Super City

The hustle and bustle of the Superbowl is upon us here in the Motor City. I've spent the past few months watching things come together from the safety of my office high above Campus Martius. Sure, there are the big things that those who are unfamiliar with the area will quickly notice. Winterblast tents are set up in the streets, some full of cars, others housing beachy sand floors and palm trees. There are ice sculptures lining Woodward Avenue along side fancy Superbowl advertisements. The Rennaisance Center has been turned into a makeshift Media City, with every radio, tv, and broadcast journalist setting up camp around the loop. ESPN has its studio housed in the Wintergarden, and I must say it's an impressive site.

What goes unnoticed to most, but what I find the most amazing, are the things that only those who spend their lives downtown can really detect. Mavericks, a struggling restaurant only recently reopened in the financial district, has a new sign up. It's new and flashy and modern. The exterior windowsills at Cadillac Plaza, just outside of Motown Cafe, an inner city hole-in-the-wall that has fed my associates and myself many a cup of vegetable soup and steaming plate of fries, have been replaced with brand new granite. They're shiny and polished and blend seamlessly into the building's facade. New stores have popped up along Woodward between the financial district and Grand Circus Park, showing off athletic apparel and the latest in couture fashion. These stores will probably exit the city as quickly as the Superbowl visitors come next week, but for now, they bring the illusion of a welcoming shopping district.

The biggest change, however, is the people. They're everywhere. Even now, as I peer down to the street below, I see hundreds of people strolling along, taking it all in. That's no small feat in this city. It's 30 degrees with a blustery wind coming off the Detroit River, and yet there are people idly milling about in the streets. It makes me smile.

I'm all about instant gratification. I have long maintained that this city will thrive again. Connecting the financial and entertainment districts by gutting the abandoned storefronts and bringing in new business is the key. And as a city, we have been slowly plodding our way in that direction for some time. But it's slow and tedious work rebuilding Motown. And with our Party Boy Mayor freshly reelected, most of us feel our chances at becoming a booming power player again, known for more than violence and grime, are slowly slipping back into the realm of dreams.

The beauty of the Superbowl coming to town is that it gives me the instant gratification that I have so longed for. For a moment in time, Detroit isn't Murder City, USA. With the temporary import of stores, bars, restaurants and people, our city looks alive. It looks shiny and new and has taken on a vibrance that I can't say I've seen in my lifetime. I brought my camera in today, not in hopes of spotting a celebrity, but so that I don't miss an opportunity to memorialize this temporary face lift.

I want to remember how this city can be with just a little elbow grease and determination.

It might not last long, but for now, the sight of laborers plastering new brickwork and laying new limestone paths, grown men in business suits squatting like children to get a glimpse of the live ESPN News taping, and visitors wandering around in awe, soaking it all in...it's priceless.