Settling In - Month One

urban farm

It was just one month ago that we were first waking up in Detroit. It seems as close as yesterday and yet NYC feels a million miles away. Over the past few weeks since our whirlwind move and Detroit Bike City, we've been quickly learning about the city and getting used to its quirks. Our transition into a new community has been made far easier by our friendly new housemates and awesome old Victorian house where we all live. Some days are spent rushing around to meetings, while others have been solely for staying at home working on the computer, meanwhile stocking the wood stove (which heats the whole house), arranging and rearranging our room, and experimenting in the kitchen. We've honed our DIY skills by handmaking various juices, almond milk, pulp-laden breads, a gallon jar of salsa, granola, yogurt, and fresh-roasted coffee. Needless to say, the housemates haven't minded our homebody days one bit. The house is full of excellent cooks and we've had some fantastic family dinners. It's also certainly more comfortable than a dilapidated warehouse - which is where we had originally envisioned ourselves living right off the bat. While in reality our bed is really just a pile of blankets in the corner of a chilly attic, it sure feels like home. We've both felt very comfortable in Woodbridge so far. Our housemates have brought us around to places like the local community farm, meanwhile we've been meeting our neighbors gradually, yet all over the city. We're graced with close proximity to a place which throws shows, and live punk can often be heard through the closed windows, which should be both a treat and a terror in the summer.

granola

While neither of us has found a side gig yet, although we've been chasing leads, our days have been pretty packed. Our bicycles have served us well as we zoom across town between meetings with new connections and drinks with friends. So far, we've biked through the Southwest, the far East Side, several suburbs, along the waterfront, and all over the middle of the city. It's particularly striking to bike past the train station, which always feels like a giant sentinel at the deserted gateway to the Southwest as we zoom down the hill and through the long tunnel beneath the bridges overhead. A little further down the road, the congested freeways below look delightfully absurd.

Kyle and Nain

We've visited a number of Detroit destinations which are - at least in our books - pretty cool. So far we've been very impressed with the bars and cafes here. Our trips to Recycle Here are the most fun I've ever had recycling and Super Greenland's Wild Wednesday produce sale exceeded our expectations. As for Eastern Market, we've only visited it in the late afternoon on a Saturday, but the slim pickings are worth it for the bargains and scavenge. The neighborhood shops are very friendly and we got a lot out of our visit to OmniCorp for open hack night. Back on our side of town, every time we go to Avalon bakery, we see familiar faces from all over town. As for events, our time in Detroit so far has included a lot of wild events for such a chilly season. Our first weekend in Detroit included the Corktown St. Patrick's Day festivities, where we were far faster (and safer) on our bikes than our friends were in cars. The next weekend was Le Nain Rouge, which we spent either standing on the Schooner or following the Detroit Party Marching Band. If you aren't local to Detroit, look up the event; it really says a lot about the spirit of the city, in my humble opinion. We were once again in the band's entourage for the Tiger's Opening Day, once again costumed and with the cargo bike. Next week - band practice. Meanwhile, after a dinner party at SpreadArt, it appears we might be playing in the band for their theatre company in residency this weekend. Another bit of high culture has been a visit to the Detroit Film Theatre, which is a beautiful way to weather the day's storm. As for sports, we were given free tickets to a Tiger's game, which seemed like a necessary experience for newcomers. On the business side of things, our quest for shop space and equipment is finally bearing fruit. For as many places as we've seen and people who we've met so far, it's surely only the tip of the iceberg.

bull

In the midst of all this, granted the lack of day jobs has afforded us a lot of time, we also managed almost a week in Chicago via Megabus. Some work was done and fun was had with family, at Critical Mass, test riding cargo bikes at Ciclo Urbano (West Town Bikes), hunting for Easter eggs with drunken adults, and seeing John Greenfield play at Heritage Bicycles. Less fun - doing taxes on April Fool's Day. We had even squeezed in a podcast interview with the Vegan Pedicab. This made for an accomplished week, considering we'd started it getting interviewed in Detroit by Modeshift for a web article. So, with a load of clothes, knickknacks, and instruments from Chicago filling out our room, we've been settling into our strange and new life in Detroit - so far, so good.

tigers

xo
Leslie
(and Kyle over my shoulder)