January 25, 2006
First story up on MSN.com was a story in defense of Detroit. Detroit will host the Super Bowl in a week or so and Detroit's reputation isn't one of glitz or as a vacation or tourism Mecca. (Or as it was once described in the TV show 'Northern Exposure,'--"Cleveland without the glitz." No kidding. I worked in the city for 18 years and I can honestly say I'm not a fan. Still, the criticism is both deserved and blown out of proportion. Here are a few thoughts.

It's a manufacturing city. Its entire economy was built on automotive manufacturing, but most of the factories are now elsewhere. For that matter, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler headquarters aren't actually in the city. Ford HQ is in Dearborn and Daimler-Chrysler HQ is in Auburn Hills.

It's a minority city. This is not a racist statement. Approximately 60% of the city is African-American. That may be a lowball estimate. In and of itself, I don't think that makes much difference, but if you want to get statistical about things, a larger percentage of African-Americans in this country are poor, and that would suggest Detroit is poor, as well. It is.

Crime rate. It's not great, but other cities are much worse. Washington, DC, for instance. And I find New York City and Chicago and Miami to be pretty dangerous as well. The difference with Detroit, I think, is how easy it is to wander unknowingly from a safe commercial area into a pocket of crime and neglect. It seems like the lines of demarkation are more noticable in other cities. You can be in a good, even well-to-do neighborhood and pass through a pocket of burned-out abandoned homes on the way to a shopping area. So in Detroit, my advice is, keep your eyes open. Plus, mass transit in Detroit sucks.

Politics. Kwame Kilpatrick's a crappy mayor. I was stunned he got re-elected. I liked Mayor Archer before him, and thought Coleman Young before Archer was a gangster and idiot. (This is the guy who greeted the press via television cameras from a Hawaii vacation with, "Aloha, motherfuckers!" Kinda makes you proud, doesn't it?) Why the city's voters don't view Kwame and his administration as corrupt is beyond me. They must not read the newspapers or watch the news. Even from his first election his campaign finances were so screwed up nobody could track the money. Ding, ding, ding! Alarm bells going off yet?

Okay. The good. Hey, sports if you're into it. The baseball and football stadiums are down in Fox Town. I've been to Comerica Park, and although I prefer the old Tigers Stadium, I like the neighborhood better. It's in the same area as the Fox Theater (very cool) and Hockeytown. Greektown is pretty cool, too. Mexican Village. I still prefer Sagebrush Cantina in Fenton and El Azteco in East Lansing for Mexican food, but Mexican Village and Xochimilchos are excellent Mexican restaurants. Also, check out the Fisher Building, just because it's a great building. The Motor City Grill is a decent restaurant in the FIsher Building. Sinbad's, downtown on the River is also a good bar/restaurant. More fun in the summer, but it'll do in a pinch. I'm told good things about the Rattlesnake Club, though I've never eaten there. Union Station on Woodward is a good, interesting restaurant.

Three casinos, if you're into that, plus one in Windsor across the river in Canada. An art museum and the African-American Museum down by Wayne State University. Oh, just to reinforce what I said earlier. I took my family downtown to the Masonic Theater to see "The Lion King" a couple years ago. You have to park in one of several empty lots surrounded by burned-out abandoned buildings, then walk a block or two to the theater. The Masonic is pretty nice, but that parking situation gave me chills.

I'm much more of a suburb guy and in terms of shopping you're not going to have much luck in the city. Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, the Sunset Collection in Troy, Oakland Mall in Troy. There are others, but Detroit isn't a shopping town like other cities. Sorry, no Miracle Mile, Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive.

Ah well. It doesn't really matter, does it. I'm the wrong person to ask to be a Detroit booster.

Best,
Mark Terry