Detroit's skyline is seen through a sculpture on the riverfront. After the collapse of the auto industry, the city has become a symbol of urban failure. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
The Spirit of Detroit statue is a symbol of the city's resolve to come back. Once a prosperous city, Detroit has half the population it did in its heyday. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
One and a half year old Sean Kvoriak plays with leaves with his parents Joe and Keara in front of their home in the North Rosedale Park neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan on October 16, 2012. Kvoriaks bought their homes in August 2010, a 1,700 square-foot, three-bedroom home for $70,000. Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Gwen Shivers harvests edible greens from her community garden on a vacant lot next to an abandoned home boarded-up with colorful murals made by community members to help combat blight in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan on October 19, 2012. The city is also home to 1,400 gardens tended by 15,000 to 20,000 mostly volunteer gardeners, said Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of the Greening of Detroit. Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Detroit's Central Station, once a thriving transportation center, is long abandoned and in disrepair, the poster child for urban decay. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
People like mansion-owner Dewayne Hurling see big opportunity here. He is thrilled to have renovated a beautiful old home – which he bought for less than $200,000 – in the Boston-Edison neighborhood for his family. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
General Motors headquarters remains in the heart of downtown Detroit, but the troubled city is searching for something beyond the auto industry to rely on. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
The educated, under-35 set is growing in the city center, reclaiming blighted space. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
The abandoned Packard plant is a favorite place for fashion and video shoots because it is picturesque in its delapidated state. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
"To me, it almost seems like we're giving up," says Carl Allison, owner of a Detroit candle company. "I would like to take creative minds and build the city back up rather than shrink it." Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Detroit is now counting on its historic creativity and small-scale initiatives to pump new life into the city. Businessman Stephen Nawara founded Beehive Recording Co. in his basement. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
The Heidelberg Project uses everyday discarded objects to create colorful inspiration in one Detroit neighborhood. The outdoor project, created in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton and his grandfather, revived a deteriorating neighborhood. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Inspired by Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian Dry, a popular Indo-Chinese appetizer we sampled at a Bengali restaurant, this lighter version skips the breading and deep frying, but not the flavor.
OK, here is another post that starts by talking about a recent road trip, this time in the Motor City. We saw some stellar art – at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and on the city streets. Detroit is home to a talented, lively graffiti art scene.
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