Elmwood Cemetery is a Jewel in the Heart of Detroit

Elmwood Cemetery sprawls quietly across Detroit's near-eastside, a seven-iron from people chucking dice on craps tables in Greektown. Martin Luther King High School lives just across the street. City Sports Center lives just across the fence.

It rests in the shadows of downtown Detroit, and yet Elmwood - an 86-acre chunk of historic real estate - provides an interesting reminder that Michigan's largest city was once just a settlement on the rise. Elmwood was born in 1846 when a handful of prominent Detroiters ventured out into what they thought of as the "suburbs" to establish a resting place for the city's residents.

The suburbs? At East Lafayette and Mt. Elliott? It's interesting to see the world through the perspective of time.

Over the next 160-plus years, Elmwood grew to become not only one of the most important cemeteries in the city, but in the state. It is Michigan's oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery, the burial site of a veritable Who's Who of famous Detroiters and Michiganders. Politician Lewis Cass is buried there. So is War of 1812 veteran Charles Larned, Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, and whiskey maker Hiram Walker.

We understand that a cemetery might not make your tourism to-do list. But Elmwood - with an old-world style chapel and a Victorian Gothic-style gatehouse - is an interesting visit. Like the folks at MotorCity Casino like to say, it's a million miles away.

And it's right down the street.

Comerica Park's Cobb Statue Honors a Legend

Sure, Verlander's arm and a couple of choice hits from Dirks had something to do with it. But no doubt a little DT Love went a long way in helping the Tigers beat the Mariners last night. With that, we continue the magic...

Funny that old pal Karl Z should happen to hop aboard the Times train earlier today. Even funnier that we're unintentionally pilfering his Facebook thread that raised an interesting question about those statues out in the Comerica Park leftfield concourse. For it was already our plan to feature one of those statues with today's update, mostly to show off our miraculous photography skills. (Note to novice photographers: When in doubt, position your subject in front of the sun. It looks really cool, provided you don't flinch an inch in either direction, in which case you might go blind.)

Tigers greats who are honored with a statue at Comerica Park include  Horton, Kaline, Gehringer, Newhouser and Greenberg. And, as pictured above, Ty Cobb, whose statue relives Cobb's sportsman-like way of driving sharpened, metal cleats into a shortstop's shins. The six together form an impressive collection of talent, and no doubt fans have already spent hours at the Elwood chatting about who should be next. Karl Z. posed that question to Facebook users, who had some interesting responses. Lolich? The Bird? Whitaker and Tram, perhaps?

Some of the younger fans might even be tempted to prematurely anoint Smyly, who's riding a five-game tear that no doubt will continue this evening. The Tigers' surge is just beginning. To help keep it rolling, forward a link to this story to a friend.

Comerica Park Scoreboard Looms Large Over Leftfield

In the wake of Octavio Dotel's momentary inability to throw a baseball straight, we figured that maybe what the Tiges need to get rolling out west is a little DT Love. In the coming days, look for anything Tigers related to fill this space, which we hope is at least a slight improvement over our recent habit of posting nothing at all.

Will it work? It's anybody's guess, but I like the odds. It's only a matter of time before the Tigers bats heat up. Hell, Cabrera hit a ball so hard last night he nearly killed a guy, and it resulted in an inning-ending double play. The bounces will start going our way soon and when they do, the DT would love to be there waiting to scoop up some of the credit, even if it's only being dished out internally.

So here we go, aiming to ignite a surge that we haven't ridden since 35-5. We begin out beyond the leftfield fence, to the already-monstrous scoreboard that was enlarged this off-season. There are a number of reasons for the upgrade, including a switch to LED technology and the desire to raise the scoreboard about 16 feet so that none of it was blocked by that corner of upper-deck seating down the leftfield line.

One other rumor says that Tigers brass, upon signing Prince Fielder in the off-season, wanted to make opposing pitchers crap their pants by showing a 5,000-square foot picture of Prince whenever he's on deck. So far it hasn't worked. A quick look at MLB stats tells us that OMBMBOPACP (On-Mound Bowel Movements By Opposing Pitchers At Comerica Park) is still at zero, but give it time.

The Love is just beginning.

Hockey in the 'Hood: Red Wings set to take ice at Clark Park

First came those annual NHL games on New Year's Day. Then came the Big Chill at the Big House. The outdoor hockey craze continues its roll this weekend when the Red Wings take to the outdoor rink at Clark Park for a one-hour, open-to-the-public practice.

Crews were hard at work Thursday morning setting up bleachers. They tell me a temporary press box will be constructed on the opposite side of the rink. In all, there will be enough seating to accommodate about 1,500 to 2,000 people, which means if you want to get a good look at Pavel and the boys, you'd better get down there early. Like...yesterday.

The event is being held to benefit various Detroit-area charities. Admission is free, but upon entry fans will be asked to give canned goods (to benefit Gleaners Food Bank of Southwest Michigan), gently used hockey equipment (to benefit Clark Park and the Detroit Hockey Association) or a $2 donation (to benefit the Clark Park Coalition). The gates will open early, hours ahead of the Wings' scheduled practice time of 11 a.m. to noon.

The rink at Clark Park, incidentally, is open all winter, offering open skating and drop-in hockey daily. On March 3, the park will be hopping again during the 20th anniversary Clark Park Winter Carnival. You can get all the details at www.clarkparkdetroit.com.

(Thanks to avid Times reader Squish for feeding us the tip about the Wings practice.)

An indepth report on, umm, a statue on Temple Street

A thought struck me the other day. My career may have taken me out to the suburbs, but that's no reason that this fine publication or its audience should suffer.

So after quickly - and needlessly, I'm sure - apologizing for my absence these last few months, I'll resume my exercise of lowering journalistic standards more than I already have. How?

Check out the Times' newest feature, a picture of a statue that stands proudly on the northern edge of the courtyard outside Cass Tech High School. Some recent business took me to Temple Street, most recently made famous when that guy who long ago played Lt. Fancy showed up at the Temple Bar in "Detroit 1-8-7." (Damn, I miss that show!)

What do we know about this statue?

• It stands proudly on the northern edge of the courtyard outside Cass Tech.
• It faces Temple Street.
• And when you catch the sun behind it just right, it looks pretty cool.

How's that for journalism? Hey, if you're new to the Times, welcome. Like the masthead says, it's kinda like news, but not really.

I'll do my best to post updates on here more often than every six months. Wanna help? Feel free to shoot me a photo, or post one on our Facebook page. One way or another, it'll get to us. A little bit of info that describes what you're sending wouldn't hurt either.

Although obviously, it's not a requirement.

It's good to be back...

Dining in the D: Shepherd's Pie at the Grand Trunk Pub

The Grand Trunk Pub might be more known for its huge selection of brews, but there's one menu item you've got to try the next time you're down on Woodward at lunch time. We never pass up the chance to indulge in a bowl of the Trunk's Shepherd's Pie, a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, corn and seasoned beef topped with a thin layer of cheese. It's good eatin'.

Click on Detroit Food to see some of our favorites feasts downtown.

Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill attracting attention in quiet corner of Detroit

Rule No. 1 in attracting customers: make sure they know you're there.

Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill, tucked in a low-traffic corner of downtown Detroit that sees little action when the Red Wings aren't in-season, is turning to the basics as it tries to gain traction in the space long occupied by Mac's on Third.

Leading the changes are the additions of a black and orange awning and building signage, both visible to Fort Street travelers who happen to glance toward the Joe down Third Street.

So far, it's working.

It's fair to question whether those changes alone will be enough to give Tommy's a better fate than Mac's, which is why the current owner isn't relying solely on an external facelift to keep the place afloat. For example, in an attempt to warm up to the student crowd from neighboring WCCCU, Tommy's will soon tweak its backroom to feature lounge-style seating, coffee tables and WiFi service. They're good folks at Tommy's; here's hoping they survive the relative quiet of summer to enjoy the swarms of customers that come almost automatically with 40-plus Wings home games.

Detroit adds bike lanes on Michigan Ave in Corktown

Peddling through Corktown the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one recently announced plan in Detroit was actually finding its way beyond the drawing board.

The addition of designated bike lanes to certain streets downtown – a plan announced sometime last year – is already becoming a reality, led by lanes on both sides of Michigan Avenue on the western edge of Corktown. (I was told that bike lanes have been added on West Fort Street too, but haven't made my way over there yet.)

As of last week, the Corktown stretch began near Slow's BBQ and went west, but I'm assuming the plan is to extend the lanes past the old Tiger Stadium site and Nemo's, over the Lodge, and eventually onto the currently-being-paved stretch of Michigan Avenue that leads to the heart of the downtown at Campus Martius. Time will tell.

As for the existing lanes, I only rode for a few blocks, but it was pretty cool having a designated lane on which to ride. Granted, Michigan Avenue in Corktown doesn't carry a particularly heavy load of automobile traffic, but the bike lane did provide a sense of safety.

I don't remember which roads downtown were included in the original plan, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for newly added lanes. In the meantime, we applaud the fact that another plan in Detroit panned out to become more than just a plan.

Dining in the D: Sliders at the Big City Grill

When I was a kid, "sliders" were those occasionally edible mini-burgers from White Castle. Times change. Swing through the Big City Grill in downtown Detroit sometime and order up a three-sandwich platter of the Angus Sliders. I wouldn't even put them in the same food group as the White Castle version. Oddly, I'm no fan of onions and these babies are loaded with 'em, but they're so sweet I don't even think about getting them onion-free. They cost about $7 or $8 and come with fries. Nice.

(Downtown Detroit is loaded with great bars and restaurants, and nearly all of them feature a menu item I've come to love. You'll find my top dishes here. I'll steer clear of calling this a "Best Of" list. Just click on the "Detroit Food" label for a list of sweet eats to sample the next time you're downtown and hungry.)

Lafayette Greens taking shape in downtown Detroit

I have no idea what you expected when news broke of Compuware's plans to develop the site of the old Lafayette Building into an urban garden. Heck, I'm not sure what I expected.

But it wasn't this.

As plans become reality, the Lafayette Greens development is blossoming into an impressive site that far exceeds the rows of cabbage and corn that may have popped to mind with initial word of the project. Surrounded by a wrought-iron black gate, the triangular-chunk of land between Lafayette Boulevard and Michigan Avenue is already an enormous scenic enhancement to a neighborhood anchored by the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel.

Rows of vegetables in raised beds do line the parcel's interior, but saplings and other landscape features stand more prominently. Facing Lafayette is a series of three oddly shaped but not unattractive wooden buildings. And the tattered red-brick wall of the old (and soon returning?) Arcade Bar is a pretty cool contrast to the newly planted greens in front of it.

The urban garden idea was much-maligned when Compuware's projects were initially announced, and with regards to their food-production, maybe that criticism was warranted. I have no idea how much food this thing will produce.

But the corner where the Lafayette Building once stood is no longer an eyesore. By some measure, that has to be considered progress.   

The Heidelberg Project Light: Unusual street decor in downtown Detroit

I don't think they're authentic Chuckie T's, but they are Pure Detroit.

The fact that these black canvas sneaks have been dangling from a light post at the corner of Second and Lafayette for weeks – maybe even months – presents some pretty interesting questions, and perhaps a few ideas as to how city officials might approach future streetscaping projects.

Our first thought goes across town to the famous Heidelberg Project, the street-art sanctuary that's become known around the world by many,  but remains foreign to many locals – Kage included. We'll get there eventually.

In the meantime, we continue to keep our eyes peeled while wandering downtown, always on the look out for stuff you never expect to see – like a pair of black flat-soles strung to a traffic light. Click here to browse some of the other stuff we've come across.

Albom's 'Have A Little Faith' films at I Am My Brother's Keeper Ministries in Detroit

Follow along closely, this could get a little confusing.

There was a church with a hole in the roof.

Then a writer wrote a book in part about that hole, and the book raised money to help repair the roof.

Then the book sold so well they decided to make a movie of the story. Last week they filmed it, returning to the actual church for taping. Except the hole had been fixed by then, so to film the movie, they had to pop a new hole in the roof.

And now, filming of Mitch Albom's book-turned-movie 'Have A Little Faith" at the I Am My Brother's Keeper Ministries in Detroit is reportedly done, so the roof will have to be re-repaired. All of this according to a security guy who was guarding the set last week as Laurence Fishburne and the rest of the crew were inside the church filming.

"I don't know if this (hole) is as big as the one that used to be there, but they had to put a new one in for the movie," he said, chuckling. "The magic of Hollywood!"

He added that, in addition to re-repairing the roof, the movie will help pay for other renovations at the church, which is great news. It's a really cool old building on Trumbull near Grand River, and the home base for some folks doing great work. Click here read about some of our previous visits.   

Dan Gilbert of Quicken Loans adds Dime Building to downtown Detroit collection

The Dime Building lobby

If this were a game of Monopoly, Dan Gilbert just added another color to his set of property cards when he reportedly snatched up the Dime Building earlier this week.

Just to be clear, this is no 'Baltic Avenue' purchase. The Dime has got to be considered one of those orange properties. Maybe even a red.

The Dime Building now joins the Chase Tower, the Madison Theater Building and it appears eventually the First National Building (not to mention a couple of neighboring parking garages) in Gilbert's set of downtown properties.

We at The Times have never claimed to be real estate-savvy. Our color-coded evaluation above should prove that. But Gilbert seems like a sharp guy, and we tend to view his buying spree as a sign that more vibrant days for downtown Detroit are ahead.

What Gilbert's got in mind is anybody's guess, but he's already hinted at an incentive plan to entice Quicken employees to live in the downtown area. And more of those little green houses dotting the Detroit board wouldn't be a bad thing.

Enjoy a sip of Michigan-made rum at the Park Bar in Detroit

In a day when "Buy Michigan" is our best defense against a crappy economy, the good citizen in us all should swing by the Park Bar in downtown Detroit and drink a little rum.

While much has been written about the quality and quantity of Michigan's homegrown beer assortment, our state's spirit-making skills are less publicized.
It turns out though, that the Park Bar - one of our favorite downtown hangouts - serves up a selection of Michigan-made rums from New Holland Brewery, a company that's actually more reputable for its beer-making.

New Holland's line of rums include Freshwater Michigan, Freshwater Huron, and Freshwater Superior, and folks at the Park would love to you sell you a taste. Local bar. Local drink. It's a simple matter of smart economics. If you let them know that you read about Freshwater rum on the Detroit Times, maybe they'll explain why there isn't a Freshwater Erie...in case you were wondering. 

Mitch Albom's "Ernie" is a fascinating trip down memory lane for Tigers fans

Turns out there was a lot we didn't know about the man whose voice we all knew.

Ernie Harwell was one of those rare public figures in Detroit that nobody dared to dislike. How could you? No doubt that's at least partly why "Ernie" – the play about the legendary broadcaster written by Mitch Albom – has been so strongly received in its short time at the City Theater in downtown Detroit.

Everybody loved Ernie, and the play serves as a reminder, if we needed one. But in addition to the memorable Ernie moments, Albom also gives us new insights. When he was young, Ernie spoke with a lisp. Ernie is the only broadcaster who was involved in a trade for a player.

Cool stories like those, and the many others that most of us already know, make Albom's two-person performance a memorable trip to the theater. From what we hear, the play's run at the City Theater is being extended through late August, so there's plenty of time to catch it.

The City Theater is located behind the Hockeytown Cafe, across from Comerica Park.

Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill settles in to Mac's old space

In a quiet little corner of downtown Detroit, removed from the foot traffic of people hurrying through Foxtown, Greektown or Campus Martius, a little bar sits behind the towering, ancient Fort Street Presbyterian Church.

For years, you've known that little bar as Mac's On Third, assuming you knew the place at all. But Mac's is gone.

Meet Tommy.

Bringing the best of the old Beaubien Street Saloon across town, Tommy's Detroit Bar & Grill opened in recent days and now faces the challenge of doing what Mac's couldn't in recent years: surviving. To do it, Tommy's will have to get through the first few months without the luxury of Red Wings fans filling the streets a couple times a week. 

The new ownership's changes to the bar have been minimal as yet, although during a recent visit, they had turned down the volume on the flat-screens playing daytime TV above the bar. Instead, soft music from an easy-listening, Sirius XM jazz station played overhead.

The new menu is scaled back from Mac's previous slate of favorites, and is now highlighted by made-to-order burgers and a selection of sandwiches. It's a good spread, definitely worth a visit if you're looking for somewhere old-but-new to check  out some time.

Tommy's is open Monday through Saturday til 2 a.m. Their website at www.tommysdetroit.com is under construction, but in the meantime you can find them on Facebook by searching "Tommy Detroit Bar and Grill". Old-school drinkers can call them at 313-965-2269.

Urban garden slated to fill space where Lafayette Building once stood

You might recognize the aging red-brick wall in this photo as the side of the old Arcade Bar. Then again, you might not, since for years this wall was hidden by the once-hulking Lafayette Building.

In any event, when the Lafayette was brought down last summer, word on the street was that a park was in the plans. And, if spreading grass seed constitutes building a park, the word on the street was right.

Now, however, dozers are busy grading the lot between Michigan Avenue and Fort Street, and according to a very official-looking guy on the scene, the land will be the future home of a Compuware-sponsored Urban Garden.

I wasn't able to get a lot of detail – such as a projected completion date, what they'll grow, and which charity will benefit from the food to be grown – but I'll keep my eyes peeled. According to the official-looking guy, raised boxes are being installed, along with displays of artwork from children in the area.

It's going to nearly as fun watching this project spring up as it was watching the old Lafayette come down. (And speaking of that, click on this link to see blow-by-blow photos of the Lafayette's demolition.)

Graffiti alive and well at Detroit's Metropolitan Building

Painting of this extent doesn't happen overnight.

But over three-plus decades, the possibilities are endless.

The Metropolitan Building in downtown Detroit, the one-time hub of the city's jewelry retailers, has stood empty on John R just south of Grand Circus Park since the late 1970s. Since then, nearly every window in the 15-story building has served as the canvas for an especially peace-minded graffiti artist.

Red hearts, the word "LOVE", and a cryptic splash of green letters have adorned the building's facade for years and can be seen for blocks up Farmer Street. It's pretty impressive work, were it not a reminder of another empty building downtown.

Also of interest (at least to us) is a fun fact we learned from our friends at BuildingsOfDetroit.com. When the Metropolitan was built, a handful of buildings were razed to clear space, including the former home of the Detroit Times. That was in 1924, years before the Internet made it possible for a guy with a cell phone camera and a computer to create a blog with the same name. 

Sign of the Times: Another building billboard pops up in Detroit

From the mural that adorns the Cadillac Tower and stands over Campus Martius Park, to the Broderick Tower billboard that hawks cellphones to folks at Comerica Park, building-side billboards seem to be a growing trend in downtown Detroit.

Before you go popping off with a real clever "At least they're using that building for something!" comment, our latest sighting graces the side of 1001 Woodward, not one of the unused towers downtown.

Visible from the north side of the 1001 building is a huge ad for the 'Droid, a fact that tells us much about people in today's world. One, we must like smart phones. And two, we must really like smart phones. In fact, if the cellphone marketing competition track record holds true, I expect we'll soon see an ad for the iPhone plastered all  over the RenCen.

Before you get too stirred up thinking that these billboards indicate the over-commercialization of downtown Detroit, sit tight. We hear the city is selling naming rights to The People Mover stations. Up first? The MetroPCS Greektown station.

More cell phones. We should've known. 

Historic Fort Wayne: another forgotten Detroit landmark

Shackled by the misfortune of sharing a neighborhood with one of the more neglected corners of Detroit, Historic Fort Wayne is a marvel, if only for the fact that it still stands. Surely, anyone who's had the pleasure of taking a recent sight-seeing tour through Delray to witness the high weeds and broken bricks up close will vouch.

But yet there it is, Historic Fort Wayne, sprawling like a forgotten prep school just off West Jefferson.

It's easy to imagine that in any other city, Fort Wayne would be an at least a B-list tourist attraction. And because of that, we're adding it to our growing list of Things To Do In Detroit.

In the meantime, we did the next best thing and visited The Historic Fort Wayne Coalition website, where we stumbled across a few remarkable facts about the campus of buildings tucked quietly on Detroit's southwest side.

• It was built in the 1840s at a time of high tension between the U.S. and British Canada.
• The site was chosen, in large part, because the existing on-site fort was slated to be equipped with the most up-to-date cannon capable of firing on the Canadian shore.
• Fort Wayne never saw one shot fired in anger.
• It eventually became the primary induction center for troops entering battle in every U.S. conflict from the Civil War to Vietnam.
• It was the primary procurement location for vehicles and weapons manufactured in Detroit for both World Wars.

To get to Fort Wayne from downtown Detroit, take Fort Street to Clark and turn left. Pass the old Bob-Lo docks building, and drive until you see the Fort Wayne entrance on your left. Visit the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition online at www.historicfortwaynecoalition.com.