Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Conversations about Creating a Culture of Activity: Profiling the people, places, programs, and policies that help to promote a culture of activity within our communities.
Note: This transcript was exported from the video version of this episode, and it has not been copyedited
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:27:14
Kristin Fehrman
I've gone everywhere, on my bike in Detroit, you know, Corktown. I've gone all the way to Hamtramck, on my bike, down to southwest Detroit, on the new Southwest Greenway by Michigan Central Station. you know, all the way, you know, down to the river and Jefferson and up and down. You know, go back home through the Quander, cut through Brush Park home.
00:00:27:17 - 00:00:34:11
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, it's it's really empowering to me to be able to just get on my bike and explore.
00:00:34:14 - 00:00:54:11
John Simmerman
Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Active Town Channel. My name is John Simmerman, and that is Kristin Fehrman from Detroit, Michigan. And we're going to be talking about her efforts, to document the experience that she's having walking in Detroit. let's get right to it. Kristin.
00:00:54:13 - 00:00:58:15
John Simmerman
Well, Kristin, thank you so much for joining me on the Active Towns podcast.
00:00:58:17 - 00:01:01:28
Kristin Fehrman
Thanks for having me on. I'm happy to be here.
00:01:02:01 - 00:01:07:15
John Simmerman
So, Kristen, I love to give my guests just an opportunity to introduce themselves. So who's Kristen?
00:01:07:17 - 00:01:39:03
Kristin Fehrman
So Kristen is, ten years car free in Detroit, Michigan. And I'm a writer, an artist, and an overall creative. and after being car free for about eight years in cities like New York, Boston and San Francisco, I decided it would be a fun challenge to come to Detroit and share my lifestyle with the community here. So I've been documenting it on my blog called Walking Detroit.
00:01:39:05 - 00:02:03:05
John Simmerman
Right? Fantastic. And, so. But you're not originally from Detroit. You're originally from Traverse City. And if we pull up to the map here, you know, for folks and, and, a, you know, especially since we have an international audience, it's nice to kind of give a bearing, you know, as to where Michigan is and where Detroit is and where, Traverse City is.
00:02:03:05 - 00:02:32:18
John Simmerman
So Detroit and, and we see Ann Arbor prominently mentioned there, are down towards the southern end of the state. And and we see Detroit start out there because I've spent a quite a bit of time there in Detroit. But you're from way, way up here. Way, way, way, way, way not not quite the Upper Peninsula, but, you know, the sort of the northern section of the lower section of the state of Michigan.
00:02:32:21 - 00:02:37:00
John Simmerman
What was that like growing up here in, in, Traverse City?
00:02:37:03 - 00:03:05:10
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, it was a Lake Michigan Paradise. I actually, I actually grew up right. if you go to the top in a little community called relic ville. Okay. And that's a part of Traverse City. Wow. My grandparents built a house on M20 to the the long stretch of road that goes up and down the bay in 1949. They met in the 20s, had a one room schoolhouse.
00:03:05:11 - 00:03:12:13
Kristin Fehrman
They were neighbors. And so I'm, you know, six generation Traverse City, I believe.
00:03:12:16 - 00:03:15:21
John Simmerman
Oh my gosh. Yeah. So yeah. Right here. Yeah.
00:03:15:21 - 00:03:46:00
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. I grew up right next door to my grandparents in that little brown house next to the white one. And, I, you know, loved swinging in the backyard of my grandparents house. I was an only child, so I spent a lot of time outside reading, drawing, going to the beach across the street. But the thing that you can see very clearly from the photo is we had a big highway right in my front yard.
00:03:46:03 - 00:03:47:24
John Simmerman
So, yeah.
00:03:47:27 - 00:03:55:28
Kristin Fehrman
I really craved that walkability. I didn't have kids in my neighborhood to play with, so I really use my imagination. Growing up.
00:03:56:01 - 00:04:19:22
John Simmerman
Wow. Yeah. And it's I mean, it's truly a beautiful place. you know, up there, the my impression. And you can correct me if I'm wrong, because as we mentioned before, I hit the record before we hit the record button. I think I was last there back in the 90s. And so it's been a long time since I've been in the Traverse City.
00:04:19:24 - 00:04:37:23
John Simmerman
but my impression of it is it's very much a, in some ways a vacation destination. And then I've also kind of heard that maybe it's also a retirement destination. What what else is going on in Traverse City? Is that kind of, a little bit of a ghost up there?
00:04:37:25 - 00:05:06:26
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. Spot on. It's very much a good place to raise families, a good place to retire. But it's really emerged as kind of, you know, in the zoom land, you know, world that we're living in, a lot of people are moving there, working from home, starting cool businesses. So restaurants are a big draw up there, as well as breweries, wineries, and as you can see, agriculture, you know, beautiful landscape.
00:05:06:28 - 00:05:31:25
Kristin Fehrman
So I really, you know, grew up in a farm family. And, you know, I have a have a green thumb and my cousin even sold vegetables and their vegetables stand out in the farm. My grandma was raised on my aunt still lives there, out on M 72. So that's a big part of me is, you know, the natural world preserving history.
00:05:31:27 - 00:05:43:13
Kristin Fehrman
And I hope Traverse City continues to preserve the history and the land. And it doesn't get so overgrown. But I've seen a bit of that, you know, over time.
00:05:43:15 - 00:06:00:03
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so bring us up to speed on on your your story. So you're currently in Detroit, so you're, you're in Motor City as they, as they say when you left Traverse City, where did you go and when was that?
00:06:00:06 - 00:06:29:07
Kristin Fehrman
Sure. So I first left Traverse City in 2003. When I went down to Mount Pleasant for college. I went to CMU, Central Michigan University. I went to school for entrepreneurship in marketing. So I've done a bunch of things, you know, my whole career, and I like to have my hand in a lot of different projects. So, you know, entrepreneurship was my major in marketing was my minor.
00:06:29:10 - 00:06:58:16
Kristin Fehrman
And then I graduated right when the recession was you know, kind of hitting. And I moved down to metro Detroit for a year. I was I was in a relationship living in the suburbs. And back then, Detroit was not a place, you know, a 22 year old girl would live, you know, downtown like I am now. And it's I really came full circle moving back to Detroit after the pandemic.
00:06:58:18 - 00:07:21:18
Kristin Fehrman
I spent I spent the pandemic in Traverse City, actually, so I, I was able to experience it in my 30s and, you know, it was nice. It was a great place to be when life was slow. But I was really craving to get back to a city. And I thought, why not try Detroit.
00:07:21:20 - 00:07:33:21
John Simmerman
Right? Yeah. And, and and you say, get back to the city. Because, about a decade ago, you moved to New York.
00:07:33:23 - 00:07:34:23
Kristin Fehrman
I did.
00:07:34:25 - 00:08:03:25
John Simmerman
Yeah. And so this is a series of photos that you were gracious enough to, to send along of New York City. and you had mentioned before we hit record as well that you spent, 2013, sort of testing out the waters of Charlotte, North Carolina, as well. which, which is a fabulous city. Now, I just had an opportunity to be there last year, in, in and really document where where Charlotte has come but talk a little bit about.
00:08:03:25 - 00:08:14:15
John Simmerman
Yeah. That transition of of dipping your toe into that sort of city living because there is no bigger city than, you know, in the, in North America than going to the Big Apple.
00:08:14:18 - 00:08:25:21
Kristin Fehrman
Right. Well, the trajectory is interesting because I after I was in metro Detroit 2007, 2008, I went to San Francisco.
00:08:25:24 - 00:08:26:02
John Simmerman
Okay.
00:08:26:03 - 00:08:57:20
Kristin Fehrman
And so I lived there with a car and without a car. So first, first I had a car, learned how much, you know, how convenient busses were transit, walkability. So that was 2008 to 2011. I was back in Traverse City from 2011 until 2013 with a car. Right? But begrudgingly, but I was. I was next door to my grandma before she passed away, so that was really, really special to me.
00:08:57:22 - 00:09:23:19
Kristin Fehrman
So I did the Charlotte thing after reuniting with someone I had met in San Francisco. Okay, I went down there without my car and realized how quickly, how limited I was, you know, just being Uptown Charlotte. But I made it work because I was able to find, you know, clothing stores. I liked, you know, shops, restaurants, little things, you know, exploring.
00:09:23:21 - 00:09:27:25
Kristin Fehrman
And that, I believe, was before the rail came in. I don't know, maybe.
00:09:27:27 - 00:09:54:04
John Simmerman
I was just going to ask you that. Yeah. Because it must have been. Yeah. And just for clarification, for, for folks tuning in, in Charlotte, North Carolina, they call their downtown uptown, because it's up on a hill. And so or that's how they've described it to me is, is so when we say uptown, that's kind of what they mean is it's like in the center city and where things are happening and, and a lot of the cultural institutions are there.
00:09:54:04 - 00:10:18:04
John Simmerman
But yeah, you may be right. It may be before that rail got instituted, which really is is just tremendous. What has held that has transformed Charlotte, because now you have, you know, a lot of transit oriented development that has, you know, you know, really sprouted up all throughout that Charlotte area. So it's becoming much more walkable and bikeable.
00:10:18:07 - 00:10:21:22
John Simmerman
and the ability to use transit to.
00:10:21:25 - 00:10:52:16
Kristin Fehrman
Right, right. And back then I really made it work going, you know, to Harris Teeter across the street from my apartment, finding a yoga studio. I liked it, you know, it was limited in what I could do. So when I, I decided to go to New York, that was about April 2014, and I went back to Michigan, gathered my things, sold my car, and I have not even driven a car since June of 2014.
00:10:52:18 - 00:10:53:01
John Simmerman
Wow.
00:10:53:01 - 00:10:56:08
Kristin Fehrman
So almost ten years. Yeah.
00:10:56:11 - 00:11:22:18
John Simmerman
Fantastic. And so this photo here, we've got you, at 96th Street, we are styling in some very fashionable glasses here. so, so talk about this journey. And you know what this was like being in New York and living this lifestyle of walking and using transit and, and, where were you biking? Much as well.
00:11:22:20 - 00:11:24:00
John Simmerman
at this stage.
00:11:24:02 - 00:11:58:20
Kristin Fehrman
No. Okay, I wasn't biking. I did bike in San Francisco, but I did not in New York. I similar to how I have a blog about walking now, back then I had a blog about style and I, I, I really implemented the scenery places I would go. Cool. on the walls into my daily outfits. And I would talk about, you know, small designers I like to or thrifting.
00:11:58:20 - 00:12:22:08
Kristin Fehrman
Thrifting was a big thing, you know, kind of being creative with fashion. So that's what led me to New York, ultimately, was to be around more, you know, like minded people kind of get into the industry. I wanted to start designing, and I found a place. you just scrolled through the picture in, in my lobby of my first building.
00:12:22:14 - 00:12:23:27
John Simmerman
Oh, this was the first building here.
00:12:23:27 - 00:12:54:05
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, that's where I lived. That was that photo was taken October 2014. And I've always really loved tote bags. I've always really loved kind of a minimal style. And I, you know, really, enjoyed that. And that was a building on 98th Street called Sabrina. And so I have a really, fond memory of my time there and being able to go downstairs to the grocery store, we had West Side Market right there.
00:12:54:08 - 00:13:24:09
Kristin Fehrman
I bought an air conditioner for my my room and carried it home like I loved having everything at my fingertips. And I really kind of stopped. I kind of like, stepped away from being there for fashion and really found a love of the simplicity and just sitting in Central Park and chatting with a stranger. And my life and perspective really changed in New York because I wasn't there for, you know, the glitz and the glamor.
00:13:24:09 - 00:13:27:01
Kristin Fehrman
I was there for the community I found.
00:13:27:03 - 00:13:44:27
John Simmerman
Right? Yeah. That's fabulous. And a big part of that experience, when you talk about their community, is it is really embracing a little bit of the grit as well as the, the art and and everything just kind of comes out organically.
00:13:45:00 - 00:14:10:29
Kristin Fehrman
Yes. That's what I loved so much. So much, as you see, I was walking on the High Line and I would just admire all of the architecture, the art and the creativity in New York. And that's what I love so much about Detroit, because people have been so creative with taking nothing and making it beautiful. And I'm very, very passionate about that.
00:14:11:06 - 00:14:18:12
Kristin Fehrman
You know, being able to really embrace transformation both in ourselves but also the world around us.
00:14:18:14 - 00:14:24:01
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. Now, you mentioned the High Line, to tell us a little bit about the High Line.
00:14:24:03 - 00:14:58:17
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, the High Line is, it was a track that was created into a park, an elevated park. So it's along the West Side Highway on the Hudson River. And so you can it's a hop, skip and a jump from Chelsea market and the Meatpacking District. So it's now a very high rent area. But it's it's one of those projects where they took something, you know, that used to be something else, and they created it into a walkable space.
00:14:58:19 - 00:15:09:16
Kristin Fehrman
So any any kind of creative placemaking, I'm really passionate about, especially when, you know, it really makes for, you know, a community.
00:15:09:19 - 00:15:10:28
John Simmerman
Yeah.
00:15:11:01 - 00:15:38:26
Kristin Fehrman
So my mom, my mom really enjoyed her time with me too. And, you know, even in our, you know, late 60s, she's walking 30, 40 blocks with me in Manhattan. And just to see how she's taken what she's, you know, some of the activities she's done with me and implemented it into her own life. Like walking downtown Traverse City and knowing how fun it is to just enjoy the world around you.
00:15:38:26 - 00:15:41:11
Kristin Fehrman
When you're getting from point A to point B?
00:15:41:13 - 00:16:14:29
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. That's fantastic. Yeah. It's, I love New York. I haven't spent much time there, but I also just I love this level of urbanism that you have. And, this particular photo that you have is, you know, kind of a snapshot of a rowhouse. There's a bike in, in the foreground of it. This is like the complete antithesis in some ways, of that little house on Michigan 22.
00:16:15:01 - 00:16:30:10
Kristin Fehrman
Is, you know, it really is because you have elements of the natural world with, you know, the ivy. You have the beautiful architecture of the building, the bike. And it just I don't know, it just makes my heart sing.
00:16:30:12 - 00:17:08:23
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And the interesting thing, too, about Detroit. And a lot of people don't know this about Detroit. they may know what they hear and what they see. in, in media and, and oftentimes it's not all that pleasant and or, flattering of, of, you know, the, the scenes in Michigan, but Michigan itself and, and Detroit, Michigan in particular, has a tremendous number of just absolutely beautiful buildings and architecture.
00:17:08:23 - 00:17:30:15
John Simmerman
And, you know, I'm thinking of a building like Guardian Building. You go inside the Guardian building and the interior is just so fantastic. what was that draw for you? you know, of getting, you know, to Detroit and wanting to, you know, come back to, you know, that area.
00:17:30:18 - 00:17:57:07
Kristin Fehrman
So I have some friends who have worked on projects down here. One friend is a landscape architect, and I've seen some of the transformation of projects over the past ten, five years or so. And, you know, one of my friends who's from Suttons Bay, she lived downtown Detroit and walked to work and I thought, wow, if she does it, I should be able to do it.
00:17:57:07 - 00:18:17:08
Kristin Fehrman
I've done it, you know, and all these other places. And it's close enough where my mom can just hop in the car and come down and see me. I can, you know, take the Amtrak to other cities from here. And it just logically made sense for where I was at in my life to be in a city, but to still be in close proximity to my family.
00:18:17:11 - 00:18:46:19
Kristin Fehrman
So I did know about all of the beautiful, you know, architecture in Detroit, right? The musical scene, the art scene, and it just really seemed like a good fit for me. And I like the idea of renewal. I like the idea of some grit. And yeah, just the creativity here is incredible. I'm a big fan of art Deco, you know, style, architecture, just art in general.
00:18:46:19 - 00:18:57:13
Kristin Fehrman
So, you know, downtown is always a joy to just walk through. look at the arches on the buildings, look at, you know, just the creativity is incredible here.
00:18:57:16 - 00:19:07:09
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And you just mentioned arches on a building where we're focused in on an arch here with the clock, suspended, in that arch. Is this also in Detroit?
00:19:07:12 - 00:19:25:15
Kristin Fehrman
It is, it is in, it's on Woodward in the cultural district so close to where I live. But, across the street from the Dia, the Detroit Institute of Art, which was just named the number one museum in the United States by USA today.
00:19:25:17 - 00:19:26:15
John Simmerman
Nice.
00:19:26:18 - 00:19:28:09
Kristin Fehrman
For the second year in a row.
00:19:28:12 - 00:19:59:25
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah, it's, and I love the story that that that is Detroit for for those people who aren't super, super familiar with the distort the with the story of Detroit. Detroit was like number two, number three, largest, most vibrant, most prosperous city way back when. You know, number number one was New York. And and again, number two or number three was was Detroit at in its heyday.
00:19:59:26 - 00:20:27:11
John Simmerman
I mean, it was one of the most vibrant, most wealthy, cities. And the architecture reflected that. I mean, the beautiful buildings we mentioned the, the, The Guardian building earlier and, you mentioned some art deco and you go through and you, you realize, oh, man, this was just truly, truly a fantastic place. Detroit today is in a situation where it has like almost a million less people.
00:20:27:11 - 00:20:50:20
John Simmerman
Is that correct? So something like 800,000 or million less people than what it had in its heyday. And so you see what we see and what we see on TV, or what we hear about is the devastation that took place in the abandoned buildings and the abandoned lots, but there's still a tremendous inventory of amazing structures, amazing buildings.
00:20:50:20 - 00:21:14:06
John Simmerman
And so I just wanted to pause and emphasize that, that if you haven't been to Detroit recently, it is coming back. It is fun. there's such great market architecture that was preserved because honestly, they didn't even have the money to tear it down. And so a lot of these buildings just sat empty until someone finally came along to, to redo them.
00:21:14:09 - 00:21:29:01
John Simmerman
But then there's also the other thing that you had mentioned, you know, the grit and the funkiness and the and the fun that comes in. And that's kind of what we're looking at here with, a beautiful mural in the background. So talk a little bit about this.
00:21:29:03 - 00:21:46:11
Kristin Fehrman
That mural is in my neighborhood in Midtown, and it is, actually painted by a friend of a friend. He goes by, fell 3000ft, I believe. So don't quote me on that.
00:21:46:11 - 00:21:48:08
John Simmerman
But you got it. It's right there. Yeah, I.
00:21:48:08 - 00:22:08:02
Kristin Fehrman
Fell 3000ft. I was right, yeah, yeah, just researching artists around the city, too, is one of my passions. And learning about them, connecting with that. And I've met some of them and just being able to share the beauty. But I really love this woman. She has red lips. And there's a quote, you know, and I like the part of the bottom.
00:22:08:02 - 00:22:37:20
Kristin Fehrman
Keep your heart true in mind, strong Detroit, and that I think, really shows just that person like perspective of, you know, just the city and its resilience. And this is actually on the other side of hot Cat restaurant. So it's interesting how just an ordinary building or restaurant can really, you know, have a lot of personality and soul with some paint.
00:22:37:23 - 00:22:41:19
John Simmerman
Yeah. And a beautiful statue here.
00:22:41:21 - 00:22:53:00
Kristin Fehrman
Yes. This is outside of the library, the main library branch and Woodward. And that pose I think is really cool. It really spoke to me. You can see the bike in the background too.
00:22:53:03 - 00:22:53:27
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:53:27 - 00:23:31:06
Kristin Fehrman
So the library is somewhere that I go quite frequently. I either walk or walk down Woodward or bike down cars. And you can also get there on the Q line or the bus. And I chose where I live based on all of the, all the surrounding, you know, features such as market. It's, the library. I'm close to the museum, but as you as you had mentioned before, some of the beautiful architecture and homes that were just abandoned, my neighborhood was actually revitalized by a developer named Joel Landy.
00:23:31:08 - 00:24:01:00
Kristin Fehrman
And unfortunately, he passed away in 2020, but he was known as sort of, eccentric, crazy developer who saw something in Cass corridor in Midtown that, you know, people didn't see. It was once dangerous, but he started buying buildings and fixing them up. And one of them is right by my apartment building, and it's an old home called the James Scott Mansion.
00:24:01:02 - 00:24:38:28
Kristin Fehrman
And it looks like a castle. It is incredible. It's on Peterborough Street and it's now six apartments. So to be able to do something with, you know, an old space and not only, you know, have it be for, you know, someone wealthy with money, you know, a brush park mansion, which was known as Little Paris. There's a lot of, you know, you know, real estate that's not affordable to the average person, but, you know, to have a beautiful mansion be turned into housing for people that's affordable, I think is just brilliant.
00:24:39:00 - 00:24:44:25
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we've got a classic book here. It's on screen.
00:24:44:28 - 00:24:50:08
Kristin Fehrman
We do, we do, of course. Yeah. It's all about purpose. Right.
00:24:50:11 - 00:25:01:05
John Simmerman
That's all right. Absolutely. and so we have an image here, of a bus going past a mural. What what moved you about this particular image?
00:25:01:07 - 00:25:24:29
Kristin Fehrman
So I always like, a good transit photo, but I love the the sign on the building there. When I first moved to the city, I saw everything is going to be all right, and it lights up at night. And then I later learned it is, the Museum of Contemporary Art, known as Moca. And so that museum is free to the public.
00:25:24:29 - 00:25:51:11
Kristin Fehrman
They have a cafe inside, too. And as I was walking to the library with the alchemist in hand, Saturday, I saw this. And just the way the bus was going by at that time was perfect. So. And I think just the message of everything is going to be all right is important to see every day for people to remember, just to keep one day at a time, keep going.
00:25:51:13 - 00:26:07:23
Kristin Fehrman
Especially, you know, in a city where we've seen a lot of, you know, a lot of destruction, a lot of the whole world right now, and there's a lot going on. But just, you know, spreading positive, I think, and not being focused in the problem is so important.
00:26:07:25 - 00:26:18:21
John Simmerman
Yeah. Yeah. Now, earlier we saw, you posing with your coffee cup with the mural in the background, and it looks like we found the coffee place here and the Red hook.
00:26:18:24 - 00:26:39:19
Kristin Fehrman
We did? Yes. The red hooks. A great coffee spot. One of my other friends, her name is Amy. She took me to another Red hook location when I first moved here in the West Village. So she and her husband are both car free too. So I was really excited to see this location opened by my apartment last year.
00:26:39:21 - 00:27:08:05
John Simmerman
Very nice, very nice. There's nothing better than, you know, a wonderful, you know, place to get a cup of coffee and walk around. As my good friend Mark Nikita calls it. He calls those the walkers. Grab your cup of coffee and walk around the city and take it in. And one of the things that I love to to point out about Detroit, too, is we saw just how massive some of those streets are, and that was kind of the the thing that took place as Motor City.
00:27:08:07 - 00:27:36:08
John Simmerman
They did build the city, and it grew up around the automobile in so many ways, and so many of the streets in the downtown Detroit area are massively wide, and now they're way overbuilt. And so that's the one thing that we're starting to see is the city being very intentional about trying to reimagine what that right of way and how that right of way is used.
00:27:36:08 - 00:27:59:29
John Simmerman
And so we're seeing some protected bikeways going in. We're seeing an expansion of the pedestrian realm happening. Obviously, it's not happening as fast as we would all like to see it happen. but that's money. And the city is not that many years off of its bankruptcy. And. True. Yeah. And and so it is happening and we're starting to see the transformation of that.
00:28:00:01 - 00:28:26:02
John Simmerman
But it is an amazing evolution and transformation of downtown Detroit. And you also see, you know, the Detroit Greenways coming together. You got the the kinder cut. You've got the, you know, the pathway along the riverfront happening. And so embracing, active mobility and walking is very much a part of the new Zeit Geist of Motor City.
00:28:26:04 - 00:28:50:21
Kristin Fehrman
It really is. And I know how beloved places like to cut our eastern market is right there to be able to, you know, get from point A to point B, do your daily errands, catch up with a friend, grab a coffee. It's we've been stepping away from that driving, parking, you know, being separated from each other. You know, neighborhoods are finally connecting.
00:28:50:21 - 00:29:08:25
Kristin Fehrman
There's a little bit more density. There's, like you said, a long way to go. But we do have pockets of the city, such as where I live in Midtown. This area here is really nice for having everything you need and being able to, you know, connect to other neighborhoods a little more easily.
00:29:08:28 - 00:29:33:16
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And I've felt quite comfortable, writing in, in Detroit, whenever I visit Detroit, I always have my Brompton bicycle with me. And so I zip around the city and do some filming and, and pop on down to the, to kinda cut in and capture the, the vibrancy that's happening down there. This is a photo of you, there in the Midtown area, with your bike.
00:29:33:18 - 00:29:37:06
Kristin Fehrman
With my bike and my bike basket.
00:29:37:08 - 00:30:02:04
John Simmerman
Yeah. Talk a little bit about that part of of that part of your life of, you know, embracing and getting around not only by walking, but also by jumping on the bike and, and how that kind of expands your realm. I like to say that riding a bike, especially an urban bike, a relaxed, upright kind of bike is just pedestrian.
00:30:02:04 - 00:30:14:04
John Simmerman
Plus it it's a nine fold increase in the amount of distance that you can comfortably, you know, travel. And you don't have to be an athlete to do it. You're just, you know, getting around.
00:30:14:06 - 00:30:43:04
Kristin Fehrman
Definitely. I've gone everywhere, on my bike in Detroit, you know, Corktown. I've gone all the way to Hamtramck on my bike, down to south west Detroit, on the new Southwest Greenway by Michigan Central Station. you know, all the way, you know, down to the river and Jefferson up and down, you know, go back home through the Quander, cut through Brush Park home.
00:30:43:06 - 00:31:09:21
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. It's it's really empowering to me to be able to just get on my bike and explore. I've been careful about not exploring out too far and not knowing, you know, you know, there you do have to be careful. As you know, a small, you know, woman riding her bike in unknown neighborhoods in Detroit. But for the most part, I've experienced nothing but positive, you know.
00:31:09:24 - 00:31:35:00
John Simmerman
And and just to be clear, too, I mean, Detroit is starting to evolve into a place where where people think, oh, this is where some really cool bike infrastructure is coming in and some really cool bike companies. I mean, the Detroit Bike Company is a business that is is famous for building really cool, hip, relaxed upright bikes.
00:31:35:00 - 00:31:54:12
John Simmerman
And they, you know, employ people locally. They manufacture the bikes locally. they're not necessarily all that cheap. They're, they're definitely a designer bike. but it is that's part of, again, that Zeit guys that is emerging and is evolving for what used to be known as the Motor City.
00:31:54:14 - 00:32:16:22
Kristin Fehrman
Right. There's a neat bike shop right by my apartment too, called Back Alley Bikes. And they refurbish bikes and they help kids get bikes and, you know, different communities. And they have a lot of different rides, fundraisers and, and they also have a bike shop where you can get your bike fixed. So I go there to get air in my tires and say, hi there.
00:32:16:22 - 00:32:18:04
Kristin Fehrman
Really nice there.
00:32:18:07 - 00:32:25:16
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah that's fantastic. But really this is you. You're walking in Detroit.
00:32:25:18 - 00:32:27:03
Kristin Fehrman
I think is right. Yeah.
00:32:27:03 - 00:32:34:02
John Simmerman
So talk a little bit more about your persona and the work that you're doing as part of walking Detroit.
00:32:34:05 - 00:33:00:00
Kristin Fehrman
Sure. Before I moved here, a few people laughed at me when I told them that I was moving to Detroit without a car, and they said, there's no way you can do it. And I thought, well, I'll show them how I do it, and I'll show them all the things that I see along the way. And a lot of people think, you know, I, I'm a photographer and I go out just to take pictures, and that's very not the case at all.
00:33:00:00 - 00:33:21:26
Kristin Fehrman
I use my iPhone and I share what I see as I'm out and about. But truly, I've been doing the same thing I'm doing now for many years. Just I didn't have a platform for it. So if you go to my Instagram, just my personal Instagram and see, you know, my Boston pictures, my new York pictures, Charlotte even it's it's what you'd see.
00:33:21:28 - 00:33:49:02
Kristin Fehrman
just a different place. But my photography styles, you know, similar because it's just the vision of the world I see around me. And I think a lot of people might walk around and just see cars and pavement and old buildings, but I'm sharing, even if it is an old building, the way I see it and, enjoying it, enjoying slowing down and seeing the world around me.
00:33:49:05 - 00:34:03:05
Kristin Fehrman
So whether it's a new cafe I walk by or whether it's, you know, just flowers, just this is what I see. And you miss all of that when you're in your car, even if you're on your bike, you might not see that.
00:34:03:08 - 00:34:05:06
John Simmerman
Right? Yeah, yeah.
00:34:05:09 - 00:34:21:04
Kristin Fehrman
Walking really started for me as a way to clear my mind, right? It wasn't it wasn't even about getting from point A to point B, it was, you know, for my mental health and just being outside, it really was beneficial.
00:34:21:07 - 00:34:37:02
John Simmerman
Yeah. Yeah. And so you're you're producing content. You're you're you're posting things out there. Is this something that is a pastime or is this something that is, you know, your new identity and your new, vocation?
00:34:37:05 - 00:35:00:23
Kristin Fehrman
I'd say it's it's a pastime. It's not a business. Okay? I certainly have not accepted money to post something at this point. because that wouldn't be authentic if I posted. Yeah, I don't that's why I stopped blogging when it got to be, you know, when my when my authenticity was compromised. It wasn't fun anymore. Yeah, it would be.
00:35:00:23 - 00:35:31:27
Kristin Fehrman
It would be fun to have a certain I don't know whether starting a nonprofit or something would be my next step to try to encourage more walkable neighborhoods. Placemaking. That would be something I'd be really interested in connecting with people to encourage walking. But at this point it is a pastime. But it's a it's a passion. And I do think of it as an identity in a way, but it's certainly not, a business.
00:35:31:29 - 00:35:47:14
John Simmerman
Right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's it's it's tough. I mean, you know, obviously as somebody who's a content creator myself, it's it's always a challenge when you are passionate about something and you're trying to mix it, being both an avocation and a vocation at the same time.
00:35:47:21 - 00:36:18:20
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. Yeah. And so I do freelance writing. I do a little marketing work for other types of business. And I also am working for a travel company, so, doing walking tours, so I actually. Yeah, it's city tours. Detroit. So I actually created a brand new tour that's going to be launching in April. And it's all focused on art in the people mover stations and around the people mover stations downtown.
00:36:18:22 - 00:36:27:01
John Simmerman
Okay, fantastic. Now you also have a design website. Is that, activity that you're also working on?
00:36:27:03 - 00:37:02:24
Kristin Fehrman
It is. Yes. And I've implement I've implemented walking Detroit and both city tours into my own design brand. And my brand is it's something I started during Covid because when I was home, by myself with my cat in 2020, I started painting a lot. I started writing, I'd write messages on rocks and I'd leave them around town as I walk to try to, you know, brighten people's day and kind of maybe who knows what lives I could, you know, touch or inspire just by seeing a painting on a rock.
00:37:02:24 - 00:37:26:15
Kristin Fehrman
Because I've seen things like that on street art that have really helped me. So I, you know, tried to use my energy toward, you know, creating things during the, the pandemic. So then I found a piece of recycled artwork on the side of the road during Covid, and it was the day I bought my bike, actually. So this is like kismet.
00:37:26:19 - 00:37:54:21
Kristin Fehrman
My friend had her big SUV. Like, if I weren't driving down Old Michigan Peninsula with my friend, this never would have happened. so we bought my bike that day, and then we went to go visit a friend. And on our way home, we saw a bunch of stuff on the side of the road, and I recreated that canvas and actually became the the piece of art you see on the screen.
00:37:54:23 - 00:38:04:28
Kristin Fehrman
And then the piece, the piece behind me is actually another piece of recycled art. So I turned those abstracts into fabric.
00:38:05:01 - 00:38:06:23
John Simmerman
That is fantastic.
00:38:06:26 - 00:38:10:24
Kristin Fehrman
The one that you see there is named after my first building in New York.
00:38:10:26 - 00:38:11:16
John Simmerman
Okay.
00:38:11:19 - 00:38:16:04
Kristin Fehrman
Sabrina. And then this one is actually named after a friend of mine in Austin.
00:38:16:06 - 00:38:19:05
John Simmerman
Oh, fantastic. That's great.
00:38:19:07 - 00:38:24:12
Kristin Fehrman
Her name is Shawn Tolar, and I worked at her husband's law firm.
00:38:24:15 - 00:38:28:06
John Simmerman
That's great. Well, you're going to have to come visit me in Austin one of these days.
00:38:28:08 - 00:38:52:08
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. So I really, you know, I used my own life experience and people that has inspired me along the way, into this, like, brand of mine. And so I also use pictures, if you look at the places as well as the abstract design, each of these are people or, you know, buildings. Charlotte like Charlotte, North Carolina.
00:38:52:10 - 00:38:55:07
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. And they all kind of correspond with a photo.
00:38:55:09 - 00:38:57:12
John Simmerman
So I love it.
00:38:57:14 - 00:39:08:16
Kristin Fehrman
I love it. Thanks. Thank you. Yeah. This is, Jonathan, a friend of mine who, was a friend in New York, but we also met originally in Boston. Yeah.
00:39:08:16 - 00:39:23:24
John Simmerman
And you mentioned you like tote bags. And so we've got our tote bags. So you're taking this art and you are putting this onto here as well? Yeah. Yeah, I love this. You're just you're so light. Like I said, you have a lot of entrepreneurial spirit in you.
00:39:23:27 - 00:39:30:25
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, I, I've never really thrived in an environment where I was restricted to doing one thing.
00:39:30:27 - 00:39:31:22
John Simmerman
Yeah.
00:39:31:24 - 00:39:33:03
Kristin Fehrman
So.
00:39:33:06 - 00:39:50:15
John Simmerman
You know, and, and I've, scrolled to, your main, page, your home page on your website here. And you mentioned earlier the Sabrina, you know, abstract art that you did. And so here is the tote. There it is. Yeah. You have it right there.
00:39:50:15 - 00:39:51:04
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah.
00:39:51:07 - 00:39:52:28
John Simmerman
I love it. This is so.
00:39:52:29 - 00:39:55:04
Kristin Fehrman
Thank you. Cool.
00:39:55:06 - 00:39:57:23
John Simmerman
This is very, very cool.
00:39:57:26 - 00:39:58:15
Kristin Fehrman
yeah.
00:39:58:17 - 00:40:19:19
John Simmerman
And I'm just I'm I'm so happy for you, too, in the sense that you really kind of, you know, just didn't even listen to the people who were, were like, you're gonna do what? You're going to move to Detroit. Yeah. And you're and you're like, yeah, I'm going to do it. And and by the way, I've been car free for a decade and I'm going to thrive.
00:40:19:22 - 00:40:30:03
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, yeah. Thank you. And try not to be bitter about when people say things like that, but just have fun with it. Yeah, yeah.
00:40:30:06 - 00:40:59:16
John Simmerman
When when you look at the challenge that we have in our society in a car centric, car dominated society, any advice that you can, you know, give, especially as a female, especially as, as a woman, you know, trying to survive in any an environment, whether it's a big city, a little city, a town, to be a little less dependent on the on the automobile.
00:40:59:19 - 00:41:20:00
John Simmerman
Any advice that you might have for them? in terms of, you know, obviously there's a certain amount of courage or bravery that, you know, that it's possible. But you you've been doing it for a while now and you've been thinking about it a lot. what sage advice do you have?
00:41:20:03 - 00:41:57:24
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, I know not everyone has the luxury of just picking up and moving or or leaving their current situation. I, I have been able to do that, and I have, you know, I've know what it's like to live with someone and feel secure and have a, you know, larger space. And it wasn't for me. And I knew kind of going back to the things I loved when I was growing up, you know, like really identifying what your like, purpose and passions are and if, if you don't feel aligned with your current situation, you know, really kind of ponder that.
00:41:57:27 - 00:42:17:27
Kristin Fehrman
You know what what what makes me happy, you know, does a big house make me happy or could I downsize? And, you know, do I really value being across the street from a market, you know, like looking at your values, not what society is saying that you need to do that I think is number one really like, what do I value in my everyday life?
00:42:17:27 - 00:42:47:12
Kristin Fehrman
Does this make me happy? And then also, I was actually so impressed yesterday when I was taking the bus up to Troy to get these headphones. Actually, I went to the Apple Store, the closest Apple store, and I saw someone I knew in Royal Oak walking across the street with a grocery bag. I was shocked by a man, a man that I knew, who is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club.
00:42:47:14 - 00:43:16:23
Kristin Fehrman
Like, I saw him every morning when I worked there. So I was really happy to see someone in the suburbs walking, and it might not be the most, it might be a little hostile. You might have to cross, you know, six lanes of traffic. But seeing what it's like, you know, even if you live in a car dominant area, see what it's like, you know, to walk to the market, walk to the grocery store in your area, you know, if it's safe.
00:43:16:25 - 00:43:40:04
Kristin Fehrman
I bet it probably is. You just might get some funny looks. I got funny looks walking around Traverse City like, you know, this is a beauty, like a beautiful bay town and you're looking at me funny because I'm not in a car, right? You know, it's just so funny how people truly have that car mindset. If you're not driving, something's wrong.
00:43:40:06 - 00:43:48:25
Kristin Fehrman
But I've never been more healthy and mentally strong as I've been since being car free.
00:43:48:27 - 00:43:59:14
John Simmerman
Yeah yeah yeah. You know, so you are putting your content out on Instagram. are there any other platforms that you're active in?
00:43:59:16 - 00:44:19:14
Kristin Fehrman
I, I have a blog called Walking Detroit Dot blog, so that's on Tumblr and I'm working on more of a guided website, you know, by neighborhood. So that's in the works. I have TikTok, I'm not super active on TikTok and Facebook, but I do have them.
00:44:19:16 - 00:44:23:13
John Simmerman
There you are. Here's here's your TikTok. Yeah.
00:44:23:15 - 00:44:35:29
Kristin Fehrman
I need to get better at video. I dip my toes in YouTube and I decided to start over. I do have a new vlog camera, but for now, I've kept things pretty simple.
00:44:36:01 - 00:44:48:28
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. What do you like about video? And, you know, still photography and and comparing and contrasting the two.
00:44:49:00 - 00:45:14:14
Kristin Fehrman
I prefer photography because it feels more authentic to me because there's less work involved. Like it's just what I see. I feel like I feel creatively stifled a little bit when I have to like, edit or like think about it. Well, yeah, I think it's a more natural feel for me to just snap a picture, maybe like, like change the coloring a little bit, like it feels more like from the heart.
00:45:14:16 - 00:45:40:21
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah, yeah. Or the video feels like it's just for views for me. Yeah, yeah. But I think if I were to do more like talking, I've been a little hesitant to do a lot of like personality and video in my content because I'm a single woman walking around Detroit like, I don't want. I already have people know who I am, so I don't know, just a safety thing.
00:45:40:21 - 00:45:45:06
Kristin Fehrman
Right now. It doesn't feel like I want to do a whole lot of that.
00:45:45:09 - 00:45:46:13
John Simmerman
Right? Right. Yeah.
00:45:46:15 - 00:45:56:24
Kristin Fehrman
I'd rather just people like my photos and my funny little videos of, you know, the Q line, then like, know a lot about me talking. Yeah.
00:45:56:27 - 00:46:08:29
John Simmerman
So you mentioned your your blog earlier. So let's pull pull the blog up. And so we have that and let me make sure that we can see this zoom out. There's the full blog. Excellent.
00:46:09:00 - 00:46:20:04
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah I used an art deco font for my walking to try and that was very much on purpose. Yeah. As an as an homage to our Art Deco history and architecture.
00:46:20:06 - 00:46:26:03
John Simmerman
I love it, I love it. Oh, yeah. There you go. U of M little U of M banner there.
00:46:26:05 - 00:46:31:07
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. You found is just one block U of M Detroit is right by my apartment. Yeah.
00:46:31:09 - 00:46:32:26
John Simmerman
I love it I love it.
00:46:32:29 - 00:46:45:14
Kristin Fehrman
Yeah. So blogging truly is like kind of my identity. Ever since, like 2009, I've loved being a blogger, a writer, just sharing right now.
00:46:45:14 - 00:47:01:13
John Simmerman
You mentioned that you sort of decommissioned your your previous blog. And so this is sort of a reboot, under the Walking Detroit banner. And it's like guys sort of not necessarily trying to monetize. Is it my getting did I understand that correctly?
00:47:01:15 - 00:47:26:17
Kristin Fehrman
Right, right. I started my fashion blog as a creative outlet when I was in Traverse City. Like feeling like I wanted to connect with, you know, other people that were like minded. And that was in 2011, I started the fashion blog, and like I had mentioned before, when I was in New York and I started getting free things and money, it I the passion kind of faded and that's when I got into walking.
00:47:26:20 - 00:47:50:09
Kristin Fehrman
That's when I got into like more of a minimalist lifestyle and I realized, you know, less is more for me. Even yesterday, going to the mall up in Troy was super overstimulating. It brought me back to like, that 2008 suburb life. I lived where, you know, it was like more and more and more what you have isn't good enough.
00:47:50:12 - 00:47:56:17
Kristin Fehrman
And that I just it yeah, I was ready to come back to Detroit.
00:47:56:20 - 00:48:05:06
John Simmerman
To close us out, share with us something that would surprise people about walking in Detroit.
00:48:05:09 - 00:48:42:24
Kristin Fehrman
I would say how many interesting and beautiful things you come across at every turn. We have beautiful, tiles, pubic tiles throughout the city, and I've had a lot of fun learning about Mary Chase Stratton, the founder, that she founded the company in 1904 with her partner. And to be able to see those little hidden pieces all throughout the architecture in the people mover stations, and how much creativity there is everywhere in Detroit.
00:48:42:27 - 00:48:45:06
Kristin Fehrman
It's really fascinating.
00:48:45:09 - 00:48:52:01
John Simmerman
I love it, this has been so much fun catching up with you, and thank you so much for joining me on the Active Towns podcast.
00:48:52:04 - 00:48:54:03
Kristin Fehrman
Thank you for having me on John.
00:48:54:05 - 00:49:08:19
John Simmerman
He thank you all. So much for tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please say give it a thumbs up. Leave a comment down below and share it with a friend. And if you haven't done so already, be honored to have you subscribe to the channel. Just click on that subscription button down below and ring the notification bell.
00:49:08:25 - 00:49:26:12
John Simmerman
And if you're enjoying this content here on the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting my efforts. It's easy to do so just navigate on over to Active towns to Orangie and click on that support button. Again, thank you so much for tuning in. It really means so much to me. Well, until next time. This is John signing off by wishing you much activity, health and happiness.
00:49:26:14 - 00:49:46:08
John Simmerman
Cheers and again sending a huge thank you out to all my Active Towns Ambassadors supporting the channel on Patreon. Buy me a coffee YouTube. Super! Thanks! As well as making contributions to the nonprofit and purchasing things from the Active Town Store. Every little bit adds up and it's much appreciated. Thank you all so much.