 
Chitown_guy
Member
Username: Chitown_guy
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 10:53 pm: |    |
I am from Chicago and I recently visited Detroit for a vacation. I travel all over the country to New York, Dallas, LA, all the big US cities. I have never been to Detroit so for a long weekend I decided to see Detroit. My friends told me I am nuts, "Detroit is a dump" but I wanted to see for myself. Well, they were WRONG! I loved Detroit. There is so much history and architectural gems! What I loved about Detroit was the new development, Campus Martius, the coneys, and just an atmosphere of a city that knows it can be great. Yes I saw abandoned buildings, I saw graphiti, I was bothered by bums, I saw drug deals go down. But guess what, I see all that in Chicago, NY, LA. Detroit you are on the way back, keep it up! What I think Detroit needs to improve on are first Tiger Stadium and the train station. They look like a 3 legged blind dog that needs to be taken out back. Both buildings look like they were the shit back in the day. Be nice if you guys could find something to put in there. Second, whats the deal with the People Mover? Its cute, but not effective. I understand being a city built by cars a subway or metro may not be popular. I will be promoting Detroit to my friends in Chicago (your Greektown puts ours to shame) I will be back! |
Kid_dynamite
Member
Username: Kid_dynamite
Post Number: 310
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 11:07 pm: | |
Thanks for the visit Chitown...where did you stay? |
Detroitbill
Member
Username: Detroitbill
Post Number: 339
Registered: 09-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 11:19 pm: | |
Thnks Chi
Detroit is not Chicago but then on the other hand Detroit SHOULD be Detroit and not try to be some other place, I remember visiting Chicago for years and coming back and feeling bad about Detroit. I must admit I dont feel the same way anymore, progress Downtown at least is very evident. Its actually kinda exciting. Friends of mine in Chicago are constantly saying how much improved Detroit is, they actually say they like it now. |
Thecarl
Member
Username: Thecarl
Post Number: 1078
Registered: 04-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 11:22 pm: | |
quote:Detroit is not Chicago but then on the other hand Detroit SHOULD be Detroit and not try to be some other place, I remember visiting Chicago for years and coming back and feeling bad about Detroit.
i could'a been a contendah! |
Lilpup
Member
Username: Lilpup
Post Number: 2914
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 - 11:32 pm: | |
The People Mover is effective for it's limited range, especially during sporting or other large downtown events. |
Downtown_remix
Member
Username: Downtown_remix
Post Number: 509
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 12:22 am: | |
damn where did you stay,, maybe MGM new hotel? or maybe in the Marriott ren cen. What will opinions be like when they can hotel hop from MGM to Greektown then Motor City casino hotel, stroll past million dolar condos on the riverfront, have dinner in the new Book Cadillac hotel? |
Lilpup
Member
Username: Lilpup
Post Number: 2915
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 12:31 am: | |
hope when that time comes there's still room downtown for us paupers |
Oldoak
Member
Username: Oldoak
Post Number: 43
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 12:33 am: | |
Thanks for taking the time, Chitownguy, to sign up and post a positive response to your visit to Detroit. We can use an outside perspective. |
Gsgeorge
Member
Username: Gsgeorge
Post Number: 232
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 1:42 am: | |
Chitown_guy, you'll be happy to know that Corktown's Tiger Stadium is being redeveloped as a youth baseball park. Half of the structure is being demolished while the remaining half is being scaled down and turned into a park and museum. Hopefully it will help to revitalize the area and spur some development with the old MCS.
Thanks for visiting and glad to hear you had a good time. Please spread the word, Chicago visitors are more than welcome and we always love impressing them with our architecture and culture. |
Thejesus
Member
Username: Thejesus
Post Number: 2384
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 9:28 am: | |
"Tiger Stadium is being redeveloped as a youth baseball park. Half of the structure is being demolished while the remaining half is being scaled down and turned into a park and museum."
It is? |
Lowell
Board Administrator
Username: Lowell
Post Number: 4227
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 9:51 am: | |
Welcome to the forum Chitown guy and thanks for your perspective.
I agree with what you say and am happy that you were open-minded and balanced enough to understand our challenges and progress.
I would disagree with your view that the Beaux Artes style train station should go. I would like to see it saved, restored and reused as it is both architecturally, historically and emotionally significant. Being new here, you may not know that its impasse is due to the controversial billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge owns it and could save it but seems to prefer to let it remain a ruin.
Between it and the soon-to-go Tiger Stadium is the vibrant Corktown district, a former Irish immigrant area and where our St. Patrick's parade is held, something Chicago folk could relate to.
The resolution to these 'twin pillars' of Corktown are keys to that areas future. |
Iheartthed
Member
Username: Iheartthed
Post Number: 1859
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 10:20 am: | |
I feel like I've heard this before... |
Gsgeorge
Member
Username: Gsgeorge
Post Number: 234
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 10:57 am: | |
quote:"Tiger Stadium is being redeveloped as a youth baseball park. Half of the structure is being demolished while the remaining half is being scaled down and turned into a park and museum."
It is?
Last I heard from the Tiger Stadium Conservancy it is. They're in the process of raising the remaining monies but as far as I know the project is almost a go-ahead. |
Rb336
Member
Username: Rb336
Post Number: 2834
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 11:04 am: | |
I think it is a non-starter. |
Margaret
Member
Username: Margaret
Post Number: 210
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 12:10 pm: | |
thanks, Chitown guy, for creating this thread...it's encouraging to me to read your comments and observations. It makes me want to re-visit my old Detroit stomping grounds. where DID you stay? curiouser and curiouser...thanks again. |
Chitown_guy
Member
Username: Chitown_guy
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 10:24 pm: | |
I stayed at the Milner Hotel. Which was absolutley stunning. Perfect walking to distance to the stadiums, Greektown. I took the people mover from Greektown to the Millender Center and back to Greektown. I found the streets surprisingly safe, even at night. Lets face the facts, in big cities there are bums and panhandlers. Detroit has them, Chicago does, NY, LA, DC, Philly, etc. What was nice is if you ignored them they ignored you. Spread the word Margaret Detroit is a legitimate weekend getaway. By the way tell the Detroit Tourism department to send me a paycheck, I feel like an ad exec here lol! |
Gnome
Member
Username: Gnome
Post Number: 196
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 7:24 am: | |
Chi-guy, ... the last time I heard "stunning" and "Milner" in the same sentence, a stun-gun was involved. Please explain.
Your post has brought a lot of smiles around here, welcome to the board. |
Charlottepaul
Member
Username: Charlottepaul
Post Number: 1816
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 1:20 pm: | |
Chitown_guy, were you vacationing by yourself, or did you come with friends or family or something? Seems to me that it isn't always too difficult to convince some young professional to hang out in Detroit for a weekend, but if you had like a spouse and kids with you, then I would be even more very impressed. If not, next time bring your friends along! |
Gistok
Member
Username: Gistok
Post Number: 5521
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 2:26 pm: | |
Welcome Chitown_guy!
The Milner folks have been restoring that hotel for a while now. Glad you liked it! Many here on this forum remember the Milner as a dumpy place, which it was until recently.
For those of you who were on this summers Preservation Wayne Historic Movie Palace Tours, it was the Milner folks who put on that lavish display at the remains of the Oriental Theatre, with the free Mimosa's (yes that was real Champagne mixed with orange juice) and light refreshments served by a 1920's dressed Flapper and Theatre Usher. They also passed out colorful brochures showing the newly restored Milner.
The Milner folks own both the Milner, and the hotel attached to the former Oriental Theatre (2nd building west of Park Ave. on W. Adams near Grand Circus Park).
Thanks to the Milner's great location (near all the entertainment venues), it received a nice facelift. |
Chitown_guy
Member
Username: Chitown_guy
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 6:14 pm: | |
I came here (after a lot of begging) with my girlfriend. She liked Detroit but truthfully was not that impressed. This is not a bash on Detroit, she hates Chicago too. She is a Wisconsin farm girl and feels more comfortable in a small town setting. The folks at the Milner had said they had done some improvements. I thought everything was just great. One thing I noticed on this board and just on the streets of Detroit is that you Detroiters are not used to a kind word from an outsider. You should get used to it, no place is perfect. But you should not let your downfalls triumph your success. |
Rocket_city
Member
Username: Rocket_city
Post Number: 436
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 9:11 pm: | |
Detroit has America's newest downtown, as I say. Just today, I was over at the main Post Office on Fort Street (west of dwntwn) and looked over at the skyline to see two buildings near e/o on the skyline that were once dead...the Book Cadillac and the Hotel Fort-Shelby. Both showed the signs of life slowly progressing to fully-functioning buildings once again. In a sense, they are brand new buildings being added to our downtown, among many others. This gives a whole new identity to the city, especially when components include $1 million dollar penthouse residential suites.
If you've bookmarked the progress in your memory, when you come back to visit next, you will be able to witness the next stages, and I'm confident that that will continue and the "snowball" will continue to grow and get bigger, as it will speed up too!
Thanks for the great comments!  |
Kslice
Member
Username: Kslice
Post Number: 183
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 11:00 pm: | |
Too bad you found the DPM ineffective. It's made for people on vacation or visiting. Hope you saw the River Walk, one of Detroit's newest jewels.
Too bad you didn't wait to come. you could have stayed in the totally new Book Cadillac. Oh well, there's always next time. |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10476
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007 - 11:34 pm: | |
Chitown - Next time you and your gurl come back extend the trip and take a day trip to one of the outlying communities that your girl may enjoy.
Metro Detroit has some smaller, semit rural towns with some nice old downtowns. Might be a nice compromise to get her back here again. |
Eastsidedame
Member
Username: Eastsidedame
Post Number: 187
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, October 15, 2007 - 8:54 pm: | |
Thank you, Chitown. Now, if we can only convince the rest of the world. We love Chicago, too, by the way. I need to get back there, soon. |
Lilpup
Member
Username: Lilpup
Post Number: 2944
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Monday, October 15, 2007 - 10:12 pm: | |
Amtrak to Chicago is fantastic, provided you don't have to be there on a deadline, and isn't too pricy. Plus you get to sleep instead of drive |