The Dequindre Cut is a beautiful paved bike path and walkway.
If you’re not from around here Dequindre probably isn’t even a word. Heck, even if you are from around here you probably don’t know that the street in metro Detroit was named after a hero in the war of 1812.
And even if you know all that, well, it’s possible that you have never heard of the Dequindre Cut.
Graffiti art adorns all the bridgework along the mile and a half walk.
I hadn’t either, until someone who worked in my department talked about it a few years ago. It sounded intriguing, and for several years it’s been on my list of things to investigate “when I had the time.”
Well, it turns out I needed to make the time.
Some of the paintings have some sort of message to give.
This past January, instead of making a resolution I put together a list of “Interesting, Stupendous and Fun Things” to do. It sounded more fun than resolutions, and so far it has been!
Others are more traditional graffiti.
In late January I was able to check the first item, making a winter visit to a lighthouse in northern Michigan, off the list.
There were lots of people out walking and biking.
And I’m definitely training (slowly) to do the 10 mile Crim race in August.
“A star is born through immense pressure and we have had our fair share. That beacon of light you see in the dark is our fair city rising from the night sky.”
Plus I’m keeping pace to read 50 books by the end of the year.
I waited for a person on a bike to ride by this, thought it would make a great picture, but wouldn’t you know, no one did. I think someone on a red bike would have been perfect!
And you know I’m working on my photography skills with the new Nikon.
But I want to tell you about this past weekend when I had a really really fun time walking and photographing the Dequindre Cut in downtown Detroit. It’s an old railroad bed that has been turned into a bike and walking path.
And the best part?
There was great music playing near this mural.
The best part is that the developers left much of the original graffiti on the bridge walls!
A friend and I went down to explore it and were very impressed by how wonderful it was. The walk goes from the Detroit River Walk all the way north about a mile and a half to the Eastern Farmers Market.
Layers and layers of art was everywhere.
And wouldn’t you know, we walked it, unknowingly, on Flower Day weekend, when the Eastern Market is flooded with vendors and people all focused on getting their flowers and plants for spring planting!
A building up at street level had this great red shark looming over the walk.
We started down by the river, and when we came out at the other end I started to recognize that we were near the market. And then we saw people hauling flats of annuals, and wagons full of larger plants and I knew we just had to walk over there and see it.
Up at street level, on the way to the farmers’ market.
It was only a couple more blocks, and it was so much fun to watch all the activity. Plus there are lots of painted buildings there too!
People everywhere buying flowers, enjoying the music amidst the brilliant painted buildings.
We didn’t buy any plants because we were parked a mile and a half away! But we did buy some raspberries and bananas from a vendor because by then we were starving!
This city has so much talent!
We scarfed those down on our walk back to the car.
The Detroit Lions (football) are going to be great this year. Really. We’re not kidding.
All in all it was a very good day. We saw some really cool art, and some beautiful flowers. And you can’t beat Flower Day at the Eastern Market for people watching.
The music was pretty good too.
I’d go again and probably will, maybe combine it with a trip out to Belle Isle in the Detroit River.
Detroit. There’s a lot more here than what you’ve heard.
If you like, you can come along! It’s guaranteed to make you smile!
This phoenix is rising.
