Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Yay! It’s October, which happens to be my favorite month of the year. “Why,” you ask? Well, first of all, it’s my birthday month. In just over a week I’ll be 40. I know, I don’t look it, thank you. But it’s true. Secondly, I love pumpkin seeds. Not the kind you buy in a package, those won’t do. I love pumpkin seeds that you roast yourself. And October is the month of pumpkins. Third, I also happened to marry my fabulous husband during the month of October.

Ok, enough about me (for now), lets get on with today’s business.

Weekend Roundup:

1. Fashion IN Detroit - This two-day fashion event makes its debut at the Detroit Zoo featuring 12 fashion shows by top designers. October 1-2.

2. The 14th Annual Great Lakes Regional Chili Cook-off and Motorcycle Bike Show - This competition in Plymouth features categories in red chili, green chili, and salsa. And there's a bike show too! October 4th.

3. The Pioneer Building 9th Annual Open Studios - The Pioneer Building is a former factory that has been converted into artists' studios. Twenty-seven artists are welcoming visitors into their workspaces. Visitors can observe how they work, see works in progress, and buy original art. October 3rd. (Hat tip to @CatherineHilker)

4. Fall Farm Festival at Kensington Metropark - Cirque Amongus will be teaching children how to juggle and walk the balance beam and traditional carpentry skills will be demonstrated. Other activities include a corn maze, hayrides, and learning about Michigan's cultural history. October 3-4.

5. The Fantasticks - The Hilberry Theater opens the season with this simple American musical about love. This happens to be one of my favorite musicals and it's the longest running Off-Broadway musical of all time. October 2-24.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

The Lions Win! But did you see the game?

Did you see the Detroit Lions game yesterday? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The good news is they won; the bad news is that you probably didn’t get to see them win their first game since December 23, 2007.

If you live in metro Detroit and weren’t one of the 40,896 fans at Ford Field you missed out on watching a Lions win. The NFL blackout rule meant that the game wasn’t televised in our area.

Outside Ford Field looking towards downtown Detroit.

And that really sucks. The fans missed out on the excitement of the win and normal Monday morning quarterback chatter. You won’t hear the normal football talk, “Oh my God, did you see that play?” Nope.

I know, they didn’t win the Superbowl. It’s just one game but it broke a 19-game losing streak. They got the monkey off their back. Let’s move on, let’s celebrate! After all, it has been a long time since we heard the phrase, “The Lions win!”

What better way to celebrate than with free pizza?

Shields Restaurants are giving away free pizza on Tuesday to celebrate the win over the Washington Redskins. This deal is for dine in only, from 5pm-8pm on Tuesday, September 29^th. The four Shields locations are in Troy, Southfield, Macomb Township, and Rochester Hills.

So, what do you think of the NFL blackout rule? And how about that win?

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Summer is officially over although you might not have noticed it with the humidity we had this week. In metro Detroit, we’re now headed into that time of the year when we feel the need to take advantage of any good weather Mother Nature bestows on us. In light of that, I’ve picked both indoor and outdoor activities for this weekend.

Weekend Roundup

1. Detroit Historical Museum - The museum will offer free admission Saturday and Sunday to kick off a few new exhibits. Check out VeloCity:Detroit's Need for Speed, Detroit Trivia, and Detroit's Snack Food Superstars. September 26-27.

2. Kiss Alive 35 Tour - The legendary band returns to Cobo Arena this weekend. Put your makeup on and sing along to "Detroit Rock City." September 25-26.

3. Pecha Kucha Night Volume 5 - Pecha Kucha Night is a place for young creatives to meet, network, and show their work in public. It's designed to keep the presentations short and sweet; each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each. The Gem Theatre, September 25.

4. The Villages Bike Tour with Wheelhouse Detroit - Ride your bike through the Detroit RiverWalk, the Berry Sub (home of the Manoogian Mansion), the cluster of Gold Coast apartment complexes, the stately manors of Indian Village and the quirky charm of West Village. September 27.

5. Sheep and Wool Festival - Come out to the country (Romeo) and see demonstrations of border collies gathering and herding a flock of sheep, watch sheep shearing, talk to a spinner, and other family activities. September 26-27.

Speaking of sheep, I just love this video:

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

Is The National Media Embracing Detroit?

Wow, there has been a lot of national press about Detroit lately. Time, Sports Illustrated, and Forbes have all been talking about Detroit. Surprisingly, most of it has been positive.

  

I find this press very interesting because a few days ago I said, "The national media has already written their Detroit story, let's write ours now and show them what we have to offer."

News broke over the summer that Time Inc bought a house in Detroit. They are housing reporters, bloggers, and photographers from Time, Fortune, CNN Money, and Sports Illustrated. These new residents of Detroit will be here for a yearlong assignment. The house has been nicknamed the D-Shack.

I sincerely hope that this initiative will be a positive one, not a rehash of all the stories we’ve read before. From what I’ve read so far, I’m impressed.

Here’s a sampling of what I’ve seen so far:

Letter From Detroit from Times’ The Detroit Blog

Assignment Detroit from CNN Money. I particularly like their tagline, "It's a city in crisis – but with potential for a big comeback."

And then we have the Sports Illustrated cover featuring Detroit and our Tigers, "The Righteous Franchise, Detroit: The Tigers' Bold Stand with Their Fans," by Lee Jenkins. Please, don’t let this be a jinx on our beloved baseball team.

The 9/28/2009 Sports Illustrated cover featuring the Detroit Tigers.

A few weeks ago, Shikha Dalmia wrote a column at Forbes.com, About That Detroit Renaissance. She’s not buying it. This is what we’ve come to expect writers to say about Detroit.

Kathleen Bushnell Owsley then wrote, In Defense of Detroit, a reply to Dalmia’s post at Forbes. I find it refreshing that the Detroit community on Twitter has embraced this column and not Dalmia’s.

Maybe I am a Pollyanna; I'm ok with that. Do people expect us to lie down and die? Call "game over"? We're Detroiters and we're strong and innovative.

Ms. Owsley said,

I'd suggest to Ms. Dalmia that she take a second look at our fair city. I'd be happy to introduce her to some of the gems she missed on her first glance at Detroit.

I also extend that invitation, both to Ms. Dalmia and to our new residents of the D-Shack.

A Day at Eastern Market

Eastern Market originated in 1841 in Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit and moved to its present location in 1891. It’s the largest historic public market in the U.S. and each Saturday approximately 45,000 people trek here to buy their produce.

  

Most metro Detroiters have at least heard of Eastern Market and its ever-popular Flower Day. But spending a Saturday in the market can be much more than picking up a few tomatoes and some Michigan cherries. This is a great time of year to go to Eastern Market with the fall harvest coming in.

The market features farmers from Michigan, Ohio, and Canada but some of the products you find might not be so local. I mean, we all know we don’t grow bananas in Michigan, right?

So ask the farmers where the fruit and vegetables are grown. One notable stand to look for is the Grown in Detroit stall featuring leafy greens and herbs grown right in the city of Detroit.

Don’t forget to check out the meat market and the surrounding storefronts such as R. Hirt Jr. for their wonderful cheese selection. (R. Hirt Jr. also has goodies from around the world but I'm talking about buying local, so I won't mention that.)

A day at Eastern Market:

• Buy all locally grown goods and make a fabulous Michigan-themed dinner.

• Take a stroll to the Dequindre Cut and see Detroit’s newest greenway first hand.

• Try a Bloody Mary at Vivio’s, I hear they're awesome.

• Check out the BBQ on the street in front of Bert’s Market Place. They have an outdoor patio and I’ve spied karaoke on the street, as well.

• Have lunch at one of the local restaurants.

I highly recommend Russell Street Deli for a fresh and fantastic breakfast served by a delightful staff. We tried to eat at Supino Pizzeria the last time we went because I’ve heard such great things about their pizza. However, the wait was an hour. Not for a table. For the pie! We'll try Supino's another time.

What are your favorites at Eastern Market?