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I may be visiting Detroit soon for work (I do some consultancy stuff), and from a foreigner I got the impression that it's some sort of post-apocalyptic wasteland since the recession and best avoided for the risk averse. Is it really that bad, or is it just like everywhere else where it's mostly decent with a few areas that bring the reputation right down?

I was there a couple of years ago for training and I had a fine time. We stayed in Belleville, which is about 30 miles south of Detroit, but would go into the town in the evening to watch baseball games or spend some money in the casinos.

There are some seriously depressed areas in the Detroit metro area, but it's not like RoboCop or anything.

Detroit isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Parts of Detroit, yes, god yes, don't go there, for the love of god...

That is only parts of it though. Downtown area is pretty decent. Catch a Tigers game while you're there. Head down to Dearborn and get some great middle eastern food. Plenty of good greek eateries as well.

The Ford Museum is a good way to kill a day as well. Plenty of great things to do in Detroit.

That's pretty reassuring

Go to the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) it is really nice, especially on a Friday night if possible. There is live music and mostly adults.

Detroit isn't half bad. Agreed to some parts you just don't want to go to if you have no idea about where you are. Downtown has some nice stuff in it. Depending on when you get there you could go be an extra in Transformers 5. Actually there is always a movie being filmed down there it seems as of late. Or you can watch filming for fun. Greektown has some of the better restaurants in downtown Detroit.

Don't eat Little Caesars pizza no matter what anyone says.....tastes like wet cardboard.

Go a few minutes south and visit Canada while your at it.

Little Ceasar's is awesome.

 djones520 wrote:
Little Ceasar's is awesome.

I see your not a Howie's fan...

Forgot to add, avoid Faygo soda***...devil water.

***you have to say pop.

 BrotherGecko wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Little Ceasar's is awesome.

I see your not a Howie's fan...

Forgot to add, avoid Faygo soda***...devil water.

***you have to say pop.

Oh my god... What is wrong with you?

 djones520 wrote:

 BrotherGecko wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Little Ceasar's is awesome.

I see your not a Howie's fan...

Forgot to add, avoid Faygo soda***...devil water.

***you have to say pop.

Oh my god... What is wrong with you?

I know! That's some serious heresy there!

That's like trying to put down IMO's pizza here in St. Louis.

We have a gas station near my house that sells Faygo. I try to get a Red Pop at least once a week. Makes me feel connected with home.

I've never been to Detroit, but I suspect like most large cities it has good and bad areas. Anyone with a bit of awareness about their surroundings and a bit of common sense should be able to enjoy the good areas and avoid the bad with no major hassles.

Look for trouble? You'll find it. Look for good, fun stuff to do? You'll find that.

 djones520 wrote:
Detroit isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Parts of Detroit, yes, god yes, don't go there, for the love of god...

Unless you point out which areas, your comment is less helpful than you might think.

 Breotan wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Detroit isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Parts of Detroit, yes, god yes, don't go there, for the love of god...

Unless you point out which areas, your comment is less helpful than you might think.

Believe me, you don't need to be told. You will know.

One thing I found amazing about Detroit, you could be in a block where the color of your skin will get you shot, and immediately the next block over, you're in millionaire country.

My work had a quasi cross-dock / assembly center in Dearborn I had to go to often.

I would agree Detroit is not a bad place.
BUT I did have some "interesting" experiences driving in the suburbs north of 8Mile road, it was not the safest feeling area to be in. Dearborn had some sketchy places where I got to see cars on blocks and even one abandoned on fire but if you stick to the downtown or main industrial areas it looks like any other city.

I went to Detroit once. Sitting in the cab from the airport to the hotel (turns out it was a casino...er what???) I saw all these buildings and thought "hey thats not bad at all." Then I realized all the buildings were burnt out hulls that reminded me of pictures of Berlin, 1945.

At said hotel, I went downstairs to go for a walk. The doormen hurriedly stopped me with the warning that if I left the block I would be robbed and/or killed.

So yea...no, just no.

 Frazzled wrote:
I went to Detroit once. Sitting in the cab from the airport to the hotel (turns out it was a casino...er what???) I saw all these buildings and thought "hey thats not bad at all." Then I realized all the buildings were burnt out hulls that reminded me of pictures of Berlin, 1945.

At said hotel, I went downstairs to go for a walk. The doormen hurriedly stopped me with the warning that if I left the block I would be robbed and/or killed.

So yea...no, just no.

To be fair though, Frazz was there late July of 1967...

1867 in the great Frazzled - Custer Booze Raid!

 whembly wrote:

 djones520 wrote:

 BrotherGecko wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Little Ceasar's is awesome.

I see your not a Howie's fan...

Forgot to add, avoid Faygo soda***...devil water.

***you have to say pop.

Oh my god... What is wrong with you?

I know! That's some serious heresy there!

That's like trying to put down IMO's pizza here in St. Louis.

I have said it in another thread, I will say it again. Putting provel cheese on pizza is heresy. Also, IMO's is crap.

 Dreadwinter wrote:

 whembly wrote:

 djones520 wrote:

 BrotherGecko wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Little Ceasar's is awesome.

I see your not a Howie's fan...

Forgot to add, avoid Faygo soda***...devil water.

***you have to say pop.

Oh my god... What is wrong with you?

I know! That's some serious heresy there!

That's like trying to put down IMO's pizza here in St. Louis.

I have said it in another thread, I will say it again. Putting provel cheese on pizza is heresy. Also, IMO's is crap.

You hush.

Provel is a "blended" cheese of gooey goodness.

I've gotta agree, provel is pretty good on pizza. It took me a few tries to get it, but once I was hooked, I couldn't get enough. Biggest thing I miss about the St. Louis area.

djones520 wrote:

 Breotan wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Detroit isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Parts of Detroit, yes, god yes, don't go there, for the love of god...

Unless you point out which areas, your comment is less helpful than you might think.

Believe me, you don't need to be told. You will know.

One thing I found amazing about Detroit, you could be in a block where the color of your skin will get you shot, and immediately the next block over, you're in millionaire country.

I disagree slightly having grown up on the eastside of Detroit. The part that looks the most obviously scary is the arguably the safer of the two (westside/eastside). Last I remember the crime rate was higher on the eastside than the westside.

That being said, go to Cadieux Cafe on the eastside of Detroit. Its on the street Cadieux (next next to where I grew up lol), any cabbie can find it. Best bar by miles in the entire state of Michigan. Possibly the oldest bar in Michigan and the only place to play old school feather bowling (I think in the US...that may have changed though).

Next up is to leave Detroit and visit the Dragonmead brewery so you can have beer that will put hair on your chest.

.....stay away from Juggalos.....

djones520 wrote:

 BrotherGecko wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
Little Ceasar's is awesome.

I see your not a Howie's fan...

Forgot to add, avoid Faygo soda***...devil water.

***you have to say pop.

Oh my god... What is wrong with you?

Flavor crust man!!!

Never liked Faygo pop. Every flavor is just carbonated taint juice from the sweatiest of overweight edgy Juggalos.

Bettermade chips are good though as far as Michigan staples go.

I would drive in Detroit twice a week for work. The traffic sucks, the roads are worse and it has a smell. I'd recommend ask locals you're working with where to go and not to go because as mentioned, some places you'll be fine others you REEEEEEEALLY don't want to press your luck.

But mind your business and you you'll probably be fine. Also do you know where in Detroit? Because around here when we say Detroit mean greater Detroit area and that is a huge area. You might not even be in the "Detroit" you're thinking about

What portion of Detroit is "Rock City"?

 Dreadwinter wrote:
What portion of Detroit is "Rock City"?

The late 70's

The first and last time I was in Detroit I saw a shoot out between several cops and a gangbanger who was attempting to rob a gas station. In the same trip I also saw an armed mugging happen while we stopped nearby in Flint. Decided it wasn't a place I had any interest in going back to.

In comparison I've seen two separate shooting happen in downtown Chicago but that was over the course of hundreds of trips in the last 15+ years. One was while I was doing a police ride along and the second happened because my friend and I were lost and ended up at the Cabrini Green projects at 1am (which is the absolute neighborhood you can find) and our car was shot at.

Even with seeing some crazy stuff in Chicago I think Detroit is a hellhole and you should be careful as there's a lot of really bad areas.

 KingCracker wrote:
where in Detroit? Because around here when we say Detroit mean greater Detroit area and that is a huge area. You might not even be in the "Detroit" you're thinking about

I think it'd be the Dearborn area, so I don't think I'd be in Detroit city centre itself.

Presumably the bad blocks are just the ones that look totally run down?
Over here, you can be quite far into a "bad" area before really noticing, but then are fine most of the time anyway unless it's bar closing time.