RustTown

Really off topic, but though I realize it's cheap, why must all telephone poles be made of raw, untreated wood? If you think Detroit is bad, you should come to Lansing. It makes things look almost rural in the heart of the city.

Just thought I'd add that I like all the Meijer stores here in Lansing, and particularly the one in East Lansing (Lake Lansing Meijer with the food-court). I like them much better than Wal-Marts, which I avoid like the plague. lol

I'm not sure why, but I really like the Eckert Power Station. Two photos I found: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9gnMiHUEYVEQFYA...SmokeStacks.jpg http://aquarela.net/hhc_05/image/hh05_lansing_stacks.jpg *Edit: looks like I'm going to have to wait until I can post pics, again.*

I resized them, and I personally wouldn't want to remove the watermark sense they are someone elses pictures. I'd hate to see someone else getting them from this site and passing them off as someone as their own.

Very nice! Though, for once, I wish they weren't so big.

The region is decently educated. I mean, it's no different than anywhere else where the educated middle class has mostly moved to the suburbs.

The problem isn't so much unemployment, as Lansing's economy is diversified enough that its always low, but the loss of manufacturing jobs, and the inability to attract more high-skill jobs. Because the U.S. is bleeding manufacturing jobs, Lansing was hit hard over the past 15 years or so. Behind Detroit, Lansing had the second highest job loss in the nation I remember seeing last year, and it all had to do with the plant closings in the area. Now that that is done, the region won't be losing much of anything else.

I thought it was very interesting. It's showing that gentrification is finally happening, again, in the inner-city. For the longest, we hadn't been able to see how these new developments were impacting their areas, and it looks like they are in a very meaningful way. I do agree with the Planning director that as we move forward we need to make sure to get affordable housing built, as well so that we don't totally outprice everyone creating rich and poor ghettos.

The underpasses around this area are just down-right creepy, and I'm not easily scared of urban environments. lol

You are far more forgiving than I. I just am so disappointed at how badly the Pistons played. Heck, the Heat didn't even have Wade playing at a 100% (had a terrible flu), and they still managed to crush the Pistons, tonight. I wasn't impressed, at all. They just looked pitiful tonight. And, I'm not a basebally fan, so this is about it for me. lol

I'm pretty sure Brush Park ended at Vernor (present day Fisher Freeway). Even before the freeway Brush Park only came to where it is now. Can anyone confirm that?

While more than on the westside, I wouldn't say "all."

Yes, but coaches bear some brunt of a teams loss, period. Coaches aren't (or shouldn't be) immune from criticism. They could always go back to city council/planning commission and get an extension, which is almost assuredly what will happen. But, they can be denied, and taken off the project, and then the city would be free to choose another developer.

The worst thing in Game 4 was where they let Shaq open for a giant, gliding lay-up, a freakin' lay-up, something that Shaq hadn't done in years, lol. That's when you know you're playing poorly. You expect him to do monster dunks, but when you get Shaq showing athleticism like that, you're not doing your job.

I don't think they'll make it, and it's not because Miami is such a great team, but because the Pistons seem to have forgotten how to play in a playoff series. They are looking very lazy and sloppy. They barely eaked out the win against Cleveland.

Just some contact information to pass on. In case anyone ever wanted to email the mayor of his office here are some contacts: 1. [email protected] - This is the email to Randy Hannan, the mayor's Deputy Chief of Staff. He sometimes answers back, and quite enthusiastically. 2. [email protected] - Just the general email address to the mayor's office. 3. http://www.cityoflansingmi.com/suggestions/ - another general email page that requires you to fill out your information. Hope you guys use these to keep the office on task, and keep it from getting complacent and lazy on development matters.

What's sad is that the top decoration on the spire/roof was fairly recently blown off in a storm, I believe. You can see this in the first pic. Cool building, though.

There is something totally missing in this budget debate every year, and it simply comes back to a shrinking population, and thus a shrinking tax base. If the council and mayor don't want to have to deal with a shrinking city and budget every year, they should be placing nearly all of their energy in programs to retain residents, and then adding to that. Seriously, these things get uglier and uglier every year, and they are arguing structural deficets and this and that with the fact being they wouldn't even have to if they'd really be doing their jobs. The fact is, if the city is going to continue to shrink, than the government must with it. If that's not what they want than they'd sure as heck better be attacking the central problem. I'm talking a total PR campaign/stunt/spin to market the city to any and everyone it can, highlighting the good and unique aspects/programs in the city that can't be found in any other city in the region. We need a cheerleader, someone to spark interest in those that may have never considered the city as a place to live before because all they'd heard was the bad. The good is not being put out there like it should. In terms of the mayor being a sympolic figurehead, he's really starting to disappoint me. The only time I ever hear anything about him, now, is when he's embroiled in controversy. I want to see him doing more formal and public gestures.

For our high school's service week I worked at the local zoo for the first two service weeks, and then for the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition for the last two. The GLHC is an organization that renovates (somtimes restores) condemned houses here in Lansing (though, they take on unique projects in some of the suburbs, and small, historic villages around here), and sells them as starter houses. Man, is that some hard work. They made us do everything from sandblasting basement walls, to landscaping, to busting up concrete driveways with sledgehammers and hauling the pieces away (not as fun as it sounds)...all and all, it was definitely a learning experience. Renovation and restoration of historic homes is definitely not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. BTW, there is nothing more disappointing than seeing a good sports team play lazily. Pistons seem kind of known for letting teams narrow huge leads, especially in the fourth quarter.

Cool. 7 Mile east or west? I'm just trying to figure it out to see if I know the area as my dad lived on Schaffer between 7 and 8 Mile on the westside. Yeah, Lansing's a place that can be kind of underwhelming, but a city that one can get lazily comfortable in, which isn't always a good thing. lol Maybe one day it will actually be a place that actually attracts people again. lol

The Piston's shouldn't have gotten lazy at the end, like they did, almost costing them the game. But, a win is a win. Statedude, what neighborhood did you buy into? Is it a fixer-upper, something you're going to rent, live in...?

I don't have any pictures of 211, but the top mechanical level is, indeed, a creative mechanical work (cooling tower). There is another mechanical floor at floor 8. The base is something you've have to work on, as the building sits on a signicant slope (11'-2"). The entrance is along Fort that includes a small plaza with a reflecting pool. The back of the building is a dark granite retaining wall.

I agree, but the people that talk about Detroit the worst of the worst are actually suburbanites and ex-Detroiters, not outsiders. I've found that, actually, those from out of state are far more neutral and open-minded than the people that actually live in the area. It's not just the media being unfair to Detroit, but actually a very large portion of Detroiters. The civic pride is nearly all gone. A sizable chunk of Detroiters have said that if they had the means to move from the city, they would. That's why I never get people blaming all of Detroit's percetion on the media.

Statedude, don't worry too much about photo quality. As long as we can still make out what the subject of the picture is, it will be good enough. But, that's not a bad photo, and I'm glad to see the progress being made on the garage. I wish from now one, every garage in Mid-Michigan would be forced to be of this quality.

I haven't seen or heard of anything since quite a few years ago when they stopped cleaning the building. The only big news I've heard from the building, in years, is that she moved all of the complexs tenants to the tower portion. That website hasn't been updated in years.