At one end, Chene Street overlooks the Detroit River and the best spot to hear bands playing in the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, i.e., on your own boat, anchored behind the stage. From there, like the ribbon farm owned by the family it is named for, Chene meanders northwest, curves here and there, passes blight and abandonment, dives under the freeway and terminates at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtrack Assembly.
Along the way, as on nearly every avenue in Detroit, there are a million sights to see. Below, a few of them.
Photographs by Michael Lucido
A vibrant box office for the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, Chene and Atwater St.
Chene Park leading to the Detroit River.
The Robert C. Valade Park next door to Chene park.
A small park at Chene & Robert Bradley Drive with soccer goals, this backstop and basketball courts.
Modernism meets Brutalism in the Coleman A. Young Community Center.
The University Preparatory Science and Math Elementary and Miller Middle School.
Not Mr. Chicken, not Mr. Beef. Mr. Fish. Get it right.
A rooftop fortified against scrappers.
Blight is a fact of life anywhere in Detroit, but certainly on the lower east side
Knudsen Junior High School track and football feild at Chene St. and Mack Ave.
In a city where sanctioned murals flower, old-school taggers still find lots of walls to paint
Joseph Perrien Park's pavilion, shade on a hot day.
A classic R&B spot, where the marquee touts shows from before the lockdown
Beautiful geometric mural at East Ferry and Chene St. Artist unkown.
Small community garden near E. Palmer and Chene St. area.
The former Max's Jewelry Store has a rich history, detailed here.
Dan & Vi's Pizza and Deli sits near the end of the line, at I-94.