why someone one day just shut off the lights, turned the key and never looked back.

Been a while

How time flies! I have been so busy exploring so many different parts of the City of Detroit and its suburbs that I forgot to blog. It is truly amazing how some things change so rapidly and how others just remain the same.

Growing up in a major city can be pretty exciting at times. Why you may ask? The answer to the million dollar question is this....City life is so much different in a major metropolis like Detroit. In itself it is a city like no other. Sure it has some ups and downs like every where else but it surely has so much character. Inside of the hustle and bustle are so many kinds of people from every walk of life. Within each group there is a culture than a subculture and so on. Other than cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angles where else can you find so many different people? I am sure there are a lot more cities with excitement in them!

Detroit is just so exciting, the downtown area is coming back, the surrounding neighborhoods are buzzing with excitement and the hopes of a rebirth as well. Which leads to so much more to look at in and around the city. One of the most exciting days can be trash day. Trash day?! Yes one never knows what useful item may be found on the curbside waiting for a new home. Its never the same item twice and as the old saying goes one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Urban Art

 

There is something really fascinating about urban art! What is that you say? The answer you never know what you will come across in the middle of no where. This particular piece was in the middle of what used to be a thriving neighborhood. The street has a few houses left here and there but most of them are abandoned.

 

 

The house above had been boarded up but as you can see not anymore. The window to the right had a similar painting on it but it was lying in the grass off to the right of the house. I could see from street level there was quite a bit of graffiti on the walls inside.
The best part of urban exploration in search of this type of art is you never know what you will discover. Be safe first and foremost when taking photographs in neighborhoods, be aware of what is going on around you. Just because a house or building is abandoned does not mean it is not occupied.
I have been taking photographs around the City of Detroit for a number of years. It has been an interesting journey!

Hidden Gems

The most interesting part of urban exploration is you will never know what you will come across while searching. The picture about is actually a Star of David that was covered over after a former synagogue became a church.
In the next picture the original wording is still on the building and the Star of David follows after the Star of David there were Hebrew letters that were filled in with cement as well ( I could not read them). I have often found when a synagogue is sold to a church the corner stones are often removed as well.

The hidden gem here is the Star of David. So what makes this so fascinating? This building has a history behind it, at first it was a Jewish home of worship and now it lives its life as a Christian Church.
Many times I don't go in search of any place in particular I just go for a ride seeking out the hidden gems I may find on a given day. What I look for are buildings with unique architecture or buildings that have begun a new life.

Winter's Arrival

It can be a mixed bag living in a state that has four seasons. Actually we have several here in Michigan in addition to spring, summer, fall and winter. We have construction season which seems to be endless at times, mosquito season...well before I digress. Winter seemed to have snuck in quite quickly this year or maybe it was upon us and many of us just didn't take notice.

It all began on the 19th of this month the prior day we had a 70 degree day and beautiful weather then the next day winter announced its arrival. The day started with a temperature under 40 degrees a bit of rain, freezing rain then a bit of snow then some sunshine. I am sure most states that experience four season weather experience this as well.

The birds that do not winter here have begun to fly off to warmer climates, the trees are still shedding their leaves of red, yellow, orange and brown, the plants have finally begun to go dormant. The warm weather of the prior days seems to have challenged them a bit. Yet even in the cold days ahead there will be so much more to observe as the days go by.

Chalk Talk

On any given day you will never know what you are going to find when you aren't really looking for it. On a beautiful fall day I had been out doing a bit of shopping. As I was walking toward the store I noticed some chalk writing on the ground and what I saw is above. It is truly amazing how a few simple words can make your day. Why not make another person's day better! Chalk is an inexpensive item, it washes away with the rain or a simple spray of water and it is not permanent like oil based paint and its pretty environmentally friendly as well. So go outside write a little note on the sidewalk by your house today!

Last Shul in Detroit

Since the time I was a child I have always had a fascination with buildings. The exterior of them has always been of interest to me and there were many times I had wondered what went on inside of them, especially the sky scrapers. Sky scrapers at night look so majestic at night especially in the city of Detroit. At night they become even more of a mystery as some floors are completely dark and others have lights on. Your mind begins to wander with what activity may be going on, Is someone working late that night? Is there some sort of clandestine meeting going on? or is it the cleaning crew preparing for the next business day?

The one building that has graced Detroit isn't a skyscraper or a building of majestic stature it is rather a small structure in size compared to those around it. It is the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. This simple building is only a few stories high and the windows are similar to that of a rainbow. So what is so special about the Downtown Synagogue?

For me it is this as a child when my father would drive down Woodward Avenue at night with my mother, brother and myself in tow to look at the Christmas lights that adorned Woodward in November and December the Downtown Synagogue would be lit up. Those colorful windows fascinated me more so sometimes than the ones on the pine trees that had graced Woodward Avenue.
I would sit in the back seat of the car wondering what went on in that building, what was behind those colorful windows. As time went by I had all but "forgotten" about that little building on the corner of Clifford and Griswold.

As the years went on I would share  the story of the lights on Woodward Avenue with  family and friends. In the back of my mind that colorful little building was still there. I would ask people if they knew anything about it and they would look at me as if it were a place I had imagined. More years passed and I had decided to take a ride down memory lane. I got into my car and took a ride down Woodward Avenue to see the lights again, this time there were no fancy pine trees the lights hung off of various buildings and there was one large tree in the center of downtown. I turned on to Clifford to see if that humble little building was still there. To my excitement yes it was and it was lit up. Again I pondered now as an adult what went on in there?

I decided I would go during the day to find out but found the door to be locked. My sense of wanting to know was stronger now more than ever. I "liked" the Isaac Agree facebook page and one day discovered there was an event going on there! Now I had an opportunity to find out exactly what mysteries this building held.

Now a few years later I am a member of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and what goes on there is amazing. There is worship, friendship a sense of community as the last Shul in Detroit continues to shine.