Happy Thanksgiving!

Five Things About Metro Detroit To Give Thanks For...

1.  Beer. More precisely microbrews. From Dragonmead to Jolly Pumpkin my taste buds bow down and offer endless hosannas to the brewmeisters that make our region a cornucopia of memorable libations. Step away from the mass marketed beer and get thee some locally made ale. You'll do good for your body... and the local economy.

2.  Music. No surprise there. Metro Detroit has been the incubator for everything from Motown to Electronica. Whether it's DJs in Detroit, alt rock in Ferndale, or neo-folk in Ann Arbor, if you can't find a good live band for the music that speaks to your soul then you aren't looking hard enough. Personal faves include The Hard Lessons, Chris Bathgate, and Stacey Pullen. Just sayin'.

3.  The Film Incentive. Okay, it's a state-wide program but, man, have you seen anything the state has done in the last ten years that has fomented this kind of excitement, pride and creativity? Not all the local efforts are great (or even all that good) but the collective cauldron of ideas, energy, and ambition is inspiring. From the Mitten Movie Project to local movie shoots like Cherry to celebrity sightings to Michigan college-grads deciding to stick around (for a change), watching this industry grow up from nothing to something worth writing home about is welcome counter-programming to the same old, same old of our rustbelt worries and woes.

4.  The Arts. Whether it's dropping in on the Maker Faire at The Henry Ford, catching a movie at the Detroit Film Theater, bobbing my head to Spearhead at the Crofoot, attending a shindig at MOCAD, yucking it up at the Ringwald Theater, wandering through the Heidelberg Project, or getting drunk on art at the DIA, Metro Detroit is flush with thought-provoking, gut-wrenching, feet-shuffling goodness. I'll stack our ever-expanding arts scene against any city in the U.S..

5.   Opportunity. The landscape is wide open and its ripe for whatever you've got. Want to start an artist's collective, build a hackerspace, plant an urban farm, open a cutting edge bistro or cafe/theater/gallery? Rent is cheap, audiences are hungry for something new, and the folks in this region are all-too happy to lend a hand. They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and Metro Detroiters want you to help raise the water level. Call it a Hail Mary or our Midwest character, but we'll give you what we can to make a go of it. Forget the coasts, where they take individual innovators and entrepreneurs for granted. We understand that our future depends on you.