Minock and Whitlock Park

Minock and Whitlock Park - Photo by Frank Nemecek

Construction is proceeding nicely on the Minock and Whitlock Park, which is located at the southeast corner of Minock and Whitlock Streets in Detroit. This area used to be three consecutive vacant lots. It's now being converted into parkland.

When this project is completed in the coming weeks, I believe this will be a fantastic amenity for the Warrendale neighborhood. I'm also very happy to see previously vacant land n Detroit being put back to some kind of productive use.

As well this project continues to move forward, I will continue to bring updates to my readers.

Aliens return to Detroit

I was walking along W. Warren Ave. near the Southfield Freeway at approximately 2:30 this afternoon when I saw a man drive past me. He was in a white pick-up truck and had what I presume to be a mannequin of a grey alien in his passenger seat.

I couldn't get my phone out of my pocket fast enough to snap a photo of this before he drove out of view. Therefore, my readers will have to settle for a stock photo of the alien and my word that I actually saw it.

If anyone knows who this guy is, please let m know. I want to be BFFs with him.

Update: I found the alien mannequin similar to the one that I saw yesterday on Amazon. You can expect to see me driving around Detroit with this in 7 - 10 days. https://amzn.to/2FAkuv0

National Hamburger Day

Today is National Hamburger Day. Today is a day set aside to celebrate one of the most American of all foods and one of the most popular food items on the planet - the hamburger.

The hamburger is both a historic piece of Americana and an economic powerhouse. The History Channel reviewed the centuries-old history of the hamburger on a bun on their website. As for the financial side of the pattie, I would simply mention that nearly 50 billion hamburgers are served in the United States every year, according to an article published in 2012 by PBS.

In Michigan alone, there are 2,783 restaurants that serve primarily hamburgers. Those eateries have almost $2.6 billion in annual sales, according to a survey of American businesses that was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. All of this translates into roughly $155 million in sales tax revenue for the State of Michigan.

Locally, there are several places that serve a top-notched hamburger in the Warrendale neighborhood. Chilli's (5707 Southfield Rd.), Red Robin (18505 Ford Rd.), and Wendy's (18430 Ford Rd.) probably serve the most. The Ford Road Patio (18490 Ford Rd.) is a gem that gets forgotten about all too often. Chick's Bar (18550 W. Warren Ave.) and Nick's Detroit (16807 W.Warren Ave.) are both sentimental favorites.

Happy Hamburger Day, everyone!

Memorial Day 2019

Remember.

American cemetery in Normandy, France. - Creative Commons photo by RGY23/Pixabay

Good bye, Warrendale. I'm going to Mars.

Frank Nemecek's boarding pass for traveling to Mars - Image by NASA

I love the Warrendale neighborhood. I love Detroit and the entire state of Michigan. In fact, I love this entire planet with the possible exception of Ohio.

But no matter how much I love this place, it's time for me to leave.

I got my boarding pass from NASA. I'm going to Mars.

I won't leave until July of next year. This means that there's plenty of time for me to wrap up my affairs in Detroit before moving on.

I got my boarding pass from NASA. I'm going to Mars.

Or at least my name is going to Mars. It'll be etched into one of the microchips aboard the rover that will go to Mars in July of next year. That's basically the same thing, right?

Anyway, if any of my readers would like to join me on this voyage to the Red Planet, you can get your boarding pass from NASA by clicking here.

Property values up in Warrendale, according to the Detroit News

Warrendale neighborhood at Christmas - Photo by Frank Nemecek

A report in the Detroit News this morning showed that while crime is still in an issue, the Warrendale neighborhood is on a rebound. Their full article is available online here. In my opinion, there are two key takeaways from this story.

While crime in the Warrendale neighborhood is still higher than in the suburbs of Detroit, it is down in almost every category from where it was a few years ago. I would add that this improvement in public safety has been a fairly consistent one and that there is nothing to suggest that it won't continue to improve.

It's also worth emphasizing that property values in the Warrendale neighborhood have increased by an average of 38% per year over the past five years. This is according to city officials in Detroit who compared MLS data from 2014 with the present day.

Both of these things combine to indicate that the Warrendale neighborhood continues to be an outstanding place to live, work, and invest. Although, for the benefit of any real estate investors who find this page, I remind everyone of what I mentioned about real estate investing in Detroit.

Detroit is a great place for real estate investors. It is, however, a terrible place for real estate speculators. (Please see my post here for more details.)

Friends of Rouge Park to meet tomorrow

Rouge Park sign - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The non-profit advocacy group the Friends of Rouge Park will have their next general meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21. This meeting will start at 7:00 pm and is expected to last approximately one hour.

The group will meet in the Westside Christian Academy (9540 Bramell St.). This is near West Chicago Rd. and Outer Drive.

Everyone who is interested in the future of the largest park in Detroit is welcome to attend this meeting.