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The Real Detroit


Contrary to popular belief, living in Detroit is quite a positive experience. We all are familiar with the stereotypes of Detroit. In the ghetto? Somewhat. Everybody will get shot? No, by no means. The people in Detroit are extremely friendly. For example, I was walking around enjoying the most recent snowfall only to witness a wealthy business man donating money to a homeless person. Yes, there are homeless people in Detroit... probably more than there are in most other cities. However, please do not let this be a deterrent to coming down to see the beautiful city.

When I tell somebody I live near Detroit, everybody wants to know what 8 Mile is like. 8 Mile is quite infamous as a result of the attention Eminem brought to it. 8 Mile is truly nothing special. It is not a tourist attraction and there are no traces of Eminem to be found anywhere near it. 8 Mile is just a mile road in which everybody drives. No big deal whatsoever.

I stress to you the importance of not judging a book by its cover. Traveling to Detroit will not guarantee your death. However, traveling to Detroit will guarantee many smiles and tilting heads as you look up at the beautiful, towering buildings above.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 8th, 2006 at 8:50 pm and is filed under Hotels by Brian Nicholson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response

7 Responses to “The Real Detroit”

Rae Says: July 7th, 2007 at 3:21 pm

I read your blog, and would like to thank you for portraying Detroit in a light that is much more positive then what is typically portrayed in blogs, weblogs and various articles. I'm an educated 49 y/o, African-American female, with friends of various cultures and races who are also well educated, law abiding citizens. I have lived in/out of Detroit the majority of my life, and often find myself on the streets as late as 2am, 3am, 4am, at a gas station, shopping at a 24-hour store or coming from a party. Of all the years I've lived in Detroit, I have never been robbed, have never been shot, nor has my home been broken in to. I don't carry a gun, nor do I have a gun in my home. If a homeless person asks for change or food and I don't find them threatening, I oblige. As with most major cities we have our problems, but living in any major city you must be streetwise and cognizant of your environment. It's truly sad that the positive and enlightening people of Detroit are rarely portrayed. If so, I think it would shed a totally different light on our city. There is a very large percentage of people in Detroit that maintain careers, believe in home beautification, raise their children to be respectful, that are law abiding citizens, and are constantly working with the City Council and Detroit Police Department to rebuild our city's image, and make it a safe place for all.

zac Says: February 11th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

yea downtown detroit is ok. honestly have any of you walked down micknicols at night? i doubt that you could without getting robbed. i have three times in the past year at gunpoint. i lived on west grand blvd for a year and had people rob me while i was at home inside. dont kid yourselves, there is most definatley a huge part of detroit you obviosly dont go into. detroit could be a beutifull city, if we took care of the ghettos. i dont walk around rochester with a gun but i do in detroit.

red Says: February 26th, 2008 at 4:59 am

woah!! dude detroit is a warzone, i dont know what detroit you are referring to but the one i know, young kids get shot here every second!! Its hell in detroit, ive seen so much drugs and guns here, that if i left i would never come bac, and this is just the upper downtown area folks, i havent even stared with the 'hood yet!!

Donna Says: March 19th, 2008 at 9:34 am

my brother lived in Detroit right on the border of dearborn near HFCC which is not a horrible area and his home was broken into and robbed three times! Anytime i was at his house i heard gun shots ringing in the distance. He and his wife ended up moving out and trying to sell the house and couldn't get anyone to buy it. Its now been three years and there are squatters staying there now and my brother cant get the police to get rid of them. I dont know what part of Detroit you're talking about but its obviously not the Detroit i know.

kyle Says: November 20th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

I took a bus in Detroit and in this one neighborhood it drove through nobody was allowed to get on or off just as it passed through! :(

jim Says: November 24th, 2008 at 7:02 pm

I live in toronto and drove to detroit to catch a plane because it was much cheaper. i crossed in windsor and drove through some nice areas, but i remember the area near the airport isint too pretty.

John Says: July 28th, 2009 at 7:51 pm

If you are traveling to Detroit, DO NOT STAY at Extended Stay America in Canton, MI. The hotel is truly disgusting and the amenities, while they promote they have more and better than any others, is extremely worse the poor.
They do not clean your room daily unless you are staying a whole week. They provide not shampoo in the rooms - you are on your own to buy. They have no blow dryers and the rooms have poor air conditioning. The carpets are stained from animal urine and it smells like it (at least I hope it's only animal urine - would hate to think otherwise).
You can get a lot better at Holiday Inn Express for the same or less rate then you would pay here and the services at HI Express are incredible along with the amenities. I shall never again stay at an Extended Stay America Hotel again. I truly suggest that you look elswhere too. Don't put yourself through this. I am stuck her the week and am just simply disgusted.

Good Luck with your travels and PLEASE, think twice before staying at Extended Stay America. I wouldn't kennel my own dog her, even if it was free.

John, very dissappointed.

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