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5 free things for visitors to do in Detroit

By WTOP Staff

JEFF KAROUB
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit certainly has its financial woes as the largest U.S. city to undergo bankruptcy. But that doesn’t mean visitors have to break their own banks to experience some impressive attractions.

Here are five things tourists and natives alike can take in for free.

DETROIT RIVERWALK

Time was when the shores of the Motor City’s majestic Detroit River, which separates it from the Canadian city of Windsor, were mostly industrial and uninviting. To make matters worse, Windsor’s waterfront was verdant, pleasant and pedestrian-friendly. Then Detroit finally got some sense — and some big donations — to remodel its front door to the world and create the Detroit RiverWalk. Years of work have transformed much of it for recreational use. And it now includes William G. Milliken State Park & Harbor near downtown. The RiverWalk promenade is popular with walkers, runners and bicyclists, as is the perpendicular Dequindre Cut, which runs on an abandoned rail line. A popular spot for gathering and events is in front of the Renaissance Center, headquarters of General Motors Co. and the city’s tallest building.

EASTERN MARKET

Detroit’s Eastern Market’s foods, flowers and other products require opening the wallet, but the sights, sounds and smells — and sometimes samples — cost nothing. The six-block public market with more than 250 vendors has been operating east of the downtown district since 1891. The market is open several days a week at certain times of the year but it’s especially popular on Saturdays, when tens of thousands of people come to walk, talk and stall among the stalls and sheds.

TIGER STADIUM

The Detroit Tigers left in 1999 and headed downtown to the then-new Comerica Park, but stubborn activists held out hope of saving the baseball team’s longtime home. That dream died when the last portion was demolished in 2009, but die-hards can still run the bases and see some of the stadium’s decorative fencing and a flagpole at what’s now known as Ernie Harwell Field. The field in Detroit’s historic, reviving Corktown neighborhood is named after the team’s longtime and beloved announcer. Many plans have been floated for the site, most recently one that would include a youth baseball field along with stores, residential space and offices. Tiger Stadium opened in 1912 as Navin Field.

CAMPUS MARTIUS PARK

For all that has been cast aside or torn asunder in the city founded by the French in 1701, a significant piece of its past has been revitalized and redeveloped. Campus Martius is a 1.6-acre park where the historic Woodward and Michigan avenues converge. It opened in 2004 after several years of plans and more than $20 million in donations. The classic downtown square has a fountain, skating rink and serves as the perennial home of the city’s Christmas tree and winter carnival featuring a massive snow slide, rides and live music. The site also happens to be the city’s point of origin: Surveyors plopped down their equipment there in the early 1800s after a major fire to plot the city’s streets, parks and lots in a hub-and-spoke grid design. Earlier, the site was used as a military training ground and later it became the site where the First Michigan Regiment received their colors before leaving for the Civil War and, afterward, the home of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.

HEIDELBERG PROJECT

It’s generated more headlines recently for a series of suspicious, mysterious fires, but Detroit’s Heidelberg Project was a conversation starter long before the blazes. Artist Tyree Guyton founded the interactive outdoor art installation in 1986 on Heidelberg Street as a commentary on urban decay. The interactive sculpture park on the city’s east side mixes vacant houses and empty yards with artistic themes, and has become famous over the years for the exhibition featuring shoes, clocks, vinyl records, stuffed animals and other found or discarded objects. Still, most of the homes have been destroyed, and no arrests have been made in connection with the fires that stretch back about a year. Guyton has said little publicly but vows the evolving installation is “coming back greater than before.”

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Follow Jeff Karoub at https://twitter.com/jeffkaroub

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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