Village voice
In your Feb. 24 article reviewing the taqueria Los Altos ("Mexican high"), you describe it as being in "Mexicantown's second downtown, near Springwells." The area that you visited is called Springwells Village. Mexicantown is really only the district located east of I-96 on Bagley Avenue, which even the Mexicantown website will describe as the boundaries.
Springwells Village is named for the area that had been the city of Springwells before it was subsumed within Detroit. I have historical maps if you care to see them. —John Bentz, Detroit
Celebrity skin
Great article on Tera Patrick ("Skin trade," Feb. 10), very funny. I heard an interview Drew and Mike did with her a while back and she was a total turd. Good stuff, bro. —Don Duprie, River Rouge
Boiling over
Thanks to Michael Paul Goldenberg for writing the letter ("Cartoon anger," Letters to the Editor, Feb. 10) I've wanted to ever since you replaced This Modern World with The Boiling Point. I, too, find Mikhaela Reid's cartoons unartistic, sophomoric and inane. I used to rush to view Tom Tomorrow's latest offerings in your paper. I'm sure the decision to replace This Modern World was based on cost, and I understand that those choices have to be made at times, but — geez — couldn't you have found someone at least a little amusing? —Jack Poma, Shelby Township
St. Patti's Day
Writer extraordinaire Bill Holdship penned a very insightful review on Patti Smith's loving affair with Robert Mapplethrope ("Promises fulfilled," Feb. 17). The underlying cool essence conveyed is that achieving fame wasn't the top priority for Patti; being a good person is her commitment to our often-soulless world. This is a cherished lesson our less enlightened celebrity-driven pop culture can and should learn from, because chasing all the treasure in the world still can't buy a heart of gold such as the one our Patti is blessed with. —Ken Hreha, Dryden
Balancing act
I am usually a big fan of Ms. Svoboda's work. The lack of balance in "Midtown's menu" (March 10), however, calls into question her other work. In the spirit of full disclosure I am the head brewer and cheesemaker at the Traffic Jam, and have known both parties in the dispute for more than 10 years. I, like the owners of Avalon, have tried to stay out of the dispute as much as possible, but most of all to keep an open mind. Ms. Svoboda did an excellent job of describing Mr. Linardos' position in the dispute, but that is where her article ended. I do not call that journalism. That is propaganda. She got some facts plain wrong about the gate and missed the core issue of the debate entirely. She also tried to demonize Mr. Lowell as a disgruntled developer angry that he could not acquire Mr. Linardos' property. I can assure you there was no desire or need to acquire Motor City Brewing; he already owned the entire parking lot. I would posit the argument that Mr. Lowell's renovations of drug- and prostitute-infested apartment buildings has had more to do with Midtown's renaissance than any of the other principals in the article. However, this is not the forum to go point-for-point with the article. I will just reiterate that I was disappointed with the one-sided nature of the article. It failed to bring any real understanding to a very nuanced dispute only an overly simplified big guy vs. little guy narrative. I expect more form Ms. Svoboda and Metro Times. —Christopher Reilly, head brewer, cheesemaker, Traffic Jam & Snug, Detroit
Editor's note: Traffic Jam & Snug and its attorneys did not return calls for comment on this story.
Raising the bard
Re: "Labor's love lost" (Jan. 27), such scintillating satire deserves plaudits galore. And no apologies to the other bard. He would appreciate the aim and the targets struck. Retired as I am from that very "land," I view Bobb's efforts with multi-mixed emotions. Ms. Svoboda, you did a remarkable work with this story. Kudos, kudos! —Nick Toyeas, Dearborn
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