Detroit Zoo
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Yesterday we went to the Detroit Zoo which is just 2 miles from our house. The city of Huntington Woods borders the zoo and there is only a road that separates a number of homes from the fence. I couldn't imagine the noise day in and day out living so close. I think it would be fun for a few weeks but I could see it getting old fast. The forcast was cloudy all day with breaks of sun here and there. As luck would have it, we made it to the back of the zoo only to be caught in a rain storm. We took shelter in the kangaroo exhibit for about 10 minutes while the rain passed.
One of my favorite exhibits are the tigers and I was able to get a few shots of this one walking around. The lion in the next photo woke up and starting roaring which was cool to see. There are a number of peacocks in the zoo and they seem to have free range and go wherever they want. They are not afraid of people and just walk up and down the pathways. The final photo is of the polar bear exhibit the zoo created about 7 years ago. They have a large area to wander around and a tube was built under the water where you can see the bears and seals swim over.
For being so close, I need to do better about going since the last time was probably 4 or 5 years ago.
Posted by mardenhill 5/04/2008 08:44:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Detroit Advances
Friday, May 02, 2008
Both the Pistons and Wings have advanced to the next round of playoffs in their respective sports. The Wings swept the Colorado Avalanche while on the road with an amazing 8-2 win led by Johan Franzen who had a hat trick last nite and leads the team with goals scored in the playoffs at 11. I have to admit I didn't watch either game last nite but just reading the highlights I can tell that both would have been fun to see. In Colorado's defense, a good chunk of their team have been on the disabled list and Forsberg had just a few shifts in game 3 before going out again. Either way, the Wings dominated a team that in the past have been very difficult to take on. Moving onto the Pistons, they finished up the series with a 100-77 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. This Saturday the Pistons start round 2 against the Orlando Magic.
Not to be outdone, the Tigers swept the New York Yankees in a 3 game series while on the road. Now that Granderson is back in the lineup, the Tigers are ready to go and have done a great job climbing out of the funk they started the year off in.
Posted by mardenhill 5/02/2008 08:17:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit, Pistons, Red Wings, Tigers
And Then There Were Charges
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wayne County Prosecuter Kym Worthy just announced 12 charges against Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty. The charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, misconduct and perjury. Basically Kwame is toast, he will try to spin this as a racial witch hunt but that won't work. Too many people have been affected and the days of acting like Coleman Young are over. Kwame will have to resign otherwise there will be a huge backlash and he will be driven from office by the local citizens of Detroit and the surrounding areas. The City Council has already called for his resignation in a non binding resolution and now you have charges filed. I know Kwame will try to fight this to save face but I give it 1 month and he will be out of office. I said June before but that is too far away, it will be sometime in April that Kwame will be gone. And this is not just a local issue for me, all the cable news stations picked up the press conference and Kwame even made the front page of Drudge.
Kwame is scheduled to speak at 12pm, should be interesting. I expect him to play the race card, beat his chest that he has done so much for the city and that his little transgression should be forgiven. Too bad it won't fly, everyone is against him and he has no place to go.
Posted by mardenhill 3/24/2008 11:24:00 AM 0 comments
Detroit City Council Speaks
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
In a 7-1 vote, the Detroit City Council have asked Kwame to resign.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080318/METRO/803180439
Kilpatrick dismissed the resolution Tuesday afternoon.
"It's not a binding resolution ... they spent a whole day on it," Kilpatrick said. "There are more important things."
Kilpatrick also suggested text messages that appear to contradict his sworn testimony that he did not have an affair with his former chief of staff may not be authentic.
"There will be a time when we can comment about the texting … the authenticity of all of it," Kilpatrick said. "A lot of things on public display are not facts ... are not true."
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Above a few quotes from Kwame and you can see the latest spin, the text message transcripts may not be authentic. So Kwame is basically admitting that they exist and that a deal was made about them. So if this is the case, the "Official" transcripts must be made public to compare. You can't just say that they are wrong without any proof, so Kwame is caught in a quite a bind. If they were not true, why then did he accept the resignation of Beatty, why not fight for her?
We will have the vedict of the investigation next week and I believe Kwame will continue to fight but will gone by June.
Posted by mardenhill 3/18/2008 04:17:00 PM 0 comments
Kwame Gets A Break (For Now)
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
The Detroit city council has delayed a vote on Kwame's removal from office until after the investigation. We can look at it two ways, if Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy finds a smoking gun (actually the text messages are but...) then Kwame will be forced to resign or it ends in a convoluted mess where lawyers fight over what the definition of "Is" is. If we get the 2nd choice, Kwame will stay put and cling onto power still wasting more tax payer money. The part that really bugs me is how Kwame doesn't seem to care that he lied under oath and wasted 8 million dollars doing so. He has never apologized for that since he knows admitting to it will seal his fate. He then puts on his pouty face and tries to play the victim.
Posted by mardenhill 3/04/2008 05:36:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Saltwater At MGM Detroit
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Last nite Erika and I went out to celebrate Erika's CPA license and decided to check out a new restaurant here in Detroit. The restaurant was Saltwater at the new casino and it specializes in seafood if you hadn't picked that up already. When we arrived our table wasn't ready so we had a seat at the bar. Erika had a raspberry cilantro gimlet and I had a bombay gin and tonic. The gimlet was excellent and is something we will try to make on our own. Once we were seated we ordered a bottle of gewertzaminer unfortunately I didn't get the name of. I do know it was a southern California vineyard but it had some strange name and I havn't been able to find it on the internet. Erika had the chef's tasting menu which consisted of 5 courses and a dessert. I ordered the famous Maine lobster pot pie which came out during the 5th course. Erika was gracious to allow me to sample her other plates and each of them were amazing. We both had a panko rolled crab truffle with a meyer lemon sauce. You could have eaten a dozen of them and still craved more. Another one of their appetizers were served and this was the crab stuffed shrimp in a hot and sour sauce. The black mussel souffle and potato encrusted snapper were also included. Her main course was an American kobe beef which I skipped. My entree arrived during this time and it was a production at the table. The server cut the top of the pot pie off and set that on a plate. She then removed the lobster which was in 4 pieces and placed it shell and all on the top of the pie. She finished it off with the vegetables and the truffled lobster creme. I was blown away at the presentation and the taste was even more amazing. The lobster was perfectly done and the creme sauce was rich and full of flavor. For dessert we split the banana tart and were provided with a complimentary white chocolate truffle dipped in chocolate and rolled in oreo cookies.
Just to set the record straight, we don't eat like this on a normal basis but it was our splurge and worth every penny. The restaurant, service and food were excellent and I don't have any complaints. They do have entrees that are between $30-$40 which we would like to try at a future time. If you are in interested in a high end, gourmet meal here in Detroit, I highly recommend Saltwater. Call ahead for a reservation and don't count on making any money to pay for dinner on the machines at the casino, they are tight and not worth the time.
http://www.mgmgranddetroit.com/restaurants/saltwater.aspx
Posted by mardenhill 2/24/2008 09:08:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Text MessageGate
Friday, February 08, 2008
The Kwame Text Message scandal continues to unravel and more and more tidbits trickle out each day. The latest has unsealed documents that show a secret handshake between all parties involved. The policemen who were illegally fired signed a confidentiality agreement that would cut the settlement pay if they spoke the truth. And if that wasn't enough, the text message transcripts were put in a safety deposit box to be handed over to Kwame after the settlement had been reached. Kwame also helped Beatty obtain a mortgage even though her credit was poor and would have never been given one otherwise.
So Kwame set up a secret deal to keep everything hush hush so he could save face and deny the affair in court. Now its all out in the open with the proof of the coverup available for everyone to see.
Now Kwame has decided to play the victim here, he has attacked the Free Press and Detroit News stating that they illegally obtained the text messages. It has now turned to a witchhunt against him and who cares that the texts exist but that they were illegally obtained. Sorry Kwame, your argument doesn't hold water and you are the one that committed the crime.
“How did they obtain these records? Where did they get them?” Kilpatrick said during a radio interview on WMXD-FM (92.3, the Mix). “The Free Press obviously had some meetings that they ought to answer to."
“I think the Free Press has committed a crime. I believe they committed a crime,” Kilpatrick said.
This quote is one of my favorites and the way the story is going, I expect there to be more of them.
"I believe I am on an assignment from God," he said. "This city has a balanced budget. We're building buildings God has continue to smile on us. I don't believe this has ever been a job I love this city. I love this job. I love this town."
Posted by mardenhill 2/08/2008 03:30:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Way To Go Kwame
Saturday, January 26, 2008
As if Detroit didn't have enough problems, now we got the idiotic mayor embroiled in a possible perjury charge. Him and his chief of staff lied to a jury over their affair and we have the text messages to prove it. But the story doesn't end there, rumors are circling around that these were known to have existed but were never entered into the trial. I wonder who was paid off and why they were kept out as evidence seeing that they would have blown the case wide open.
So now the city of Detroit is over $8.4 million due to this asshole and now we are looking at even more money on a perjury trial. I hope they force Kwame and his mistress to pay for the trial themselves but I think that is too much to ask. Lets hope Kwame resigns and exits politics for good because I do not want to see him taking over for his mom in the House of Representatives. Everyone has known that this was Kwame's plan all along and hopefully this scandal crushes him and removes any chances.
The guy has an affair, fine its between him and his family. When he lies in court and costs the city millions, then its all of our business and its time to kick the bum out and strip his license to practice law as well.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080126/METRO/801260357
Posted by mardenhill 1/26/2008 06:42:00 PM 1 comments
Motor City Brewing Works
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Last nite we checked out the Motor City Brewing Works for a few drinks then over to Traffic Jam for dinner. I've had the beer before but it was the 1st time to the brewery. They are known for their Ghettoblaster, a mild English Ale which was pretty good. I also had the Nut Brown Ale, dark in color but not too heavy. Its not Bells but it's also a nice break from the Woodward Avenue and Royal Oak Breweries which can get bland at times. If you're ever downtown or looking for a new local beverage, check out the Motor City Brewing Works for a much deserved change.
Posted by mardenhill 10/14/2007 07:18:00 PM 0 comments
Woodward Dream Cruise 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
My cruiser....
Some old car.
View looking down Woodward.
View looking up Woodward.
If you ever wondered what happened to all the DeLorean's from the 80s. (There were about 15 total),
Where are these kids parents? I guess they didn't learn from the accident a few months ago where a car lost control and plowed into the crowd killing multiple people. 
I have no idea.......
Here are some photos from my adventure at the Woodward Dream Cruise. I rode my bike up there which was about 1 mile away and then up Woodward for 2 miles. I had to stop at a gas station to fill up to get back home, I have a slow leak in my back tire and it was just about flat. One of the perks of being on the bike was that I could ride along side the cars and in and out of traffic. I did enjoy riding thru it since I wasn't stuck walking behind slow people who stop every 2 feet. I was able to snap some photos and got out of there. I expect it to get much worse this evening with even more cars and people walking the street.
Posted by mardenhill 8/18/2007 04:12:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Woodward Dream Cruise
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Its time, time for all the metro Detroiters to get excited and rush over to Woodward to watch a bunch of old cars cruise along the Woodward corridor. Its a love it or hate it weekend for those who live in the area and guess what, I happen to be one of those people. I live a mile off of the street and and hate the cruise. All it is to me is huge congestion, lots of noise, excessive pollution and hours of gridlock. We try to go out of town whenever its dream cruise weekend but this year we will be around. The cruise is fun for about 20 minutes, you go up, see some old cars and go home. And the 20 minutes is only good every 4-5 years as well. I will admit, I'm not a car guy, I don't care about muscle cars, vintage and whatever else comes with the territory. The car gets me from point A to point B and if it has some cool technology (and fuel efficient) then I like it. The idea of spending hours watching old cars drive 2 miles an hour up and down Woodward for hours on end is like nails on a chalkboard. I do like that it brings out of towners and lots of money to the area which is always good. Unfortunately the dream cruise isn't just one day, it started the beginning of the week with people sitting in lawn chairs along the side of the road watching cars cruise while driving in normal daily traffic. I am not looking forward to my commute home since I need to cross Woodward and since I work at a crossroad that still intersects the cruise loop and live on the other side I either have to deal with the traffic or take the expressway home. Oh well, I can use it as an excuse to leave work early tomorrow.
I may ride my bike up on Saturday the official day to snap some photos so I can post it for all of you to see. That way you can feel my pain........
http://www.woodwarddreamcruise.com/
Posted by mardenhill 8/16/2007 10:54:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
New Restaurants In Detroit
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Detroit has 3 casinos and the largest of them MGM is in the process of building a new hotel/casino slated to open next year. I just read about the Vegas style restaurants coming to town and I am pretty excited. Within MGM, Wolfgang Puck will open a contemporary bar & grill and fine dining establishment. Another big name is Michael Mina who will have 2 restaurants both high end. Saltwater will focus on seafood and Bourban Stake, a stakehouse.
Not to be outdone, Motorcity is revamping their star restaurant and moving it up to the 18th floor of the new hotel tower with glass windows for an excellent view of the city. The Windsor casino will also get a Nero's stakehouse opening this weekend. This is another Vegas brand coming to Detroit/Windsor.
Moving on from the casinos, a great little tapas restaurant by the name of Small Plates is expanding. Its not tapas in the true sense, nothing really Spanish about the place except for the size of the food. The old Mongolian BBQ will be the new location of Small Plates in Royal Oak come September.
Posted by mardenhill 6/13/2007 10:16:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Smoking Ban In MI
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
This is a hard one for me right now, MI has been punched in the gut over and over the last number of years and I don't see it getting much better anytime soon. I have faith that Jenny (our Gov, yeah we are on a 1st name basis) will bring new business but not enough to replace what we lost. To hit Michiganders while they are down is just down right rude. Hell they did it to us over Memorial Day weekend. MI reported the highest gas prices in the country sans Hawaii, even higher than California and Oregon which is unheard of. Well that lasted a couple days, once CNN reported it the prices dropped faster than Bush's poll numbers. Now to hit the state with a smoking ban may just drive everyone here completely insane.
I am not a smoker and would love to go into a bar that was smoke free but our nightlife and restaurants may be the only thing holding our economy together. I was out in San Francisco for 3 weeks a couple years ago for work and they were smoke free. It was the greatest thing and I wished it would happen here in MI. Well that time is here and although I really want it, I am afraid it may be too much to handle at this time. Maybe I am over reacting and people really want this. Most restaurants are already smoke free but its the bars that would be the problem. I see the restaurants/bars side where they want to make the decision but with my luck all the places I frequent would never change and I would be screwed.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070612/NEWS06/70612015
Posted by mardenhill 6/12/2007 01:50:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: Detroit
Time To Go....
Friday, June 08, 2007
We have been hearing about this for years and although this sounds legit I won't believe it until I see the demo crew on site. The sale of seats and possibly saving the front entrance is very cool and will give a piece of history to city and anyone with a few extra dollers. When the Tigers won the World Series in '84 I had a piece of the sod from the field but ended up losing it later that year. We have seen the Foxtown area redeveloped and its about time Corktown is included as well. The new MGM casino is on the border there and hopefully that will facilite the revitalization down Michigan Ave. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/UPDATE/706080346
The plan approved Wednesday by the city's Economic Growth Corp. calls for the stadium structure to be demolished by September 2008, if the conservancy doesn't come up with a plan to save the front entrance. The site would be used as a mixed-use site for retail and residential project, with new construction to begin in April 2009. Parts of the baseball diamond -- the infield and most of the outfield -- will become a public field.
The sale of the seats and other memorabilia could take place this fall. The seats will be sold in pairs for $247 a pair; other memorabilia has not yet been selected or priced.
TimelineProposed schedule for stadium:
July 24: Deadline for city and nonprofit group to agree on plan to save part of stadium.
This fall: Sale of seats and other memorabilia.
Sept. 1: Deadline for commitment of money to save parts of stadium.
Oct. 23: Demolition contract awarded.
Jan. 22: Private developer selected.
Posted by mardenhill 6/08/2007 11:27:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Playoff Blues
Sunday, June 03, 2007
First it was the Red Wings now the Pistons. Both teams made it to the 3rd round of their respective playoffs and lost. Both teams beat by ones viewed as inferior. Now its time to look back at our own players, which ones should stay and which should go. Both the Wings and Pistons had some great wins but collapsed the same way leaving the city bruised and broken. For the Wings it was the first time without the old guard and the Pistons were intact except for one.
I would like to thank both teams for a great playoff season and all the exciting games over the last two months. But the ride has come to an end and its time to switch gears and cheer our beloved Tigers on to another World Series appearance. BTW, the Tigers did beat the Cleveland Indians yesterday to give some credibility back to our city.
Posted by mardenhill 6/03/2007 01:48:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit, Pistons, Red Wings
Stop Canadian Trash
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is warning Congress that a Michigan-led bill to limit Canadian trash imports could set off a trash trade war with the United States' largest trading partner.
The bill, which is expected to pass the House today, would allow Michigan and other states to limit trash imports from Canada, an increasingly controversial issue. But in a letter sent Monday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner, the White House warned that the bill could violate trade agreements and spark Canada to ban hazardous waste from the United States.
Senators Stabenow and Levin have come up with a plan which you can read below.
http://stabenow.senate.gov/stoptrash/index.htm
Here is the Detroit News story on the vote.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070424/UPDATE/704240430
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Hey Dubya, us border states don't want Canadian waste in our backyard, they are a big enough country they can keep it there. I see no reason why we should let trash across the border this doesn't qualify as trade in my book. I guess we can thank NAFTA for this mess and the typical Washington losers put dollars over the health and well being of the country.
Wasn't the infiltration of Tim Horton's and next generation Degrassi enough, when will it end?
Posted by mardenhill 4/24/2007 10:40:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Red Wings Advance
Monday, April 23, 2007
It took 2 OTs but the Wings beat the Flames last nite 2-1 to advance out of the 1st round of playoffs. This series was a brutal one, you had cheap shots galore including a backup goalie's suspension and fine. Game 5 had the backup coming in and within a minute tomahawk chopped a Red Wing and was ejected. I didn't stay up for the game last nite, I went to bed just hoping for the best since I spent the weekend digging up the yard for the new patio and was dead tired.
In other Detroit sports news, the Tigers won game 3 against the Chicago White Sox but lost the first 2. The Pistons won their 1st playoff game.
Posted by mardenhill 4/23/2007 10:42:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit, Red Wings, Sports
2 Out Of 3
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals last nite 7-6
Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors last nite 100-84
Red Wings lost to the Calgary Flames last nite 3-2
Posted by mardenhill 4/18/2007 09:54:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Detroit Sports Update
Friday, April 13, 2007
Tigers win 3rd in a row, lead the Central Division in the AL.
Red Wings win Game One! 4-1: Round 1 vs Calgary Flames
Pistons clinch first in East: Start 1st Round of Playoffs tonight against the Toronto Raptors.Posted by mardenhill 4/13/2007 02:04:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
Bye Bye State Theatre
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The rebranding is part of Live Nation's commitment to small- and mid-sized live music venues as well as enhancing the live experience for both the fan and artist, according to Bruce Eskowitz, Live Nation's CEO of North American Music.
http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=7810
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Thanks Live Nation, now one of the best venues in Detroit will be destroyed and transformed into a corporate whorehouse no better than an Applebees or Fridays. We don't need anymore chain bars, we have enough. Changing the State to the Fillmore won't make it a better venue. People will not be fooled into thinking this has some history like the Fillmore in San Fran. Its the State Theatre, either leave it alone or change the name into something original. Its a stupid concept and a waste of money. Buy a new sign, remodel the inside but don't call it a Fillmore or House Of Blues. We already have a dumbass Hard Rock are you trying to destroy the city? This isn't suburbia where everything is a strip mall and cookie cutter architecture.
Just when you thought things were going right for a change.....
Posted by mardenhill 4/05/2007 04:43:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Detroit
