Detroit

The new Williamsburg was said to be Berlin... is the new Berlin now Detroit?

All three places have been taken over by artists who find inspiration and enormous low rent studios for creativity. We all know what happens once the artists move in - it's not long before property starts to rebound.

(This video is a preview. The full video can be seen here.)

It's inspiring to see so many young people helping to revitalize this historical city that so many have considered hopeless. It definitely does appear that they are on to something... inner city farming, beautiful old architecture, proximity to the lake, and small mom + pop style shops as opposed to chains? Doesn't sound too bad!

Watching the video above is pretty inspiring. Phil Cooley, who is featured, has a point he says if he moves back to New York he has no say what happens in that city... in Detroit he can be part of the community and make a difference.

Brooklyn New Years

We flew to New York City to visit a lot of friends and were greeted with chilly weather and many happy reunions. It was really wonderful to spend new years with so many people. Stefan captured a few photos beautiful of the city as we flew in.

Our first stop was to visit our friend Mary Kate. It's always so great to see her.

What was even better is that we were able to see more of her family, including her adorable niece Annie, who lives downstairs from her. I always love MK's close family because even in New York City they manage to make it feel more like a small neighborhood. They are always so welcoming. Her mom even called to say hi.

Mary Kate's view of the city is really a stunning sight. We stared out her window in awe of the lights and action happening all around. Stefan and I both love New York. It can be slightly overwhelming since you can easily spend a life time exploring. I think if I lived there it would be really difficult to figure out where to eat dinner because the options are endless. Fortunately any meal is better with great company.

One of the most simple, but delicious meals we had was at Maggie Brown's in Brooklyn, with Mary Beth. I am still thinking about my sandwich. While we were in the subway, we saw a floating orange balloon. It reminded me of the French tale of 'The Red Balloon'.

The Brooklyn half of our trip, we spent with Mary Beth. She lives in a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone with exposed brick walls that I love.

If I had an endless cash supply I think I would buy one and refurbish it. They have so much character and charm. The funny thing was that one of her cats did not think we were so charming. The cat in this photo actually liked us (he was yawning), but the other one would lurk in the hallway and take swipes at our legs. I couldn't stop laughing as Stefan walked past and the cat tried to scratch his leg out of no where. I guess he was angry we were taking MB's time from him.

Rather than standing in Times Square and dealing with the frigid temperatures and being surrounded by drunkards for New Years Eve, we opted to celebrate with friends who were throwing a graffiti party. Everyone wore t-shirts and wrote comical messages on each other.

It was so nice to see so many familiar faces and we didn't tell everyone that we were coming, so there were also a lot of surprised to see us faces.

Seeing everyone really made me home sick for my friends and made me realize just how much I miss everyone. Stefan and I both commented to each other that at times it felt like we were looking in on things and how much fun everyone has together.

We really didn't feel like tourists since we were always with our friends and not doing much of the tourist circuit. Plus, we know we'll be back again... maybe even sooner than we think. I'm already looking forward to that and missing everyone!

Thanks so much Mary Kate and Mary Beth!