Michigan weekend

I spent a rich weekend in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan. I was scheduled to give a retreat to the parish council of St. Mary Church, the catholic church at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, but because of various circumstances it was not pulled off. It gave me a free weekend to reconnect with a good Jesuit friend, Fr. Ben Hawley. He landed in a great assignment.


University of Michigan

 The University of Michigan is big business. It has a combined 43,000 undergraduate and graduate students - a city unto itself. While only one quarter of its students were around for this time of year, the city retained vibrancy. The students seem very serious. Sure, campus frat organizations will party on the weekend, but the students give the impression they are committed to their studies as their first order of business.

 St. Mary's church is in an enviable position. The church is an old structure that has recent additions to expand its range of services. Offices are a comfortably large size with a lounge area for parishioners and students on each of the three floors. A verdant courtyard is a pleasant one to sit - one of the rare pieces of green on a city campus (outside of its main diag.)

Ann Arbor

 The demographics of Ann Arbor is like a typical Northeastern city. It is filled with progressive, educated Democrats who are committed to social justice. Sure, there are Republicans too. Many of them are the business and farm owners who come into the city each weekend to sell their goods to urban shoppers. The area is filled with a wealthy upper middle class who like to eat out and buy nice clothing. It is a quaint urban area that is over-regulated but is safe and fun.

While the main campus is on the eastern and southern parts of the city, Main Street and the traditional center of town is to the west. Kerrytown, the cultural district, is northwest. Each weekend, Kerrytown holds a Farmer's Market that attracts merchants from all over. Zingerman's Deli is the most famous sandwich and coffee shop in the area. Overflow seats were added to the patio for the influx of visitors, like me.

Fr. Ben and I ate at Vinology. We are thankful we ordered half portions. The crispy duck wings were inspiring; the duck fat potatoes were dull. Best of all, Fr. Ben bought an Iphone 4s and he is thrilled with the intuitive nature of the cloud's processing. The visit was too short.

Detroit

I went to Detroit afterwards to visit Carrie and Dave and their two-year old son, Liam. It was great to see good friends after a year's absence. It is amazing how quickly their son has grown. He is speaking sentences that are intelligible to himself. He is a talker. I enjoyed having brunch with Carrie's dad, Rick Fling. He is enjoying retirement and he likes to spend time with his grandson.

I visited with Dave Nona, an Iraqi friend and graduate of Al-Hikma university and Baghdad College. We had a dinner at the Traffic Jam restaurant, which is close to Wayne State University. Dave will be helpful to me in my transition to the new assignment to Amman, Jordan.

On Sunday, we took a walk along the Riverfront near the GM headquarters. I was very happy to see so many people outside and enjoying the bright sunshine. Everyone was happy. So many people were in the downtown area. Does Detroit have a chance at rebirth? Of course. I hope investors make the right moves. After a late flight back to Boston, I went to bed at 3 a.m.