Crunch Time

I'm back in Ann Arbor after a short but sweet visit at home in Germantown last weekend. I spent last Saturday carving pumpkins with my family, including my cousins Miranda, Malinda and Madeline :) Our front yard was converted into a pumpkin patch for special effect! Mom had the best food-everything from potato skins to creepy finger cookies and Dad made his famous buttermilk pancakes on Sunday.

I went back to Madison with Kyle and Alyssa to visit friends for a few days. In the time I had, I tried to fit in as much as the city had to offer: waffles at Indie Coffeehouse, cheese curds from the Old Fashioned, $1 taps at the Vintage, and a pumpkin latte from Espresso Royale. It was great to catch up with family and friends but lots of work awaited me in Ann Arbor upon return!

At least I was able to schedule in some fun time for myself during the past week. I had a birthday dinner/ice cream/drinks with friends on Wednesday night to celebrate my 23rd-yikes! Then last night I attended a costume party where I played the part of Governor Palin. I even had a rifle...just in case any wolves or moose wandered in from the streets.

Well, I have two papers due this week, a group project and another paper next week. I'll be spending election night in Detroit so I need to get everything done by this coming Sunday...we'll see how that goes. I'll post some pictures of recent events sometime soon, once all the craziness settles down. 

Peace.

Weekend in Detroit

Last Saturday I was in Detroit to work at Creekside's bike tour fundraiser.  It was a great day because my coworker Rachel and I also made it to two farmers' markets (one in Ypsilanti-a city just outside of Ann Arbor-and the other in Detroit).  She purchased a peck of apples (which is a quarter of a bushel, in case you were wondering) and I got some grape tomatoes, potatoes, and little squash.  We also split an amazing sweet potato pie and 7-up pound cake.  It was fabulous.  After working at the bike tour, Rachel, Sam (another coworker) and I went on a community walk and passed out Creekside information to residents for a few hours.  Then we headed downtown for my first real introduction to the city.  Above is a picture of the GM Renaissance Center which was pretty sweet.  It's a bit tricky to navigate on the inside but it has some interesting architecture, stores, and restaurants on the inside, as well as a hotel!  It's situated on the Detroit River, directly across from Windsor, Canada.

We took the Detroit People Mover to the riverfront.  It was my first experience on a public rail since Europe.  I can't say it was as efficient as the ones I experienced abroad but it definitely lives up to its name!  The rail is elevated well above street level so we got a pretty good view of the buildings.  It snaked around Greektown, one of the most popular parts of the city, and would have eventually looped us back to the beginning (exemplifying how this mode of transportation isn't the most efficient or convenient way

 to get around).  

My favorite stop was at the Labor Legacy Landmark.  It's a gigantic vertical ring with a base of solidarity quotes from famous labor organizers and other activists.  Behind the ring is another shot of the Ren Center.

All in all, the day was tons of fun.  I knew lots of readings, projects, and other work was waiting for me in Ann Arbor but the day made me excited to spend more time in Detroit during this next year.  I am also hoping to find an apartment to sublet downtown during the summer so I can cut my commute time during my days in field.  

Tomorrow starts another busy week.  I'm excited to get through it as quickly as possible because I'm going home next weekend for fall break!  I'll be in Germantown for my sister's birthday weekend and then visit Madison for a few days.  More to come later!