Detroit and Belle Isle Fountain

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Detroit and Belle Isle Fountain

I passed through Detroit (see last years post on Detroit) on the way to the Thunder over Michigan Airshow and we drove onto Belle Isle which is a great treasure along Detroit's waterfront. The main part of the Belle Isle fountain (the James Scott Memorial Fountain) has been fixed since my last visit and only two parts remain without water. The pond itself is full of algae and no ducks float on it's almost solid surface.

Back in Detroit the razor wire, graffiti, empty lots and abandoned buildings still remain. I didn't see any urban farms and maybe they still remain as proposals. It is said that Detroit is the 2nd poorest City in America which is really sad considering that the American economy still seems to be reeling from the previous world wide meltdown which has not really ended. I hope that Detroit comes back and that some people can take advantage of the low home prices and bring families and business back to Motor City. Until then the abandoned buildings and damaged structures provide a scary and artistic memory of past bounty.