Recap: [Hybrid] United States, June 08, I'll meet you under the Kern's Clock in Detroit

The Detroit Meetup went well.

It was a common phrase in Detroit for more than 100 years.
In olden days, people did not have the internet, but only phones.
So they called friends on the phone and said, “Let’s meet under the Kerns Clock”, where Kerns was a shop name and this clock was mounted on the shop.

Eventually, the Kerns shop was closed, and they put the clock in a basement to be scrapped later.

But when people started missing their favorite meeting place under the clock, they crowdsourced money and rebuilt the Clock Tower. Hence the phrase “I will meet you under the Kern’s Clock”.

@Erna_LaBeau and @keithlabeau picked me up from my hostel in Detroit after traveling for 1 hour from the suburbs in their car.

More on their royal treatment of me, warm hospitality, and friendship in the episodes to come :hugs: For now, I can tell that they are adorable people with a heart of Gold :handshake:

Keith dropped us at the venue and left to park his car in a ‘Parking Lot’, which btw is a HUGE business in Detroit.

After he was back, we settled down behind the Kern’s Clock and started chatting and discussing our journey and experiences as local guides, life in general in India, and the US.

After that, Erna set up her Mi-Fi so that we could connect with local guides around the globe virtually via a Google Meet.

Prominent local guides that I remember joining were @AjitThite @TravellerG @Gurukrishnapriya @Hanugya.Panchal @Piyushdeora122 @Ssiddharth2000 @Kumaarsantosh @Gvipin @K.K.Sharma @RosyKohli @SarathUpendran @Shrut19 @Mayita_777

We showed them the Kern’s Clock, explained its interesting history, and showed them the nearby buildings, streets, the free Detroit QLine tram, and the early morning vibes of Detroit.

Here is the view of Kern’s Clock from the east side:

Here’s the view from the west side:

After the meetup, we settled at Erna’s favourite place to eat - the American Coney Island, where she purchased breakfast for everyone. We had the famous hot dogs and fries.

I also shared the stickers, cards, and badges with everyone.

Hi @NandKK, I tried your newest trick to drop renamed images, and it worked like a breeze. It is so easy to add captions this way :smiley:

:airplane: How to Reach

Read how to reach downtown Detroit from the airport.

:shallow_pan_of_food: Where to Eat

Try the coney hot dog at the American Coney Island.

:mushroom: Detroit Attractions and Things to Do

  1. Visit the Corner Public Clock above Fresh Mex.
  2. Visit places that appear in Hollywood movies.
  3. Visit the Kern’s Clock - a landmark iconic clock tower in Detroit.
  4. Explore the Street Art in Detroit
  5. Visit the Minimalistic Art - Clock Tower on Michigan Avenue.
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congrats on your successful meetup @TusharSuradkar can’t wait to read the whole recap (now still “an place holder for the recap”)

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What a heartwarming and inspiring meetup, dear @TusharSuradkar! :bouquet: Your vivid narration made me feel as if I was right there under the historic Kern’s Clock, soaking in the morning vibes of Detroit. Truly commendable how @Erna_LaBeau and @KeithLaBeau welcomed you with such warmth—it reflects the true spirit of the Local Guides community. :yellow_heart:

Bringing together LGs from across the globe virtually was a brilliant touch! This kind of cross-border connection not only strengthens our community but also aligns beautifully with the spirit of SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. :handshake:

Thank you for representing India so gracefully and for your thoughtful gesture of sharing stickers and badges. Looking forward to the next episodes in your storytelling series!

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It was an amazing meetup @TusharSuradkar sir… You shared a lot of information about the place and clock tower…even it’s importance from the past … And all the local guides who attended the meetup made it memorable

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This was one of its kind of Meet-ups. Despite connectivity challenge, you got it live for all of us that too from the open area using laptop and mobile. Only you can do it @TusharSuradkar.

Other than the Kern’s clock, I really liked the hospitality gesture of @Erna_LaBeau and @keithlabeau.

Not to forget the story about your t-shirt :slightly_smiling_face:.

Thank you for taking us through this wonderful virtual Detroit tour.

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Thank you @Kumaarsantosh

All credit goes to @Erna_LaBeau, who generously offered to set up the Mi-Fi, without which I would have given up on a virtual session.

And, thank you for remembering the TShirt story :smiley:

This is a random photo from 2010 that I randomly cropped for my profile photo, that continues for 15 years, and everywhere - LinkedIn, FB, Insta, Google, WhatsApp

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Nice interesting piece @TusharSuradkar

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Congratulations on this successful meet-up in Detroit @TusharSuradkar Erna and Keith really are great hosts. Kerns clock tower history was amazing to note. The breakfast joint looks great, though I’m not a big fan of hot dogs, in India they don’t prepare it as authentic as in the US probably. Thank you for sharing this incredible meet-up recap in Detroit. Looking forward to seeing more of your experiences in the US.

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Thank you so much Dada @TusharSuradkar :folded_hands:

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@curatorofmemory yup

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I agree @Ssiddharth2000 - Hot Dogs are not perceived the same in India as elsewhere.
I have had only a bad experience with hot dogs in India :pensive_face:

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Beautifully explained recap @TusharSuradkar . Thanks for sharing your experiences. Nice to see you people virtually. @Erna_LaBeau is really a charming friend for me. She is one of my favorite Local Guides and wish to meet her one day.

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Thank you so much for your honest and thoughtful feedback, @TusharSuradkar ji. I’m really happy to hear that this little trick proved useful to you while adding captions. It’s always encouraging to know that these small tips can actually make a difference in someone’s workflow.

Thanks once again for your kind words and support! :saluting_face:

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Absolutely @Gurukrishnapriya

I remember we attended their first online meetup together and there were a bit technical issues.
But they continued and made it a success :smiley:

Also, Erna and Keith have expressed willingness to travel to India if we host a nice meetup. Let’s work on that in the coming days.

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What a heartwarming recap @TusharSuradkar !

This RECAP sounds like a perfect blend of friendship, meaningful conversations, and cultural exchange. Kudos to @Erna_LaBeau and @keithlabeau for their incredible hospitality. It truly reflects the spirit of the Local Guides community. The virtual connect with global members was a great touch too, I somehow missed the virtual meetup.

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Great, dear @TusharSuradkar
Of course, our friends
@Erna_LaBeau and @keithlabeau are extremely friendly and helpful…

Happy to hear that you all enjoyed the session…

Of course, the virtual session was very interesting… thanks to LG Erna for the Modem Connection…

Overall excellent :+1:
Regards

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Very pleasures experience while attending the meet-up and the way you described here feels me like I am right in the Detroit
It was my first meet-up which was international and attending it feels me quite motivating as I am also thinking about hosting a small in person meet-up in jodhpur
@TusharSuradkar

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Sehr schön euer Treffen an dieser Uhr mit der interessanten Geschichte @TusharSuradkar @Erna_LaBeau @keithlabeau und euch dort gemeinsam anzutreffen.
Ich bin gespannt was es in Detroit noch so Sehenswertes gibt :folded_hands:

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Thank you, @TusharSuradkar ji, for sharing the recap and lovely photos. I missed the meet-up because of other work, but I’m glad I could see the details in your post. It’s nice to see Local Guides @Erna_LaBeau and @keithlabeau joined the event. Looks you had a good time with them.

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@TusharSuradkar nicely done, my friend! :grinning_face: I wish I was there hanging with all of you, hopefully soon in another meetup! #letsguide

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