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I went to Detroit!

ZachariahDaMan

By ZachariahDaMan
in Detroit

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ZachariahDaMan Burg

ZachariahDaMan

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Ready for the shock of the year everyone? After living in the suburbs all 18 years of my life I finally went to downtown Detroit. Chris (statedude3) gave me a tour of it today. Before posting pictures I will tell you my thoughts. At school the jokes never stop about how ghetto Detroit is. I was expecting to see bums everywhere and buildings in worse shape then they were. I was very impressed with beautiful parks and architecture.

I plan on going to Detroit more often now, I will have to start going there to hang out with friends. I really liked Campus Martius park, when I go back you will probably find me there reading a book and just relaxing.

My tour started out with MCS. To be honest this is the place I

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statedude3 Hamlet

statedude3

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Dont get me wrong Zach, the homeless and buildings in terrible shape do exist...I just thought your first visit should be a more positive one.

Anyway, I'm glad you had a good time. I'm starting to think another Urban Planet gathering might be in order, like the one from last year.

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ZachariahDaMan Burg

ZachariahDaMan

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that was your first time ever being in Detroit....and u live in Canton? thats suprising for even the most adament metro area Detroit hater, almost everyone's been here for at least a show or a game or something

Yep, going to Detroit has always been forbidden in my house. My parents would never let me go there.

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rbdetsport Burg

rbdetsport

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I still can't believe that this is your first time. You hadn't even been to a game? That is actually kind of sad because though I am just as young as you Zach, I have seen the city at one of its lowest points and now see it so much better. I am sure Chris gave you a great tour. He invited me, but I had school. I don't get out as early as you. Amazing Pictures! I am glad your first time was good.

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wolverine Town

wolverine

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Well, I'm glad you broke the mold your parents tried to put you in and ventured into new territory. You have some excellent shots, and this only but a fraction of what awesome things there are to photograph in the D. You'll find even more great places to visit in Detroit on future visits. But I'd urge you to be humble about your perceptions of the city. Great strides downtown have been made, but there's is an awful lot of work to be done yet.

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ZachariahDaMan Burg

ZachariahDaMan

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nothing personal Zach, but were you your parents' bubble boy?

Certainly not, if you lived in Canton then you would see that their view of Detroit isn't all that uncomon.

rbdetsport- still haven't been to any sporting events in Detroit.

hudkina- my parents haven't been there that I know of and yeah, it's certainly different then Livingston County and downriver.

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HolidayInnExpress Whistle-Stop

HolidayInnExpress

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I think that was a beautiful example of Ambassadorship Statedude3. I have much respect and admiration for your effort. Bravo! These are the type of acts that break down false perceptions, but as Statedude3 pointed out, the negatives do exist as well. Statedude3 could have also shown some of the beautiful neighborhoods in the city as well. Bravo to Zachariahdaman also for his willingness to challenge preconceived or implanted notions from his community.

I wonder if the reverse is ever true. Are there 18 year olds in the City of Detroit that have never been to the suburbs or whose parents would make going to the suburbs a no-no?

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statedude3 Hamlet

statedude3

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I think that was a beautiful example of Ambassadorship Statedude3. I have much respect and admiration for your effort. Bravo! These are the type of acts that break down false perceptions, but as Statedude3 pointed out, the negatives do exist as well. Statedude3 could have also shown some of the beautiful neighborhoods in the city as well. Bravo to Zachariahdaman also for his willingness to challenge preconceived or implanted notions from his community.

I wonder if the reverse is ever true. Are there 18 year olds in the City of Detroit that have never been to the suburbs or whose parents would make going to the suburbs a no-no?

I do about 80-100 "D-Tours" a year, many to suburban dwellers. I try to hit the points that these people have heard a lot about, or want to learn more about. One of my goals is to break down the conventional way of thinking about Detroit, but not ignore the fact that there are still many areas that are blighted. My belief is that if we're still living here, there is still hope for the future.

We did do the Mexicantown neighborhood, a little bit of Corktown and Indian Village. We were under some tight time restraints, so we didnt get to venture too far from the river. I told him he needs to come back and check out everything else. Midtown, Packard, New Center, and everything else north of I94.

In regards to your question about 18 year olds in the city...yes, there are plenty of them. I work with DPS students, age 16-18 everyday, and I know many of them that have not ventured past Alter Road or 8mile (that is, until I met them). I like to diversify the thought of the region. It's not wrong for Detroiters to go into the suburbs for fun/entertainment. There is a lot to offer in Royal Oak, Birmingham, Southfield, etc. One of my biggest goals is to break down barriers that exist in our region.

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HolidayInnExpress Whistle-Stop

HolidayInnExpress

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I do about 80-100 "D-Tours" a year, many to suburban dwellers. I try to hit the points that these people have heard a lot about, or want to learn more about. One of my goals is to break down the conventional way of thinking about Detroit, but not ignore the fact that there are still many areas that are blighted. My belief is that if we're still living here, there is still hope for the future.

We did do the Mexicantown neighborhood, a little bit of Corktown and Indian Village. We were under some tight time restraints, so we didnt get to venture too far from the river. I told him he needs to come back and check out everything else. Midtown, Packard, New Center, and everything else north of I94.

In regards to your question about 18 year olds in the city...yes, there are plenty of them. I work with DPS students, age 16-18 everyday, and I know many of them that have not ventured past Alter Road or 8mile (that is, until I met them). I like to diversify the thought of the region. It's not wrong for Detroiters to go into the suburbs for fun/entertainment. There is a lot to offer in Royal Oak, Birmingham, Southfield, etc. One of my biggest goals is to break down barriers that exist in our region.

Thats just great. Every region needs folks like you who are bridge builders.

I would have thought that most Detroit kids crossed the borders to at least go to the "Lands" (malls).

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statedude3 Hamlet

statedude3

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Thats just great. Every region needs folks like you who are bridge builders.

I would have thought that most Detroit kids crossed the borders to at least go to the "Lands" (malls).

Well, when I think "crossing over" I'm not talking about southfield, or Eastpoint. I'm thinking about the middle to outerring suburbs.

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Ka3kab Hamlet

Ka3kab

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Congrats on getting in. Love the photo tour, living 250 miles away makes it difficult to make it down on a regular basis. I do have one, small, off the point question though. I know your 18 and all, but did your parents know you were going? Just curious, hell, you can tell me it's none of my business.

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RustTown City

RustTown

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Thats just great. Every region needs folks like you who are bridge builders.

I would have thought that most Detroit kids crossed the borders to at least go to the "Lands" (malls).

Detroiter's are far more likely to have visited the suburbs more out of necessity than anything else. I know my dad took us up to Metro Beach, one time, and we used to go to Ferndale and Southfield, alot. I know of very few of my own family that never traveled to the suburbs, and being that there are alot more jobs out there, far more Detroiters are forced to leave the city for work than vice versa. That said, I know very little about the areas north of 696 (i.e. Troy, Bloomfield's...)

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wolverine Town

wolverine

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^ I used to do that all the time when I was in high school.

Actually it was not a matter of safe vs dangerous city...rather distance from home. When my parents would go away for a couple days Id just drive off to Baltimore, New York, or Chicago. About two months later I would casually mention it to my parents who really didnt care at that point.

When I went off to college I went wherever the hell I wanted because I never had to ask. But this was because I was off on my own and had my own responsibilities. I know you are in college Zach, but are you living at home since it makes pratical sense? Because Im not sure you will get the chance to sort of go where you want until you have your own place.

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HolidayInnExpress Whistle-Stop

HolidayInnExpress

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Detroiter's are far more likely to have visited the suburbs more out of necessity than anything else. I know my dad took us up to Metro Beach, one time, and we used to go to Ferndale and Southfield, alot. I know of very few of my own family that never traveled to the suburbs, and being that there are alot more jobs out there, far more Detroiters are forced to leave the city for work than vice versa. That said, I know very little about the areas north of 696 (i.e. Troy, Bloomfield's...)

That is kind of what I would figure. I think one of the things that really hurt Detroit proper is the travel deficit. I would venture to guess that most of the disposable dollars that Detroiters have to spend gets spent in the suburbs, while the majority of disposable dollars suburbanites have stay in the suburbs. Hence, there

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