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Delta has announced one-off round-trip flights from GRR to one U of M football away game and all Detroit Lions away games: GRR: Flights to Detroit Lions Away Games Available through Delta at Ford International Airport Nice. I few months ago Delta forecasted that business travel would be down this year. I'm guessing that this is a creative attempt to get a few more non-business travelers into their planes.

Well MJLO, here is my gabby response to the same GRDadof3 quote. You pretty much covered what I really wanted to say in one sentence, while I slowly wrote a long rambling essay: I think you are right that today there would be a lot push back against that proposal to cut through that heavily Hispanic neighborhood (when I was a substitute mailman and the late sixties it was still heavily Dutch blue collar – think the old Kelvinator factory.) I had some friends that grew up in that neighborhood and they said before the US 131 expressway was built, they could cross over Century and go play in the freight yards amongst the freight cars. The expressway blocked out that fun. It wasn’t POC neighborhoods so much that I-196 divided, it was the mostly Catholic Polish, Lithuanian, and German blue-collar neighborhoods on both the west side and the northeast side. The neighborhoods still included many first-generation immigrants, many who didn’t drive and whose social life revolved around their local now physically divided parishes. Many of course lost their homes. A few homes were also lost from where US 131 crosses over the river to the west side between the S curve to about Ann Street. North of Ann US 131 went through old junk yards and farms fields and dumps. For years it ended at North Park Street. Directly across from the end of US 131 was the entrance to the old Grand Rapids Speedrome parking lot. Good location for them while it lasted. Except that small strip of mostly commercial property, I described above US 131 did not cut through much residential space. South of the S curve it follows the bottom of what I think was an ancient river valley just like the railroads did and is built along what I think is mostly old railroad right-away. The railroads and yards aren’t what they used to be but they are still there. Because of that, this is kind of dead zone. I don’t think you could convert it in any way into successful commercial boulevard. You can rebuild US 131 as a more modern and safer expressway, fix the exits, maybe elevate some of it. I think being an expressway is probably the highest use you can make of the current route. If anyone cares to, they can dig into this link to follow the aerial view from 1955 of what is now US 131 and see what was there before the expressway was built. Just type in any Grand Rapids address to get it started then you can slide the map around. https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer

I believe this was the Catholic Bishop's House and then became the Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital (back when DOs and MDs did not practice in the same hospitals.) Eventually the hospital evolved into what is now University of Michigan Health-West out on Gezon in Wyoming. History of U of M West

Very nice story on WOODTV about the restorations of seven historic buildings in Grand Rapids, some of them well known, others more obscure: WOODTV: grand-rapids-to-recognize-restoration-efforts-behind-7-historic-buildings

MLIVE: First-of-its-kind wood processing facility opens in Grand Rapids

So I just read, Leo, the newly elected Pope , has a local connection. He attended the Augustine Catholic Seminary high school that used to be in the Felt Mansion in the Saugatuck Dunes. Last year I wrote a long post about local buildings on the National Historic Register. At the tail-end of that post (the segment cut and pasted below) I talked about the Felt Mansion. The Wikipedia article does mention the seminary. Someone needs to update the article to mention Pope Leo 's connection to the building's history. So far, this is a free link: DETROIT NEWS: Catholics celebrate west Michigan roots of Pope Leo XIV

Interesting and somewhat unusual design. The article states that it will be built while the existing school is still in use. The school property has a lower and upper level with the the two parts separated by a bank that I'd say is around fifteen feet high that runs east to west through the length of the property. The new school would be on the lower level and I'd guess will be where the basketball courts are now with the second floor bridge leading to where the existing parking lot is.

I've noticed in the past week or so, the Detroit News in their digital editions has used this photo twice including today, opening day at Comerica Park. Except they have cropped out me, the new Hudson skyscraper, and the big jumbotron sign. The sign has been changed since 9-11-2024 when the photo was taken, it now says Comerica at the top rather than Tigers. Anyway, remember you saw the photo here first on urbanplanet and with the best parts still showing. Here's a story about the change to the sign: FREE PRESS: Detroit Tigers scoreboard at Comerica Park will look different on Opening Day

I guess this hardly fits in this restaurant thread anymore since the restaurant is long gone. But just an update on earlier posts whether the new gas station on the former Arnies site at 54th and Clyde Park would be a Kum and Go or would be branded Maverik, their new owner. Well, the Maverik sign went up a day or two ago. Looks like it will be the first Maverik in Grand Rapids area:

2468 Plainfield is just to the north on the same block as Fat Boy's. I grew up a couple of blocks away. Most of the building then was a two stall Texaco gas station. Right on the corner there was a very small convenience store. In the back corner was a barber shop. Sometimes when I got home from school my mother would give me a quarter to go buy a loaf of bread at the store and I could keep the change.

Like most people I don't subscribe to Mlive, so I can't tell you the whole story, but apparently this long vacant store front on the north side of Wealthy just east of Diamond is going to be redeveloped into apartments and retail. What I find strange is the headline on the story calls this a "sad little part of Wealthy." Except for that particular store front I can't think of another property on that block that's vacant or in disrepair. MLIVE: this-sad-little-part-of-wealthy-street-could-be-getting-apartments

According to Crain's, Gelock has purchased the last Site 36 lot: CRAINS: Industrial moving company relocating from property near amphitheater, Some interesting quote's from the article -

Here's a link to their announcement on Facebook: Festival of the Arts announcement Here's the WOODTV story: WOODTV: grand-rapids/festival-of-the-arts-ending-after-55-years No explanation of why or who made the decision.

CRAIN’S reports “First-time developer plans 26 apartments on vacant parcel near downtown.” First paragraphs: “A first-time developer hopes to build dozens units of workforce rental housing on a parcel at the southern border of downtown Grand Rapids that he is in the process of acquiring from the city’s new land bank. Bryce Hansen, of Stransen Development Group, is working on plans for a three-story apartment building that would add as many as 26 units of mixed-income housing at 443 Sheldon Ave. SE, near the intersection of Wealthy Street SE and South Division Avenue. Hansen’s project would be next door to The Southgate, a senior living community that ICCF Community Homes opened at 438 S. Division Ave. about two years ago.” The rest of the story (behind paywall): CRAIN'S: first time developer plans 26 apartments on vacant parcel near downtown

Five companies experiment with new technology at GRR: MLIVE: 5 tech companies tapped to test new travel technologies at Grand Rapids airport Here's the press release this article is based on; GRR PRESS RELEASE: Ford International Airport FLITE Program Selects Companies to Pilot Air Travel Technology Solutions I have no idea if this is good or bad or of no consequence.