Last summer we began an occasional series of photo galleries documenting Detroit's major streets. Last week, we ventured down Grand River.
Starting at the three-intersection of Grand River, Trumbull, and Martin Luther King Blvd. It may be the most poorly-planned and counterintuitive intersection in the United States. Just awful design.
The downtown skyline as seen from just west of Woodbridge.
We could have devoted an entire gallery to just the pubic art and graffiti murals that decorate Grand River's streetscape. It's worth a drive of your own to check it all out.
St. Leo's Catholic Church, long the home parish of the legendary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton.
Walking anywhere in the recent winter weather has been unbearable, but to have to do it in the street because much of the sidewalk isn't shoveled, seems even worse.
Grand River appears to be undergoing a fledgling retail revival. Hopefully this refurbished retail strip will come to life soon.
At the same time, there are other commercial stretches that haven't seen much activity since 1990s perennial candidate Larry Owen was kind of relevant.
Hero's Bar & Grill, featuring an image of Malcolm X. It should be noted that Malcolm X was a teetotaler who called alcohol a "false escape." Then again, who ever let facts get in the way of good marketing?
There's just something really cool about faded advertising murals on old buildings.
Rosedale Park is one of Detroit's most desirable neighborhoods.
They don't make signs like this anymore.
Old Redford is about to get a new Meijer.
The Deluxe Inn Motel is a place for love. The kind of love you don't want anyone to see, so you take that love to a motel with a discreet courtyard parking lot and entry.
