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Dumbest ad campaign ever

May 30, 2012 by rachel

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Brooklyn Industries–who makes decent, but overpriced, trendy clothes–has launched a storefront ad campaign featuring quotes from Brooklynites about how “cool” and “diverse” Brooklyn is, and how “proud” we are to say that we live here. I first saw it at their Upper West Side location, and I thought, “Wow, this store must not be doing well here, so they felt they had to convince UWS-ers that Brooklyn style is alright.” But then I saw it at their Bedford Avenue location in Williamsburg! Um, I don’t think that Williamsburg-ers need to be convinced that living in Brooklyn is hip. They gave it that rep.

Posted in Brooklyn, Design, New York City | Leave a Comment »

Looking for a Kickstarter project to support? Try these ones!

May 30, 2012 by rachel

Acquaintances of mine who run a kooky, experimental design project called spurse are trying to Kickstart a project called “Eat Your Sidewalk!” that will merge local food, public art, and urban revitalization. They plan to hold a 7-day challenge where people only eat what they find under their feet, on the sidewalk, in order to raise awareness about our immediate environments. This will happen in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Detroit, over the summer.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Design, food, Art, Literature, Detroit | Leave a Comment »

Are Millennial Detroiters just lazy hipsters?

May 29, 2012 by rachel

I say no! My article for GOOD’s Hustlin’ column, which looks at how Millennials are creatively making do in the Great Recession.

Plus, my article on how food is revitalizing the Motor City, for Dowser.

Posted in Detroit, Economy, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Justice | Leave a Comment »

The ahistorical aesthetics of Ruin Porn

May 26, 2012 by rachel

An excellent 2011 Guernica article by John Patrick Leary:

“In viewing Detroit Disassembled and The Ruins of Detroit, one is conscious of nothing so much as failure—of the city itself, of course, but also of the photographs to communicate anything more than that self-evident fact. This is the meta-irony of these often ironic pictures: Though they trade on the peculiarity of Detroit as living ruin, these are pictures of historical oblivion. The decontextualized aesthetics of ruin make them pictures of nothing and no place in particular. Detroit in these artists’ work is, likewise, a mass of unique details that fails to tell a complete story. Both books Continue Reading »

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Detroit Diary: A New Crush!

May 24, 2012 by rachel

He always looks a little disheveled—he hasn’t had a haircut in years, and his clothes are falling apart, threads unwinding down his shoulders and hips, buttons missing, ripped jeans. Underneath them, though, is a solid foundation. As I got to know him, I could see that he’s strong, not easily kept down by life’s broken promises and disappointments.

One our first date, we went to an art gallery where terrible graffiti paintings were making everyone dash for the bar in order to blur their vision. But it didn’t matter that the location was a let-down; I immediately felt comfortable with him. He made me laugh and filled me with energy in a way that nobody else had. Continue Reading »

Posted in Detroit, Personal Essays | Leave a Comment »

Detroit Diary: The Sushi Doctor Is In The House

May 24, 2012 by rachel

All over Detroit, people are buzzing about Dr. Sushi. His real name is Nick George, and he worked at Detroit’s best sushi restaurant before going out on his own a few months ago. Now, he operates out of residential kitchens, preparing rolls with only sustainably-farmed seafood. Once a week, it’s Dr. Sushi day. His fans order in advance–the other day, he made 24 orders for lunch and dinner–and he works from 7 am until the evening, making boxes of sushi that people pick up for a mere $9. Dr. Sushi likes that he can charge so little because he doesn’t pay for the space. And he makes a pretty decent living off the weekly pop-up, too–”enough to live, eat, have beers, and try new things,” he says. Who could ask for more than that, plus some amazing, fresh California rolls?

Posted in Detroit, food, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability | Leave a Comment »

Detroit Diary: Decentralized Dance Party in the Motor City!

May 24, 2012 by rachel

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Two guys from Vancouver started Decentralized Dance Party, a touring flash mob powered by Kickstarter money that recently came to Detroit. People wore “business attire” and DDP crew members donned banana suits. We started grooving along the riverfront, just behind the iconic Ren Cen (General Motors headquarters). Then we moved through downtown, providing a spectacle for all the post-Tigers game revelers. Dancing through parks and on monuments and in the streets is the best way to experience a city, for sure.

Posted in Detroit, Social Entrepreneurship | Leave a Comment »

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