Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexicantown

Nestled in Southwest Detroit, Mexicantown is heaving with authentic restaurants, shops, and tortilla factories. The neighborhood is vibrant and colorful. Wanting to get a jump on the Cinco de Mayo festivities, we headed out there for a lovely lunch this past Saturday.

It should be noted that Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16^th. Cinco de Mayo, or The 5^th of May, commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French in The Battle of Puebla. The holiday is mostly celebrated in Puebla and in parts of the U.S.

Do you need a reason to imbibe a cerveza or a margarita and eat yummy traditional Mexican food? I didn't think so!

We only explored a small portion of Mexicantown as the weather looked like it was going to take a turn at any moment and ruin our casual walk with pouring rain.

Patio at Los GalanesOur original plan was to hit up Taqueria Lupita’s but we changed our mind and decided on the colorful Los Galanes. I’ve heard great things about both of these places and we were happy that we changed our plans.

Los Galanes is the perfect place to sit on the patio on a warm summer day. Munching on warm tortilla chips, sipping on an adult beverage, and people watching doesn't get any better than this!

Xochi’s Mexican Imports is bursting with traditional clothes, trinkets, piñatas, religious symbols, and more. We spent a good chunk of time exploring every nook and cranny of this tiny shop.

St. Anne de Detroit, one of Detroit's historic Catholic churches, was founded just 2 days after Cadillac arrived in Detroit. The present Gothic Revival church was built in 1886 and is a fixture of Mexicantown; masses are performed in both English and Spanish.

Last summer I heard so much talk about the awesome taco trucks in Mexicantown from the Yelp community and I’ve been dying to check them out. We didn’t have time to hunt them down on this excursion but I have a feeling we’ll be spending a lot of time in this area during the summer.

The Mexicantown Bagley Avenue Pedestrian Bridge & Plaza makes the area more pedestrian and biker friendly, bridging the gap to the other side of I-75.

What’s your favorite spot in Mexicantown?

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

So, as I briefly mentioned the other day, my husband hit a deer on his way up north. My husband is fine and I’m not really sure what happened to the deer, he said it ran off. The car, on the other hand, was beat up pretty bad, $1200 dollars bad. Fun stuff.

I was up till 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning sorting it all out and I think I have just now recovered. I stay up till 4:00 a.m. occasionally with no problems. I guess my 40-year-old body and mind can’t handle that extra hour and a half. I’m such a wimp.

Weekend Roundup

1. Spring Wildflowers Nature Walk on Belle Isle - Put your boots on and go on a nature walk to check out the new blooms on Belle Isle. May 2nd.

2. Mexican Fiesta Party at the Royal Oak Farmers Market (Facebook link) - Get your Cinco de Mayo on a little early and celebrate with beverages from Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. and food Mexican food from local eateries. Oh, there's a Mariachi band too! May 1st.

3. Plymouth Green Street Fair - The fair aims to educate people on green, organice and eco-friendly living. Activities include Fort Box where kids can learn about building forts with recycled materials and Rethunk: Art sponsered by Handmade Detroit. April 30 - May 2.

4. Clean the D - It's time to roll up our sleeves and beautify Detroit with the Woodward Avenue Action Association, Ferndale Chamber of Commerce, and the 8 Mile Boulevard Association. May 1st.

5. Michigan International Women's Show - Shopping, fashion, creative cooking, and healthy living will all be featured. April 29 - May 2nd.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!

And Then it Got Quiet

My husband is gone.

No, not for good.

He’s off to the wild wilderness otherwise known as Up North. My dad and brother have enlisted him to join in on their manly adventure to hunt turkeys.

Yeah, because turkeys are really mean and scary and such and need to be killed with a shotgun.

I’m sure there will be some drinking in a small town bar, cigars will be smoked and wind will be broken. These are manly men. These are the three most important men in my world.

I’m not worried about the turkeys, though. I’m sure they’ll be fine. My dad and brother have come home empty-handed since they started this turkey trot. I can’t imagine my husband will be much better, he hasn’t shot a gun in years and when he did it was only at targets, not at moving fowl.

A few days ago, I was joking that I couldn’t wait to get rid of him for the week. I could barrel down and get some work done without the usual distractions. You see, my husband talks a lot. I’m sure I’ve complained about mentioned it before.

So, after I made this joke he reminded me of something. Apparently, since we pledged to spend our lives together, since we said those fateful “I do’s,” we have never spent a night apart.

I make a joke and he goes all romantic and sweet on me? When did I become the guy? Yeah, I felt like an ass.

Now, we didn’t vow to spend every night together, it just kind of happened that way. And I guess I never realized it because we spent so many nights apart before we were married.

Last night was the first time in almost 5 years that my talkative-but-with-a-cute-accent husband didn’t sleep beside me.

We kissed and said goodbye.

“Don’t get shot,” I chided. He laughed me off. Then, I had to say it, “Don’t shoot my dad or my brother, that would suck.” He laughed some more but didn’t promise not to.

He drove away. I shut the garage door. And then it got quiet. Real quiet. Pin-drop quiet.

I thought the silence would be a relief but now I’m wondering how I’ll make it 4 days without hearing his voice.

Who am I freaking kidding? This is going to be fantastic! The house to myself, no stupid television blaring in the background, and he won’t be yelling at some video game that he obviously can’t play very well.

Heaven!

And since he is so very far away and can’t yell at me, I’m going to share a little video with you. When Team Detroit (#detchevysxsw) were on their way to Austin my husband promised to sing at an ongoing karaoke event if they won. They won big!

Here’s my husband singing “I’m Your Man” by Wham! Yep, he’s my man.

*Update*

A few minutes after I finished this post I got a phone call. My husband hit a deer. My husband is fine and the deer ran off. The car, our only car, didn’t fare so well. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to pull through. Oh, but I got to talk to my husband many times during the course of the night.

Winner of the Day Out With Thomas™ Tickets

Thank you so much for your participation in Detroit Moxie’s first contest. Your comments were heartfelt, uplifting, and creative.

The winner was chosen by random.org. I’m quite relieved that I didn’t have to personally pick the winner; it would have been tough.

So without further adieu, the winner of the family 4 pack to the Day Out With Thomas™: The Celebration Tour 2010 at Greenfield Village is…

Congratulations to Patt Mozdzen! I hope your granddaughter enjoys her day with Thomas the Tank Engine™!

Again, thanks to everyone who participated.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Happy Earth Day! It’s hard to believe that Earth Day is actually slightly younger than me. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m older than a hippie movement? That can’t be right. 

Recycle, reuse and reduce! We need to be doing this everyday, though, not just once a year.

Weekend Roundup

1. Astronomy Day Celebration at the Detroit Science Center - Enjoy free planetarium shows with museum admission and view the sun through a telescope safely. You can also preview the Detroit Children's Museum before it re-opens in June. April 24th.

2. Segway Tours with Inside Detroit - Zoom around Detroit on these two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicles while learning about the landmarks and history of the city. April 24-45.

3. Spring Festival at Kensington Metropark Farm Center - It's getting warm out so it's time to shear the farm's flock of sheep. Other family-friendly activities include horse-drawn hayrides, candle dipping, wool spinnng, dog agility, and a clown. April 24-25.

4. Detroit Derby Girls - Watch the Pistolwhippers square off in a grudge match against the Detroit Pistoffs. Witness the fierce action of flat track roller derby first hand. April 24th.

5. Day Out With Thomas™ at Greenfield Village - Thomas the Tank Engine™ is chugging into Greenfield Village for The Celebration Tour 2010. Meet Sir Topham Hatt and take a ride around the village. April 24-25, May 1-2, May 8-9.

You still have time to win a family 4 pack of tickets to Day Out With Thomas™! Contest ends 4/22/10 at midnight.

Still can't find something to do this weekend in Detroit?

In the spirit of Earth Day I'll recycle some ideas. Head down to Eastern Market on Saturday morning, stroll down the Dequindre Cut, take in the wackiness that is Hamtramck Disneyland, check out the flowers on Belle Isle, or step inside the lobby of the Guardian Building and soak up it's beauty.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us!