Where I Walk My Dog
I actually wasn’t going to post this video. I haven’t lived in Grand Rapids all that long (so it’s really not my place to criticize this video), but the video misses some of the real funkiness of the art and buildings even in the streets that were filmed.
But it’s getting some play on other blogs and, well, it does show some of the streets and parks where I walk my dog, so I felt obliged.
So here’s the story: this video is meant as a snub to Newsweek, which back in January named Grand Rapids (with Flint and Detroit) as one of Michigan’s three top-ten dyingest cities in the country. So now Newsweek, seeing how a bunch of Grand Rapidians will parade the streets to prove Newsweek wrong, has sheepishly apologized.
To the Grand Rapids crowd:First off, we LOVEyour YouTube LipDub. We’re big fans, and are inspired by your love of the city you call home.
But so you know what was up with the list you’re responding to, we want you to know it was done by a website called mainstreet.com–not by Newsweek (it was unfortunately picked up on the Newsweek web site as part of a content sharing deal)–and it uses a methodology that our current editorial team doesn’t endorse and wouldn’t have employed. It certainly doesn’t reflect our view of Grand Rapids.
They should have just asked my dog. He loves Grand Rapids. He’s very urbane and so loves to strut through all these city streets, plus he’s figured out a place (that appears in the video) where he can jump in the river when it’s hot.
Editorial passing-the-buck. “Now you tell us.”
For American Citizen, OOPS, Anarchist, Details of Life As A Target of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
“But first, it makes me laugh,” he said. “It’s just a big farce that the government’s created such paper tigers. Al Qaeda and real terrorists are hard to find. We’re easy to find. It’s outrageous that they would spend so much money surveilling civil activists, and anarchists in particular, and equating our actions with Al Qaeda.”
[snip]
The result, said Michael German, a former FBI agent now at the American Civil Liberties Union, has been a zeal to investigate political activists who pose no realistic threat of terrorism.
“You have a bunch of guys and women all over the country sent out to find terrorism. Fortunately, there isn’t a lot of terrorism in many communities,” Mr. German said. “So they end up pursuing people who are critical of the government.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/us/29surveillance.html
that’s communiteh
loved the special effects on the bridge, was a bit disturbed by the pedorabbit, tho
I love the spirit of midwesterners. They don’t take any shit and at the same time they’re so nice about it. Call them thugs, and they wear it with a smile like a badge of honor that says, jokes on you asshole. Tell them their city sucks and they set out to prove you wrong. The camera work is impressive asis the coordination of all the scenes and the shear number of people who chose to participate. Yea Grand Rapids.
Love the video, Marcy. Love it when people take to the streets. Some do and it’s a wonderful thing.
Glad you dog likes it. But, pretty much dogs will like where ever you walk them. I think.
You like the video too, right? I couldn’t tell for sure.
No no. The dog thinks this is a huge improvement over Holland. While there were walks he liked in Holland, he couldn’t just walk out the door and walk and walk and walk.
So in spite of the fact that there were good parks and a cute downtown, he couldn’t adventure like he does here.
And frankly, he might EVEN like it more than Ann Arbor, bc he never got to prance through downtown in Ann Arbor. Whereas now he does.
He went for a swim the other night just as the Broadway-esque show let out, so he was strutting through the crowds of fancy dressed people sopping wet. He liked that a lot.
Oh, and also, most of the apartment buildings that allow dogs are right in the neighborhood. So there are lots of places with apparently excellent pee-mail.
Nice. My guy dog gets the same walk every day. But, it is in the foothills. Different odors here and there. He doesn’t like to walk where there are drainage places. Don’t know why. It’s his life. Different stuff bugs him than the stuff that bugs me. It’s fun. It’s a crack up.
Bless you and your dog and your other loved ones.
HEritage Hill was awesome when I lived there in the late 70s. But you had to drive to Wyoming to find a 24 hour restaurant and I still cannot imagine why anyone would order a ‘wet burrito’.
We almost moved to Heritage Hill. But the guy whose house we were going to rent decided to sell it instead.
It must have been an interesting time to live in Heritage Hill. the restorations are gorgeous.
And yeah, I can’t explain the wet burrito. But neither can I explain why you’d put lettuce in it. I will say thus far, I miss Holland’s “Thai” (Laotian) restaurants. But there’s Indian food, so I guess it’s a fair trade. And beer. GR has superb beer, some of the best in the country. Can’t complain there.
I can’t stand the “wet burrito” (I don’t care much for any Mexican food) but everyone said the best ones were at the Beltline Bar.
I should read more and pay closer attention. I hadn’t realized that you’d moved here.
Moved to Holland in August. Moved to GR last month. It’s pretty recent.
Marcy, I knew you moved from Ann Arbor, but didn’t realize you are in Grand Rapids. I lived in East Grand Rapids for 8 years in the late 70s – mid 80s, both my kids graduated from EGR High, and I got my mid-life BS degree from Aquinas College.
GR is a very conservative place. I will be interested in your reactions as you settle in. I really loved it, great place to have my kids go through Middle & H.S., but just a bit “confining” politically!
Grand Rapids recently hosted two whole night of the Guided By Voices reunion and it was a total blast. Not dyingest at all. Thank you Grand Rapids.
Good for Grand Rapids. Hearing Don McLean’s voice brings back the memory of seeing and hearing him perform “American Pie” in A2 decades ago. Meanwhile, I hope Kellogg’s still lets kids come to the factory. The little cereal samples were fun.
I always thought Kellog Cereal was headquartered in Battle Creek. I don’t recall a big Kellog presence when I lived in EGR.
On the other hand, Meijer and Amway…
Yup, Battle Creek. But they’re about to move BC into GR’s CD. So we can run Mark Schauer for Congress here.
Emptywheel,
Cool.
I live in Muskegon (the place that actually HAS beautiful beaches and all that)
Welcome to the area.
(I am a constant reader but only really comment at Atrios’ site as DWD)
Keep up the good work, BTW.
Oh, we’ll be at the dog beach, a lot, this summer. We tend to go to Grand Haven for beaches, but once it gets a little hotter (that is, hot enough to go the whole day), we’ll be at that beach.
The dog has never been a big swimmer (more of a frequent dipper). And then when we moved last year he was a bit cautious w/the waves. But in the last few weeks, he’s figured out how to ride the waves. So he’s gone from being cautious to becoming a beach nut.
My dog. The surfer.
Check out Reed’s Lake. And Arnie’s on 28th St. SE.
“Dog Surfing” (video; s/he has also mastered the art of the boogie board)
O/T
The anthrax killings: A troubled mind
Bruce Ivins, who became a respected Army scientist and an authority on the laboratory use of anthrax, had a penchant for vendettas, especially against women.
LINK.
I’m betting “Newsweek” IS LONG GONE before Grand Rapids!
March RSA Hack Hits Lockheed, Remote Systems Breached
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386086,00.asp
Two comments I left there I wanted to share with my favorite target audience:
and this:
Enjoy.
I admit I never really gave Grand Rapids much thought – now I kinda want to visit the place!
Great video. It’s a tribute to what ordinary people can achieve when they collaborate in the face of adversity. Might be a lesson in there somewhere for the rest of the country.
Newseeks “prediction” was nothing more than projection.
Delightful!
Thanks, for sharing, Marcy.
If you’re there it CAN’T be bad!
Love this video!
Great video and it’s obvious Grand Rapids is surely a city beloved by its people.
But I like where I walk my dog more.