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<\/a>Since my office is based in Ferndale, I sometimes walk around the city or through the neighborhood after work. There are many small houses and some condos\/apartments. The neighborhood is vibrant and, in many areas, heavily shaded by beautiful old trees. Around town, I\u2019m getting a more developed picture of the community. Ferndale seems very health-conscious \u2013 there are places to practice yoga and several health-food stores with organic produce. Usually, I see many people walking their dogs or biking around town. I also get the sense that people are focused on local products and that residents are proud of Detroit \u2013 Rust Belt Market is across from my office and features many small-business owners.<\/p>\n
While Ferndale\u2019s atmosphere is young, trendy and fairly full of hipsters, I love Detroit\u2019s culture (or at least my perception of it?) much more. On Saturday (6\/20), I met my parents at Wayne State and went with them to Eastern Market. This was an eye-opening experience as I was able to gauge my parents\u2019 and sister\u2019s feelings about the city. I had been to the Market about three years ago with a high-school group and this past weekend it seemed livelier than ever. It was completely packed, a real challenge to find a parking spot. My family and I walked around, ate delicious bagels and indulged in oatmeal and lemon cookies. It makes me proud and glad to see the place completely packed. I wonder what might happen if other parts of Detroit grew that crowded.<\/p>\n My sister May (12 years old) raved about the \u201cwarehouses filled with food\u201d but later commented that Detroit was \u201cweird and scary\u201d. We had driven past and taken photos of some abandoned houses in more deteriorated parts of the city. I think I am in danger of romanticizing some of the neighborhoods because I think they\u2019re rather beautiful, but I also go home to a comfortable house in the suburbs. I haven\u2019t experienced any of the challenges of living in an area like that, so I\u2019m wary and concerned about making those empty houses into something they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n After my family left, I walked around the DIA. I\u2019ve been there many times, but they were holding a few private events there (a wedding?) and some exhibits were sectioned off. The DIA and science center are some of those areas that are more densely populated. Just like when I visited Eastern Market, I felt so full of pride and joy to see the museum packed with people. I feel fortunate to live so close to a hub of such extraordinary culture and history.<\/p>\n When I park near our UM Center, I see the RenCen in the distance. I was curious about how far it was, so I walked there from the DIA. (P.S. \u2013 It\u2019s about 2 miles I think, but the walk seemed longer, probably because I\u2019m severely out of shape :P\u2026) I saw the Tigers Stadium, where people huddled beneath that giant tiger statue to take photos. With a camera slung across my shoulder, a hat and sunglasses, I felt more like a tourist\/visitor than inhabitant. This was probably the first time I walked around Detroit alone. I passed through a couple of bad neighborhoods \/ down some empty side-streets. I found myself feeling a little scared and on guard, but probably wouldn\u2019t if I had some company.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>