Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum - A Detroit Creative Treasure

Detroit always has sweet little surprises. Today I visited Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum and got a chance to the artist who has spent years creating the art and selling LOTS of beads from around the world.

The story is 23 years ago Olayami Dabls came to the corner of Grand River and West Grand Blvd with a vision to create a space for his community to understand the immense power of their African heritage.

Occupying almost an entire city block, the Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum houses 18 outdoor installations as well as the African Bead Gallery, N'kisi House and African Language Wall.

It all was WOW!

 

Days in Detroit

Detroit is where Motown was founded and developed.  The  Motown Museum is a touching tribute to history

Click here to see my photos from my latest trip to Detroit and see all the cool things there are to do there.

National Geographic Traveler wrote a Cover Story about Detroit - I'm such a trendsetter!

A mural in Mexicantown that both National Geographic Traveler and I captured

My dear friend Paula lives in Detroit so I have visited more than half a dozen times in the last 10 years.  Paula is a real advocate for Detroit and has showed me every nook and cranny.  So you can imagine that it was very exciting to see Detroit on the cover of National Geographic Travel (March/April 2012) and know that I have been to every place he mentions and even eaten at Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes founded by Torya Blanchard, Paula's friend who is featured in the article as a young entrepreneur bringing new life to downtown.

Read this article and hear the bright, beaming side of Detroit where history, architecture, cars, public art, music, from Motown to 8 Mile, culture and new possibilities are brimming all over.

Rise and Shine, Detroit (Click the link)

From the March/April 2012 issue of National Geographic Traveler

Woodward Dream Cruise - Detroit, August 2007

Well we are all familiar with the phrase "when in Rome, do what the Romans do" I really try to take that to heart whenever I travel anywhere. This has led me to fun festivals and different local experiences all over the world, as well as a deeper understanding of the community that I am visiting. Which takes to my recent trip to Detroit, Michigan.

Whats the first thing people think of when they hear Detroit? Cars! Yes, the good old American car. So on a recent journey to visit my friend Paula, who lives there, I planned it to coincide, for the second year in a row, with the Woodward Dream Cruise, the largest classic car cruise in the world!

First off, many of you are probably like me, and you may not know much about the classic car show and cruise scene. People drive (or ship) their beautifully refurbished cars to show and share with others. You have probably seen parking lots filled with car shows, but chances are you have never experienced anything like the Dream Cruise.

It goes like this. Woodward Avenue is the main drag from Detroit to the outer suburbs and once a year it fills from Detroit to Pontiac with every imaginable classic car and plenty of theme cars too. 40,000 classic cars cruise up and down the 16 mile stretch, while crowds line the roads to watch. In between cruising, the owners park their cars so that others can come check them out. Businesses set up party tents. Parking lots are filled with bands. Car loving fans set up chairs along the roadside and folks like me walk for miles watching and enjoying some good old American fun.

Its time in this write up to add the disclaimer that I don't have a car and feel
pretty darn proud about it. I worry about our gas-guzzling society and wonder how much fossil fuel use is contributing to the wacky weather we are having these days. That being said after my trip to Cuba, I fell in love with the classic American car. I love their curves, their grace, their colors. I love the romance of the 50's and big bucket seats. I love the personal historical memory that is stirred when I see a Nova or Mustang. I'm constantly hunting for clues of what it means to be an American and these cars are part of it. They represent the freedom of the road. To me the Woodward Dream Cruise transports me to places I've learned about.

And a Word About Detroit

It doesn't seem right to tell you about the Dream Cruise without letting you know about what Detroit is like these days. Through the eyes of my friend Paula, I have been able to see a different Detroit then the one I expected. Detroit is on an upswing. It is being reborn. Downtown has been rebuilt and refurbished. Old buildings are being restored and turned into high end condos. The automotive money brought elaborate architecture that is being cleaned up. Grand tiled ceilings are shining again.

Young professionals are moving in. Bars are following them and popping up on every corner. Black and white professionals mix in hip environs. New baseball and football stadiums have been built right in the middle of downtown. A promenade has been built on the waterfront. Parks have been planted. A few miles from downtown, tree and mansion lined streets display Detroit's regal past. One by one these houses are being refurbished to their original grandeur.

The Woodward Dream Cruise - Detroit

Detroit Michigan is the birthplace of the American car and thus where the ideals of a whole new suburban American came from. After multiple trips to Cuba, I fell in love with classic cars and their curves and there place in history. So when I heard that the largest classic car cruise happened annually outside Detroit in August I had to go.



The Woodward Dream Cruise Website