Well let’s hear what all you folks think should be included in a literary tour of Elmore Leonard’s Detroit.  Cite the location and the book.

If we could organize this around a ball game or concert or some other big event, I’m there.  U2 and Paul McCartney are touring next year.

1300 Beaubien - Detroit Police Headquarters:  SWAG - CITY PRIMEVAL - MR. PARADISE - SPLIT IMAGES - FREAKY DEAKY

Frank Murphy Hall of Justice:  TOUCH - SWAG

Telegraph Road:  SWAG

Hazel Park Raceway:  CITY PRIMEVAL

Palmer Park Golf Course:  CITY PRIMEVAL

8-Mile Road:  CITY PRIMEVAL

1206 Woodward Avenue (J.L. Hudson Department Store Location):  SWAG - UP IN HONEY’S ROOM

Renaissance Center:  SPLIT IMAGES

Almont, Michigan:  TOUCH

Greek Town:  SWAG

Club Bouzouki:  SWAG

Jacoby’s:  FREAKY DEAKY

sign me up for the golf tour
how many damsels aprtments
overlook fairways
where bodies are dumped
quiet reigns
I’d love to see EL hit the ball
quiet in the gallery please

Frank Murphy also played a role in Pagan Babies, right?

I like Robb’s idea.  Maybe Elmore would join us for a Tigers game.

In addition to visiting actual locations (Beaubien, Frank Murphy), it may be fun to retrace some driving routes. For example, the route that was taken when Clement Mansell followed Judge Alvin Guy from Hazel Park Track to the location where he shot him, and then shot the woman Guy was with in the middle of fairway at Palmer Park golf course. Would also be great to check out some of the towns where Stick and Frank Ryan did their thing in Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak.

Straw - 04 August 2008 04:53 PM

In addition to visiting actual locations (Beaubien, Frank Murphy), it may be fun to retrace some driving routes. For example, the route that was taken when Clement Mansell followed Judge Alvin Guy from Hazel Park Track to the location where he shot him, and then shot the woman Guy was with in the middle of fairway at Palmer Park golf course. Would also be great to check out some of the towns where Stick and Frank Ryan did their thing in Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak.

Yes.

The Book Cadillac was where Carl stayed in Up in Honey’s Room.  The remodeled jewel is having its grand reopening in October supposedly. 

Karen stayed at the Westin at the RenCen in Out of Sight and the encounter with Jack Foley was in the revolving restaurant up top.  It is now a Marriott.

Almont (Touch) is hardly worth visiting but you sorta have to go through it to get up to Port Austin (Big Bounce).  You could also stop at the Vlasic plant in Imlay City to see where Guy Ritchie’s cucumbers were headed.

You could check out where the rich folks live on Vaughn Road in Bloomfield Hills (Out of Sight).

A side trip to Ann Arbor could find items related to Freaky Deaky like the ROTC Building and you could come back by way of Goose Lake.

Seems like somebody was supposed to dump a gun off the Belle Isle Bridge but I don’t remember who/where.

Check my Monthly Detroit piece for a thorough tour of the City Primeval and Split Images locations I did with Elmore in 1980.

Warning:  It’s a big file.

http://www.elmoreleonard.com/Dutch-MDarticle.pdf

If this is is something other than a pipe dream, here is how an Elmore Leonard Detroit literary tour might look.

First, the tour should be linked to a Detroit area bookstore appearance by Elmore for Road Dogs.  That’s the only way you could be assured some sort of Elmore meet and greet.  He doesn’t go to ball games, he watches them on TV and there isn’t room on his couch.  The date for the signing, probably at Border’s Birmingham would be June 11, 2009.  That date (not confirmed) is based on the book coming out in time for Father’s Day, (June 21)

The tour might be two days, with the first day arrival and informal get togethers and ad-hoc tours in the afternoon and evening.

The following day would be the formal tour, focusing on Detroit and near suburbs only.  Otherwise you would be eating up a lot of time for a limited pay off.

With six to eight hours of tour you could see a lot from all the Detroit books.  I have done versions of such a tour many times with journalists. 

Starting time would be 9AM.  From the Holiday Inn Express in Birmingham, the tour would proceed down Woodward Avenue and into 52 Pickup, Swag, Unknown Man #89, The Switch, Touch, Freaky Deaky, Killshot, Pagan Babies, Mr. Paradise and Up in Honey’s Room.  Also, along the way, places where Elmore lived and went to school.

It’s all right there and should be mapped out very efficiently.  The locations would be cherry picked.  The absolute best.

There would be a stop for lunch, probably Downtown, then more touring until 4pm then back to the hotel to get ready for the bookstore event.  Afterwards, there will probably be drinks at Forté in Birmingham.  Elmore and various family members, including Peter Leonard might be in attendance.

The next day, people are on their own again. 

With careful planning, including your ideas and suggestions,  it could be a big success, but the impetus would have to come from the Forum members, not me.

I get to take this tour all the time.

Gregg,

Sounds great. Quick story about Birmingham. I was there for wedding in late June and actually stayed at Holiday Inn Express. At 6 a.m., I was awakened to the sound of my toilet flooding. Total disaster. Water everywhere. Had to move rooms, as did everyone else below my room. Not a very mellow scene. If I go back to Holiday Inn Express, I will need to request top floor room. Ironically, my wife and I went to Forte that same morning for breakfast. Not a soul there. We ordered pancakes and after waiting about 15 minutes, waitress came back and said they were out of pancakes. We got up and left and hit the Einsteins across the street. Forte seemed like better bar than breakfast place. In any event, the tour sounds great. Hope to be able to make it.

Outstanding article Gregg. Has been a while since I have read that. Great piece. I guess the screenplay never got completed? Too bad as City Prime would make fantastic movie if done properly by a Tarantino, Madden or Sonneberg. Wasn’t Dixie Davies the name of a character in a few books? Glitz?

Straw - 05 August 2008 01:16 PM

Outstanding article Gregg. Has been a while since I have read that. Great piece. I guess the screenplay never got completed? Too bad as City Prime would make fantastic movie if done properly by a Tarantino, Madden or Sonneberg. Wasn’t Dixie Davies the name of a character in a few books? Glitz?

CITY PRIMEVAL and THE HUNTED had screenplays.  Any stories on those, Gregg?

Gregg Sutter - 05 August 2008 04:59 AM

Starting time would be 9AM.  From the Holiday Inn Express in Birmingham, the tour would proceed down Woodward Avenue and into 52 Pickup, Swag, Unknown Man #89, The Switch, Touch, Freaky Deaky, Killshot, Pagan Babies, Mr. Paradise and Up in Honey’s Room.  Also, along the way, places where Elmore lived and went to school.

It’s all right there and should be mapped out very efficiently.  The locations would be cherry picked.  The absolute best.

There would be a stop for lunch, probably Downtown, then more touring until 4pm then back to the hotel to get ready for the bookstore event.  Afterwards, there will probably be drinks at Forté in Birmingham.  Elmore and various family members, including Peter Leonard might be in attendance.

I’m in.

This would be a fantastic tour.

By the way, I just started reading Quiver and so far it’s very good. It’s different enough from Elmore Leonard to stand up well on its own.

JohnMcFetridge - 05 August 2008 10:41 PM

Gregg Sutter - 05 August 2008 04:59 AM

Starting time would be 9AM.  From the Holiday Inn Express in Birmingham, the tour would proceed down Woodward Avenue and into 52 Pickup, Swag, Unknown Man #89, The Switch, Touch, Freaky Deaky, Killshot, Pagan Babies, Mr. Paradise and Up in Honey’s Room.  Also, along the way, places where Elmore lived and went to school.

It’s all right there and should be mapped out very efficiently.  The locations would be cherry picked.  The absolute best.

There would be a stop for lunch, probably Downtown, then more touring until 4pm then back to the hotel to get ready for the bookstore event.  Afterwards, there will probably be drinks at Forté in Birmingham.  Elmore and various family members, including Peter Leonard might be in attendance.

John McFetridge: I’m in.

This would be a fantastic tour.

Me too. 100%. It sounds like a fantastic couple of days. Meet some of you guys, have a few beers, the tour, then off to see Elmore and get a book signed… great stuff.

Who needs porn on the internet when there’s this Website and Forum!

Gregg Sutter - 31 July 2008 01:28 PM

No pool party at Elmore’s?

Not unless your name is Steven Tyler.

Does it count if you change your name by deed poll?

Does it count if you change your name by deed poll?

Say what?