Henry Ford Health System opens TechTown lab

Round-up: Angelina is indeed open, as is Peaches and Greens

AOL pop culture blog ranks Detroit 7th for cheap eating and drinking

Digital City, an AOL affiliated pop culture blog, ranks Detroit No. 7 when it comes to cheap eating and drinking.Excerpt:The average cost of living in Detroit, Michigan is over 25% lower than the national average. Of course, this kind of statistic is no reason to go out on the town in Detroit. But a quick look at the affordable eateries and drinking establishments in the area may give you more reason to go.Read the entire post here.

Book Cadillac and downtown’s revival examined in the NY Times

Not only is the Book Cadillac big, it's a big deal. The New York Times looks at the Detroit landmark, its renovation, and the "relatively unheralded revival" of downtown. Excerpt: The new Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, though, is seen as representing another Detroit story — the relatively unheralded revival of the city’s downtown as a place to live, do business and be entertained. In September, for instance, the MotorCity Casino, one of three casinos here, completed a $300 million expansion and renovation. Last year, the Detroit Institute of Arts finished a $158.2 million restoration and expansion. In this decade alone, new baseball and football stadiums were completed for the Detroit Tigers ($300 million) and the Detroit Lions ($430 million). The city also constructed the $122.5 million Detroit School of the Arts. Some $220 million was spent to restore Orchestra Hall and build the Max M. Fisher Music Center, places where the Detroit Symphony performs. Compuware, a software company, opened a $400 million headquarters in 2002. A year later, General Motors completed a $500 million remodeling of the Renaissance Center along the Detroit River for its headquarters. And dozens of smaller projects have transformed old warehouses into lofts, old buildings into offices, and surface parking lots into homes and offices. Read the entire article here.

DIA attendance up 45 percent since renovations

In this last year since the DIA went through their enormous renovation, attendance has increased 45 percent. Some have loved it and some haven't. The Freep have gathered reactions from both camps.Excerpt:In the year since the Detroit Institute of Arts reopened after a $158-million renovation, about 540,000 visitors have explored the museum, a 45% increase in attendance over a typical year that did not include a blockbuster exhibition.The crowds were met by the most sweeping reinvention of the DIA since it moved into its home on Woodward in 1927. Architect Michael Graves' marbled design expanded the galleries and untangled the old floor plan. More revolutionary, the entire permanent collection was reinstalled, driven by director Graham Beal's populist mantra of accessibility. The results were thematic displays, big interpretive labels in plain English and interactive elements, like videos and flip booklets.Read the entire article here.

Detroit’s Megabus is mega popular with riders

The giant blue bus that takes people from Detroit to Chicago for, sometimes, as little as one dollar has seen a giant leap in ridership since last year. Excerpt: The route has carried 76,500 passengers so far this year, a 70% increase in ridership since last year, says Byrony Chamberlain, director of operations for Megabus. She said holiday bookings are heavy. "We have already booked additional buses from our sister companies to help us meet the demand over this period," she says. The company uses both double-decker and regular buses on the route. Ticket price depends on demand, ranging from $1 to $30 each way. You need to make reservations in advance (www.megabus.com, 877-462-6342). The bus picks up at Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit, stops at Cass and Warren near Wayne State and the park and ride lot on State Street in Ann Arbor before heading to Chicago's Union Station. Read the entire article here.

Rosie O’Donnell in Detroit scouting for new movie

Rosie O'Donnell is in town looking for spots to shoot her new movie and wants to save the city. (Just like Rob Schneider).Excerpt:While in town, Rosie checked out Kathy Griffith's stand up act at Detroit’s Fox Theater and then took the time to write about the whole experience in her blog. According the Detroit Free Press, Rosie wrote:"I am in Detroit, Michigan / Where the recession is already the depression / Hard 2 believe -- unless u see it / We must save this city."Read the entire post here.

Event on the emerging trends of Detroit’s real estate market at the Book Cadillac

The event will look at the "Big Picture" of real estate for 2009, bringing together a panel of local experts to discuss the coming year and trends in real estate.Excerpt:The Detroit District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI Detroit) will host 2009 Emerging Trends in Real Estate on Thursday, November 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Westin Book Cadillac (1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit 48226.)  The Emerging Trends in Real Estate publication is the most highly regarded and widely read forecast report in the real estate industry.To register go here or call 800-321-5011. Online pre-registration ends November 11.

Please take a green survey for Bizdom U

Please take this survey for Bizdom U about what types of green-friendly businesses you frequent, or would like to frequent. It only takes a couple minutes and the data will help the students.Click here for the survey.