My new style Dearborn-native friend Suzan continues to be a wealth of information. So far today I've learned more about Dearborn's old mayor, Mayor Hubbard, who was such a fierce racist that blacks from Detroit heading west would intentionally go around Dearborn to avoid him and his police force; that to get a pass (even a day pass) to the local recreation center, you had to be a Dearborn resident and that Hubbard kept blacks out of Dearborn (as did Henry Ford) which means they weren't hanging out at the rec center.
We also drove by the old Montgomery Ward site. I say "old" because, well, they done blown that shit up. Yup, the place where two of my main characters had an office is now dust. RIP Montgomery Ward Dearborn.
I also got to canvass around Dearborn Heights today which I'll do again a few more times before election day.
Lastly, Suzan's family and I went into Detroit to see a film. Before and after the film, Suzan and her sisters pointed out a myriad of local landmarks (the Fisher Building, Hitsville, U.S.A. (the home of Motown), the Fox Theatre, the new casinos and their geneses, the Wayne State University campus and the Detroit Institute of the Arts, to name a few). I'll see them again Friday night and hope to speak to a brother-in-law of Suzan's who used to work for Ford. Needless to say, I've been very fortunate to meet some good, informative people pretty quickly.
In other news, supposedly "book trailers" are all the rage as marketing tools. I kinda like the idea, though it also kind of defeats the purpose of a book (and being a writer) if you still have to sell your idea/work via a visual image/film. Regardless, I came up with about five different ideas for trailers last night. Buiser, if you're reading this, I'm gonna knock on your door, bro.
Showing posts with label Hubbard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hubbard. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Day One in Dearborn
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I arrived at the Dearborn Bed & Breakfast on 22331 Morley Avenue at around 1:30pm; the snow so fresh that a number of driveways had yet to be cleared. Am staying in the Walnut Room on the second floor which is drafty, but beautiful and spacious - at least by New York standards. After getting settled, I spoke with the innkeeper about local attractions and posed some of the questions about the area.
The innkeeper, who has lived here for approximately 45 years after moving with her husband from the Cleveland area upon his taking a job with Ford, is a white woman probably in her sixties. She is very kind and hospitable. She also has a good sense of the changes that have taken place in the area, though I don’t think she’s one to be critical or negative.
She admitted that the local economy was not in good shape, mainly because of Ford and GM (also that white collar workers (like her two sons, who seem to be safe in their jobs) are often the first to get the axe) and that old Mayor Hubbard was not one for allowing blacks or immigrants to live in Dearborn: They could work here, but that’s all.
She said that the Arab population was mainly in East Dearborn (off of Michigan Avenue near City Hall and the old Montgomery Ward which has been abandoned for years) and Melvindale; that West Dearborn was mainly white; and that Inkster was mainly black. She added that there was a Mexican neighborhood in Detroit, but that there wasn’t a particularly large Hispanic presence locally.
While she did delineate ethnicities and neighborhoods, she also went so far as to say that these lines were not so clearly drawn; that there was a good mix of black, white and Arab all around. She also said that there had been no white flight. That being said, she gave an example of a family that moved before their white child was to enter a school that was 99% black…
I had dinner at Miller’s Bar which the innkeeper recommended for their burgers. Miller’s is right off of Michigan Avenue - the main drag; it has a big, clear sign, but then no signs on either of its doors which gives it a prohibition dive bar feel, until you enter and it’s spic and span. Indeed, my medium rare cheeseburger – served bloody, thank god – was tasty and tender. The fries, on the other hand, had the backbone of the local economy. The burger was served with a slice of onion wrapped in parchment on the side and a jar of sliced pickles on the table. On tap? Miller or Miller Light. I chose Miller and was served what appeared to be a half-pint; which Lucy would order by saying, “One up” to the bartender. Two all day.
Eating at 8:20pm on a Tuesday night, I missed the main dinner rush, but as Lucy my server informed me, that usually hadn’t mattered. She attributed the low turnout to either the snow and cold weather, the economy or both. There wasn’t a soul at the bar, most of the patrons were middle aged and all were white. As was the staff.
I was informed that Miller’s is cash only and that they work on the honor system. I received no bill from Lucy; I just have to go up to the bar, tell the bartender what I had and pay him. And so I did.
As I leave it either begins to flurry or the wind kicks up and blows the earlier snow around. The parking lot in the back is all American made to a car.
My initial drives up and down Michigan Avenue (in tandem with my conversation with the innkeeper) draw some points of note. First, there are all the requisite chain/big box stores. Second, there are a number of empty stores, even stores of renown. I took these to be a sign of the weak local economy. The innkeeper mentioned that a number of stores and buildings had been torn down and replaced with new buildings (mainly residential apartments and lofts with a commercial presence on the ground floor) – so perhaps these empties are just awaiting the wrecking ball before new structures go up. If what she says is true, then the area probably benefited from the housing boom like the rest of the country. Whether or not the area can weather the automotive industry’s woes, the popping of the housing bubble and the sub-prime credit mess is another matter.
Like a moron, I left my digital camera at home.
Wednesday I visited The Henry Ford and the Arab American National Museum. More tomorrow.
I arrived at the Dearborn Bed & Breakfast on 22331 Morley Avenue at around 1:30pm; the snow so fresh that a number of driveways had yet to be cleared. Am staying in the Walnut Room on the second floor which is drafty, but beautiful and spacious - at least by New York standards. After getting settled, I spoke with the innkeeper about local attractions and posed some of the questions about the area.
The innkeeper, who has lived here for approximately 45 years after moving with her husband from the Cleveland area upon his taking a job with Ford, is a white woman probably in her sixties. She is very kind and hospitable. She also has a good sense of the changes that have taken place in the area, though I don’t think she’s one to be critical or negative.
She admitted that the local economy was not in good shape, mainly because of Ford and GM (also that white collar workers (like her two sons, who seem to be safe in their jobs) are often the first to get the axe) and that old Mayor Hubbard was not one for allowing blacks or immigrants to live in Dearborn: They could work here, but that’s all.
She said that the Arab population was mainly in East Dearborn (off of Michigan Avenue near City Hall and the old Montgomery Ward which has been abandoned for years) and Melvindale; that West Dearborn was mainly white; and that Inkster was mainly black. She added that there was a Mexican neighborhood in Detroit, but that there wasn’t a particularly large Hispanic presence locally.
While she did delineate ethnicities and neighborhoods, she also went so far as to say that these lines were not so clearly drawn; that there was a good mix of black, white and Arab all around. She also said that there had been no white flight. That being said, she gave an example of a family that moved before their white child was to enter a school that was 99% black…
I had dinner at Miller’s Bar which the innkeeper recommended for their burgers. Miller’s is right off of Michigan Avenue - the main drag; it has a big, clear sign, but then no signs on either of its doors which gives it a prohibition dive bar feel, until you enter and it’s spic and span. Indeed, my medium rare cheeseburger – served bloody, thank god – was tasty and tender. The fries, on the other hand, had the backbone of the local economy. The burger was served with a slice of onion wrapped in parchment on the side and a jar of sliced pickles on the table. On tap? Miller or Miller Light. I chose Miller and was served what appeared to be a half-pint; which Lucy would order by saying, “One up” to the bartender. Two all day.
Eating at 8:20pm on a Tuesday night, I missed the main dinner rush, but as Lucy my server informed me, that usually hadn’t mattered. She attributed the low turnout to either the snow and cold weather, the economy or both. There wasn’t a soul at the bar, most of the patrons were middle aged and all were white. As was the staff.
I was informed that Miller’s is cash only and that they work on the honor system. I received no bill from Lucy; I just have to go up to the bar, tell the bartender what I had and pay him. And so I did.
As I leave it either begins to flurry or the wind kicks up and blows the earlier snow around. The parking lot in the back is all American made to a car.
My initial drives up and down Michigan Avenue (in tandem with my conversation with the innkeeper) draw some points of note. First, there are all the requisite chain/big box stores. Second, there are a number of empty stores, even stores of renown. I took these to be a sign of the weak local economy. The innkeeper mentioned that a number of stores and buildings had been torn down and replaced with new buildings (mainly residential apartments and lofts with a commercial presence on the ground floor) – so perhaps these empties are just awaiting the wrecking ball before new structures go up. If what she says is true, then the area probably benefited from the housing boom like the rest of the country. Whether or not the area can weather the automotive industry’s woes, the popping of the housing bubble and the sub-prime credit mess is another matter.
Like a moron, I left my digital camera at home.
Wednesday I visited The Henry Ford and the Arab American National Museum. More tomorrow.
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