It was my fourth Noel Night, an annual happening in Midtown Detroit. In spite of a heavy police presence– probably a reference to last year’s teenaged shootout– and a phased, curfew-esque schedule that bifurcated the evening into South-of-Warren (evening) events and North-of-Warren (afternoon) events, everything seemed pretty functional and all of the venues seemed quite well-attended.
We stopped in at MoCAD, where a bizarre exhibit of larger-than-life Instagram photos of models was on display. There was a steel drum band. There was also a concert in the weird Canfield shops warehouse. Monger’s Provisions, where you can buy chocolate for $9 an ounce, was packed.
Thankfully, I ran into zero exes, but rather one of my old schoolyard chums. We all grabbed some drinks at the Hammer and Nail. It’s a fun spot. I’m certainly glad that, even in this bizarre, New Detroit, we can still enjoy free community events for the holiday season– and even, come what may, one can sit in a fancy new bar and enjoy a $3 Blatz. I didn’t even know Blatz was still a thing. Even at this age, I can still be surprised.
