The Incorrigible City: Detroit

by Grant Martin on

I’ve spent the better part of ten years around the city of Detroit, but except for brief forays into the city for DEMF or to visit St. Andrew’s Hall, have been too shy to spend much time downtown. To many of us metropolitan folk, Detroit is trouble. Dirt, crime, poverty, empty buildings and dilapidation, while not really that prevalent downtown, is what many people come to view the city as, and perhaps as a result, much of the core has suffered.

Detroit has a much more to offer, however, the old city full of culture, rich architecture and history. You just have to look in the right places. The Incorrigible City, a new blog about Detroit, does just that.

The blog looks past much of the grime that Detroit has now collected and is an interesting look at the culture, architecture and development of Michigan’s largest city. It’s stories hit a particular chord right now, too, as the automotive industry begins to crumble and jobs and people flee from the state. It’s a sobering, beautiful look at the city, but well worth the visit.

Who Wins and Who Loses in Delta-Northwest Merger?

by Josh Lew on

Gadling has been closely following the merger between air travel giants Delta and Northwest Airlines. The marriage of the two carriers was recently approved by the Department of Justice. But what does this mean for the people on the ground and in the air? Aside from seeing new color schemes on the staff and aircraft, there are all those frequent flier miles Northwest patrons have been saving. Jamie recently wrote about what to do with them. Customers stand to pay higher prices when the merger takes hold. Delta will be in a more dominant position than before. That usually means higher prices.

But what about the staff of Northwest Airlines? Here in Minneapolis, strikes by Northwest employees have been commonplace over the past few years. On the positive side, the merger will mean that Delta, which has recently been more stable than Northwest, will be in control. But job cuts are probably coming. Employees may find themselves cut from the company because their position has become redundant. Northwest will most likely see job cuts at their hub in Minneapolis, while Delta’s second tier hub in Cincinnati will lose out to Northwest’s Detroit base. So the airline’s employees will be working for a more stable company, if they can survive the job cuts. Because Delta has the upper hand in the whole process, most watchers expect Northwest workers will bear the brunt of the lay-offs.

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Detroit airport renovates

by Grant Martin on

Most people don’t know that Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) has two terminals, the McNamara terminal controlled by Northwest Airlines and various Skyteam partners and the Smith terminal, home to the other stragglers including United and Spirit. The reason that few people know about Smith is that it’s kind of a dump. Anyone who has flown through the terminal in the last five years has been horrified at the filth, disrepair and general stench of the facitilites, and frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if that has helped Northwest reap some profit.

Really, it couldn’t go on much longer, so the Metro Airport Authority authorized the construction of the (to be named?) North Terminal, to be opened September 17th. With this terminal’s completion, Detroit will now have two respectable terminals, which locals hope should inject some competition and energy into the local economy.

So how does it look? Gadling had the opportunity to attend the opening gala last friday and took some photos for the world. In a few words? It’s nice. It’s significantly smaller than McNamara terminal and less stylized — no high, swooping ceilings, moving walkways or TV screens on the walls — but it gets the job done. A variety of standard stores are in place, including a Brookstone, Coffee Beanery and McDonalds and everything has a very functional look about it. It’s an amazingly fresh breath of air from the Smith Terminal. Take a look below.

Lets hope the North terminal spurs some more airlines to call Detroit home, compete with Northwest and bring prices down.

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Northwest Flight Makes Emergency Landing

by Josh Lew on

Visitors to an air show at Dayton Int’l Airport got more excitement than they paid for when a Northwest Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on the runway during the festivities.

The flight originated in Tampa and was bound for Detroit. The crew decided to land when one of the computers connected to an engine failed. The pilot landed at the nearest airport, which happened to be Dayton, as a precaution.

No one was injured.

The air show was stopped for about half-an-hour while the plane landed. Spectators were made aware of the situation over the air show’s public address system. They applauded when the plane landed (and no doubt had something extra to talk about on the way home).

The plane’s passengers were not able to hang around for the end of the show, however. They were whisked away to Detroit by bus.

Actually, the successful emergency landing might have been a welcome event for Northwest’s public relations department. They finally have something to talk about besides bankruptcy and their recent merger with Delta.

Photo: Flickr user Sakurako Kitsa

Autopalooza August is part of Michigan’s Year of the Car

by Jamie Rhein on

As pointed out in this article in the Detroit Free Press, this summer marks the 100th birthday of the Model T AND the beginnings of General Motors Corporation.

Just think what a difference 100 years have made in car travel. Even though gas prices have jumped tremendously, Detroit would be a fun place to celebrate the car. Detroit could use some tourist dollars besides and Autopalooza August, the multi-location festival series looks like it could be a winner.

There are five major happenings going on each week from the end of July to the end of August.

  • The Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance in Rochester
  • Cruisin’ Motor Cities in downtown Detroit
  • Detroit Festival of Speed
  • The Woodward Dream Cruise through the suburbs
  • Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix

July and September also have car related events. There is a parade in Flint on July 20 and a Model T gathering at the Ford World Headquarters. Each of these are part of Michigan’s Year of the Car.

If you do go to Detroit, Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum are close by and worth a trip to Michigan on their own. You can, tour both as a package deal. If you can swing two days, one for each place, that’s better. You can thank car money for giving Henry Ford the umph to think up these two very different museums. On June 14-15 is Motor Muster Weekend and the village will be open until 9 p.m. on those days.

On the other side of the entertainment spectrum, check out Grant’s post on Detroit’s Motor City Casino. For info about travel happenings in Michigan, check out www.motorcities.org. There is a map that shows the cities where attractions are. By clicking on drop down menus, you can see what each place offers. Clever.