![\"View](\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/FullSizeRender-3-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI officially moved to Detroit 34 days ago. Here are the most important Detroit lessons I’ve learned so far.<\/p>\n
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1. You might be able to get by without your own car in Motor City. 2. The city\u2019s resources are mine for the taking. 3. There is no single solution to problems in Detroit. 4. Michigan beer rox. 5. I\u2019m here to change the city\u2026 incrementally. 6. I know nothing. I officially moved to Detroit 34 days ago. Here are the most important Detroit lessons I’ve learned so far. 1. You might be able to get by without your own car in Motor City. I\u2019m incredibly fortunate to have the resources to live and work within the city limits, and to have access to transit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,19,155,260],"tags":[62,476,121,477],"class_list":["post-17130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-livedetroit","category-detroit","category-live-detroit","category-new-beginnings","tag-challenge-detroit","tag-lessons","tag-live-detroit","tag-newbie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/276"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17130\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>I\u2019m incredibly fortunate to have the resources to live and work within the city limits, and to have access to transit besides\u00a0a car. In this end-of-summer month, I\u2019ve loved getting to know the city through biking. I hope to get out to more Slow Roll events before their season ends. For those who don\u2019t know, Slow Roll is a weekly community bike ride that brings thousands of people on unique routes through the city\u2019s neighborhoods both big and small. My first\u00a0Slow Roll during week one in Detroit shoed me\u00a0how easy it is to get around this city. I’m lucky because, when it\u2019s not, I\u2019ve been able\u00a0to hitch rides with some of my amazingly generous fellow fellows. Thanks guys \u2013 you\u2019re the best.<\/p>\n![\"Decquindre](\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/FullSizeRender-1-300x225.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong>And by this I mean I have no one to blame but myself if I come out of this year unchanged by the numerous open lectures, panels, and fun events hosted everyday all over Detroit. I\u2019ve already attended a panel on design, two gallery openings, a university lecture, and a non-profit dinner presentation. Amazing stuff happens here every night of the week, and I\u2019m stoked for an unending, free syllabus on Detroit. We can all become better citizens of Detroit by taking advantage of these free learning opportunities.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>This may be the most important thing I\u2019ve learned so far. Both the small ways we\u2019re learning to approach our Challenges and the many city leaders we\u2019ve heard speak about city improvement have\u00a0reinforced this message. Detroit\u2019s growth is happening because of the simultaneity of neighborhood resident, local business, and large\u00a0corporation efforts. Small contributions to this city, like the ones I\u2019ll be making through Challenges and projects at my office, actually matter, and efforts by citizens both big and small are the reason for Detroit\u2019s notorious spirit and comeback.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I never knew there was such a Midwestern culture for local breweries, and I love <\/em>it. As if I needed another reason to look forward to the fall, local breweries like Atwater, Detroit Beer Company, Bell\u2019s, and Jolly Pumpkin (just a few that I\u2019ve gotten to try so far) keep it fresh with seasonal brews. I\u2019m looking forward to trying a variety of Michigan beers and attending local beer festivals as the year goes on.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>I am aware of the fact that my life and work in Detroit can be considered problematic. That being said, I\u2019m looking forward to this year\u00a0because of the ways I can help existing organizations in Detroit through Challenge Detroit\u00a0and volunteer work, and not through my own \u201cvision\u201d for the city. Despite\u00a0whatever preconceived assumptions I had about Detroit just 30 days ago, I know now that it is not in my power nor is it my desire to change this city. Whatever contributions I make will be done with the help of others who call Detroit home.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In the next year, I\u2019ll be doing more listening, reading, and learning than anything else. I\u2019ll\u00a0report\u00a0my findings back to y\u2019all here. I\u2019m so excited to be surrounded by awesome people and super cool things in this city as I grow alongside Detroit. Check in with me, come visit \u2013 it\u2019s going to be incredible.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/FullSizeRender-2-225x300.jpg\")
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