Twenty-seven days from now, I turn a year older. I'll probably do the usual adult things like invite some friends over, eat cake, and go to bed early, just like I did last year. And much like last year, I'm asking for gift-givers to direct to a worthy cause.

This year I'm asking you to get behind me and help me keep loving the students and staff of Detroit Cristo Rey High School. I've shared my stories more than a few times (and you can look forward to many more this year) and I'm excited to get this next year started off in a few days.

In anticipation for this school year, and my birthday in a few weeks, I'm asking all of you to consider donating to and supporting Detroit Cristo Rey High School. I've set up a birthday wish through Causes and would ask that, if you've considered sending me a birthday gift, you support the school instead.

Thank you all, I really appreciate your love and support.

On Thursday staff members of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (DRC) held a community meeting to share their progress on a plan for the West Riverfront. Considering that attendees represented the leadership of many local groups as well as our local State Representative, it was bound to be an important meeting.

The bulk of the presentation was done by architect and planner Randall Morton who worked with the DRC on the East Riverfront (which is now 80% complete, with the major remaining work tied up in the Uniroyal property). Morton admitted the unique aspect of the West Riverfront and how it varies from the East portion and said that the DRC has been working to draft something that meets their own goals as well as those of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and the Detroit International Bridge Company (Ambassador Bridge et al).

Morton presented a possible outcome during his presentation which I share with you here:

Lovingly hand made, by me, using Google Maps and Pixlr.com. The quality is second to none.

Red: A new "Riverside Drive" intended to make the West Riverfront more of a destination. Currently Rosa Parks Blvd, heading south toward the water, turns at a curve into Jefferson Ave heading east toward downtown. The DRC envisions making the Rosa Parks/Jefferson Ave intersection a traditional stop-sign/left-right turn option, giving people a pause facing the river and the opportunity to drive along it. This new road would be a winding, slow road with parking along it that would tie back into W Grand Blvd on the west side. There would potentially be green space on either side of the road.

Green: green space. Duh. Currently this property is owned by the DRC (the east portion), the Bridge Company and a conglomerate of railroad companies in the center, and the city on the west (Riverside Park). They tossed around several options for this green space including a bandshell, sports fields, etc. It doesn't sound like there are any "committed" options here.

Grey: a riverwalk. They envision it having a slightly different personality than the East Riverfront, something that reflects more of Southwest Detroit, but still consistent with the goals of the East Riverfront. They also included boat slips near the bridge because the land owned by the railroads includes ownership of land UNDER the river that could be used for docks. How cool would that be?

Blue: while not all of the land here is vacant, much of it is, and the visioning is that it could be mixed-use/4-8 story developments over time. The architect referenced several other cities doing similar projects including multiple parts of NYC and somewhere in Missouri. I don't remember off hand, but the vision is cool. He also mentioned that a lot of development was starting along the East Riverfront until the market collapsed. They believe this will restart as the market warms (Business Week just wrote an article suggesting Detroit's real estate will explode by 2014) and will carry over to the West Riverfront as well.

Yellow: one of the problems they felt the area had was this sense of moving away from the Riverfront. Yellow represents bringing Vernor Hwy "back to the water" using the rail beds that currently exist, tying it into 14th street (which is currently divided by the rail bed at this point). They also want to extend some of the numbered streets down to the water and tie in heavy greenway space back to Corktown, Mexicantown and especially Clark Park. They targeted Grand Blvd, Rosa Parks, and Trumbull as major entry points. On the East Riverfront, the Dequindre Cut serves as an entryway from neighborhoods to the Riverfront and it seems like they are committed to the same thing.

Potential Problems.

The Players. Obviously this involves the Bridge Company who are not exactly "team players" when it comes to the community. Dan Stamper, voice of Matty Moroun, was present and was given a cool reception by the crowd. Obviously the DRC is playing nice because they need land use, but they also mentioned several times that they don't want to impede what the Bridge Company "needs to do." It also involves the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation which is unpredictable at times. It remains to be seen how much of a roadblock or support mechanism they will be moving forward.

Some neighbors. Based upon the drawings presented, it looks like the Riverfront would cede a small portion of the north end of Riverside Park for the new Riverside Drive/road. A friend of mine is very active with Riverside Park and expressed disgust that any part of the park would be given up. I don't know how loud this group would get if it came to that and it is important that their concerns are heard. In my opinion gaining 70 acres of riverfront greenspace is a huge win, even if we sacrifice 5 acres of a city park, but I am just one voice in the matter. Continuity must be maintained as well as options (ball fields, community space, etc.) are available. In addition, some people are so anti-Bridge Company that they seem willing to fight anything that works with them. I could imagine a few people fighting DRC decisions if they seem pro-Matty Moroun.

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Summary

This has a long way to go but progress is being made. The DRC bought the east portion of the land last year (formerly the Free Press property) and is working with the railroads and bridge company on the center aspect. They seem very eager to work with everyone on this while they are trying to wrap up the big remaining piece on the East Riverfront (the Uniroyal site, which apparently has environmental issues being resolved). They made it sound like it is a 3-5 year plan for the West Riverfront and none of the drawings, etc. are committed to, but they are actively working on it. Hopefully the community gets engaged and involved in this project and can help shape the future of the West Riverfront. I am personally excited by the information presented and I hope that we can see this come into vision within the next few years.

When I started riding the bus regularly last fall, I noticed several of the same characters. Tony, the driver that I wrote about in March, was always the most regular personality, filling me in on many of the stories he has heard over the 26 years of driving. Eventually Tony got shuffled off to a new route and in came Stefan, a driver with 30-some-odd years of driving who took to calling me "Joe Regular" when I asked him (the first day I saw him) where the "regular guy" was at that day. The nickname stuck with me the whole time he drove the route.

Since I have gone full-time at Detroit Cristo Rey High School I ride the bus at a much later time, well after the morning drivers have gone home. My routine is off or rather, I have a new routine, one that means I don't know what to expect when I get on the bus each day.

Except for Mike.

The aforementioned driver, Tony, first introduced me to Mike or rather Mike introduced himself on one of Tony's buses. Mike is a character that seems stuck in another era. Wearing a hipster-quality fedora but two generations too old for trendiness, Mike is overflowing of bits and pieces of Detroit history. For most people, Mike is annoying, for it seems his brain often repeats conversations from past days. One guy a little older than me told me that Mike worked concessions at Tiger Stadium a long time ago and that the kids all tried to take advantage of how nice he was by getting free food and drinks. It didn't sound like it worked (let's be honest, sports concessions is a streamlined operation). Another rider told me something about "not believing the bullshit The Crazy says" which set Tony off onto a rant about respect, etc. This was one of my first rides with Tony and Mike together and about the only thing I could do was observe and learn. 

Mike truly is a character. Each conversation is usually the same as the one before and Mike usually asks me the same three questions:

"Is your dad still alive?"

"Can you say 'incredible'?"

"Which of the old theatres do you miss the most?"

We've talked about these things every time I've been on the bus with him. Mike has me spell words out loud, he talks about the shows he saw at the theatres back in the day (many of which are unsavory for polite company, it seems), and he wonders aloud why Mike Illitch doesn't buy every theatre in Detroit and fix it up (apparently he doesn't know that Illitch has bought most of the theatres in Detroit and torn them down!). He talks about trophies and medals, marvels that my father is still alive, and tells me about the bottles and dollar bills he finds on his journeys. Mike is a wanderer, both physically and mentally, and he's also the most jovial person I have ever met. He doesn't like to talk about himself, even when pressed, and I have yet to hear anything about where he grew up, where he stays now, or even what he did in a past life. He's a regular Alexander Supertramp, he's hard to figure out, and frankly, I love him for it.

I realized Mike is my friend when somebody started ridiculing and I injected. I'm generally more passive than I want to be but I got on some random guy's case over the issue. It was not a big issue in my mind and was settled quickly, but Mike seemed to appreciate it in his own way. Almost always a shaker of hands, Mike gave me a fist bump as I exited the bus, not saying anything about the brief exchange but grinning from ear to ear. And more importantly to Mike, he gave me the parting phrase he's given so many others, the phrase that means you really are friends:

"You're a helluva guy, I tell you that. I'll give you the trophy, and the medal. Helluva guy."

It's not often that a school has a chance to win $500,000 which is why we at Detroit Cristo Rey High School have decided to push so hard to win one of the 20 top spots. We are a school that serves those in the lowest economic brackets in the inner city of Detroit and frankly, we need your help to provide the best resources and opportunities for our kids!

I know a million people invite you to Facebook events, applications, etc. but this is rather important. Nobody's virtual farm is at stake, but $500,000 for inner city Detroit education is on the line here. If we could secure this funding it would ensure that our students have access to resources such as Smartboards and classroom computers while giving them the opportunity to experience field trips to our local museums and science center. There are plenty of other reasons I can give as to why you should do this for me, but I'll leave you with this:

To vote for Detroit Cristo Rey High School, click here. We need your help!

Over the weekend my wife and I visited my beautiful hometown. Ripe with new development, a thriving downtown, and more picturesque waterfront than most places in the country, Traverse City is a perfect example of new construction, environmental preservation, and a historic district or two thriving together. It has taken many years, serious investment and a few celebrity endorsements to make everything happen but suddenly Traverse City's culture and persona have grown and thrived in ways only imaginable 10 years ago (I wonder, too, how much better the city has been as a direct result of my leaving).

One of the most beautiful, unique and somewhat-eerie areas of Traverse City are the old state hospital grounds. Closed in 1989, the sprawling former Traverse City State Hospital grounds became a historic ghost town of sorts, with many of my friends claiming to have heard screams from the buildings that formerly housed psychiatric patients for the state of Michigan. While this was undoubtedly legend, these massive ground became something of a redeveloper's fantasy. People always dreamed of what it could become but it never quite came to anything. Until 2001.

In April of 2001, a local developer assembled a team and was granted a redevelopment agreement on the largest building, Building 50. Over the course of several years, this team turned a massive hulk of history into a thriving community of commercial, retail and residential, changing the minds of many in the area as well. Suddenly what was once an "eye sore" became a beacon of Traverse City's will to thrive and preserve its history. The Villages at Grand Traverse Commons is a spectacle to behold.

As we drove back to Detroit, I started thinking about how the Commons in Traverse City run parallel to the Michigan Central Station here. A beautiful, historic building(s), shuttered since the 1980s, facing a "no hope of redevelopment" bill from most of the public. The neighbors hold out hope, however, despite the negativity and large price tag.

It could happen. It should happen. Imagine it. Somebody get Ray Minervini on the line, I've got a project for him...

Tuesday night I took off the green apron and walked out of Starbucks 9322 (Detroit @ Mack and Woodward) for the last time. It felt Starbucks has been good to me over the years and despite the weird hours, the minimal pay and the sometimes grumpy customers, it was entirely worth it.

I landed at Starbucks during a period of unemployment and it turned into nearly three years behind the bar. Never expecting to make the friends I did, I can honestly say the last three years would have been a whole lot less interesting without the experiences at Starbucks stores 2424, 2278, and 9322. I calculated a few numbers to figure out what, exactly the impact was on my life. Consider:

• 60,000: the estimated number of drinks I made, using some base averages
• 50: the minimum number of Starbucks partners I worked with over the span of my employment.
• 4: the number of stores I worked shifts at during my tenure.

Exciting news hit Detroit on Monday when the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, and a horde (literally, a horde) of other politicians announced that the proposed Woodward Light Rail is fully funded. The only thing that remains before construction can begin is an Environmental Impact Study which, if all goes according to plan, should put construction on pace to start in 2011 and the entire project slated to be complete by 2016.

(map courtesy of Google Maps, clever line and text created using Pixlr.com)

If I had the capital, I’d buy a few lots in the 8 Mile/Woodward Ave area and offer secure, lighted parking. Here’s why:

- The Central Business District (labeled DBD on the map) serves thousands of commuting employees every day. If they were able to leave their vehicles north of the office they could commute using the Light Rail each day, travel less in the car, and have the opportunity to unwind on their way home from work without being in the car, at least for a while.

- Fox Town includes Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers), Ford Field (Detroit Lions), the Fox Theatre, the Fillmore, and plenty of food and drink options. Ford Field brings 60,000 people to Fox Town 8 Sundays a year. Comerica Park brings 20,000-40,000 people to the neighborhood 81 times a year. The Fox and Fillmore host concerts several times a week. Commuters, imagine being able to avoid the mammoth traffic hassle after leaving a football game!

- The Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Hospital campuses are both along this route, providing access to visitors and patients who can’t travel by car.

- Wayne State University has over 30,000 students, a significant majority of whom commute to campus. Those throughout the city of Detroit have a more reliable option of getting to campus, those in the suburbs have a park-and-ride option, and students on campus will be able to get around the city in a much easier fashion.

- The Amtrak station to Chicago is located on Woodward. You'd be able to go from 8 Mile/Woodward to Union Station in Chicago by train.

- The Arts district, including MOCAD, the Detroit Historical Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts, are all on Woodward Avenue.

Don't forget the many other attractions along this path including the Renaissance Center, Hart Plaza, the Riverwalk and Cobo Hall/Joe Louis Arena just to name a few. Tens of thousands of people could be moving into and out of the city of Detroit to work, live, shop, eat and play. The stronger the links between the city and the suburbs, the more people will realize how much there is to offer inside the city as well. I could easily list the number of top notch restaurants in the city that most of my friends from the suburbs miss because they are simply not down here very often. The easier the opportunities for them to come explore the city, the stronger we will see our small business community and economy. Likewise, the easier we make visiting the places our friends live, work and play, the stronger and more unified the region becomes. 

Quick to admit that there is still work to be done to see this to fruition, I strongly reject the usual attitude of negativity that so many throw our way. Shortly after the news, a customer told me that "you'll have grandkids before this train is running, that's how Detroit works." No, sir, it is not! There are plenty of wheels spinning, people making a difference, businesses opening, churches growing, neighborhoods thriving, and gardens being planted. I can't see how this could be written off as a "I'll believe it when I see it" when, quite frankly, there are a lot of new, exciting things to see and believe already.

Get on board people, the train to/from downtown Detroit is on its way!

For more information, check out:

"Detroit transit news: Woodward Light Rail on track to extend from the riverfront to 8 Mile Road" (Model D Media)

"Detroit moves forward with plan for light-rail project" (Detroit News)

When news of ABC's new fall cop drama "Detroit 1-8-7" first hit, the initial reaction from the Detroit crowd was pretty negative. Styled as a mocumentary (camera crews following the characters in the vein of The Office), it looked like it would be cast in a bit of a disparaging light, something we're all working to get past here in the big D.

Things happened here over the summer, real stories, that changed how the Detroit 1-8-7 crew is approaching the show. Ditching the mocumentary style for a traditional scripted format, the cast and crew has relocated to the area to film on location. That in itself ($25 million in economic benefit for the first season alone) is an encouraging sign for the city and the show. It's the first prime-time drama to be fully produced in Detroit and while it has been received in mixed ways by the city leadership, the fact that they are producing it here is a big deal (they could always pack up and film on a sound stage in California, or anywhere really).

Sunday's Free Press featured a section on the show as well as interviews with two cast members. These interviews have encouraged me to give the show a fair shake. Consider:

We're really hoping that "Detroit 1-8-7" is to Detroit how "Law & Order" or the New York Yankees are to New York -- big institutions that the city really got behind.

Yeah, there are crimes and there are problems; like every city Detroit has its share. And there will be attention drawn to the city, but when people's awareness is raised, ironically, that's when problems get addressed.

Over the past few weeks, several large companies have announced moves into the downtown Detroit business district, bringing with them 5600 or more jobs by mid 2012. This exciting news continues in our favor, despite the regular barrage of negativity toward our political and economic climate. But more intriguing to me than the economic news are the announcements from the unlikely places.

We have three privately-owned casinos in Detroit, all of which bring with them the positives (jobs, economic growth, musical entertainment) and negatives (gambling, addictions) that you expect with casinos. I think every rational person can come up with a variety of expected outcomes from the gambling industry, but I doubt anyone predicted this:

"Urban farming takes root at MGM Grand"

Partnership with nonprofit to educate area school kids

A $1,000,000 investment in urban gardening by a casino is an encouraging undertaking, especially since they have partnered with one of our leading gardening/environment-based nonprofits. Other awesome facts include:

• The garden, sheds and greenhouse are all being constructed on what is currently a vacant lot. No demolition of existing buildings is needed to make this happen.
• By partnering with the Greening of Detroit, the garden will be used to help educate the youth of the city. Healthy food options are not as readily available here in the city so by exposing our kids to them now, we might potentially change a lifestyle of eating habits.
• The harvest of the garden will be used "to supply the casino's restaurants, to sell to other local restaurants and donate to emergency food providers." Local food into local business and shelters is a great way to incubate our fledgling economy.

The final day of network training wrapped up at lunch time today and I'm left with a lot of time to reflect on the wonderful experiences of the training. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn valuable teaching and classroom tasks with these many wonderful people and I'm left wondering how I will implement everything to be sure my classroom is highly effective (I'm sure this is trademarked by Covey or somebody) every day.

Wednesday Evening was spent in Lincoln Square with my friend Adrianna, one of many people I've shared time with online but never off (until now). We had a delicious meal with tasty drinks at Bad Dog Tavern and were able to enjoy the nice Chicago evening on the patio with the city lights, the sleazy Christmas-style patio lights, and somebody's beautiful mutt of a dog. Five hours later I made it back to Loyola's campus, filled with food, drink and fantastic conversation.

Thursday morning turned out to be rather administrative, with training on how to find existing Cristo Rey Network resources for teachers. The interaction between teachers network wide is great, but the fact that we can contextualize it after this week's training solidifies the quality of the educators in the network (in my mind). Educators new and old working together to ensure that we "Transform Urban America One Student at a Time" inspires me to keep doing this work.

Also in the inspiration category is my (now former) district manager from Starbucks. She and I talked about me leaving the company today and I've never been so encouraged about quitting a job. She thanked me for the hard work and congratulated me on the full-time opportunity at Detroit Cristo Rey while also commenting that "the partners at the store are truly going to miss your presence at the store." A humbling comment from a good boss.

Found in a classroom building at Loyola University

Finally today wrapped up with a few hours of downtime with many of my new Chicagoland friends. A bunch of 20-somethings committed to social justice, working in a Jesuit school for low-income students and living together in community for two years. It reminds me of some dear people that I already miss....Dave, Megan, Hannah, and John (who will be back next year!)...we went to a local coffee house just blocks from Loyola's campus and laughed for hours. It was great to bond with them around such important affinities and make plans to hang out as often as possible.

It's exciting to bring back such a wealth of information (and stories!) to my classroom and students. Hopefully the energy and enthusiasm of the training will make a huge impact on the learning environment, the school and, most importantly the lives of our teachers and students.