Motor City Shakedown

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Reflections, Rae

Almost missed my bus (en route to Chicago and ‘all points west’) during this short layover in Detroit, but loved my first glimpse!

Arrived at daybreak after being on the bus all night from TO, and it was very cool to have an hour to wander around in the fresh morning light, find some breakfast to go from Gateway Vending and Catering, and get a firsthand look at Motor City. Another time I will definitely hop on the People Mover: the innovative, elevated and efficient transit loop can be heard humming in the background, offering an interesting harmonic setting for this languid, bluesy etude by James Rae.

I settled on the middle bay of this deserted loading area to record.

Detroit’s downtown core is in the midst of renewal, with condos tastefully reclaiming otherwise decommissioned deco and neo-gothic, soaring architectural spaces; this trip, I simply didn’t have enough time to be satisfied, and a return visit is definitely in order!