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Tigersfan9
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Username: Tigersfan9

Post Number: 22
Registered: 03-2005
Posted From: 69.14.45.237
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 3:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 12:00 AM

Sports bars, Coney dogs, Motown sound: There's lots in Detroit besides the Big Game


By Cheryl Phillips
Seattle Times staff reporter
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c om/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?docum ent_id=2002766777&zsection_id= 2002120007&slug=motownweb29&da te=20060128
Let's see: cloud cover, a downtown elevated train, nearby Indian casinos.

Seattleites who go to Detroit for the Super Bowl should feel right at home.

They might miss the sun breaks of drizzly Seattle, though. And while Seattle has rain, it's usually at least temperate. Detroit in mid-winter includes ice that seemingly freezes in mid-wave along the shores of Lake St. Clair just east of the city, part of the chain of Great Lakes but too small to be considered Great. Ice-fishing huts dot the expanse of the lake from December until the spring thaw.

One recent weather forecast from The Detroit News Web site: "Rather cloudy, flurries; very windy in the morning. Rather cloudy, flurries; very windy in the afternoon. Partly cloudy, flurries; very windy in the evening. Partly cloudy, flurries; very windy overnight."

But hey, join in the fun. How often do Seattle residents experience snow on a daily basis?

During the same weekend as Super Bowl XL, Detroit is hosting the Motown Winter Blast. Super Bowl-goers can listen to musical acts in heated tents. There also will be snowshoeing, sledding, ice skating, plus dog-sledding exhibitions.

Of course, that will all be outside. Note the previous weather forecast.

So after a bit of mushing, visitors can warm up with a visit to American Coney Island, downtown on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Lafayette Street, known for its chili-slathered hot dogs. (Super Bowl fans will have to walk by here coming and going to the shuttle bus to Ford Field.)
"I'm just hoping it's a little bit warmer so I can open the doors and let the scent waft out," said general manager Dan Keros, part of the third generation of the family-owned spot.

He says he won't raise the $2.50 price (including tax) for the Super Bowl. "I don't think that's kosher."

And not to worry if the lines are long at American Coney Island. Right next door there's another Detroit landmark, Lafayette Coney Island, owned by other members of the Keros family. There's also a slew of other Coney shops throughout downtown.

More to see

Detroit offers more than Coney dogs, snow and ice — even in February. For one thing, its three casinos are right in the city, with a fourth just across the river in Windsor, Ontario.

And while Seattle has the the high-tech, hands-on, ultra modern Experience Music Project, in Detroit, in a much funkier little spot, you can see where much of the music showcased in EMP got its start.

A two-story frame house a short drive from downtown takes you inside a world that now seems quaint. The Motown Historical Museum occupies the house once known as Hitsville USA, where Berry Gordy's original couch is on display in a tiny apartment that he and his family called home. You can imagine sitting around the kitchen table and dreaming of the musical future over a grilled cheese sandwich.

Visitors crowd into the one-room recording space dubbed Studio A, where the Jackson 5 got their start. The list of recording stars who came through Motown is an all-hits roster — Diana Ross and The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations. Gordy's business eventually filled eight neighborhood houses on West Grand Boulevard, before moving into a skycraper in 1968.

Want a glimpse of the Motor City even earlier in its history? For a taste of the wealth and grandeur the industry spawned, take a rental car and cruise over to a few of the auto barons' mansions. There's the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores and the castle-like Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester, and of course, the Fair Lane mansion in Dearborn, home of Henry Ford. These were the Bill Gateses of their day.Their fortunes have changed, of course. Ford just this week announced it was cutting more than 30,000 jobs. But the mansions provide a picture of just how big the auto tycoons were in Detroit's boom days.

Then there's a fine counterpoint to the extravagances of the era: Diego Rivera's murals at The Detroit Institute of Arts. His images of the industrial city, based in part on the nearby River Rouge Ford plant, triggered protests that his work was communistic in nature and should be whitewashed, said museum spokeswoman Pam Marcil.

Edsel Ford refused to renege on the commission with the artist, though, and the murals remain a centerpiece for the Detroit museum.

The museum also is offering a special exhibit, "Super Bowls" — an eclectic exhibition of art involving bowls — that includes work from Seattle's own Dale Chihuly.

And more to eat

But let's be honest. For most fans, eating will be higher on the agenda than touring. You're in luck on this score. Detroit has a big Arab population, and as a result some really good Middle Eastern fare. At 12918 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn (and 12 other spots throughout Metro Detroit) is La Shish — which offers great Mediterranean food. It's known for a spicy hummus, among other dishes.

Closer to downtown, there's Greektown. Since Super Bowl XL and the Motown Winter Blast will make navigating downtown difficult at best, just hop on Detroit's People Mover to get there. The People Mover is a light rail system that circles downtown. And unlike Seattle's monorail, it's operating.

Greektown is just that. One Greek restaurant after another dots Monroe Street, from the New Parthenon to Pegasus Taverna with its trademark neon winged horse sign.

Don't forget to order the saganaki at any of these restaurants. Just be prepared when the waiter yells "Opa!" as he brings out the flaming cheese dish.

It can be devoured, or used to warm your hands before you head back outside. (Note the previous weather forecast.)

There are, though, some weather predictions that are suggesting it could warm up in Detroit to a relatively balmy 34 degrees or so for the Super Bowl weekend. In that case, rain is likely.

Should feel just like home.

Cheryl Phillips worked and lived in the Detroit area from 1996 through 2000.

Cheryl Phillips: 206-464-2411 or cphillips@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
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Erikd
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Username: Erikd

Post Number: 510
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.242.214.106
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 3:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

"But hey, join in the fun. How often do Seattle residents experience snow on a daily basis?"




Snow on a daily basis? It hasn't snowed in a month.
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Darwinism
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Username: Darwinism

Post Number: 367
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.209.187.90
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 3:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

The People Mover is a light rail system that circles downtown. And unlike Seattle's monorail, it's operating.




Is she dissing Seattle ?
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Blessyouboys
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Username: Blessyouboys

Post Number: 245
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 69.209.174.106
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 3:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

is it just me or does that article seem poorly written and random?
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Jjaba
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Username: Jjaba

Post Number: 2969
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 67.160.138.107
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 4:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It was a quick article written from the front seat of a rental car. The driver was probably some cub reporter, Univ. of Mich grad at the Free Press.
jjaba
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Oldredfordette
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Username: Oldredfordette

Post Number: 454
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 68.61.98.175
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 4:40 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

or a scab. The timeline is right.
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Motorcitymayor2026
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Username: Motorcitymayor2026

Post Number: 427
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 71.10.63.140
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 4:41 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Never thought i would see people bashing a positive detroit article.
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Jjaba
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Username: Jjaba

Post Number: 2974
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 192.220.139.20
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 5:25 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Oh no, not a bash. Actually, not a bad article, just very superficial. The NY Times article was in more depth. Did this Seattle Reporter talk to anybody?

Talk to importpant people; Itsjeff, The Rock, Histeric, Lowell, Andrew in Windsor, Supersport, Hamtramck Steve, et. al. Talk to the people for crissakes.

jjaba, Proudly Westside.
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Lilpup
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Username: Lilpup

Post Number: 824
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 69.129.146.186
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 6:06 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The NY Times article was only more in depth because it kept a very, very narrow focus on those things that would interest hte upscale New York readers. Quite frankly most of the places featured in it aren't often frequented by the average (and I mean average) Detroiter.
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Douglasm
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Username: Douglasm

Post Number: 478
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 66.189.188.28
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 11:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Erikd...
....you live on the wrong side of the Cascades.

The Seattle Monorail consist of two "tracks" running side by side, each with their own individual trains, between Seattle Center and downtown. They were relocated a while back during a major downtown rebuilding project. Relocated in such a way that the two trains can't run parallel to each other on a curve near city center, as was painfully discovered in November of last year.

BTW, The 44 year old system carries about 2.5 million riders a year and generates enough revenue to be self sustaining.

www.seattlemonorail.com

I liked the article. It was the first one I've seen that didn't sound like it came from the chamber of commerce. It's the first to mention coneys, didn't dewll on the casinos, and made a legit comparison between Paul Allen's pagen to Hendrix and The Motown Museum. Someone should note to the author though, that urban tribal casinos are a Northwest phenom as far as I know.
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Pffft
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Username: Pffft

Post Number: 759
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 71.144.119.50
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 11:33 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Philips is lame -- scab journalism at its finest. No offense Doug, but Greektown is what everybody talked about in the 80s, maybe. There is so much more going on now in terms of restaurants ...

p.s. "Pagen"?? Do you mean "paen"?
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Lilpup
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Username: Lilpup

Post Number: 825
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 11:34 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

huh? Greektown Casino is Chippewa
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Pffft
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Username: Pffft

Post Number: 760
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 71.144.119.50
Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 11:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Pennies for the pagan babies ...
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Douglasm
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Username: Douglasm

Post Number: 479
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 66.189.188.28
Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 12:04 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Lilpup...
....i stand corrected. Off reservation casinos don't exist out here, although there is talk about one. The hoops the tribes have to jump through are huge to get one approved. This is assuming the Chippeaw's don't have some tribal trust land in Detroit....
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Newlaster
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Username: Newlaster

Post Number: 164
Registered: 06-2004
Posted From: 69.246.42.78
Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 3:33 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah. It was a keen observation that there are only Greek restaurants in Greektown.
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Jjaba
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Username: Jjaba

Post Number: 2976
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 67.160.138.107
Posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 - 3:35 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

They wanted to call it Chippewatown but they were worried that CMU students would get confused.
So we have Greeektown.
jjaba, Westsider.

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