Friday, September 27, 2013

Wooster Square's Mini Motor City Makes Magnificent Major Mark, Minus Madness!

Wooster Square Blossom Blogs 

to 

Detroit and Boston!

Hard to believe the Summer of 2013 is in the proverbial history books! But that means back to business here in the Wonderful World of Historic Wooster Square. Students of all ages can be seen lugging their devices across the Square on their way to class. Faculty is busy preparing seemingly serious school students studying subjects and set to soar to significant success...supposedly.

I was thinking... what if I asked the Blossom Blog Mainframe: What would be good advice for the Senior Class of 2014? While we wait with baited breath for the Wiley Wonderful Wooster Square Wisdom, let's look back at the summer that was and Blog to the Motor City and Beantown (Detroit and Boston).


No Detroit without Wooster Square?
Wooster Square makes the World go Round!




A simple fact. Were it not for one of decendents of the founders of New Haven, Detroit may never have become the Motor City at all! You see, in 1844 Wooster Squarian Charles Goodyear, patented the Vulcanization of rubber, literally paving the way for the New Horseless carriages. Chuck's father was a descendant of Stephen Goodyear of London, Middlesex, England, one of the founders of the colony of New Haven in 1638 according to Wikipedia. Charles Goodyear dedicated his life to his research, at times sacrificing everything, spending time in Debtor's prison. He lived at the corner of Chapel Street and Wooster Place. A Pretty Primo Place in our Precious Patch of Humble Perfection!



In 1888 John Dunlop invented tires that were air-filled. Initially, the tire was manufactured for bicycles. In 1903 the Goodyear Company patented the tubeless tire but it was not widely used until the 1954 Packard (about.com).  It appears that at least something was good about the 54 Packard!







Henry Ford also was looking ways to put America to work and give everyone the freedom of transportation. He met with a Carriage Salesman by the name of Harvey Firestone, who eventually started his own tire company. After learning of the air-filled tires, he contacted Mr. Ford who promptly ordered 2000 sets in 1906.The largest order ever (firestone110.com/news)


Wooster Square helped give wheels 
to the Automobile Revolution!



In 2006 I met Cheryl walking Zippy in Wooster Square Park. Unbeknownst to me Cheryl, also had Detroit roots! Robert Szczarba,her late father,was a longtime mathematician at Yale. Bob was born in of all places, Dearborn, Michigan. The home of Ford Motor Company's World Headquarters. Cheryl's grandfather worked in a Ford factory. Grandpa Szczarba was laid off while his wife was pregnant with Cheryl's father. Cheryl's grandmother wrote a letter to Mrs. Ford explaining the predicament. Cheryl's grandfather was hired to work on the grounds of Mr. and Mrs. Ford's home until retirement. Robert Szczarba went on to the University of Michigan, and eventually settled in New Haven.

In the Intoxicating Impressive Interesting Irony department, my late father worked at Ford Motor for over 30 years. He eventually worked in Dearborn for... Henry Ford II. 

The Wonderful World of Wooster Square has a healthy population of Many Marvelous Magnanimous Michiganders living aMongst! When you ask one where the are from they are happy to pull out their trusty Michigan map (their hand... er Mitt) and point to the location. Pretty "handy". I believe we have enough Michiganders to have a University of Michigan vs Michigan State touch football game in Wooster Square!

Many of us hail from the Detroit area and have deep roots in the auto industry. I have neighbors that went to Cass Tech High School, Catholic Central High School and I went to Brother Rice High School. We have come full circle on rubber invented by a fellow Wooster Squarian who died 153 years ago. Unfortunately for Mr. Goodyear, our World Famous Sakura Trees were not yet planted around the Square. If they were, he could have reflected on all his trials and tribulations with this Cherry Blossom Poem...





As the years stream by
My own life passes from me
Still I am renewed when I see the blossoms
My heart’s sorrows disappear

- Fujiwara no Yoshifusa


The Blossom Mainframe is churning away using its vast lightning fast connections with the Super Computers at Yale, the National Security Agency (NSA) and Mad Magazine. I am confident it will dredge up some Wicked Wonderful Wisdom for the Class of 2014. While we wait for the final outcome... 

Wooster Square Blossom Blogs 
to 
Detroit Michigan!

Detroit's Dubious Debt Ceiling is Daunting


People Pleasing Places a Plus


Detroit's Renaissance Center's Sweet


Detroit's Dandy, not Daunting nor Dull!


Baseball Bright Booming Fireworks!
(fireworks seen from top of Ren Cen at Comerica Park)




People Mover Puts People Places
(makes a loop a along a very walk-able 
Magnificent Motor City!)

Click here to check out Detroit's People Mover!


Detroit River and Ambassador Bridge
(Windsor Canada is on the left, 
south of Detroit, eh?)


Revving up Recovery in Motown


Art Deco Dominates Detroit


Time to Dine!



Square's Son sees stunning sad site
(Tiger Stadium sat here, you can see parts of the gate to the left.)
((I was at the 1971 All Star Game here and saw Reggie Jackson hit a home
run that hit the lights!))


Watch you tube video 
of ReggieJackson's
 Horrendously Huge High Homer 
in action inDetroit


((click here if plug in cannot be seen on your device))


Bitchin Bad Bar-b-q 


Detroit Rocks 

Quick!!! Click here for Slows!!!



Cheryl and I walked from the Greektown Casino hotel to Slows Bar-b-q, a not to be missed place on your list of restaurants while in Detroit. Of course, when we told people we were walking there they looked at us a little funny. But hey, we are from Wooster Square, we walk everywhere. Everyone you meet in and around Detroit is as friendly and nice as can be. They go out of their way to tell you about what is going on and why they are so proud of their City. We love Detroit too! So much so we went to a play at the GEM Theater about the life of Legendary Tiger Broadcaster Ernie Harwell (cried like a baby).

Then we took in a Detroit Tiger Game!


Little Gem, Big Entertainment



Detroit doesn't stink at anything!
(first public showers installed at the Albert Kahn designed building.)


Roaring Good Baseball!


Formidable Fielder Flexes Fittingly For Fences


Sherzer Slings Slick Sinker Satisfyingly successful
(won his 19th game)

Detroit does know how to spell Tigers!
We went on Hispanic Heritage night!
(note spelling of Tigres on his Jersey!)


Terrific Tigers Tantalize Tourists and Townies


New Haven (county-Milford) Made 
and recently refurbished
One of two tigers on the top of 
Comerica's scoreboard.






Twin Fun
Pegasus Greek Restaurant
and Greektown Casino. Oompa!

Click here for Great Greek Food!!

Click here to have fun and stay at Greektown Casino in Detroit!

While walking the City we stumbled upon Hong Kong!


We walked into a movie set...


Book-em Dano!



Transformers 4

We determined that making movies is a lot of people standing around doing nothing but looking very busy.



Thanks Detroit!


Wedding Bears
Ren Cen Detroit
(Cars lining up bottom right
heading to Canada via tunnel)



Preliminary Wooster Square Wisdom for the Class of 2014 is coming together.
I am sure you Seniors can barely hold onto your device, shaking with glee! 
But wait!

Wooster Square Blossom Blogs 
to 
Boston and Fenway Park!


A funny thing happened on the way to the Coliseum, er Fenway. Cheryl, a lifelong Red Sox Fan, and I, a lifelong Detroit Tiger Fan, ordered tickets to Fenway Park in September to see Detroit Play Boston when they went on sale. We got the actual tickets before the season even started and put them in a safe place. 

So having a snack at the Capitol Grille, exactly 1200 steps from Fenway we pull out the tickets... for the game on the following night! Yay! Two nights in Beantown! Time to take some photos!

One if by sea!

History Loves Company

Wicked Winding Way

Old Hall, Old Glory

Not Nearly New Haven's 
Nifty Natural Nine Squares

Shucking Good Food!

********

While in Boston, you must visit the moving 
Holocaust Memorial. 



Always Remember the lives lost...

********

Time for lunch in the North End!

Boston's Wooster Square
(but where's their Square?)

Reflecting on some authentic Veal Parm

Love L'Osteria Lots!

click here for great Italian in Boston's North End!

Off to Fenway to see Detroit vs Boston

It's a "Paaking Lot Paahty"
(Boston's version of Lee Brice's (country) Parking Lot Party...)




Parking lot Party Video!
America's Most Humble Park

Stay Still in Your Seats and the Monster won't see you!

Lot's of Tiger Fan's in the Crowd!

Eating Crow!

Tiger's got pummeled 20 to 4!

See you in the playoffs!

Thanks Boston!

Wedding Bears
Kendall Square


We have our Wooster Square
Blooming Advice for the 
Senior Class of 2014!!!

The Blossom Mainframe has taken the advice and sage of over a billion people and narrowed it down to these

Terrific Top Ten!!



10. What's the use of Money? It can't buy you happiness - Henny Youngman

9. Dont' go around saying the world the World  owes you a living. The world was here first
- Mark Twain

8.  I believe the rights of Women and Girls is the unfinished business of the 21st Century
- Hillary Clinton

7. Man sacrifices his health to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die , and then dies never really having lived - Dalai Lama

6. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent on things that matter - Martin Luther King

5. If you Obey all the Rules, you miss all the fun     - Katherine Hepburn

4. Do or Do Not, there is no Try - Yoda

3. Live as if you were to die tomorrow.Learn as if you will live forever.
                  - Mahatma Ghandi

2. If you want to be successful it's just this   simple. Know what you are doing. Love what     you are doing. And believe in what you are         doing - Will Rogers

1. Imagination is more important 
             than Knowledge - Albert Einstein

Good Luck Senior Class of 2014!

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Don't forget to Visit the Wooster Square
exhibit at the New Haven Museum!


Check out my "Guest Post"
FallGust?
in 
The Elm City Beat!


Don't forget our Nationally Ranked
Top 10 Wooster Square Farmer's Market
Saturdays from 9am to 1pm!

See you there...

or 

See You Round the Square!

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