Greek Town Adventure: Part 1

Here it is: Greek Town Adventure, the kick-off event of Project Sweet Life 2010.  I officially had a great time, and several Detroit experiences that were new to me.

 



We started off with dinner at New Parthenon, the highlight of which was: flaming cheese!  This was seriously good.  I have often said that I think I could probably live pretty happily on bread and cheese, but having the cheese be on fire really gave it an extra special something.  The rest of the meal, to be honest, was a little bland. I had some kind of noodle, feta, spinach block with bechamel sauce.  It was fine. It didn't really compare to the flaming cheese though, either in taste or in presentation.  Certainly nobody yelled "Opa!", or feared for the safety of their eyebrows, when it came to the table.  Anyway, we definitely didn't leave hungry.
 

After we paid the check we walked a few blocks to Campus Martius. It was a really a perfect evening to be hanging outside.  The temperature was in the seventies and there was a pleasant breeze.  When we first arrived at the park somebody made a joke about all the chairs lined up just facing the fountain, but within minutes we were all happily ensconced in said chairs and it was clear why there were there.  The fountain puts on a nice show.  The whole place is pretty, clean and pleasant with some really nice views of the city. Earlier this year it was named the first winner of the Urban Land Institute's Amanda Burden Urban Open Space Award.  (You can read a little about that here, but don't attempt to find the Free Press article, for whatever reason all the links to it I've found seem to be broken. Clearly some kind of cover-up is going on.)  I want to go back to see the ice skating rink they have there in the winter.  Sarah suggested we make skating part of a winter-time PSL follow-up, but I really try to avoid any activity that makes my feet more slippery than they already seem to be since I fall down and run into things quite enough as it is.  I don't want to end up with a boot of my own. (No offense Sarah, your boot is very stylish, I just don't think I could pull it off with as much grace as you do.)  I would like to see it though.


Yes, it was most pleasant to sit there in the park, digesting our Greek food and watching the fountain, admiring the way the setting sun lit up the tall buildings surrounding us.  But the night wasn't over yet...

Chef BoyarDimSum

The moral of today, or this summer, or life, or something is this:

Going is almost always better than not going.

That's something I forget often, as I choose going to bed early or hanging out with my cat over going out into the world.

Today, instead of staying in and taking an early afternoon nap, I went out for my very first Dim Sum. An hour of delicious food and good company was way more rejuvenating than an hour napping, that's for sure!

Open To Suggestion

What are some things that are worth doing/seeing? Our list is still pretty small, though we haven't had a lot of time to sit down and think it over. Comment with favorite summertime activities and destinations.

To clarify my position...

I most certainly do not COWER in the suburbs.  I respect Detroit.  I maintain a polite distance.  I have a Kroger, a Target AND a Lowes less than a mile from my house, and dammit, that is convenient. I'm not apologizing for it.

It's true about the getting old part though, this is the last summer of my 20s.  It's also true that Summer used to mean something.  Granted, for me it's always been more likely to mean a stack of library books and a hammock in the shade than going out and partying until dawn, even when I wasn't quite so old.  I don't regret that at all, but I do find myself a little shorter on authentic real-life experiences than I had thought I'd be by now.  This Monday will be the longest day of the year.  In a few months when the snow is flying and it's getting dark at 6 pm, I would like to be able to curl up with a blanket and my book, satisfied in the knowledge that I made the most of the summer of 2010.

First up...

This weekend is all about me dragging the other one ( I haven't yet asked her what she wants to be called here ) out to a bunch of things that I've already done but she hasn't. I live in Detroit while she cowers in the suburbs, so I'll be taking her for dinner in Greektown (FLAMING CHEESE ALL AROUND!), into one of the casinos to gamble away our hard earned money, and then for a ride on Detroit's infamous People Mover, the most useless piece of public transportation ever!

I can't wait. We'll report back next week.

PSL 2010

Summer means more when you're a kid. Or a teacher. Or a School Media Specialist. Damn those School Media Specialists.

This year we're taking it back.

I've got a broken foot, and my partner in crime is getting OLD (it's her last summer before turning 30), but we wont let that stop us!

We're making a list and checking it twice. New experiences (karaoke?), things we've put off (tattoo??), stuff we'd normally be too busy or tired to do (picnics!). I'm sure we'll pick up more recruits once people realize how much fun (pain, humiliation, bug bites) we're having.


About the name: we stole it from a 2009 YA book by Brent Hartinger, who will sue us for sure.