I have many times, I live an hour away from it. Not all of Detroit is bad. Though once I went to Detroit for a concert and a couple days later a guy got shot and killed pretty much at the area where I stood in line for an hour to get in. The line was like a big square sort of, and the guy got killed inside of it. But there are good parts of Detroit which I always go to, then there's what we see in this show.
GRAND THEFT AUTO V
9.17.13
I live there (by choice) and love it. I could certainly afford to live in the affluent suburbs away from the city...but Detroit has a vibrant excitement to it that people on the outside just have no idea about. They only see the cliched images of urban blight and decay (which every major city has)...and they hear the same tired, dated, cliched stories, and they form a negative image. I've never experienced such a misunderstood city.
Detroit has pockets of danger and decay, sure....just like Chicago...LA...New orleans...Miami, etc, etc. But it also has some wonderfully fun and safe areas of culture, music, food, sports, etc. And the architecture, for example, can be just jaw-dropping. And to boot, it's probably the best sports city in the country.
If you live here, or know someone who does...and know where to go to find those hidden (or not so hidden) gems...try having a coney at Lafayette. You may just bump into Kid Rock. Check out the Motwon Museum on W. Grand Blvd.....you may just run into Aretha....or Paul McCartney for that matter. He has been in a few times, and even had a piano restored there. Try driving along the waterfront to Gross Pointe. You'll see some of the most beautiful houses and boats you've ever laid eyes on. Try hitting Bakers Keyboard Lounge on 8 & Livernois....the oldest jazz club in the country. Check out The Shelter, a hidden basement music club in the outskirts of Greektown, where Eminem got his start. Walk over to the DIA for some of the most world-class art on the planet. Have a margarita in Mexicantown. Try a "yardbird" at Slows in Corktown....voted by the Food Network as the second best sandwich in the country. (Insanely good mac & cheese as well). Hit a loft party in Eastern Market. Have a good steak while enjoying a view of the skyline (as well as Windsor's skyline) up at the top of the Ren Cen.
I could go on and on. Detroit is a dychotomy. A blend of decay and ressurection. Plight and vibrancy. It's a city that can win your heart over if you give her a chance. One thing for sure...it's never...EVER boring. :)
You must have been dropped on your head as a child. Detroit is a pit. I can't see anyone ever wanting to go there, whether to live, work or vacation. Bankruptcy, population fleeing (white and black), crime, etc., etc., etc. If you want to see a city that does it right, come to Boston. People actually want to come there to live, vacation, work, etc.
share"You must have been dropped on your head as a child. Detroit is a pit. I can't see anyone ever wanting to go there, whether to live, work or vacation. Bankruptcy, population fleeing (white and black), crime, etc., etc., etc. If you want to see a city that does it right, come to Boston. People actually want to come there to live, vacation, work, etc."
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Rude and ignorant. I can only hope the rest of Boston has a better class of people than you. I happen to really like Boston. And I wouldn't cut it down just to make me feel better about my own city. And I would never kick it when it's down, like you just did. Sure, take a cheap shot at an easy target. Wow, what an intelligent and classy thing to do.
And BTW...when the Tigers are in the World Series and Red Sox nation is watching on TV, I'll think of you. Oh that's right....no I won't.
^^^
Good response, okeelani. I agree.
I live near Detroit (sort of), and the Downtown area is nice. There's several bars/restaurants, Comerica Park, the Fox Theater, Campus Martius Park (with free concerts, Hart Plaza, all kinds of stuff. Up from Downtown is the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, more bars, more restaurants, etc.
Downtown and nearby areas need more shopping places (like Macy's). That may bring more people (i.e., consumers) to the area.
Rude and ignorant. I can only hope the rest of Boston has a better class of people than you. I happen to really like Boston. And I wouldn't cut it down just to make me feel better about my own city. And I would never kick it when it's down, like you just did. Sure, take a cheap shot at an easy target. Wow, what an intelligent and classy thing to do.
And BTW...when the Tigers are in the World Series and Red Sox nation is watching on TV, I'll think of you. Oh that's right....no I won't.
"Do you work for the Detroit Metro area board of tourism?
The above poster was crass, but it really is delusional to try and claim Detroit is a place that people want to or should want to visit."
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Delusional? Maybe YOU are deluded. For starters, why WOULDN'T Detroit be a place people "would or should" want to visit. How arrogant and condescending of you. Where do YOU live, Disneyland? Detroit has as much to offer as any other major city, along with some very unique things many cities do not have...like several major casinos...an international border...several world-class sports franchises, etc, etc.
I'm not saying cancel your plans to SeaWorld in Orlando to come to The D for your vacation. I'm simply suggesting to the rude, not-real-intelligent minority of folks who come here and make uninformed, slack-jawed remarks about something they have zero firsthand knowledge of....and take cheap shots at an easy target, kicking something that is already down....that they check themselves.
I'm ALSO saying....if you DO happen to find yourself in The D for whatever reason...(perhaps you're coming to watch the best team in baseball in the playoffs....perhaps you're coming to watch Kid Rock....or gamble at The MGM Grand.....or check out the biggest international auto show in the world, etc, etc. My point: If you DO happen to come here, there is a LOT more to offer than many people realize--people who base their opinions solely on tired cliche's and old jokes.
It's a great city, with a lot more to offer than people think. There is nothing at all wrong with pointing that out. Ask anyone who has been downtown in the past 10 years and you'll get answers you didn't expect. That is ALL I'm saying.
It's VERY EASY to take cheap, uninformed shots at an easy target. It's much more sophisticated and a classy move to try and see the GOOD, potential good and historical good in something, and route for it's success...rather than make rude remarks and jokes about its hardships.
You don't need to be on the tourist board to feel this way. You just need to be someone with a heart, who sees the whole picture, and chooses to live here because of the thousands of GOOD reasons. People who take pot shots from afar speak much more about themselves than anyone in the city they are insulting.
I'm ALSO saying....if you DO happen to find yourself in The D for whatever reason...(perhaps you're coming to watch the best team in baseball in the playoffs....perhaps you're coming to watch Kid Rock....or gamble at The MGM Grand.....or check out the biggest international auto show in the world, etc, etc. My point: If you DO happen to come here, there is a LOT more to offer than many people realize--people who base their opinions solely on tired cliche's and old jokes.
It's VERY EASY to take cheap, uninformed shots at an easy target. It's much more sophisticated and a classy move to try and see the GOOD, potential good and historical good in something, and route for it's success...rather than make rude remarks and jokes about its hardships.
"Are people really supposed to ignore things like the federal government shelling out $100 M to remove the 80,000 abandoned buildings in this "beautiful" city in hopes of bringing it back to life?"
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Uh, no...nobody is asking anyone to "ignore" anything. Who asked you to ignore such things? But what...do you feel it's your personal duty to highlight the obvious? Call it out? Rub people's noses in it? Why? EVERYONE does that. My post was to celebrate what is GOOD about Detroit. So what do you do? You, and others, reply with negativity and piss all over it. Why? Do you feel better? Do you feel better?
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"There's nothing wrong with being proud of your home, but claiming Detroit is on par with most of the major metro areas in this country is a joke. Sorry if that hurts your feelings, and I hope the city gets better. But right now, it's in the dumps."
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Detroit is without question on par with many major cities in this country, in every way: Major sports teams...venues...casinos...music...culture....film industry....manufacturing, etc, etc. And yes, it is ALSO on par with many other major cities in terms of corruption, problems, crime, dilapidated areas and financial woes. New orleans, LA, Chicago, San Diego, etc, etc...are all in financial straits. We should be ROOTING for Detroit, not pissing on it while it's down. So goes Detroit, so goes many other cities headed in the same exact direction. It is a microcosm of a much larger problem.
But all (some of) you really want to do is kick something while it's down and take cheap shots? Real classy. Real original. Real clever. Nobody called it a utopia. I'm simply (and harmlessly) defending what is NICE about Detroit. Not many people do that. And when I do...people like you pile on with old, tired, cheap shots. It reflects much more about YOU than the city you're throwing stones at.
I really like Chicago. I don't need to cut it down in order to defend Detroit. Wouldn't it be cool if folks like you, who apparently have been here, could actually take an approach much less-often taken...and say something like: "Hey, I'm from Chicago and have been to The D. There's actually a lot of fun stuff to do there. It's not nearly as bad as movies and old cliches' make it out to be." Seriously, how hard is it to just say something positive--at no expense to Chicago or anything else--rather than just pile-on with the same, tired, unoriginal BS? We've already heard that stuff 100 times over.
If you have indeed been to places like Ford Field, then you could indeed speak to how fun and nice that part of town is. Instead, you go that other route. I just don't have much respect for that approach at all. You really don't have anything original at all to offer. Pity, really. Detroit and Chicago are kindered spirits in many ways. Awesome city and great people, for the most part.
And (off topic)...I happen to think Cutler is very underrated and doesn't deserve half the crap people give him. I hope he kicks a$$ this season and shuts everyone up.
Are people really supposed to ignore things like the federal government shelling out $100 M to remove the 80,000 abandoned buildings in this "beautiful" city in hopes of bringing it back to life?
Interesting post.
I do say that I think Detroit is nothing but blight, blight, blight based on what I have seen on the news.
And I get where you are coming from. I live in St. Louis, which regularly tops the most dangerous places to live. When those lists come out, the city collectively just rolls its eyes.
Have a nice day!
I kick arse for the Lord!
Okeelani, here's a list of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in the US.
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/25-most-dan gerous-neighborhoods/
Notice that Detroit takes the top 3 spots in the entire country so hard to argue that they're just like the bad pockets in any other major city.
Not to mention that Detroit recently declared bankruptcy. Some other facts?
About one-third of Detroit's 140 square miles is either vacant or derelict.
There are approximately 78,000 abandoned homes in the city.
Less than half of the residents of Detroit over the age of 16 are working at this point.
60 percent of all children in the city of Detroit are living in poverty.
The murder rate in Detroit is 11 times higher than it is in New York City.
The violent crime rate in Detroit is five times higher than the national average.
Due to budget cutbacks, most police stations in Detroit are now closed to the public for 16 hours a day.
Back in 1960, the city of Detroit actually had the highest per-capita income in the entire nation.
While I think it's honorable and loyal of you to still defend your city let's not completely ignore reality while doing so. That way people might actually take all the good things that you're talking about seriously.
"....let's not completely ignore reality while doing so."
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Never once have I done so. Never once have I suggested there are NOT really bad elements, problems, challenges and issues with Detroit. Detroit has a LOT of crime. Detroit has a LOT of abandoned buildings. Detroit has a LOT of corruption. Detroit tops a LOT of bad lists I could go on and on...but seriously, I don't think it would help.
All I'm saying is....Detroit ALSO has many wonderful things, and in my opinion (and in the opinions of many who live here), it's a fantastic city. The two notions are not mutually exclusive of each other. Detroit can have significant challenges...yet it can still be a great city as well. People like myself can still suggest it is a great place, even DESPITE the challenges. Detroit tops a lot of GOOD lists as well.
The fact that I can't even say that...without somebody (who has probably never even been here) taking the time to get online and research an itemized list to post here....just to shoot me down and somehow suggest I'm wrong (and incorrect) to have love for this great city....is just, well, troubling. I will do all I can to keep my temper in check with you...and simply say: Do you feel better now?
What did you accomplish, really? You took some easy, cheap shots at a city that's already down on the mat. This is not even remotely original. Scores of people have already done that on these threads for weeks....months. You're just piling-on at this point. Do you think you've convinced me that I'm wrong in my opinion yet?
A lot of the challenges you mention in your list are misunderstood. The Metro Detroit area is ENORMOUS. 3 times the size of Chicago. Yet it has a very small population (only about 700,000). The challenge this creates is....a lot or urban blight, and not enough tax base to cover certain necessities. Yes, these challenges suck. But Detroiters like myself are working hard to consolidate and address them.
Jensen...I could list for you all the reasons Detroit is wonderful....special historically, special now...and incredibly important for the future....but I think it would just be time wasted on you.
If you wanted to take an ORIGINAL stance...a really cool approach could have been something like: "Hey everyone...we all know Detroit is down, and has a terrible rep. No surprises there. But it's refreshing to see hope and passion from someone who chooses to live, vote, work and volunteer there...in an effort to rebuild what was once, and can be again, a great American city. That's exactly what cities like Detroit need. We should be PULLING for Detroit....not celebrating it's problems."
Now THAT would have been pretty cool....and pretty original. What you did, however....well, it just wasn't. Do you feel better after shooting a dog that's already been shot about 12 times, jensen? What did it really accomplish? If you want to take a few more pokes at me and Detroit, please, by all means....knock yourself out. But what you say...says more about you than the city you're trashing. And it really accomplishes nothing.
That's good to hear. I've never been there, and honestly having only been exposed to Detroit through media, i have pictured an endless slum full of abandoned homes and rot. Especially since the whole bankruptcy story broke. Being from the Chicago area, i shouldn't have been so naive, but i was and imagine a lot of other people have the same notion. Good to hear... Good to hear.
shareI used to live in Westland when I was much younger. I haven't been back to Michigan in my adult life, but I still have fond memories of it. It's where I first got introduced to and became interested in sports. Even now, I ocassionally run into people who were also from the area because I'm always wearing my Tigers cap, and there is always an instant feeling of kinship.
shareYes, organicsteel....I've noticed that about not only The D...but about Michigan in general. Wherever I've travelled (and I travel extensively), more times than not, I'll run into someone not only from Michigan, but from within 20-30 minutes of where I grew up.
Michigan is such a beautiful state. And the sports connection coming from Detroit in particular (Tigers, Red Wings, etc...) is a great feeling of kinship, no matter where you find yourself now. The sports teams you grew up with always seem to have a fond and permenant place in the heart. Once a Tigers fan, always a Tigers fan. I think I spot that Olde English D hat more often, even half-way around the world, than any other sports team logo.
I visit Detroit 2-3 times a year.
Just for a day, and it's for sports.
It IS the greatest sports city on this continent but I'm sorry to say that after the game is done, anyone with a good head should leave the area ASAP. Even the downtown core died within 2 hours of a sports game or concert ending. It's a ghost town.
The suburbs are nice but the city, through bad tax policy and general neglect, is in ruins.
By every statistics, it is incredibly dangerous. I'm not saying neighbourhoodscout is the end all be all but Detroit rates a 2 out of 100 and it doesn't get much favour from any other crime statistics website.
Here's the other thing, while safe pockets of Detroit certainly do exist, this isn't an overall positive because it means many people are walled off to stay within certain boundaries. It's frightening.
Compare Toronto for example which boasts roughly 5 Million in the metro area (6 Million if including some nearby cities) is starkly different.
Those foolish enough to move from canada to america increase the average I.Q. of both countries
Born and raised here in the "D", and currently in Southfield which is just northwest of the city. I've been all over the country and I've seen many ghettos but none is like the collective ghetto that is Detroit. I love my city and the good people stuck in it (there are many), but the truth is, it's been let go and abandoned for the most part. While we still have pockets like north Rosedale, Palmer Woods and a few newer neighborhoods along the river by the Roostertail that still look nice, but they aren't that viable because you still have to drive outside the city to send your kids to school or a good grocery store, not to mention shopping or malls. I'm only 36 but I really miss what it was like even in the 80s, I could show you a picture of where I grew up from 1990, and how different it looks now. None of my friends from growing up that is working and raising a family live there anymore, only the guys that dropped out and got into the streets remain, and many of us prodded our parents to move also, my mom moved to Oak Park in 2008 after 2 break ins and repeated car air-bag thefts. Seems as though once me and my brother aged out of the hood, our parents were fair game for break-ins and theft, because it never happened when I was younger. All in all, the show is accurate, most of the city does look like that, and it's denial to say otherwise. Detroit needs a reboot, the corruption of city officials especially in the last 20 years, and a stagnated business climate has decimated a once great city. A major overhaul is needed, the city needs to find a way to get taxpaying working class people to move and stay there, right now it's only elderly people who are largely a victim class, those who want to do right but can't afford to and a large class of thugs, bums and dopeheads.
shareIf you're talking about the neighborhoods in the outskirts of the downtown area, sure, there are some tough, blighted areas....just like Chicago has....just like new Orleans has....etc,etc. But there are also some beautiful, amazing neighborhoods, like Indian Village, Grosse Pointe, etc, etc. Neighborhoods with incredible houses right on the water that would make your jaw drop. It all depends on where you go and what you want to focus on. Most people who drive into Detroit from its suburbs go to the downtown area, which is more alive and vibrant than it has been in 50 years. People don't go to Detroit to look for fun in the rundown neighborhoods in the outskirts....they go DOWNTOWN, which is filled with life and things to do.
I've never seen more friendly and beautiful people anywhere I've ever travelled than what I have seen right here in Michigan and The D. I'd start listing areas and specific venues...but it would be way, WAY too much typing. I'll just reiterate...we are a world-class sports town...with world-class entertainment districts...casinos....theater districts....museums....food, culture, festivals....boating on the water....an international border, etc, etc. Great music, great food, great bars, sports.... Anyone who complains about not having much to do or not feeling safe in Detroit....well, I couldn't possibly feel more different. Maybe for some it simply comes down to whether you view the glass as half full or half empty--and which do you want to focus on. My Detroit is half full....of Johnny Walker Blue. Smooth, rich in taste and culture....to be savored and appreciated, not only for where it's been and what it is now...but where it's going.
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My grandparents are from Detroit, I can honestly say the only 'good' part is downtown along the waterfront.
shareIf you still have grandparents, you're pretty young and probably have not been exposed the the greater Metro Detroit Area. And if the area along the water is all you're aware of that's "good"...you've missed out (so far) on most of what is pretty fantastic about The D. I'd list some things, but it seems pretty pointless.
shareI'm not young but would welcome your impressions.....
shareJust see any of my posts earlier in this thread. The D and I both take quite a beating, as you'll see. But it's a fantastic, misunderstood and underrated city...and I will defend it every time.
shareUnderstood, I didn't mean to stir up discord and will read prior posts. :)
shareMaybe we need separate areas here; one for those who still love Detroit (and know it well), and live, work and/or play there, and another for those who despise it even though they've never set foot there. It's like the old tale of the blind men and the elephant; everyone has their own version.
shareI live in Waterford, which is about 50 minutes from Detroit, but I work in the city and I can honestly say it's not as bad as the news makes it out to be. Yes, the city has filed bankruptcy. Yes, the city has its bad areas. But no, not every area in town is bad.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.
Never gone there. Closest I've been to it is Chicago. I have some relatives who live in Grosse Pointe. I haven't seen much of the Midwest, but I would like to see more of the country, including Detroit if I can get the chance.
shareBeen there before the city went bust (this was back in 1992) and the culture that existed is being ruined by juggalos and trash who capitalize on the squalor and how "murderous" the city is. They're actually proud of being broke and on the skids. Anyone who hasn't been can get a solid summation about today's Detroit from the misunderstood lyricist () T-Baby.
share