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.

Parshallville Grist Mill & Cider Mill is one of my favorite places to visit in the fall. The donuts…read moreand cider are delicious. The cider is naturally sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Like everything else in 2022, prices have increased but are on par with other cider mills I've visited this year. A dozen donuts are $10 and a gallon of cider is $10. The people who run the cider mill are friendly. I believe the owner came outside to say hello to us as we were leaving. The building is historic and there is a nice area around the side of the building to sit and eat and take photos.

Donuts are great, even when it's crowded the wait is never bad. Interior is clean and has a great…read moreselection of food stuff and little items. It is close to 23 and is a nice stop for the family. We like the running water and are ours at the waters edge on the benches there.

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.

This week we celebrated my son's 27th birthday at his favorite restaurant!…read more Of course as always the food was served hot, fresh, and delectable! But we really want to compliment our server, NICOLE. She was extremely professional, kind, and so attentive to our needs; she consistently took great care of us, while gracefully supplementing and clearing the table. Nicole was as friendly as she was professional! We stayed at our table for a long while (& accidentally spilled a glass of water) and she remained as sweet as ever! She treated each of us like royalty! Thank you for hiring this beautiful lady!

Good and service never fail to please at Valentino's - highly recommended and parking is a breeze!read more

I love hanging out in downtown Rochester. You can park at a meter or if you don't mind walking a…read morelittle, there are some free parking lots. They have great stores and restaurants, so you won't get tired of walking around. Near Christmas time all of the downtown stores put decorative lighting on their buildings, so the traffic starts to get heavy in the evenings. It's awesome to see the lights!! In the summer they seem to have a lot of festivals and arts and craft shows. They also have dancing in the streets in mid July. In early September they have the Art and Apples Festival that includes music in their bandshell at the municipal park, food trucks and top of the line art and craft vendors. You will see such unique items that you will want to buy it all. Seriously, it's the best!!

This is a fun downtown. I like coming here to try as many restaurants as I can. As a family, we try…read moreto participate in a lot of their activities, especially when they put up their lights, and the Kringle market. I love to look at all of the displays, especially Home Bakery. I wish the stores stayed open longer on Friday nights and the weekends, since I am not able to visit them often since I work during the day. But, I loved seeing a walking tour and the party bike tours when I visited last weekend. It is an adorable, walkable downtown, which we need more of in the suburbs.

Fun little pit stop on our way up to the thumb!! Talked to the grounds keeper she was helpful and…read moretold us a yummy place to eat in town!

Basically, this is the biggest draw in croswell. The swinging bridge is pretty small, but cool none…read morethe less. I hear there are only a handful of suspension bridges left in the U.S so to have a mall one in this lil town is neat. The park looked well maintained, the playground area is on the otherside of the bridge, and theres stairs involved, so plan accordingly. There was also a small free library with some cool finds.

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".

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!

You usually need an Allen Key to get into Allen Park, but during the festival, it's open to all,…read moreand by all, I mean, all white people. I think I saw about 10,000 white people at this festival. And about 1 black person. Yes, 1. And about very few, if any, Hispanics, and about zero Asians. But hey. It is what it is. Other than the racial demographics, it is a lovely Festival in one of my favorite neighbourhoods of Michigan. Some of the best pizza slices in the world are in these parts and if you wander the Allen Park Street fair you will find lots of cool stands and coolinary (intentional mis-spelling) delights. And a lot of the stores along this area will sell stuff outside the front of their stores. Just a great Festival although - as I said - you will notice there is very very little ethnic diversity.

This is one of my favorite street fairs in Michigan…read more It's a large fair, hundreds of diverse booths, crafts, food etc. Great entertainment, and lots of local stuff going on. Always includes the annual Hall of Fame inductions, a 5k run and many other activities. I've been going for several years now and it just seems to keep growing.

2021, the bridge is gone. Still no signs of animal sacrifices. Original rating remains because -…read morenow it's a ghost bridge, with all the potential that implies

Okay. It's a railroad bridge. I know. But bear with me. Because apparently devil worshipers…read morecome here to sacrifice goats. Right. That was the rumor, so of course we came; actually, we came here a few times during my senior year in high school. Once a few people climbed down to check it out. I think I stayed and made out with someone in the car. All in all, it's totally anticlimactic, but it's still thrilling if you're in high school and had nothing better to do. Long live the Trowbridge!