Work continues on new shipping terminal in downtown Detroit

Back in the day, ships sidled up to the banks of Detroit and dropped off all kinds of stuff. Steel. Coal. And believe it or not, people.

Those days pretty much died away in the late 1960s, but in recent years, the Great Lakes cruising market has reemerged. And it's not just cities like Chicago and Toronto that have implemented projects to accommodate cruise ships; even the likes of Toledo, Milwaukee, Duluth, Windsor and Green Bay have made investments.

Nice to see Detroit joining the party. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is plugging away on a new terminal just west of the RenCen, and the project looks to be progressing nicely. A visit earlier today showed that pilings have been put in place for a new dock, which will eventually be able to host not just cruise ships but also naval frigates, historical tall ships, racing yachts and dinner cruisers.

To those who guffaw at the thought of Detroit being a included in a Great Lakes cruise, we offer this: if Duluth can be a tour stop, then damn it so can Detroit!   

Third installment of the 'Hostel' horror-flick series filming in Detroit

'Hostel 3' is filming in Detroit.

The parade of movie production companies paying a visit to Detroit in recent months continued today as crews from 'Hostel 3' set up their base camp in a lot down the street from old Tiger Stadium.

Their cleverly disguised signs hanging at various points downtown steered crew members to a lot on Rosa Parks Boulevard at the I-75 service drive, once upon a time a great tailgate zone before Tigers games.

Most of the signs featured only an arrow and the word "SIX", presumably a reference to Sony's Stage 6 Films, which is producing the bloody three-quel. That's not me using Old English profanity; the 'Hostel' movies, for those unfamiliar, are apparently disgustingly gory tales of dismemberment, bloodshed, and death. Great date movies!

In the photo, that's the old Michigan Central Station in the background, where crews from 'Transformers 3' are still setting up for the third installment of that series as well. No word on where 'Hostel' is going to actually film, but it's somewhere nearby the lot on Rosa Parks, according to someone working the lot.

'Detroit 1-8-7' spends a day filming on Michigan Avenue in Corktown

As the countdown to the debut of the new ABC cop drama 'Detroit 1-8-7' continues, we spotted crews filming the new show last week on Michigan Avenue just off the Lodge freeway.

Michael Imperioli, John Michael Hill and Natalie Martinez were all on location at a car wash, just a few blocks from where the old Tiger Stadium once stood.

Among the props brought in, which caught the attention of Corktown passers-by, were a flock of Detroit cop cars and a black van that read "Wayne County Coroner" on the side. Behind the car wash, a two-story house was also being used in the scene, and a crane held a cameraman up near a second-story window.

Here's hoping '1-8-7' gets the ratings it needs to keep production in the city!

(Have you seen crews from 'Detroit 1-8-7' around town? Let us know what you've seen by posting it on the comment board.)

Welcome to Ernie Harwell Park. You might remember it as Tiger Stadium

The infield's footprint is still intact at Michigan & Trumbull.

It was almost a year ago exactly that we watched Tiger Stadium tumble to the ground, and I made the note then that I'd check in on the old place occasionally to see what the city had planned in terms of a monument to mark the location.

So I rode over to Michigan and Trumbull yesterday, and while there are no signs of an official marker, fans and residents have taken it upon themselves to commemorate the place. Some even went so far as to name it; what was once known as Navin Field, Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium now wears a sign declaring it to be Ernie Harwell Park.

A fitting name 

Beyond the fence, past the high weeds that line the perimeter of the property, the infield of what was Tiger Stadium still exists. It's no longer immaculate, but it's there, baths paths and all. People have been gathering every Sunday to maintain the grounds with some lawn-mowing and weed-whacking, just enough to make the field playable. And then they play a little sandlot ball.

When I stopped by, another guy had also visited, and he was standing at home plate with a bucket of baseballs, tossing them up and ripping them into what used to be the outfield. A couple of his bigger hits found their way into weeds more than 300 feet away. When his bucket ran empty, I helped him roam the outfield and collect the balls, and when he returned to home plate to blast them all over again, I offered to pitch him a few.

And so I took the mound at what used to be Tiger Stadium. It was a pretty good lunch hour.

Click here to see Tiger Stadium in its final days.