Detroit

When most people hear about Detroit, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? For many, it will be of broken and burnt out buildings, unsavory characters, and a consistent ranking of one of the most dangerous cities in the country. This is understandable, since the media portrayal of the city historically has not been kind. However, if you ask someone who lives in the city to describe it, chances are that you will hear a completely different answer.

The misconceptions of the city (and surrounding metro area) deter even some of the more adventurous travelers to the city. I’ve had friends who have made comments like “I’m glad you like it, since I sure wouldn’t want to live there.” And yes, there are problems with the city – I can’t deny that. But, as with any large city around the world, there are also many good things to discover.

Burned out building

Jon and I have called the metro-Detroit area home since 2004, and have fallen in love with the city and the people. With diversity comes culture and opportunities to open our horizons and learn about new people, food, and ways of life. We have enjoyed exploring the area, getting to know new restaurants and new neighborhoods. When family or friends come to visit, we have a hard time deciding where to take them since there are so many unique options.

Since we have the next 7 months to spend in the metro-Detroit area, we have made a list of things we’d like to do before we leave. I don’t know if we’ll get the chance to cross off all the items, but at least we will make a concentrated effort to get out and experience the city for the last time before leaving. We want to enjoy our own city before branching out to get to know new cities. With that, there are four themes to Detroit that I feel have helped shape the city and create the ambiance we have today – one of a city struggling to break through the stereotypes and create an uncommon atmosphere. Because if there’s one thing I know about this city, we don’t want to be a cookie-cutter replica of any other place – we want to stand out and be our own.

In the next few articles that I’ll write, I’ll focus on these four topics:

Detroit = Motown

Detroit = The D

Detroit = Hockeytown

Detroit = Motor City

Detroit Skyline

I hope that by sharing my perspective of the city, a bit of the bad reputation will fade away in people’s minds, to be replaced with the energy and positive vibes that we feel all around us. I want to encourage people to reconsider their preconceived notions of the city and realize that every city (or state or country), even the supposed “bad” cities, have good things going for them.