When I first got to Detroit, I was reluctant to bike around the city. Biking wasn’t something I did often and I didn’t plan on starting anytime soon. But I have found this week more than ever that not only is biking enjoyable, but it has also enabled me to really explore Detroit and experience it in a new light. The bike has forced me to put the phone away, refrain from conversation and instead look inwards, and actually appreciate simply existing in Detroit and taking in my surroundings. On Monday a bunch of us biked downtown to watch the fireworks over the Detroit River in honor of the International Freedom Festival, which celebrates Canada Day and America’s Independence Day. As we biked down Cass Avenue and watched the fireworks begin to explode, framed between the skyscrapers of downtown, I could only relish in the moment. Chugging along the road and navigating the hordes of people and cars all trying to be a part of this fireworks display showed me a community of Detroiters I had not yet been exposed to. The entire time I was feeling pure happiness—excitement to be there, to be a part of the city’s long held traditions, and to be thinking of nothing else but my surroundings.
Even today, Lee, Sofia, and I biked to Eastern Market to see the artisan market and the Dequindre Cut Freight Yard (DCFY). Our path took us down big open roads I had never seen before. With nothing but my bike and I in my thoughts, I felt free: free to look inwards and reflect on my time in Detroit so far as well as free to look forward at the buildings, people, and greenery around me. Biking around Detroit, I have observed more of the city than I think I could have just walking with friends. While that has its own benefits in itself, there is something about biking that has made me feel empowered, independent, and simply more in the viewpoint of a Detroiter. I think I am still trying to figure out who my authentic self is, but what I am realizing is that I come pretty close to it when I am on a bike and unchained to anything but the thoughts in my head and the places around me. Authenticity is being true to yourself and what you stand for and I think being on a bike has done wonders for me on that end. It has not only helped me reflect on my experiences so far, but has also made me think about what I seek to get out of the rest of my time here.
Even today, Lee, Sofia, and I biked to Eastern Market to see the artisan market and the Dequindre Cut Freight Yard (DCFY). Our path took us down big open roads I had never seen before. With nothing but my bike and I in my thoughts, I felt free: free to look inwards and reflect on my time in Detroit so far as well as free to look forward at the buildings, people, and greenery around me. Biking around Detroit, I have observed more of the city than I think I could have just walking with friends. While that has its own benefits in itself, there is something about biking that has made me feel empowered, independent, and simply more in the viewpoint of a Detroiter. I think I am still trying to figure out who my authentic self is, but what I am realizing is that I come pretty close to it when I am on a bike and unchained to anything but the thoughts in my head and the places around me. Authenticity is being true to yourself and what you stand for and I think being on a bike has done wonders for me on that end. It has not only helped me reflect on my experiences so far, but has also made me think about what I seek to get out of the rest of my time here.
From the fireworks display on Monday that we biked to.
Our view at the DCFY that we biked to today.
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