Maker Faire Detroit makes over The Henry Ford for a full weekend
Posted by scasola | Filed under Apartments Birmingham MI, Apartments Clawson MI, Apartments Ferndale MI, Apartments Royal Oak MI, Apartments Troy MI, Detroit MI, Royal Oak, Royal Oak MI, Urbane, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, events, life
The Motor City to Maker City transition is complete. This past weekend crowds descended upon the parking lots of The Henry Ford to take in the area’s first ever Maker Faire and experienced everything from hands-on robot and guitar-assembling exhibits to DIY events of all kinds. I think it’s fair to say so much was packed on the grounds it was virtually impossible to experience it all without at least a full day devoted to the event.
There were plenty of chances to get hands-on and even toss some paint at Maker Faire.
I found myself drawn to the life-sized color mouse-trap and anxiously awaiting the mentos-and-coke waterfall demonstration, though I admittedly stood far from the spray. In the heat of the day, the water swings looked absolutely refreshing. Imagine swinging through a sprinkler and you get the general idea.
Robots-in-the-making at Maker Faire
I was partial to the Handmade Detroit craft tent of course, where I located so many amazing DIY finds I could’ve shopped for hours if I’d had the time. I did score an amazing copper cuff bracelet and some cards I can’t wait to send to friends – courtesy of Ann Arbor’s Nicole Ray and her line, Sloe Gin Fizz (which I first stumbled happily across on Twitter). My friend Diana and I cooed over this Hooked on You card.
All my standard favorites were there - City Bird and Glass Action – But I also found some great newcomers including Burnt Desserts, a Michigan-based company that makes adorable hair clips and accessories reminiscent of cupcakes and strawberries. It’s really adorable (and calorie-free).
And some of the best finds were hidden near the fire arts:
What was your favorite part of Maker Faire? Tell us about it.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Urbane Apartments and theUrbane Lobby. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @UrbaneLife.
Tags: DIY, first time in Detroit, Maker Faire Detroit, makers, The Henry Ford, Urbane, urbane apartments, Urbane Life
Want to party Sex & The City-style this weekend?
Posted by scasola | Filed under Apartments Birmingham MI, Apartments Clawson MI, Apartments Ferndale MI, Apartments Royal Oak MI, Apartments Troy MI, Birmingham MI, Detroit MI, Ferndale MI, Royal Oak MI, Urbane, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, events, fashion, movies, people
Are you a Carrie, a Miranda, a Samantha or a Charlotte? Years after the hit HBO series Sex & The City signed off of the cable airwaves, fans are still identifying with these four characters. So much so, the hype engine for Sex & The City 2 has been in overdrive for weeks.
I have a confession. Upon first viewing of the trailer – in late December – my friend Susie and I vowed to see it together opening weekend. It’s the sort of thing girls do. It’s a phenomenon that seemingly can’t be stopped.
This weekend, V Nightclub at the MGM Grand Detroit will serve as the staging area for a posh Sex & The City 2 Pre-Release event. Get Carrie’d Away at V Nightclub starts at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 22, and promises cosmo martini specials all night, in honor of the girls we can all relate to in some way or another. Dare to wear something fabulous if you plan to attend. After all, the best dressed ladies will walk away with some movie swag. VIP accommodations are also available – we’re talking bottle service and beyond.
Sounds like the ultimate Girls Night Out, doesn’t it? And that’s just a precursor to the movie’s release. It hits area theaters May 27, 2010.
Will you see Sex & The City 2 or are you shunning this chick flick? Do you think a sequel was warranted or is it going one step too far?
This is one guilty pleasure I won’t miss. Ask my friends, I’m kind of a Charlotte.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Urbane Apartments and theUrbane Lobby. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter at@UrbaneLife.
Tags: chick flick, Get Carrie'd Away at V Nightclub, HBO series, MGM Grand Detroit, sequel, Sex & The City, Sex & The City 2, Urbane, urbane apartments, Urbane Lobby, UrbaneLife
Apple fans, the iPad is almost here
Posted by s_casola | Filed under Apartments Birmingham MI, Apartments Clawson MI, Apartments Ferndale MI, Apartments Royal Oak MI, Apartments Troy MI, Birmingham MI, Clawson Neighborhood, Cool People, Detroit MI, Ferndale MI, Rambalings, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, Royal Oak MI, Urbane, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, events, life, marketing, technology
It’s almost here! Apple will begin shipping its shiny new iPad tomorrow, April 3. All who pre-ordered the tablet computer are probably planning to stick close-to-home for the delivery. I know that’s where I’d be.
According to the MacDailyNews Apple analysts are estimating between 200,000 and 300,000 iPads will be sold in this, its opening weekend. Considering that 120,000 units pre-sold the first day, March 12, those estimates seem a bit conservative.
Whatever happens, the tablet Apple calls “magical and revolutionary” is sure to bring long lines and very large crowds of curious customers to Apple’s nearby stores – at Troy’s Somerset Collection, The Mall at Partridge Creek Mall in Clinton Township, Briarwood in Ann Arbor and Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. Some Apple employees will work the night shift to prepare for the crowds, and all will get hands-on training prior to opening.
While some reports deemed the iPad to be little more than a larger version of the iPod Touch, early reviews had iPad testers gushing with glee. Time contributor Steven Fry wrote yesterday: “I had been prepared for a smooth feel, for a bright screen and the ‘immersive’ experience everyone had promised. I was not prepared, though, for how instant the relationship I formed with the device would be.”
I recently decided to go all-digital, cleaning out countless CDs, my less-coveted books and the few DVDs I owned. The iPad would certainly be a great fit, though I was hoping for a sleek product that might also take the place of my laptop. It doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case, still like so many others, I can’t wait to test it out.
Apple, considered by Fortune Magazine to be the World’s Most Admired Company for a third consecutive year, has a way of tapping into our psyche. I’ve been drinking the proverbial Apple Kool-Aid for years now. While I’m not convinced the iPad will have as much of an impact on my life as my can’t-live-without-it iPhone has, it has piqued my curiosity. Will I see you at the Apple store?
Tags: all-digital, Ann Arbor, Apple, Apple Store, April 3, Briarwood, Clinton Township, iPad, Novi, pre-sold, Somerset Collection, tablet computer, The Mall at Partridge Creek, Troy, Twelve Oaks
Thrills & chills tonight in Royal Oak
Posted by s_casola | Filed under Apartments Clawson MI, Apartments Ferndale MI, Apartments Royal Oak MI, Apartments Troy MI, Cool People, Detroit MI, Ferndale MI, Royal Oak, Royal Oak MI, Urbane, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, events, life, movies, people, trends, video
The Motor City’s own Wolfman horror host, “Wolfman” Mac Kelly, is donning the claws more often these days. In addition to his Chiller Drive-In show, which is filmed in Pontiac and airs at 10 p.m. Saturdays on cable’s Retro TV Network, Wolfman Mac is making monthly appearances at Royal Oak’s Main Art Theatre for his Attack of the Killer B’s scary movie screenings.
Tonight he presents the classic William Castle spooktacular House on Haunted Hill, starring Vincent Price. Grab a seat to find out what happens when and eccentric millionaire and his wife invite five strangers to stay at their mysterious mansion, each promised $10,000 if they survive the night.
The film screens at 7 tonight, April 1 – no fooling. Tickets are $5 kids, $7 students and $9 adults. Call (238) 263-2111 for details.
If - like me - you grew up watching horror movie hosts like Count Scary, Sir Graves Ghastly or The Ghoul, you won’t want to miss Wolfman Mac and his cast of creepy, comedic characters on Chiller Drive-In. And on the first Thursday of every month – you’ll get a chance to meet the Wolfman in-the-fur, if you will for his Attack of the Killer B’s screenings.
Not much for horror flicks but a fan of rockabilly music you say? Well check out Mac as he gets back to his DJ roots. Beginning 8:30 p.m. Saturdays Wolfman Mac hosts Rockabilly Weekends at Bo’s Smokehouse BBQ. It’s 21 and over, kids with a $5 cover at the door. Bo’s is located at 51 N. Saginaw in downtown Pontiac.
Tags: Attack of the Killer B's, Bo's Smokehouse BBQ, Count Scary, horror, House on Haunted Hill, Mac Kelly, Main Art Theatre, Rockabilly Saturdays, Sir Graves Ghastly, The Ghoul, Vincent Price, Wolfman Mac
REFRESH EVERYTHING: Pepsi to Shun Super Bowl Ads and Save the World
Posted by Ashley | Filed under Apartments Birmingham MI, Apartments Clawson MI, Apartments Ferndale MI, Birmingham MI, Cool People, Detroit MI, Ferndale MI, Health Care Reform, Rambalings, Royal Oak, Royal Oak MI, Urbane, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, art, design, eco, events, fitness, food, life, marketing, music, people, pets, politics, technology, trends, uncategorized, video
Nothing kicks off a new year quite like the countdown to Super Bowl. For non-football fans, the advertising arms race to create the biggest, baddest and boldest TV commercials is an all-consuming media maelstrom. We learn something about America, for better or worse, every year during that Sunday sports spectacular. Super Bowl commercials create inescapable social memes (Budweiser frogs, anyone?), launch household pitchmen (from Wiliam Shatner to the GEICO gecko), and even inspire watershed cultural moments (Madonna’s interracial kiss during the Pepsi “Like a Prayer” ad).
That’s why Pepsi’s new advertising push for Super Bowl XLIV is so big, so bad (as in good), so bold…and so brave. This year, the soda-pop juggernaut’s television advertising budget for Super Bowl is $0. Yep, you read that right. In the biggest showdown between social-media marketing and traditional TV ads to date, Pepsi will give away over $20 Million in advertising dollars to fund “good ideas, big and small, that make the world a better place”–and it’s all happening at their new do-gooding website. The Pepsi Refresh Project will disperse grants in the amounts of 10 5k grants, 10 25k grants, 10 50k grants, and 2 250k grants every month of 2010. The best part? It’s all interactive. Anyone over the age of 13 can submit an idea, along with video, photographs, and anything else to convince voters to click your button.
Wait, voters? It gets even better. Pepsi will accept up to 1000 submissions every month, and host a public vote so we can pick the winners. Remember Mountain Dew’s Dewmocracy campaign? I think the Refresh Project just blew it out of the water. We’ll have to use Facebook, Twitter, Flyers, Foursquare, and whatever else we have at our disposal to win.
Got a great idea? Wanna make things better? I do. It ain’t easy being a Michigander these days. We’re hurt, we’re struggling, and many of us are hungry, out of work, or scared to death. I’m here to propose a challenge to all of you Urbane Blog readers out there. Let’s win this thing for Michigan.
If you’re still reading this blog, it’s because you care about where you live. You love Metro Detroit, and you’re connected enough to think about improving our quality of life, and sustaining our economy. This is our chance. For all those times that you’ve wished you could change your world…now we can. Power to the people.
In the next month, we’ll be using the Urbane Blog as a forum to come up with some great ideas for Pepsi Refresh grants. Stay tuned this week for more information about how to get your ideas to us, and how we’lll vote for our favorites every month. If your idea wins, you’ll have the full-throttle marketing machine of the Urbane Way behind you–logistics, proposal-writing, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, video…if we have it, we’ll help you get the word out, and get our people voting.
Stuck on ideas? Yeah, me too. There are six different categories on the Refresh Everything website: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods, and Education. Below, you’ll find a few sample ideas for each category to get your brain cells moving. You can also check out the Pepsi Refresh Project Blog for a ton of really cool ideas, plus a toolkit to help you figure out how to put it all together.
Jan 13 is just about two weeks away. Together, we’re so much stronger than we are alone–and this is our chance to do some good. Let’s band together, and make it happen.
Sample ideas:
Health: Obesity is a crucial health problem. Can we help fund an after school fitness program in our community? Or connect local farmers with schools, so cafeterias begin serving organic and fresh food at lunch? What about free phys-ed classes for senior citizens?
Arts & Culture: Every artist needs a place to live and create, and most of them are penniless. We could start a land bank to buy abandoned and foreclosed properties in Detroit and surrounding areas. Then, we could lease the properties for really cheap to artists from around the world. The caveat–they have to sign a 3 year lease, and pledge to clean up, repaint, install new floors…whatever it takes to make that home liveable. What does that create? A community of creatives, a neighborhood reborn, and houses restored uniquely and with care. When the artists are ready to move on, they can be kept in a trust for other creatives, or sold on the open market. Or we could start a movement to build public sculptures all over our downtowns. Create a Heidelberg project in the streets. A community School of Rock program to teach the next generation of rockers, guitars included.
Food & Shelter: There’s plenty of empty buildings in the area, and thousands more men, women and children without homes this winter. We could rent these buildings out and turn them into temporary winter shelters for our local homeless. Or start a Sunday dinner soup kitchen so every hungry person in our community could get a delicious warm meal one night per week.
The Planet:Let’s help Royal Oak go solar! We could request a grant to outfit houses, storefronts, and restaurants with home solar panels or windmills. Or what about starting a massive city-wide recycling project? Or even painting 100 rooftops white to reduce energy costs.
Neighborhoods: Community gardens. We could request the money for tools, buying the land, bulldozing an abandoned building, and seeds. Plant wildflowers, or even a food garden. That food could be donated to a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Or renting space in an empty storefront downtown for a kids’ community center. A greenway connecting Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale, Clawson, etc. (like the Dequindre Cut) for bicyclists and pedestrians only. Even safe bike racks in all of our downtown areas.
Education: Operation Kid Equip is just one charity that helps get school supplies to Oakland County kids without the means to get what they need for school–from pencils to backpacks. That’s one cause we could certainly support. Or what about starting our own Big Brothers, Big Sisters chapter with Urbane residents and friends? Or adopting an elementary school in Detroit, and helping them clean up and build a new playground. Is there empty land in Ferndale that could be recreated as a Field of Dreams for local kids?
Start dreaming! And please leave your comments and ideas here. We want to hear all the input, thoughts, inspiration, questions, and directions you can give.
Things To Do; Ferndale Street Festival
Posted by Eric Brown | Filed under Apartments Ferndale MI, Cool People, Ferndale MI, Urbane, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, art, events
We spent the afternoon yesterday at the Ferndale Street Festival. We had a great time and shot the attached Flip Video. Albeit we are no Matt Dibble or Justin Mills video producers, but we had a great time!
Tags: Ferndale MI, festivals
Things To Do; Pure Michigan!
Posted by Eric Brown | Filed under UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, video
Get out in the upcoming weeks and enjoy our beautiful state, fall only comes once a year!
Tags: Apartment Marketing, Apartment Reviews, Apartment Social Media, apartments, Apartments Birmingham MI, Apartments Ferndale MI, Apartments Royal Oak, Eric Brown, Loft Apartments in Royal Oak, Stuff To Do in Birmingham MI, Stuff To Do in Ferndale, Stuff To Do Royal Oak, Things To Do in Birmingham, Things To Do in Ferndale, Things To Do in Royal Oak, Urbane, urbane apartments, Urbane Lab, Urbane Talk, UrbaneApts.com
To Rail or Not to Rail
Posted by Eric Brown | Filed under Detroit MI, UrbaneApts, UrbaneTV, travel, trends
Michigan should pass on railroad gift horse
We ran across this article, and thought there may be some discussion surrounding it. Any thoughts as to what if anything Michigan should do with this?
Posted by Nolan Finley (
