Elizabeth Banks

People of Earth, may I present yet another amazing blogger, based in the heart of the Heartland, the born-and-raised Chicago Liz. She's going to be writing missives from the Windy City. That's right, we got LA and NY covered, now Boston and Chicago too. Enjoy her words. I always do! - EB


I’m obsessed with cities that are filled with faded glory... Forgive me, those of you who live there but I’m talking about cities like Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cleveland... When I say I’m “obsessed," I mean I secretly (and now not so secretly) LOVE them. I love to hear about great things going on there, love when I meet folks from these places who’ve got tons of city pride, and absolutely love the ones who get all scrappy and defensive when anyone tries to talk trash about their home.

So, I was totally excited to make the trek from Chicago to Detroit a few weekends ago to officiate a wedding, see the big D, and experience what it had to offer. I was blown away. Seriously. And no, I was not in Bloomfield Hills. Capital-D-troit.

We stayed downtown at a cute B & B - Inn on Ferry Street. I was prepared for shabby chic with a complementary breakfast of stale muffins better used for doorstops. Totally wrong. Charming and cute place with food that still makes my mouth water. Homemade waffles, fresh fruit, delicious baked goods, great eggs. Turns out, being in the heartland has huge benefits other than not having to worry about being swallowed up by the oceans when the ice caps melt. The grandmother in me even started wrapping shit up to take home, it was so damn tasty. The staff was lovely and everyone we met in the city took it upon themselves to be ambassadors of hospitality.

We walked the whopping block to the Detroit Institute of Art (“DIA”) where we had what I can only describe as a religious experience. The Diego Rivera Murals were breathtaking, beautiful, totally amazing. Here are some pics:

 

By murals, I mean frescos, which means that Rivera actually painted them on wet plaster (think time-sensitive art work, Michaelangelo, and the Sistine chapel). As a graphic novel junkie and fan of hard-core graffiti art (aka pieces), this was truly the bomb. The pieces cover the entire sun-lit room, reference Aztec Gods and Marxist ideals, and were funded by Henry Ford’s son Edsel Ford (which adds a really interesting layer to the work b/c while it makes the industry beautiful, it also completely undermines it – even I was ready to join a union or “the party” after an hour of looking at the images). Vibrant colors and gorgeous, funny, dark and haunting images. Here’s a link to DIA with a tour of the room online: dia.org/art/rivera-court.aspx

What are your favorite "faded glory" cities and the spots you love most in them?

- Chicago Liz

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