The yard sale, while exciting and initially lucrative, was rained out in the early afternoon. After communing with nature while packing up sopping wet housewares and subsequently making a donation to the greater enjoyment of thrift store shoppers in southeastern Michigan, I rejuvenated and made a stop back on West Canfield.
That Historic West Canfield block is one sexy street. I like to be irritated with Midtown and the Neuvo Royal Oako agenda that just might be seeping in there, but sometimes you just can't deny when something works. If you are not familiar with this block, check this out.
Among the many cool Detroiters I saw there, I ran into a relatively new acquaintance at this party, a guy who went to U of D High like I did (only a few years behind me), whom I've run into here or there. He's active in the local political scene in his own ultra-current way, and a super smart and fun conversationalist. Which is, of course, what one should expect from a U of D High grad.
It's been a long time since I've been so engaged in a conversation, especially when it is with someone who isn't pushing their own agenda (ie: me), wants to hear your thoughts and has great insights of his own. I would be remiss if I didn't mention his fantastic girlfriend who is apparently a genius in her own right. The three of us discussed topics ranging from Council by Districts, Kwame Kilpatrick's misuse of corruption, Detroit Declaration, suburban vs. city living, me, Charles Pugh's God complex, gay marriage, Rochelle Riley, the closet and politicians who are no way whatsoever possibly or even remotely same-sex oriented. These things were attacked with gusto and energetically debated, in what may have been the most casual party-talk manner I've ever experienced.
I realized, as we were making our way out, that I didn't have to talk about a home improvement or a luxury vehicle or a mall shopping experience or a different city's advantages in the entire ninety-minute conversation, and we all left happy and, at least as far as I was concerned, excited about our next meetup. And I almost couldn't believe how much I appreciated that.
I enjoy making sweeping generalizations and I'm going to make one now: over and over I find that my encounters in this city are so different in attitude than the ones I have in our 'burbs. As much as I want this city to rejuvenate, I want to be explicitly clear how much I really enjoy what we have going on right now. That recent Palladium Boots Detroit Lives documentary captures one aspect of the city in a great way, but I sure wish I was talented enough to show the world the kind of night I had tonight. I think we'd have thousands of great people wanting to move here.
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