Detroit Michigan

There is really nothing that I can say about Detroit that has not been said before.

If I told you that Detroit is amazing, and that you should take your family there for a nice, relaxing vacation, well, I would be telling you a lie. And, you would know that I was not being truthful.

Still, with that being said, I find myself going there for vacations once or twice every couple of

years.

Here are some strange things that I have personally witnessed in the town over the last few years:

I have watched people (more than one) throwing up on the side walk. I saw cops with their guns drawn after pulling a car over. A ticket scalper cussed me out for ignoring him on my way to an event. I also had a person approach me to discuss the upcoming alien (from space) invasion.

I am not throwing those stories out there to knock the area, I am just stating some facts.

On the flip side of that, I have had some great experiences too, and I appreciate a lot that the area has to offer.

If you are a comic book fan, Detroit has one of the biggest and nicest comic cons around. The urban architecture is unmatched. The Henry Ford Museum alone is a must stop for any fan of cars, history, and the weird. Oh, and on this trip we discovered one of the greatest used book stores in existence (see previous blog entry). I don't

even have to mention how great this town is for a sports fan. Comerica Park is easily one of the nicest ballparks ever. I could go on and on.

Let me back up a bit, and make a comparison that has been made before.

Have you spent any time in Pittsburgh over the last decade or two? Pittsburgh is awesome! I love going there these days. It is a big city with lots going on, working class pride and just a good vibe in general.

I might not have said that about that area a decade ago. After some work, the place pulled itself up, and developed in to something better. It is cleaner and prettier. Sure, it still has its flaws, but it is improved.

Detroit had a big push a year or two ago to do the same.

I absolutely love the Chrysler commercial showing the car driving around Detroit with "Loose Yourself" playing in the background. That is a cool commercial, and a cool way to show off Detroit.

I think the locals are taking pride in their area, and are trying to sell Detroit for more than it has been sold for in the past. I hope the ticket scalpers stop cussing out visitors to the town simply for having no interest in buying their tickets. I hope the cops are careful about drawing their guns. BUT, I hope the place keeps its character too.

I think about that LCD Soundsystem song, "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" which is about New York being better before it was cleaned up.

Detroit is like that. You go there because it is still preserved in a bit of a grungy state. If you improved it too much, it wouldn't be itself anymore.