LIFE: Grab a Cuppa Tea, Lets Have a Catch Up

So before I jump into the deep end of back to somewhat normal blogging, I thought we'd just have an easy chit-chat about everything that happened since the last time I properly shared a post back at the start of December. Truth be told, nothing much, but enough to ramble on about for a short while so here goes.

Christmas was quiet which is just how we like it. We hacked the ham to pieces to fit it into the slow cooker (and used this yummy recipe) and had enough leftovers to feed a small army. In fact I still think there's some bourbon vanilla cranberry sauce kicking around in the far flung corners of the fridge. I did manage to sneak a quick pep at Detroit's Christmas tree down in Campus Martius, one day I'll wrap up enough to get up close and person with it. Although I didn't manage to grab a photograph of the tree this year, Detroit was looking all sparkly and festive.

Speaking of Christmas, the last stitching finish of 2015 - and the last piece of stitching I've done was a pretty "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" from the 2013 (I think ...) edition of Cross Stitcher Magazine. I'm actually on a self imposed ban when it comes to cross stitching until I get my new glasses which is kinda hard.



So no stitching has led to lots of reading and lots of coloring in - mainly because they don't cause too much eye strain at least. In fact most of Christmas Day was spent coloring in. It's true what they say about coloring in being a great stress reliever, it's certainly helping me a lot. And when I haven't been coloring in, I've been reading - working my way through an endless library of Marvel comics and some great graphic novels I've come across or received for Christmas gifts.

I'm thinking of talking more about books on the old blog, particularly graphic novels, but honorable mentions for great reads since my last Small Things post go out to;  The Shocking Story of Helmuth Schmidt by Tobin GT. Buhk, Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, El Deafo by Cece Bell, Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, The Marvels by Brian Selznick, Smile by Raina Telgemeier, Saga v1 & 2 (that's all my library has at the moment boo) by Brian K. Vaughan.

Yeah I've read a few very good books lately - if you have any book recommendations leave them in the comments!



We became sustaining Michigan Radio members during the winter pledge week. To give a bit of background for non American's National Public Radio (NPR) stations predominately run on listener donations. Plus here it's so it's hard to find news sources in America that tend to not have political bias, and Michigan Radio does the job for me. So we became members, set up our monthly donations (which I urge you to support your own local NPR stations) and ended up with a huge bistro mug that holds enough coffee to bathe in.



December also saw us eating out at some new places to me at least (Social House - West Bloomfield and The Library in Novi) and a return to my favorite burger joint, well one of my favorite places in all of Detroit - the Mercury Bar down in Corktown. Because December seems to be all about eating and then eating some more. I also had a great cup of Mexican hot chocolate from Cafe Con Leche for a Christmas Eve treat down in Mexicantown, damn that stuff was tasty!

So that was my December for the most part. January is kicking itself off in it's chilly Michigan way and I'm excited to get back into blogging. 

Rachael

LIFE: Birthday Love From Detroit

Mid week birthday's give you the perfect excuse to drag celebrations out across two weekends. Fun weekends sandwiching your birthday from either end. While I'm not a big birthday celebrator, I'd rather not have all that attention, I don't mind using it as an excuse for some yummy food, exploring a couple of new places on our endlessly long Detroit visit list and spending some time with family who visited from Pittsburgh. From a mighty tasty blackened catfish sandwich followed by a huge bowl of the best mac n cheese Detroit has to offer in Slows BBQ, washed down with some handcrafted cocktails next door in The Sugar House. Capturing a sunset over the Motor City with our stomachs full and happy. A Sunday morning starting off with brunch at Toast down the road in Ferndale (review to follow) and a very delicious strawberry waffle and my new favorite place for breakfast. 

But that is just me. 

Happy memories, exploring a great city (yes really) and eating some great food.

DETROIT: Why Would You Come to Detroit?

Why would anyone come to visit Detroit? Why would I even move to Detroit (a question I get asked a lot). Surely it's that zombie wasteland we hear all about on the media, right?! There's even locals in the burbs that won't venture into Detroit proper (urgh pet peeve). 

But I mean it's not like we have; 

Fun places for big kids

Pinball machines (M-Brew) and skee ball (Marvin's) anyone?

 

An island park larger than New York's Central Park who are you trying to fool?!

Belle Isle - an island in the middle of the Detroit River, offering views of both the American and Canadian riverfront with museums, aquariums, gardens and beaches.

 

There's nothing to see here, literally 

Detroit is one of the few cities with a international river front - home to a river walk, a state park, a gorgeous view to special events. You can even wave at Canadians. It's not that 75% of the liqueur smuggled into the US passed over the Detroit River during prohibition or anything. 

 

Nor is it home to some important pieces in America's history

from the car JFK was shot in, the Lincoln's death chair, to the infamous bus Rosa Park refused to give up her seat upon, they both and more have a home at the Henry Ford Museum. 

 

Nor will you find America's oldest aquarium, nope 

The Detroit Aquarium, found upon Belle Isle (mentioned above) was opened in 1904 and was the oldest continually opened public aquarium in America. In recent years, it's been getting a new lease of life.

 

And the views aren't worth mentioning ... 

Whether it's driving along Woodward, from the 13th floor of the Greektown Casino or walking along the riverfront, Detroit has a pretty impressive skyline. 

 

It's not like there's anywhere decent to eat 

Be it great BBQ at Slows, a tasty burger at the Mercury Bar, to endless Coney's and diners, there's something for everyone. It's not that Detroit has it's very own style of pizza which inspired many of the big Midwest pizza chains or anything ... 

 

A market in the middle of an urban wasteland? What madness are you on ... 

Stock up on Michigan made goodies, vintage treats to thousands of with the sweet smell of flowers to food and street music fill the air around the Eastern Market. I'm personally super excited about stocking up on flowers once spring fully rolls around!

 

"Art" to spark a debate ... 

Whether it's a sly street cat in Corktown or a Chimera it all sparks that old graffiti verses street art debate. 

 

The buildings are nothing fancy either  

From big to small old buildings are finding new leases of life. Office buildings are being converted into apartments, new sports arenas are being proposed, new building ideas drawn up by the week. Old houses, long empty and trashed and finding loving new owners breathing new life into them. But it's about the small details as much as it is about towering skyscrapers, there is detail everywhere. 

 

They really don't know how to make doughnuts around here either

Dutch Girl Donuts at 7 Mile and Woodward - Best. Donuts. Ever. 

 

Everyone has a rival, even the food places ... 

Detroit is all about it's food. Everyone tries, everyone has their options it's either all about the American or all about Lafayette either way, you'll enjoy a tasty Coney dog or three. 

Because it's just a zombie wasteland right?!

Source

Yeap, there's nothing to see here, move along

But that's fine, I'm happy to enjoy this all by myself!

Detroit is all about misconceptions. Too many misconceptions that people believe to the point they avoid the city like the plague. Even locals.

For me, one of the reasons why I try and share positive Detroit posts here is to challenge those misconceptions. Whether you live down the road and get too scared to drive south of 8 mile or you live in the UK and all you see is the constant stream of Guardian articles about the city. Like seriously, the Guardian seems to be all over Detroit the last couple of months. The misconceptions need to be challenged, and often. But I always feel the need to justify why I like Detroit, why I would go out my way to share nice things, why would I stay in the area. If you follow me on twitter you know I'm constantly sharing Detroit related articles, sound bites - new places to eat, stores, things to do, things that are happening? Why (because it's somewhat of a bookmark for myself) but also because I'm proud to be around a city that's changing for the better.

Thanks for letting me harp on about Detroit all the time! 

Why Would You Come to Detroit was written to link up with Something Beautiful and Reckless Blog to celebrate everything 313 - March 13th, Detroit Day. 

DRINKS: The Hummer Milkshake

Everyone deserves a cheeky treat, but what about a cheeky adult milkshake?! 

The Hummer milkshake, which has nothing to do with the vehicle it shares it's name with, is considered one of the iconic dishes/drinks to hail from Detroit at least according to Eater. Alongside the Coney Dog, the Boston Cooler, the Last Word and the Detroit style pizza, the Hummer came out of the Motor City in the late 1960's.  

There are stories around these parts of how this milkshake cocktail came to be especially old local tales of who actually concocted the drink. Back in 2001, the MetroTimes shared the original story, of Jerome Adams, bartender for the Bayview Yacht Club, who in 1968 was charged with coming up with a new crowd pleasing beverage. After messing and mixing with all the liquors one can find in a typical bar, Adams found the most pleasing mix came from kahula, rum and what would you know, ice cream. 

It became an instant hit. 

With yacht members sailing and traveling the world, they asked clueless bartenders for Hummers - a cocktail that got it's name by the way because well, as one of the original testers described it as being a drink that makes you "want to hum".  Perplexed bartenders rang the Bayview for the recipe and the rest as they say, is history. 

I have to admit to not knowing either about the Hummer or it's Detroit roots until coming across the Eater Detroit article, but seeing the Mercury Bar was the place offering them, well a return trip was in order. As it happens the Mercury Bar, over in Corktown is my favorite place in Detroit for burgers, so it was a double win. 

But if you can't get to the Mercury Bar for yourself (somewhere I highly, highly recommend) you can always make yourself one;

• 1 1/2 ounces of rum
• 1 1/2 ounces of Kahula
• 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
• Couple of ice cubes

Blend together and serve with whipped cream for the top!

If you're luckily enough to live in the area, I can't recommend The Mercury enough - for milkshakes or for burgers!

View Larger Map

 Mercury Bar

2163 Michigan Ave,

Detroit, MI

 

Ever had a hummer?

LIFE: Super Snow Days

I often feel a bit of a broken record when it comes to weather talk. Then again it is a British pastime. It's small talk, something to break the ice at a bus stop. Back in 2008 a survey concluded that the top British trait was talking about the forecast even if the weather is pretty, on the whole uneventful although it's constantly changing. It's a love that surpasses curtain twitching, watching soaps and our love of queuing. Sadly American's, maybe even the rest of the world don't share that same appreciation or obsession, call it what you will, so I let it all out on social media.

So for that reason, it would be very un-British of me to not mention the third highest snowfall experienced in Detroit at the beginning of February. It dumped the most snow since 1974. Quite impressive. Across 24 hours we reached the wintry depths of 16" of the white stuff. Drifts of snow marked their way across our street, into our garden. At the time of writing this, there stands a thigh deep drift on our deck, so much so that I can't open on of our back doors due to it's weight. 

This all coincided with a couple of inches of snow falling on my British hometown and watching it grind to a halt from afar. Oh England.

I have to admit I was quite in awe, especially as it was the most snow I've ever experienced, in one storm that is. There is something magical about snow when it's so untouched, white and sparking. You catch a glint of a twinkle while you're shoveling and it glistens like glitter. But a week on and it's a mushy brown squishy melting mess.



Nevertheless, Michigan Central Station looked super pretty in the snow if nothing else.

FOOD: Fish & Chips at McShane's Irish Pub

I guess you could say I'm pretty boring when it comes to food choices in restaurants and bars. Visit any new place and i'm most likely to order fish n chips regardless of where we are eating. I'm calling it a personal mission of mine to find the best place that serves up fish n chips - whether that's in Michigan or whatever state I happen to be in. 

After finding some pretty awesome fish n chips back in Pittsburgh over Thanksgiving in the Scottish themed Pipers Pub (which sadly I was far too busy eating to stop and take a picture). It was the first place i've come across in my little challenge that serve the said dish with the traditional thick chips (or fries if you're American). As tasty as they were, 400 odd miles is a long way to go for some fish n chips so the Michigan search continued. 

Joe's taken it upon himself to search the interwebs for recommendations in the Metro area. So when we found McShane's Irish Pub it was a bit of a winner - Irish themed - tick, a whiskey bar - double tick, close by - tick and super high praise for their fish n chips, well it would have been rude not to try.

(please excuse grainy picture, twas dark)

McShane's is I guess you could say at the quieter end of Michigan Avenue in Detroit's, Corktown, I say quieter because it's a way from the hub of Slows, Mercury Bar etc, and can be found on the corner of Michigan Ave and Trumbell, right next to the former baseball pitch - which with the plans for redeveloping the area, I can see this part of town growing from strength to strength. 

So to the all important - how were the fish n chips. Well, lets say they knocked the Grand Trunk Pub off the top of my Michigan league on the fish n chip front. The malt beer batter was crisp and delicious, the cod tender, the thyme steak chips thick and huge. They certainly know what they are doing. Many reviews credit them for making a dish worthy of being from, or even better than those found in the homeland, stick them next to one from the UK and I don't think you could tell the difference taste wise at least. The coleslaw might throw a Brit off mind you. 

McShane's menu features another British staple Shepherds pie, alongside the best wings I've tasted and thick, juicy sandwiches. Plus the bar has 89 different whiskey's. After drinking a delightful rye whiskey - Templeton on the rocks, i'll certainly be back for some more fish n chips and a try of another one of those 88 whiskey's that remain to be tried! 

View Larger Map

If you fancy trying it out for yourself, pop along to;

McShanes Irish Pub

1460 Michigan Ave,

Detroit, Michigan

LIFE: Last Year I ...

It's weird to think that 2014 is already last year. Hey I even struggle to think that 2000 rolled around 15 years ago. 2014 was a pretty awesome year, perhaps not so much for the blog, I've had my struggles with that, especially recently but personally, even with the insomnia and all the stress, it turned out pretty well. 

I'm taking inspiration from Dainty Squid's (a favorite blog of mine to read) visual documentation of the year - so here is mine, here was my 2014. 

Experienced and survived a polar vortex and the great flood 

Explored and fell more in love with Detroit and experience some of the awesome local food places the city has to offer - the Grand Trunk Pub, The Mercury Bar, McShanes, MexicanTown Bakery and Slows are all new favorites.

Went to my first basketball game, granted it was the Harlem Globetrotters, but still 

Re-found my passion for cross stitching and started designing some of my own pieces - from record players to VW Bugs and the Angel of the North

To a map of Michigan in blackwork

Finally explored the Eastern Market

Saw one of my favorite bands, Clairy Browne, live in Ann Arbor 

Saw random roadside attractions - like the worlds largest tire

Reached the 5th birthday of this very blog and shared my wisdom

Brought our very first house and tried to tame a garden, somewhat successfully 

Fell in love with purple buildings in Bay City

and old houses

at 28, carved my very first pumpkin

Had another fly by visit to Pittsburgh 

And you know what, that all probably sums up both me and my blog pretty well. I have high hopes for making 2015 super crafty, creative and green fingered in various ways and means.

Thanks to all of you - for all your supports, comments, likes, shares throughout the year. I hope you stick around and follow whatever adventures and things that come my way in the next year. I've realised in the last couple of months that this blog is never going to be big, it hurt a little, but in turn it makes you remember that for me, blogging is just a hobby, it's just a small part of who I am, that I shouldn't stress about it as much as I sometimes do. I can't glamourse living in Michigan, or make Detroit sound the most hip happening place, nor can I make the life of an expat sound incredible. But I can try and share what my life is all about and whatever makes me tick, even if that isn't always the most exciting hobbies and things that make up a person.

I wish you all the best as we start a brand new year.