Hamtramck ain't really the best neighborhood. Nonetheless, it's an opportunity for folks to learn…read moremore. They've got the Disneyland art installation that's def worth seeing. My GPS led me right in front of the house. Head out back. It stretches only across two backyards. You'll see lots of random things, like an old TV, the top half of a mannequin, paintings, an airplane, etc. Not sure what it all means. At the end of the day, we could invest more in neighborhoods like this.

Honestly thought this place was going to be interesting and fun but it was very small located in…read morethe heart of Hamtramck and very unique but could tell they had kind of let the place fall apart. But still a experience at least stop by and see for yourself. Does have a strong artistic vibe.

The St. Anne sausage festival is one of the best church festivals in Southeast Michigan. Thousands…read moreof people show up to sample the sausage kitchens and the amazing beer tent. They have plenty of carnival rides and games to keep the kids busy while you wander through the rest of the festival. They have a silent auction which has many items of interest. This year they added a twist by making the auction online. I think it was a hit. The festival is usually the third weekend in September. Put it down on the calendar, it's a great time!

The Spring Art and Craft Show coincides with Mother's Day every year. That being said, it is geared…read moreto mothers. Macomb Place is closed down in festival fashion, and vendors come in to peddle their wares. I was surprised at the lack of food here - they had kettle corn, and a few grillers, and that was about it. The vendors this year looked like they were catering to mothers even more so than last year. Cheesy things you'd expect at one of these: a guy doing caricatures for $5, incense and incense holders, candles, pottery, plants, garden supplies, and so on - HOME stuff, and a lot of it looked like things I'd find in my grandmother's backyard. There was one highlight to the afternoon - in the fountain Gazebo a band was playing. I was leaving when they began to play, but came back after I realized they were playing a sort of Cabana version of Gnarles Barkley's "Crazy". That was pretty sweet, and they had a good sense of humor about it. I'd suggest this festival for a Mother's Day-ish afternoon out, but not for the young and hip. There's very little young and hip in it.

Hamtramck Banksy Authenticated…read more (Posted on April 1, 2014 by Hillary) A stencil on the corner of Sobieski and Commor in Hamtramck was painted by none other than British street artist Banksy. This work is based on an earlier piece, "Laugh Now", commissioned for a Brighton night club in 2002. The new message can only be a reference to the 555 Gallery and their intention to sell part of a wall taken from the Packard Plant in Detroit. We couldn't believe it either, but when we heard from a friend of a friend that Banksy had again visited Detroit to make a statement about "commercialism, capitalism and the mechanics of the art market", we sent a request to Pest Control, a service that issues certificates on behalf of the artist. Despite their promise of a "lengthy and challenging process", they were quick to reply in this case. "Graffiti art has a hard enough life as it is - with council workers wanting to remove it and kids wanting to draw moustaches on it, before you add hedge-fund managers wanting to chop it out and hang it over the fireplace." "For the sake of keeping all street art where it belongs I'd encourage people not to buy anything by anybody unless it was created for sale in the first place." This entry was posted in Hamtramck by Hillary. This proved to be an April Fool's joke, but we had tons of fun visiting and discussing Albert Kahn, the Packard Plant, Banksy, the Packard Banksy, the 555 Gallery, and this "Banksy".

Just plain fun. Spooky, creative, entertaining as hell. Hope to go again if it ever returns.read more

I hadn't been to Theatre Bizarre in a couple of years but this year was aces. Adding a second night…read morereally seemed to alleviate a lot of the congestion I spoke about in my first review. It was way easier to get from one place to another this time, despite it being sold out, and I never felt crushed or overwhelmed like I had in the past. Performers were still incredible and the set up is just visually stunning. I spent a lot of the night just taking video or pictures, I just couldn't help myself! It's all so so cool. The only complaint I have from this year is the line to get in was wild. We had tickets and it still took an hour to get in. Maybe because we came at peak time around 9pm? But I was a doozy. Luckily they make the line engaging with performers out front. It helped that this year was a warm night. When it's cold it's not so fun! But either way, it's a blast to watch all the costumes walk by and chat with fellow attendees in line, so while it's kind of a bummer standing outside for so long it could definitely be worse! If you've never been, mark you calendars for October 2018. It's something everyone in the Detroit area should experience at least once!

The event was fun. It was not a normal wine tasting or craft night, it was a fun blend of both…read more.. As for the wine, One choice was a gluhwein, one was a wine with cranberry added and the third was an ice wine with something added as well, so you didn't really get to taste all of the wines themselves. I didn't really like the wines offered, but I'm pretty particular to a dry white and found these to all be sweet, other options would have been nice. The craft component was fun, even though it was very much smaller than I expected. Some of the photos and saying we're a bit silly, so I'd appreciate maybe a few more options for the photos/words on the tables. There was limited options for embellishments (glitter) on tables if you wanted to traverse the room to look around for them. Thankfully our table had snowflakes which was good enough for me & looked cute on the block I had available to me. The snacks were a nice touch and the store was open for doing a little light shopping before and after the event. We were able to get a few cute gift items. I would definitely be back to shop and hope to see more holiday events like this in the future! A bit of a small personal complaint just for my OCD here, it's called MOD Podge not MODGE Podge. It is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

The Corks and Crafts with My Wine Witch at Whimsy and Wine was a delightful festive evening!…read more Whimsy and Wine, located in Fraser, is a craft space and shop offering DIY craft workshops and selling clothing, jewelry, and locally based material handmade items. The owner Rick was in attendance welcoming the Yelp Elites to his location. My Wine Witch, a sommelier named Laura, was our facilitator for the evening as she lead us through a sampling of seasonal wines and our craft for the evening; the 'Moxie Mini'. Our craft was to choose from a selection of vintage images and festive witty phrases and mod podge them to mini wooden rectangles. The seasonal wines in attendance were: Mawby Sex Brut Rose, St Julian Ghost Apple Ice Wine with P31Aperitivo, and a warmed Winterlandschaft Gluhwein. My Wine Witch's informative presentation of the selection was the highlight of the night for me. Delicious cannolis and cookies from Luca Pastry made the scene. During My Wine Witch's presentation, she paired some of the sweets with her samples. Thank you Yelp Detroit, My Wine Witch, Whimsy and Wine, and Luca Pastry for making this event possible!

BURN IN HELL Or at…read moreleast while attached to a hearse. The man that designed this custom built bar and grill does just that at least once a year when he treks with the trailer to Hell, Michigan with his "open casket" grill. The grill, which was built over the course of 80 to 100 hours at The TechShop of Allen Park, is made out of a modified casket. The shell of the casket is mounted to a portable tow-behind trailer, so it draws onlookers when being transported behind a hearse, but with no visible tie-downs. (Video of the creator talking about the grill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0RXI8DHWgo) It contains a four-burner stainless steel grill that boasts 48,000 Btu of power. It boasts 496 square inches of cooking space, with electronic ignition and porcelain-coated, heavy-gauge wire cooking grates and a 20-pound propane tank. The other half of the casket includes a marine style waterproof radio and a 27-gallon cooler with built-in drainage features. Of course, the grill wouldn't be complete without tools that all have "Open Casket Bar and Grill" laser etched into their handles, and custom-made salt and pepper shakers. Why a hearse? Because the creator, Steven Frye, is also the founder of the Nightmare Cruisers Hearse Club for car enthusiasts. The club boasts more than 120 members, mostly from around Michigan, though some join from across the country. "We like to get together and do the cruises," Frey said. "When we do these cruises, we like to hang out with our friends, old friends and new friends. Anyone that has a hearse is welcome to join us, even if you are just a hearse enthusiast." Frey first bought his hearse to promote a product, "Dr. Frybrain's Pumpkin Embalmer," though most people thought it was just a name for his hearse, rather than an actual product. After a couple of years of explaining the product on the car, Frey grew tired of answering questions and instead just painted over the advertising. For a time, the club also held the record for most hearses assembled in a parade in 2011. Frey said the rule for any gathering of cars is that is has to be a parade; otherwise, the record would be held by the manufacturer. "We held the record for about 11 months," he said. "Then a group in the Netherlands broke the record. Almost all of them were 'in the business,' though. Only three of our hearses were owned by funeral homes.

This is awesome! I…read morehave seen this set up at the different car cruises around town, and I also saw it out at Hell Creek Ranch last year. The attention to detail is very professional. I've seen other casket grills, and none of them even compare. This one looks like it came direct from the factory. No other casket grill has a built in cooler, or on-board tunes! They normally only cook for club members, but you can generally get a casket-grilled hot dog for a donation to charity! Well done!

Attention bookworms!…read more Liberated Books is an book-drive organization looking to recycle books that would be otherwise tossed, lost, or given to second-hand shops for pennies. Set up in a garage, this non-profit is open from 2pm to 9pm the last Sunday of every month (which means the next event is TOMORROW, March 30th!) Thousands of books are in the L.B. library. They have large selections of literature, romance, sci-fi, children's fiction, magazines... and at least a little something for everyone (I have never walked out of L.B. empty handed!). YOU DON'T EVER PAY FOR THESE BOOKS! Nor is it required that you donate to take books; you simply show up, look at what they have, and take what you like... but they do appreciate a donation every now and again. These events have been going on for years straight, and with more help and donations, hopefully they'll continue to expand the Liberated Books library. I'm going; are you!?

Right behind CCS in Peck Park, Walk in Movies provides excellent times with cult classics with your…read morefriends in downtown Detroit. this is a great "hidden" feature of the big city, and relies a lot of word-of-mouth. Definitely keep an eye on the always-current MySpace because the event is not planned very far in advance. Usually the movies start a few minutes after dusk, with the screen set up and a few blankets out at sunset. The first movie tends to be a "family friendly" feature followed by a more mature feature. The first one of this season featured cult classics "The Neverending Story" and "The Apple". Past movies include: -Shampoo -Carmen: The Hip-Hopera -Creepshow (with a different live band providing score for each chapter) -E.T. -How to Draw a Bunny -Fritz Lang's Siegfried (with Darling Imperial providing score) -Jayne Mansfield double-feature "The Girl Can't Help It" and "Dog Eat Dog"

Grab a blanket, load a picnic basket with beer and snacks and take a trip to Detroit's Peck Park to…read morecheck out Walk-In Movies. Located in the Wayne State University area, this is a must for anyone looking to experience something uniquely Detroit. I first heard about Walk-In Movies when my boyfriend's band wrote an original score and performed while Fritz Lang's Siegfred was projected onto a gigantic screen. Not always a band to play an original score, Walk-In Movies has offered some fantastic films like a Jayne Mansfield double feature. Movies start at dusk and the crowd is always friendly and willing to share their popcorn and other goodies. Check out the myspace page for more information.

Located in the 'Bakery Loft' above Mexicantown Bakery is the guerrilla dining event: Detroit Soup…read more(a monthly dinner that funds micro-grants for creative projects in Detroit). Here's how it works: 1. A group of volunteers organize the event and prepare the soups, salads, and dessert/s using local and seasonal ingredients. 2. Prospective micro-grant funding recipients send in their project proposals; if selected they will present their project at the soup dinner and explain how the funding will go to support their noteworthy cause. 3. Attendees of Detroit Soup pay $5 (at the door) to attend. 4. The money collected goes towards one of the projects presented. 5. Attendees and volunteers, alike, vote on which project they want the micro-funding to go towards. Besides being a great collaborative effort for the community, Detroit Soup is an awesome event because it seems so underground. Love it!!! Walking up the dark mysterious staircase to the Bakery Loft (where the soup is held) you're immediately surprised by the warm cozy dimly lit space. Candles adorn each table, bright florescent decorations hang from the ceiling, chatter fills the air, and the smells of slow cooked soups soon take hold. As for the seating situation, it fills up quickly as there are only 5 tables with chairs and another 10 tables with floor seating. Feel free to bring a pillow along for the floor seating...believe me you'll need it! Onto the food: at the last soup we were served two mixed green salads with a balsamic based dressing and the other with a kiwi lime dressing. Both were very good! The two soups (1.lentil and 2.fava bean) on the other hand, were a bit underwhelming. Not to say they weren't good, but they were just okay...a three star rating in my book of soups. Overall, Detroit Soup's mission/purpose, location, food, people (volunteers, presenters, attendees) is fantastic!

Detroit SOUP is such a cool way to meet community and do crowdfunding in person. And is such an…read moreamazing Detroit Tradition. I'm looking forward to going to all the monthly events in 2022.