A Nice Day for the Zoo

It actually hit the 50's today, so I decided to hit M-14 to I-275 to I-696 to hit the Zoo.  Apparently a few other people had the same idea because it was a bit crazy when I got there.

 I saw the river otter was active but of course that ended as I got to the window.  Still, I don't think this is that bad of a shot.

 One of the condors.

 The camel always looks happy.

 One of the peacocks.  It was nice to see these guys wandering around.

 Then there is favorite stop, the wolverine pen.

 It's not often that you see a wolverine in a tree.

 I think he was actually sniffing things out.

 I guess a tree is a good vantage point for that.

 A nice closeup of the wolverine.

 One more shot of the wolverine.  They weren't out when I returned.

 A shot of the eagle.

 One of the prairie dogs.

 A kangaroo.

 A seagull flying above.

 Another type of bird flying.

 The bear was fairly active too.

 A helicopter.

 The lioness licking herself.

 I even got to see the tiger out and about.

 I will have to admit tigers are pretty cool.  This particular tiger is a Siberian tiger, so he (or she) is larger than other types of tigers.

 I would hate to be on the business end of this guy.

 The only glimpse I got of the polar bear.

And a shot of alpaca.

All in all, it was a pretty nice day to go to the zoo but there were far too many people there.  I guess that is one of the ways I prefer the slighly colder winter days.

Wandering Around Detroit

I decided to head down to Detroit today for some pictures.  This is something I've actually planned on doing for a while.  Just walk randomly around the city.  It was a shame it wasn't as warm as I would have liked though.

 I decided to park at Greektown for two reasons.  One, they had a promotion to win up to $1000 (I didn't win that) and two, it's free parking.  I ended up as high as I could.  I kind of like this picture but I might have to try again on a sunnier day.

 Looking down from one of the overpasses near the casino.

 After playing at the casino for a bit, I decided to take the show on the road.  My first stop was the former Detroit Police Headquarters.  This was one of many buildings in Detroit designed by Albert Kahn.  It was built in 1923.  Last year, the Detroit Police Department moved to its new headquarters.

 Like many of Kahn's buildings, there are neat little details.  I think I would like to spend more time taking pictures of this building.

 Looking towards the Downtown area from the Headquarters.

 A fine clothing store.  I kind of liked the mural on the building.

 The People Mover coming through an urban scene.  I pretty much stayed with the confines of the People Mover.

 Not sure what street I'm looking down but I think I'm looking in the direction of Comerica Park.

 A hat store.  I was actually tempted to go inside and see what else they had.

 The Harvard Square Centre building.  I don't have many details on this except that it was built in 1925.  Like many buildings in Detroit, it currently stands abandoned but there are plans to convert it into apartments.

 I was taking a shot at a transparent reflective.

 I'm not sure what building this is but it looks like they are in the midst of remodeling it.

 Looking up Woodward Avenue.

 A statue dedicated to Russell A. Alger.  He was born in 1936 and served in the Michigan 2nd Calvary during the Civil War.  At the Battle of Boonesville, he was sent with a group of men to attack some Confederates.  They won but he was captured and escaped that same day.  In 1863, he was promoted to Colenel of the 5th Michigan Cavalry.  His unit was the first to enter the Battle of Gettysburg.  He was appointed to the rank of Brevet General.  After the war, he became a lumber baron.  In 1884, he was elected Governor but his term was cut short when he became Secretary of War for President McKinley.  In 1902, he became a Senator.  He died in 1907.  Alger, Michigan and Alger County are named after him.

 Since I was so close, I decided to wander over to Comerica Park.  Monday is opening day and the weather might even feel like it.

 I'm not sure what these two buildings are.

 The souvenir shop at Comerica.

 A closeup of the Tiger Statue in front of the park.

 Pulled out a little bit to get the Comerica Park sign in the picture.

 The Hazen S. Pingree statue.  This has been on here before, so I'm not going to go into detail here.  I'm only going to say we need more politicians like him now.

 A fountain dedicated to Thomas Alva Edison.

 I stumbled across this wall.  I kind of like it.

 Looking down Washington Boulevard.

 The Book Tower.  This is another one I've covered here, so I'm not going to go into details about it.

 Another angle of the Book Tower.

 I'm not sure what buildings these are.

 I kind of liked this plate.  Kind of reminds me of a baseball diamond.

 This is the site of the first Michigan Capital Building.

 This is a statue dedicated to our first Governor, Stevens T. Mason.  He is also known as the Boy Governor because he was the youngest Governor in American History.  He was instrumental in getting Michigan recognized as a state.  He was also influential in getting the University of Michigan moved to Ann Arbor.

 A scale model of the first Capital Building.

 Looking up at the David Stott building.

 The front entrance of the David Stott building.

 Looking down Woodward Avenue.

 The Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Capus Martius.

 The Guardian Building.

 The One Woodward Building.

 The Spirit of Detroit statue.

 I don't remember what Street I was looking up for this one.

I was starting to get cold, so I took the People Mover back to Greektown.