Birmingham Isn't Snobby, It's My Hometown

Over the last seven months, my husband and I have explored many different facets of metro Detroit. We’ve toured the RenCen and found Disneyland in Hamtramck. We drank in dive bars and watched the Red Wings not win the Stanley Cup.

But what about what’s on our doorstep? The places that are so familiar to us, the places we see everyday, sometimes get overlooked. Birmingham, for all intents and purposes, is my hometown, my downtown.

Birmingham 8 Movie TheaterI’ve spent so much time in Birmingham, both during my high school days and as an adult. I shopped at Cargo Hold, It’s The Ritz, and Caruso Caruso. I’ve had dinners at Peabody’s, 220, and Streetside. And of course, I’ve had a drink or two at Dick O’Dows. But I never really stopped to look around and find out where this place came from.

So that’s what I did.

If you’ve shopped, had dinner, or hung out in Birmingham the names Hunter, Willits, and Hamilton should ring a bell. These names adorn streets, eateries, and condominiums. The names weren’t picked out of thin air; John West Hunter, Elijah Willits, and John Hamilton were the first settlers of the area.

Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Michigan.In fact, many of the prominent Birmingham names can also be seen in the Greenwood Cemetery, which was established in 1825. The park-like setting of the cemetery makes for a good walk and history lesson combined. Martha Baldwin, who the library is named after, John West Hunter, Elijah Willits, and George Mitchell are all laid to rest here.

John West Hunter is laid to rest here.The origins of the Greenwood Cemetery sounds like a myth or a story you would hear around a campfire. The Utter family, John, Polly, and their daughter Cynthia Ann, lived north of town. In 1825, the Utters boarder Imri Fish, who was mentally disabled, killed Polly and Cynthia Ann with an axe. After this tragic event, Dr. Ziba Swan provided some of his land to establish a community cemetery.

But where did the name Birmingham come from?

The area was first called Hamilton’s and then Piety Hill. I’ve heard stories that it was once called Bagley’s Corners but that was actually north of Birmingham at Woodward and Long Lake.

In about 1832 the civic boosters changed the name to Birmingham with hopes to rival Birmingham, England as an industrial center. After the turn of the century it was clear that Detroit and Pontiac would become the industrial centers of the region. Luckily, Birmingham had already become an upscale residential area.

Birmingham City HallIt’s funny to think it once was exactly a day’s journey from Detroit to Birmingham. And I’m quite jealous that in the early 1900’s locals had the Detroit United Railway, known as the interurban, to transport them from Palmer Park in Detroit to Birmingham. Later this service would reach to Pontiac. The waiting room for the interurban was where Olga’s Kitchen now stands.

So, why am I telling you all this?

Many people think of Birmingham as snooty, snobby, upscale, and expensive. But I’m not snooty or snobby. I'm certainly not rich and most of my clothes are from Old Navy and The Gap. And I hang out there! Birmingham is my hometown and I like it.

The Photo Walk & How I Did It Wrong

On Saturday, I participated in Scott Kelby’s Second Annual Worldwide Photo Walk in Rochester, Michigan. What the heck is that, you ask? Well, a photo walk is supposed to be a social photography get together where people walk around a specific locale, take pictures, and talk about photography. This one is different because it’s happening in 900 cities around the world on the same day. At last count, over 30,000 people signed up for this photo walk. Oh, and this one has prizes!

Hood ornament on old fire truck.If you read last weeks Weekend Roundup, you could probably tell that I was apprehensive about going. I mean, I only have a Nikon point and shoot, not a fancy DSLR. So I felt a bit inadequate from the beginning. And there’s going to be people! People who want to talk about photography. I have always had an interest in photography but I’ve never had a fancy camera or taken a class.

Truth be told, I was trying to find any way to get out of this event. Or, if I couldn’t get out of it, maybe take someone with me to hold my hand. But I made a commitment. So off I went.

Or, I should say off we went. It was never my intention for my husband to come along. It just kind of happened that way. He doesn’t care about photography; he wasn’t going to enjoy himself. We drove out to Rochester and he was going to amuse himself somehow, somewhere else for the 2+ hours.

Our photo walk leader, Tim White, was giving us the low down, including not to play in traffic, and said we weren’t going to stick together. Tim was great and one of the few people I got a chance to talk to. And that’s how it happened, if the group wasn’t going to stick together, I said to my husband, does he want to walk around with me? He was fine with that.

The plan was for everyone to take pictures at the fire station first and then we would split up. Eventually we would all meet in the park and then go to the Rochester Mills Beer Company for drinks and dinner.

The husband and I had a good time walking around downtown Rochester; he was even in some shots I took. Then the rain started. To make a long story short, we never made it to the park or the brewery.

I did it wrong.

This was, as I said at the beginning, supposed to be a social gathering, a chance to meet other people and perhaps learn from them. I ventured out of my comfort zone enough to go but I could have gotten a lot more out of this. And it wasn’t my husband’s fault. I blame the rain.

I will go on other photo walks in the future. And when that happens, I’ll do it right, I’ll be social.

If you're interested in seeing some of the photo's taken by other participants check out this Flickr group. I'm still editing my pictures but I'll post some soon. The pictures in this post are a few of my pictures from the day and they haven't been edited yet. They aren't my favorites.

People Watching at The Ann Arbor Art Fair

I wrote yesterday in my weekend roundup that I had never been to the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Well, we went yesterday and we had a fabulous time. I was told before we went that the people watching was fantastic. Still, I wasn't ready for this.

I saw this guy. He's not really my type but his style choices make a statement. Hey, he's drinking the King of Beers, so he can't be that bad.

And then I saw this pretty lady, she reminds me a bit of Gwyneth Paltrow.

But real life, just like pictures, can be deceiving. I mean, it's an Art Fair and it's in Ann Arbor. Here's another picture of the beer drinking biker dude. He's hanging out with a naked girl.

And that pretty girl that looks like Gwyneth?

Yep, she doesn't have legs. She's just hanging on a wall and floating. These people were actually art; manequins made from polyester resin. I wasn't a very a good blogger and didn't get the artists name, more information, or prices. I guess I was just a bit mesmerized by them. When I first saw them, I thought they were real. You know those street performers that pretend they are statues? That's what I thought I was looking at. Well, not the floating girl, I saw her after I realized that they didn't blink and therefore could not be real.

So, just a friendly reminder that things are not always what they seem. Oh, and the real people watching was great too!

Update on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 5:58PM by Becks Davis

Thanks to Dominique at Midwest Guest for pointing out this Detroit Free Press Article. It mentions the biker dude and the pretty lady pictured above. They are by sculptor Marc Sijan of Milwaukee. These sculptures can run up to $50,000!

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

The last couple of weeks I’ve posted my top 5 picks of what was going on in Metro Detroit over the weekend. I wasn’t going to do it this week. I wasn’t sure if it was useful to you or provided any value.

But…there is so much going on this weekend that I couldn’t resist. I mean, I want to do ALL of this. Every one of these events are on my to do list this weekend. I probably won’t get to all of them, but I’m going to try. We’re going to the Ann Arbor Art Fair today and the Royal Oak Garage Sale is definitely happening.

One little bump in the plan, and the reason I probably won’t fit everything in, is I am registered to go on a photo walk in Rochester on Saturday. I am both excited and embarrassed to go on the photo walk. I’m excited because I love taking pictures and learning about photography. Why am I embarrassed? Because I have a point and shoot camera and everyone else will have their fancy DSLR’s and a few lenses and other photog paraphernalia. A new camera is on my wish list but it’s not something I can afford right now. So, if I do go, I’m going to feel a wee bit silly. Everyone else will be setting up their shots and choosing the right lense and settings. Me? I’ll be pointing and shooting. Yeah, embarrassing.

Anyway...

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

1. The Ann Arbor Art Fair is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. I have never been to the fair and haven't spent much time in Ann Arbor, as I mentioned in my Urban Fairy Door post, so I am very excited to experience this for myself. July 15-18.
2. Thunder over Michigan Air Show featuring the Blue Angels. This is a bit spendy at $25 a ticket. If we do go, we'll probably just find a nice spot in Ypsilanti where we can still view the show without paying the dosh. July 18-19.
3. The Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce Antique and Garage Sale attracts 15,000 people and I will be one of them. I hear the sidewalk sales at the shops in the downtown area are fabulous, as well. July 18-19.
4. Kid Rock is playing at Comerica Park and hosting block parties before the shows. There are still tickets available for Saturday's concert. Tickets for both dates can be found on Stub Hub and Craigslist. The Night Move is starting early on these nights to shuttle you to and from the concert. July 17-18.
5. Concert of Colors is metro Detroit's Diversity Festival and it's in its 17th year. The Don Was Super Session II looks particularly good. Again, I have never been to this festival, but my friend Dominque at Midwest Guest speaks very highly of the event and Tim at The Wandering Photographer took some great pictures at the 2006 festival. July 18-19.

So, what are you doing this weekend? And, do you find this weekly post useful? Should I keep doing it?

Update on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 10:43PM by Becks Davis

Also, for you bike enthusiasts, @steve_frank reminded me of the Bicycle Film Festival at the Marlene Boll Theater in Detroit. July 17-18.

To Hell And Back

How many times have you been told to go to hell? I’ve been told this countless times throughout my life. Or maybe your evil nemesis told you he’d see you in hell? Well, maybe if you live in a comic book. And of course, there’s those old phrases, “’when hell freezes over,” and “to hell in a hand basket.” I could go on and on.

So, where did I take my husband last week? To hell, of course. Well, actually I took him to Hell, Michigan. Hell is a tiny little town just outside of Pinckney in southwest Livingston County. They have a general store that doubles as a post office and an ice cream shop, called Screams, that also sells souvenirs.

A sign showing the way to Hell, Michigan.We sent the obligatory post card to my in-laws back in the UK. It boasts the “I’ve been through hell” postmark and as an added touch they burn the edge of the card to give it that realistic hellish look. Oh, and on the front of the postcard, “We’re so broke we vacation in Hell.” To be honest, there weren’t many post cards to choose from.

Apparently, the post office has quite a bit of mail routed through it specifically for the postmark. Sending your taxes and alimony to Hell is popular.

Welcome to Hell, MichiganHow did Hell get its name? The story goes that George Reeves, the first settler in the area, never gave the city a name. When asked what to call the place he said, “You can name it hell for all I care.”

Hell is quite a pretty place and we didn’t encounter any evil or torment while we were visiting. The people didn’t live up to the towns name, they were extremely friendly and jovial. We were taking a walk and a teenage boy actually looked up at us, smiled, and asked us how we were doing. A teenage boy! That’s just not normal, is it?

Does this look like hell? I don't think so.So, why did we go to Hell? Because we could. And now I can honestly say that my husband and I have been through Hell.

On a side note, did you know that there is also a Paradise, Michigan? Paradise is on the the north-eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula, on the shores of Lake Superior.