John Linardos, brewer of Ghetto Blaster ale, shared a laugh with me over a New York Times article that proclaimed, “small businesses are budding around Detroit.” (Click here to read Times piece.)
“This is where all business stops,” said Linardos, owner of Motor City Brewing Works.
This seemed a fitting signpost on my latest visit to Detroit. It even reminded me of Dante: “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”
Sunday morning, my old buddy Louis Aguilar of the Detroit News, took me for a ride around town, and it was not difficult to see what Lindardos was complaining about.
I will tell the story of this little adventure with photos that I snapped, mostly from Aguilar’s car window.
As is so often reported, the still-gleaming tower that headquarters General Motors Corp. overlooks a sea of economic disaster.
Not even this dollar store survives.
But automotive work continues at Dave’s.
The sun still shines.
Homes, if nothing else, are affordable.
You can always afford a coney dog.
And some businesses are indeed budding. And they continue to advertise.
These two towers are among at least 48 empty buildings in downtown Detroit that Aguilar counted for a story he wrote for the Detroit News last summer. Click here to read more about that. By day, they look ordinary enough, but at night, these unlit monoliths cast the darkest of shadows over the city.
The Lafayette Building is being torn down after years of vacancy. But why stop there?
Nobody checks in or out. If you want to know what life would be like if you were the last human alive, visit Detroit. Still, you’ve got to be careful. Two Dutch journalists, both veteran foreign correspondants, were car-jacked trying to shoot pictures like these in April. Click here for more on that.
Wish list? Does Detroit still have a wish list?
With so many homes rotting in the wind?
And warehouses collapsing in the snow?
Get a deal on this one. It’s only been on the market for … um, ah … awhile.
Shut them down? You mean they’re not?
It’s what Alice Cooper said, “School’s out forever.”
We drove past a number of boarded-up churches. This one was still operating. But the pastor’s name did not inspire much hope.
Just in case you didn’t notice there’s a problem.
Notice the great view of GM’s towers from this gem.
Yep. This one’s for sale, too. But try not to look too anxious. Last year, when I went looking at homes like these, a real estate agent tried to give me one for free. Click here to read about that deal.
Traffic citations too expensive? Here’s help.
Where some see despair, others see art.
Apartments NOT for rent.
Even mansions aren’t immune to the malaise.
Ahh! Nothing like a cool glass of ice tea on the front porch. But watch out for the snow!
The prairie will reclaim the city in time.
Here’s one way to make money in Detroit: Rat out the neighbors.
Does insurance even pay for fires in Detroit anymore?
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
The time has long past.
