Flint, Michigan - September 2018 - Leslie Abbott - Adventurer, Photographer, Blogger

Flint has been on my mind ever since its municipal water crisis. (And it’s not over!) I wanted to commune with it, even if it was just for one day.

: The original headquarters of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, which made horse-drawn carriages. William Durant went on to create General Motors.

: There just happened to to be a club of individual vintage car owners in town for a gathering!

: This is an example of how spectacular the original architecture in historic Carriage Town neighborhood used to be. There are mostly dilapidated, abandoned houses – and empty lots. A handful of houses have been rehabilitated. I honestly see gentrification on the horizon for Flint.

: I love community colleges and technical colleges. And I love that the historic City of Flint made sure not only to secure a University of Michigan branch in Flint, but also built a Community College, too. And like so many things, this sign could use a little TLC.

: There are signs of community involvement and of wellness advocacy around town, and this garden is one of them.

: A new health food store, supporting local growers and local businesses- “all Michigan!” They also have some nice community space inside.

: Leaving Carriage Town neighborhood and looking down Saginaw, the main street of downtown Flint, the Vehicle City. The bridge in the foreground goes over the Flint River.

: The Flint River, the source of the water that was so polluted and corrosive. And a flower box that I thought was both so clever and so sad – clever because the arch above it mimics the arches that are over Saginaw Street, and sad because the flowers were long gone.

: The University of Michigan at Flint seems to own about a fifth of the buildings downtown, some rehabilitated old buildings, and some new. I saw students (!) which gave me some hope for fresh energy and ideas.

: The bank building on the right with its globe is an icon of downtown Flint. One of the residents told me that the globe is illuminated in different colors correlating to special occasions.

: A plaza of statues in honor of key figures in Flint’s vehicle manufacturing glory days. Champion (as in spark plugs), Chevrolet, Buick…

: I think this business has been on Saginaw Street for about ten years, which interests me because – unlike most things I saw – it is neither “old” nor “new.” PLUS, I love the fact that it has a roofline on the facade of the building, and has a weather vane!!

: Old… that historic architecture – swoon! New… see where it says “lofts” on the side? – $!

: A fancy new Farmers Market, just a couple of blocks off Saginaw Street, replaced an older one about half a mile from downtown.

: I have a cousin named Julie Abbott! But the main reason I took this photo is to illustrate this cool idea. The guy who owns this building has made an arrangement with several small businesses who cannot afford storefronts at the main intersection downtown. There are 6-8 segments of window space (this is one of them) where stores can keep some of their inventory. Patrons can buy what’s there from a central cashier, and/or can walk to where the store is actually located to do more shopping there.

: First – Because this church is ENORMOUS, and that conveys a lot about the glory days of Flint. Second – Because I grew up in the Episcopal Church and I can spot Episcopal architecture from two blocks away before verifying the denomination on the church signs.

: Because… YWCA has been there in our communities doing good work for a long time. And here they are, in Flint. Bless ’em.

: The public has been cordially invited to the Masonic Temple Dining Room for lunch since 1947.

Flint, Michigan – September 2018