Hayward

I think I saw a listing for that mansion (maybe it was a different one) for $22,000. Probably going to continue to fall in price because you'll get slammed with $350,000 in renovation costs.

Here's a video done by the Detroit News on this huge old industrial complex. http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=3180 I've only driven around this place and it spans many city blocks with the factory going right over the roads. It's incredible. I know a lot of people who want to visit this place. If you do, echoing his warnings...it is city owned and if you are caught trespassing, you may be asked to leave the property.

I'm going to have to be 100% honest on this one, but being six years in SE Michigan where people just drive wherever all over the road, you kind of fall into that habit. Never been in an accident though. When I drive in Detroit, I tend to drift out of lanes (like everyone else). It's funny to watch out-of-staters come into town. They get all frustrated and upset at the other drivers. Me? I just don't care. That's why you don't hear people in SE Michigan honk their horns much. Going home though, it's different. People up in Saginaw can be nasty on the road. Very aggressive drivers, and speeders too. Hopefully this isn't a bad sign. I was driving on the UAW freeway the other day through Flint when a chunk of the body came loose. It began to drag on the pavement and send up a few sparks. I need to glue it back on lol

Saw this on a visit to my parents not far from their house. The driver here was run off the road into this fence by another vehicle. I was almost hit sitting stationary in the left turn lane. Missed me by 3 feet.

I could use a quiet walk in that nice weather. Great set!

^ Wow, that really looks nice! Although the buildings, next to it look like cheap crap.

The only thing that ever bothers me privacy-wise about public bathrooms are when you are sick. When I lived in the dorms we had community bathrooms, so when I got food poisoning and had the need to throw up, I would go down 5 floors (as fast as I could) to a private bathroom. Even then, someone in a room nearby would still here and be like "Are you okay ? ? ?" as I came out.

I think the presence of buildings, not empty lots help improve the image of that commercial strip.

LOL I actually re-edited my post before seeing responses because I thought it was a bad idea to suggest. Sorry C-Dawg.

I'm not sure dumbing down a resume would end good. You know eventually people would find out, especially with the internet these days. All it takes is for one of your employees to do a google search and there's your facebook account with your educational background as the first hit. Civvik, just be sure you go for something you know you will like, rather than something that will guarantee you job security. I know you want to put food on the table, but eventually things will get better. I can understand the frustration with the architecture/planning world. I actually think the recession in the industry started 1-2 years prior than the first hit in 2008. I remember it being very competitive when I first applied for internships because firms started seeing a slowdown and some projects weren't getting financing. Some people I know who got jobs 2 years ago just got laid off. Maybe a masters in planning is still an option for you? Planning has quite a few concentration areas like transportation, land use, spatial analysis. In fact I've heard of openings for people to work in data centers and doing GIS work. It might not be design work, but the pay is actually pretty good.

I'm just blown away. A parking lot? It just doesn't seem consistent with the direction many universities are taking with campus planning. I've recently become interested in campus planning (since that sector seems to be doing well.) I've read how many Universities want to take their surface lot count to zero, and locate parking structures to the periphery. It just seems all backwards to be building them in the first place. It can be valid at times to argue that the buildings just don't serve their purpose effectively anymore. (I usually disagree with that since anything can be retrofitted.) But the failure to replace them with anything worthy is a crime. Here's a photo I took last fall. Just look at how well the views are framed here. What a shame it's gone.

I'm about to send out a batch of resumes and cover letters next week. I kind of doubt I'll get any bites before I graduate, so I may be thinking the same CiNYC. Soon my current work study job will expire and I'll need to find something. I don't care what. If that means working at Taco bell with a masters degree, so be it. I'll need to start paying off loans soon. I just hope I'll find something before my lease runs out in late July. It might mean I'll have to move back home with mom and dad! uh oh.....

Oh I know, I get some much garbage from them everyday. But I have three accounts there already and have already forgotten the password, even with the hints and what not. Their restrictions on passwords are so complicated, they are difficult to remember.

I'm happy (and shocked) to say that a lot of the vacant buildings photographed here are to be renovated soon. Not sure what's up with that really big one missing all the windows though. I thought that was a work in progress that got stalled or something.

I forgot my paypal password. Can I just give a check to ColDay if/when I come down to Dayton someday if/when ColDay comes up to do a Chicago trip?

I had more bad dreams about MCS the other night.

Yikes, National Biscuit Building is owned by Farbman now? Nothing will get done lol. Last time I saw this building up close was the Lupe Fiasco concert in front of the Fisher Building. Randy, the building is massive. I remember hearing the renovations were ridiculously expensive. The state of Michigan has offices in there now. What a perfect bureaucratic building. I was really sad when they took the General Motors neon sign off the top. It was up there (and lit) for quite some time I believe even after GM moved downtown. The red building behind it with all that construction is the new School of Creative Studies. It will have housing, retail, the school, and I believe some leaseable office space.

Excellent work! I hope Detroit's light rail will be as succesfull when it opens in 2012.

I guess I'm new coming into this thread but what's the big deal if streetcars have problems in the snow. EL trains have fallen off the tracks in Chicago due to inclement whether. I couldn't even move my car from the street about 35 times this year because of snow. Streetcar gets stuck? They dig it out.

^ I think the economy is largely at fault for that. It just surprises me more how crazy the crimes can be. They just sentenced one dude to jail for throwing boiling grease on a neighbor that had his TV up a bit too loud. I hope this behavior isn't in my blood coming from there lol. Speaking of violence, I'm surprised the Rhihanna / Chris Brown mess never got posted over here.

^ That is a crime. To make you all feel better. There was a guy that worked on the "low budget" projects. As an architecture firm, it's considered a huge embarrassment to design strip malls and highway commercial structures, because of the clients and how uninspiring they can be. But hey, take the money when you need it. Anyway this dude was always grouchy. His typical design elements were textured cmu block and hollow metal frames. In case you don't know what hollow metal frames are. Look at the typical framing you find around doors and windows on most cell-block like structures built after the late 50's. You've probably seen them a lot in schools or industrial buildings. The buildings designed were pretty uninspiring and they were absent from the featured work of the firm. Despite that he was kind of nasty to other employees, I always felt really bad for the guy. Hmmmm post #1111 for me.

Great compilation of data and just look at those historic images. What an exciting looking place then.

Freeways!

So that's why you did while Sherman and I were in the railroad station.

I think it's alright to take a retro approach if it's done right. Except that 95% of these new stadiums taking that approach fail miserably. At the same time, I don't want some contemporary blob. That's okay for in the middle of a desert, but doesn't lend itself to an effective integration into the urban fabric. I'm really not that big of a fan of Citi Field. It's kind of boring looking to me