Downtown Detroit

[Guest Josh]

Is BEAUTIFUL! Standing in the God awful lines for the shuttle back to my house was terrible but I made many, many new friends. Furthermore...the people asking "Wow...is THAT an Escalade?" and the "That Chevy is nice hunnie what is it?" that the DPD were cruising the streets in was pretty remarkable.

The city looked great and the Sprint Stage was THE happening place to be. Such a great time down in Detroit and the Big 2 and a half really did A LOT to impress.

[NOS2006]

I should try to make it down sometime.

Oh wait.. I partied tonight and have work all day tomorrow.

Figures.

[tmp]

I read an article in the LA Times about it. Detroit really pulled out the stops. Good for them: it's time the rest of the country realises that there are cities in the midwest besides Chicago that have something going on...

[VenSeattle]

I read an article in the LA Times about it.  Detroit really pulled out the stops.  Good for them: it's time the rest of the country realises that there are cities in the midwest besides Chicago that have something going on...

100% agree. B)

[Guest Josh]

NOS you work for your mom tell her you can't make it...it's worth it man.

[NOS2006]

haha I have two jobs.. and tomorrow I'm not working for my mom.

Anything happening after 9 tomorrow in the D?

I know there is, but what?

[Guest Josh]

with it being that late nos it's not even worth trying to go down. I left for Macomb Mall at 7:30pm and did not board a bus until 9:45...THEN we got in line to leave at 12:15 and JUST walked in the door...the planning for the shuttles was TERRIBLE man. I'm dreading tomorrow's Kid Rock concert.

[NOS2006]

Damn, that's crazy.

And the Kid's concert is going to be crazy as ever.

[Chris_Doane]

This ain't good:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...EWS11/302040001

[bdc]

Don't worry, Kid rock is not that bad.

Edited February 4, 2006 by bdc

[MGZ06]

It's great to see the Big 3 representing the city! What a great time except for the rain. . . which is now turning to snow! Tomorrow is going to be great for this area. Windsor A.K.A - Sincity is on stripper overload!

Perfect for a of 6 on 6 tackle snowball tomorrow! not even goin close to downtown area's.

[The O.C.]

I don't think I've ever considered downtown Detroit remotely attractive....even lately with all the superbowl stuff going on......it was bad when I lived there ('88-95) and it's bad still.

When we were there for the show, you could tell all the work they were doing......repatching the streets, the fake facades, all that stuff.....however, behind the fake facades were crumbling buildings and there were still way too many old and abandoned buildings with windows all boarded up.

The place is like a ghosttown....even during the middle of the day. On the people mover (during the week I might add when people should be downtown working) there were only people at like two of the multiple stops it makes.....I think Greektown and Cobo Hall showed the ONLY people-mover activity in the entire city.

Also, the tiny Greektown area seems to be the only part of downtown that has ANY activity going on.....?? At least that I was able to experience.....

For a city of almost a million people, it has an embarrasment of a city center. It doesn't even have that many tall buildings. Look at all the cities with HALF the population that have thriving and booming downtowns (Seattle, Portland, Denver, Atlanta, Cleveland, Baltimore....and many more)

Props for what they are TRYING to do.....but I think there has to be a more fundamental shift in the political nature of the city before it will EVER turn itself around.

[mustang84]

That's not to say it can't turn around though. I live about an hour away from Omaha, which is one of those rust belt cities where people moved further and further west in the 70s and 80s and the downtown core began boarding up. Ever since about 1998 when the new convention center & arena was built, development there has been non-stop.

Most of it is because former mayor Hal Daub and current mayor Mike Fahey have been extremely progressive and active about revitalizing downtown. The riverfront used to be full of abandoned 9-story warehouses, rusty chemical tanks, non-functional rail lines, and open patches of land. Now they have a new National Parks Services regional office, residential loft conversions, hotels, performing arts center, Gallup poll campus, new condominium towers, parks, and two new skyscrapers. This has all happened over a period of 6 years or so. People are moving back into the city because they want to. Out of all the cities in the Midwest, Omaha has to be one of the top ten most progressive.

Most of Omaha's citizens are conservative and don't want to pay more taxes for all these projects. They only look at the short term and not the long term benefits. If it weren't for the continuous pushing of Daub and Fahey to get this stuff built, the Omaha riverfront would still be an empty wasteland.

I'm not sure how progressive Detroit's current mayor is, but with the right leadership, anything can happen.

[MGZ06]

It really has improved downtown. . . The Ren Cen has a whole new clean design, The road and side walks on Woodward has been completely overhauled and the Comerica/Ford Field area is world class.

Although the only real reason I go downtown yearound is for the concerts and hockey games. . . other then that I'll just stay on this side of the boarder and enjoy the sky line. . . which IMO is the best in N.A.

[The O.C.]

It really has improved downtown. . .  The Ren Cen has a whole new clean design, The road and side walks on Woodward has been completely overhauled and the Comerica/Ford Field area is world class.

Although the only real reason I go downtown yearound is for the concerts and hockey games. . . other then that I'll just stay on this side of the boarder and enjoy the sky line. . .  which IMO is the best in N.A.

Uh....how MANY North American skylines HAVE you seen?

Detroit's is one of the most depressing skylines.....especially for a city with almost a million people....

There's only two skyscrapers that are anywhere near interesting.....the Rec Cen cluster and the last new one to be built....I think it's One Detroit Center or something like that....the tall pointy one.

Old skyscrapers can be beautiful but I don't see any of Detroit's older highrises as that attractive....mostly as dank, crumbling, and just old.

Here's some of my favorite N.A. skylines.......(other than Chicago and New York which are impressive because of the sheer number of highrises)

L.A......many tall, modern structures framed by magnificant mountains and the Hollywood sign in the background....and tons of tall palm trees in the foreground.

Seattle - ultra modern, the bay, and all the greenary, space needle....plus Mount Rainer behind...

Portland - hills and rose garden in the background, Mt. Hood in the foreground.

San Francisco - needs no explanation

Atlanta - the "new" South......stretching from downtown to midtown to Buckhead

Miami - and Miami Beach

San Diego - Stunning bay views in front, mountains behind, and lots of new highrise distinctive condo towers plus the Coronado Bridge

St. Louis - with the arch

Charlotte - very modern, with the tallest skyscraper in the south.

Philadelphia - BEAUTIFUL mix of old, historic highrises with new, modern skyscrapers....Detroit, take note of how to do old vs. new.

Pittsburgh - Can't beat the view coming out of the tunnel into the downtown area with the rivers all converging at one point.

Just my thoughts of my many travels......

[The O.C.]

It really has improved downtown. . .  The Ren Cen has a whole new clean design, The road and side walks on Woodward has been completely overhauled and the Comerica/Ford Field area is world class.

Although the only real reason I go downtown yearound is for the concerts and hockey games. . . other then that I'll just stay on this side of the boarder and enjoy the sky line. . .  which IMO is the best in N.A.

If you want to see what cities' skylines look like, go to this cool website.......

http://www.emporis.com/en/

You can look at just about ANY city in the world......in the UPPER LEFT of the page, where it says "emporis quickjump" you can type in the city you want to look at (i.e...."Los Angeles").....and it will pull up that page.

Many of the cities have a graphic depiction at top of what the skyline looks like. BUT, the best is to go down to where it says "Images" and click on that....then click on "Photos of this city" and you can view numerous photos of the cities' highrises and skylines.

There's some other interesting info on this site.....like how many "highrises" a city has....and other stuff...

Play around with it....it's cool if you are into cities and their architecture....

Edited February 6, 2006 by The O.C.

[Enzora]

Obviously I wasn't there, but even via television, I was impressed. The presentation of this year's Super Bowl did a better job of reflecting the spirit of the host city than any other that I can remember.

[sciguy_0504]

I cannot believe Aretha Franklin complained about not having enough Motown during the preshow and halftime performances, and then proceeded to sing half of the worst National Anthem rendition I have ever heard. Stevie Wonder was horrible, too.

Detroit did look really nice, though the first words and pictures in my head when thinking about the city are still not positive. I loved the spotlights and the scrolling images on the buildings. Personally, if a city wants to improve its image at least in a photographic sense, it should add some light at night (like a light show).

[sciguy_0504]

If you want to see what cities' skylines look like, go to this cool website.......

http://www.emporis.com/en/

You can look at just about ANY city in the world......in the UPPER LEFT of the page, where it says "emporis quickjump" you can type in the city you want to look at (i.e...."Los Angeles").....and it will pull up that page.

Many of the cities have a graphic depiction at top of what the skyline looks like.  BUT, the best is to go down to where it says "Images" and click on that....then click on "Photos of this city" and you can view numerous photos of the cities' highrises and skylines.

There's some other interesting info on this site.....like how many "highrises" a city has....and other stuff...

Play around with it....it's cool if you are into cities and their architecture....

That site is great. If you are interested in skyscrapers/architecture or general development in your city, check it out along with Skyscraper Page. The Skyscraper Page forums are an amazing resource, too, and constantly updated. It has thousands of members.

[capriceman]

Too bad Detroit is not like how itis all the time tho. in 3 months it'll be ghetto again.

[Cory Wolfe]

Philadelphia - BEAUTIFUL mix of old, historic highrises with new, modern skyscrapers....Detroit, take note of how to do old vs. new.

Pittsburgh - Can't beat the view coming out of the tunnel into the downtown area with the rivers all converging at one point.

I concur...

Anyways, Detroit did look beautiful on TV... but then again, Brookville looks beautiful in my pictures. Nah, Brookville's alright in person. I love walking up and down Main Street... even if alone and for no reason. Just to soak up Brookville's desolate night life. It's a good way to take up an hour or two, if it's not raining or too cold. But then you could always eat at one of the restaurants...

[Robert Hall]

Here's my city's skyline, similar angle to how I see it everyday in my 'hood.

It looks best from the east, though, with the Front Range in the background..

[tmp]

L.A......many tall, modern structures framed by magnificant mountains and the Hollywood sign in the background....and tons of tall palm trees in the foreground.

Funny you write that: up until just a couple of years ago the most that most people who live in LA saw of downtown was either a TV commercial or the view from the East escalators of the Beverly Center unless you worked there. Except for a few buildings on Bunker Hill, there were a lot of people there during the day, but it was a ghost town after 5 and on weekends (and in a lot of area still is). It's just in the past few years that people have really started to move back downtown, despite the fact that you have to drive to South Pasadena to get to the supermarket.

[Robert Hall]

Funny you write that: up until just a couple of years ago the most that most people who live in LA saw of downtown was either a TV commercial or the view from the East escalators of the Beverly Center unless you worked there.  Except for a few buildings on Bunker Hill, there were a lot of people there during the day, but it was a ghost town after 5 and on weekends (and in a lot of area still is).  It's just in the past few years that people have really started to move back downtown, despite the fact that you have to drive to South Pasadena to get to the supermarket.

I was in downtown LA on Labor Day weekend a couple years ago and was amazed how dead it was on the weekend...at 2 in ther afternoon..not a lot of traffic or people out and about.

[VenSeattle]

It looks best from the east, though, with the Front Range in the background..

Is that Cherry Creek Reservoir in the foreground? It looks awfully familiar. If it is, then I've been there. It was interesting to find a beach near Denver. I almost moved to South Aurora 6 years ago. It was a toss-up between Seattle/Bellevue & Denver/Aurora. Guess which one I picked

[Robert Hall]

Is that Cherry Creek Reservoir in the foreground? It looks awfully familiar. If it is, then I've been there. It was interesting to find a beach near Denver. I almost moved to South Aurora 6 years ago. It was a toss-up between Seattle/Bellevue & Denver/Aurora. Guess which one I picked

That's the lake at City Park..behind the Natural History Museum... Cherry Creek reservoir is a few miles to the south east of there in Aurora.

I moved to Denver about 4 years ago.. the dry weather,endless sunshine,great local beers, and decent techie job market are some of the reasons that have kept me here.

Seattle is pretty nice, when it's not raining.. I'll probably be up there for a few days to visit some friends this summer...I was in Portland in Dec. but didn't make it up to Seattle.

Edited February 8, 2006 by moltar

[VenSeattle]

That's the lake at City Park..behind the Natural History Museum... Cherry Creek reservoir is a few miles to the south east of there in Aurora.

I moved to Denver about 4 years ago.. the dry weather,endless sunshine,great local beers, and decent techie job market are some of the reasons that have kept me here.

Seattle is pretty nice, when it's not raining..   I'll probably be up there for a few days to visit some friends this summer...I was in Portland in Dec. but didn't make it up to Seattle.

Oh... thanks for the clarification

Yeah, I think I would have enjoyed Denver also. I've been there several times, have family there, and I always get along with the natives. The few times I went out with now ex-coworkers, I had a blast. Never know, the techie market in Denver may draw my attention again one day. It depends on the stability here. Austin and Dallas are always on my list also.

Yeah... I wouldn't recommend coming to Seattle right now... the rainfall this winter has been amazing. Wait till we dry out

[The O.C.]

I was in downtown LA on Labor Day weekend a couple years ago and was amazed how dead it was on the weekend...at 2 in ther afternoon..not a lot of traffic or people out and about.

Dowtown L.A. is mostly the financial center......as such, it's crazy busy between 8-5 during the week....but pretty dead on the weekends.

L.A. culture, nightlife, and social scene is centered more to the west of downtown from midcities area to West Hollywood, Melrose, Beverly Hills, through Westwood.