Wearin’ o the Green (lights) at Michigan Central by Andrew McFarlane
Longtime followers of Michigan in Pictures who know how near & dear to my heart and the very existence of this photoblog Detroit’s Michigan Central Station is probably won’t be surprised that a string of requests from readers & friends to share pics of MCS lit up for St Patrick’s Day moved me to ride over there at 5am today!
I don’t have a photo site (yet at least) but you can always throw me a buck or two on Patreon! And for sure check out lots more Michigan Central Station on Michigan in Pictures!
PS: WOW do I wish I’d brought my dSLR over – the moon was incredible!!!
Today is 313 Day, a celebration of all things Detroit. While I’m not usually a fan of making up holidays, I have to say that as a Detroit resident, it’s a pretty cool day with all kinds of free fun from the 313 Celebration at Robert C. Valade Park to free admission at museums for things like 313 Day at the Detroit Historical Museum that includes a popup Detroit vs. Everybody creator Tommey Walker.
Glen is one of the prime movers & shakers of the Eastside Camera Club, and he took this pic of the Spirit of Detroit at their July 2024 outing. They are providing the opportunity to photograph fast-moving racing bikes in the low-light setting of the Lexus Velodrome in Detroit this Saturday, March 15 at 7:30pm! Get details on their Facebook & follow Glen on Flickr for his latest.
Fat Tuesday is the traditional feast before Lent begins. Polish-Americans brought their tradition of Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday) to Polish enclaves like Hantramck in Detroit as Pączki Day. The Freep shares some facts about these Polish pastries:
The paczki is thought of as a way to use up fatty ingredients like lard and butter, as well as sugar, eggs, and fruit before Lenten fasting begins.
Don’t call paczki jelly doughnuts. They have a much richer flavor because the yeasty dough is made with more eggs. They are also bigger and plumper; the shape is more like a sphere.
In Poland, the last Thursday before Lent begins is called Fat Thursday. So the splurge day was Feb. 27.
A small amount of grain alcohol is added to the paczki dough before cooking. As the alcohol evaporates, it prevents the absorption of oil deep into the dough so the pastry is not greasy.
Calories and fat? Brace yourself. Depending on the size, paczki can have as many as 400 calories and more than 20 grams of fat.
The name paczki translates to “little packages.” Paczki is pronounced POONCH-key and is plural; one pastry is a paczek (POON-check).
I took the picture above yesterday at Canelle in downtown Detroit on the corner of Grand River & Griswold. For my money – which is backed by a French teacher mom – Canelle has the best beignet in town! Here are some pics from Paczki Day 2024 at New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck along with a shot of their 2025 Paczki: Cookie butter flavored buttercream with cookie crunch on the side/top, covered with powdered sugar!
Yesterday on his excellent photography blog James shared some photos & information about the Detroit River Lighthouse:
…also known as the Bar Point Shoal Light, has guided vessels navigating the treacherous waters between Lake Erie and the Detroit River since its completion in 1885. Located about a mile offshore near the mouth of the river, the lighthouse replaced a series of ineffective lightships that had struggled to withstand the region’s harsh conditions. Constructed of steel and concrete, the tower was built to endure strong currents and ice floes, making it one of the most resilient navigational beacons in the Great Lakes. Over the years, the lighthouse transitioned from a manually operated station to an automated one in 1979, eliminating the need for resident keepers. Despite its automation, the Detroit River Light remains an important part of Great Lakes maritime history, symbolizing the rich heritage of shipping and navigation in the region.
The Detroit Auto Show starts today and runs through January 20th. The Freep shares that in addition to no longer putting on airs as the North American International Auto Show, there won’t be any concept cars or earth-shaking demos. Instead, the show will include more than 30 car brands showcasing their vehicles. Luxury cars will be returning to the floor, and there will be test tracks, charity drives and engineering exhibits.
Being a place for buyers to meet sellers & see the range of cars in the market is for sure cool, but can we just have just a couple concept cars? For science?? Here’s two from past Michpics posts…
“Without Detroit, cars wouldn’t be cars, culture wouldn’t be culture, and music wouldn’t be music. My family wouldn’t be what it is without this city.”
– @stephen_mcgee, Filmmaker, 2x Emmy Award Winner, Photographer MY DRIVE. MY CITY. MY SHOW.™
Last night the city of Detroit erupted in celebration after the 14-2 Detroit Lions destroyed the also 14-2 Minnesota Vikings last night for their 15th win & top seed in the NFC. It’s an absolutely incredible moment for the long suffering franchise & Lions fans everywhere!
The Lions running back lived up to his Sonic nickname with 139 yards on the ground, another 31 through the air, and FOUR touchdowns. Gibbs became the first Lions player to lead the NFL in scrimmage touchdowns (20) since Sanders in 1991 (17) while setting a single-season franchise record for TDs!!
Thousands of people commute each day from their homes in Michigan to their work in Canada and vice versa. Let’s join Michigan to Canada so that those nurses, engineers, municipal workers and computer programmers can more easily travel within the same country. The pandemic played havoc with those commuters, when the international crossing was closed.
Let’s scrap that border before the next pandemic.
As someone who has regularly visited Canada all my life; vacationing on Sugar Island & St Joseph Island, skiing in Searchmont, enjoying music in Toronto, and zipping across to Windsor with just my enhanced Michigan license whenever the mood strikes me, I’m giving that a big amen!
James shared the photo of the Ambassador Bridge back in February of 2018 writing: Fog covers the cities of Windsor, ONT and Detroit, MI. The Ambassador Bridge connects the two cities. 5 shot panorama stitched in Lightroom. Shot from Detroit Riverside Park.
There’s more pics in his Detroit gallery on Flickr including the photo of the two nations looking downriver.
Overall, the report found 82% of Canadians do not want to become the 51st state with only 13% saying they would.
On December 31st, I will begin my 20th year of doing Michigan-focused photo blog Michigan in Pictures!! I’m going to try some new things this year to keep things fresh & fun for Michigan in Pictures regulars including yours truly like featuring more of my photos from the present day & my surprisingly extensive archives. As with today’s entry, a lot of them will be from Detroit where I live.
My first “Farlane Friday” is the brand new building at the new Hudson’s building in downtown Detroit which I am honestly a big fan of. I wasn’t alone, because this photo blew up when I shared it in the Detroit Photography group on Facebook. Hudson’s was Detroit’s signature department store and the place where I – like many Detroiters – unquestionably got my first picture taken with Santa. I also spent more than one Saturday reading dinosaur books at the lunch counter while my Grandma shopped with her friends. You can head over to Hudson’s Detroit for lots more about this new addition to Detroit’s skyline & for sure check out this post about the history of Hudson’s on Michigan in Pictures.
Leelanau.com shares that the film Anangong Miigaading, the original Star Wars- A New Hope from 1977 that is dubbed entirely in the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language premiers TONIGHT at the State theatre in Traverse City. I encourage you to check it out if you’re close enough, but even more I am encouraging you (yes you, Michigan loving reader) to contact your local theater and urge them to bring a showing one of the most powerful films of all time in the language of the land you live in.
Michigan in Pictures 