Cover Girl Update
In June 2003, I had the amazing experience of being Hour Detroit’s cover girl, a dream made possible by the Rainbow Connection. The magazine has always been a favorite and, after reading “Well-rounded Trip” in the March 2008 issue, I had to write. Who would have thought that, five years later, I would be studying across the pond at Oxford University? I am currently a senior at Oakland University, in Rochester, and last summer, in my junior year, I was accepted to study at Brasenose College in Oxford University, England. While I was there, I studied British literature and drama.
Your article is correct when it describes studying abroad as “beyond just travel.” I have traveled with my family, but this experience was vastly different. I learned things about other cultures and had experiences that will shape the rest of my life. Studying abroad not only taught me about others, but it taught me about myself. This is the best thing I did as an undergrad student.
Just as Hour Detroit made my dream come true in 2003, another dream came true in 2007, at Oxford.
— Catie Hormel, Rochester
Fashion for Men
I first want to thank you for your wonderful magazine and the image you present for metro Detroit that is not too often seen. My name is Sean McDonagh; you have featured my father, Derek McDonagh, in past issues for his historic work on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Show House, as well as others. Hour Detroit has for years been reading material around our Downriver home, but when I was young I could not yet appreciate it. Now, as a 20-year-old young man, I serve our country in the U.S. Air Force in Alaska, and soon will deploy to Qatar this summer. My dream upon returning home to Michigan is to become an [architectural] leader in Detroit.
Beyond the pages of Hour Detroit are its readers, readers who want to be part of the life and culture of Detroit. I think it would be fabulous to include, if only in a small article each issue, a fashion guide for Detroit’s male readers. Much like a personal GQ for our area, it could teach men that affordable classiness can be achieved and that baggy suits are no longer in fashion. I hope to be home in Michigan next spring for good. I look forward to picking up an issue of Hour Detroit in my own hands again and even more so to the day I can read the articles Hour Detroit has on me, and my architectural masterpieces.
— A1C Sean McDonagh, United States Air Force

An Interlochen Note
I was charmed to see the photos of Interlochen in your April issue but sad you didn’t mention the special treat that non-students can enjoy there. In the 1960s, two people could plan a glorious weekend of music for the princely sum of $50. This included a rustic cabin, meals with students in the cafeteria, and all the music you could enjoy, whether it was in a room or under the trees. You can still do this, but prices have gone up. (The reservation telephone number is 231-276-7570.) Participation is well worth the money. Perhaps I have never spent so many hours so close to perfection as I have done at Interlochen: listening to classical music on a sunny day by the shore of a lake and reading a book in the company of a good friend.
— Patricia Pilling, Bloomfield Hills
Detroit in Bloom
I wanted to thank you for the great article highlighting urban agriculture in Detroit (April 2008). The Garden Tour is getting bigger and better every year, with around 400 people taking buses and 60 or so on the bike tour. It is awesome, insightful, and inspiring, providing a great opportunity to see some of the “diamonds in the rough.” Look for all of us Garden Resource Program gardeners selling our veggies at Eastern Market and other small markets around the city this summer. We will be selling under the “Grown in Detroit” label. It’s truly a grass-roots organic response to our current food system.
— Jeff Klein, Classic Landscape, Ltd., Detroit
Kudos for Sasha
I just wanted to send a huge thanks for the outstanding article this month about Sasha Farm (May 2008). Hopefully, your story helps spread awareness about what an amazing organization it is. I visit Sasha Farm a few times a year for their fundraising events and will be attending their annual banquet next weekend.
— Jamie Qualls, Ferndale
Going for the Gold Cup
As a longtime subscriber of your magazine, I was most disappointed at the omission from your “Summer’s Hot Dates” listing (May 2008) of the Gold Cup Races, scheduled for July 11-13 on the Detroit River.
This is the 100th running of the Gold Cup race, the oldest continuous motorsports event in the United States, and it’s being run for the 44th time on the Detroit River (its permanent home since 1990).
And are you aware of the sports local history, intertwined with some of Detroit’s most famous citizens, (e.g., Gar Wood, Edsel Ford, the Schoenith “Roostertail” family, the Simons of U.S. Equipment and Grosse Pointe Farms, Jack Schafer of Schafer Bakeries, and the Dossin Brothers, benefactors to the Dossins Museum)?
I’ve been a hydroplane fan all of my life, and a subscriber to your publication because of your great articles revolving around Detroit history. Please don’t ignore this event. No other Detroit motorsports race has such a loyal fan base in Detroit.
— Tim Matyn, Grosse Pointe Woods
> Write us at editorial@hourdetroit.com or “Letters to the Editor,” 117 W. Third St., Royal Oak, MI 48067.
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