NWR: Detroit

sarah0725 · May 2011

Charlie and I are probably going to make a trip to Detroit this week to photograph a monument, go to the art museum, and do some research, and I figured there might be some people on here who can give me advice.

I know Detroit has a reputation as a city that is more dangerous than most - how much should I actually be worried about this? I've stayed in cities with spotty reputations before - spent 10 days in Naples and didn't have any problems - but I figure I should go in informed.

Also, in looking for hotels, I'm not sure what/where I should book. I found a place downtown that is 2 blocks from the art museum, looks great, and gets good reviews - but it's $150 a night, which is more than I usually pay for a hotel and definitely more than I usually pay for overnights on fieldwork trips. I'm wondering if it's worth it, though, considering I think we/the car would be safe there, and there's a jacuzzi in the room and a full breakfast provided. Is this good for Detroit? What would you do?

Snippylynn · May 2011

Mer. I'm not sure where to stay in Detroit, unfortunately. If you want to stay outside of the downtown area, the hotels around the airport are pretty good.

Will you have a car?

sarah0725 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:2f9adba2-a5c7-4b86-bfc9-b6c9d4071a0f">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]Mer. I'm not sure where to stay in Detroit, unfortunately. If you want to stay outside of the downtown area, the hotels around the airport are pretty good. Will you have a car?
Posted by Snippylynn[/QUOTE]

We will - we're driving there from Milwaukee.

annakb8 · May 2011

I don't know anything about Detroit, but I wanted to say I think it's really cool you're writing your dissertation about monuments. I think monument design and the topic of memorialization in general is really interesting.

sarah0725 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:183bd33e-7d11-4e95-9f24-fa1f03c62cb1">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't know anything about Detroit, but I wanted to say I think it's really cool you're writing your dissertation about monuments. I think monument design and the topic of memorialization in general is really interesting.
Posted by annakb8[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I'm hoping the final result ends up being rather interesting. :)

One perk of the whole thing is that the research involves taking lots of road trips to weird places, which is something I generally like. I need to hit a bunch of midwestern cities before I head back east in the fall.

marinabreeze · May 2011

I'm originally from Detroit and still visit on occasion. It depends on where you go (like any other city), but in general much of the crime that happens involve people who are actually acquainted with each other in some way, there's simply not a lot of "random" crime.

It's still important to be aware of your surroundings and walk around like you have a purpose (basic street safety stuff).

Since I typically stay with family, I can't speak for the hotel/lodging, though. Maybe others on the board could give you a heads-up on that.

There are things to do in and around Detroit, and there's lots of history there. Have fun :-).

Snippylynn · May 2011

Then stay in the suburbs. You'll find MUCH better deals further out and they'll be less scurry.

You should drive through my old towns!! Actually, come to think of it, you will, unless you go through the UP.

sarah0725 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:8faaf851-99f3-4592-b981-00042976fea2">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]I live about 20 minutes from city limits, so I have a few suggestions. Your room rate sounds high. I would suggest staying in Troy, which is a suburb of Detroit and very near the expressway. It's generally a safer area than Detroit as well. They have several nice hotels in the $100 range. The Troy Marriott, the Drury Inn, and several others. These are all no more than a mile from the expressway entrance (I-75) which leads right to downtown. For the art museum, I assume you mean the DIA. If you mean one of the other museums, they are closely located to the DIA, so this advice would also apply. I would do the underground parking near the DIA for $5 a day. It's only about a 5 minute walk (or less) to the museum. You can also park in the casino parking structure in Greektown, and then you don't have to pay for parking. (Just walk through the casino and they validate.) Depending where the monument is, the People Mover likely has a stop near it (especially if it is one of the Campus Martius ones or in Hart Plaza). The People Mover is similar to an above ground subway except it only goes in a circle. As long as you're more in the downtown area and not the outlying housing areas, I'd say you're pretty safe. Be alert like in any city and you should be fine. Let me know if you have any questions!
Posted by djhar[/QUOTE]

This is all super helpful, thanks!

ETA: And the art museum is DIA, and the monument is the big soldiers and sailors monument on the Campus Martius.

Meg1036 · May 2011

Hey! I'm from outside Detroit and would love to help. First, there was a thread on this a while back on the Detroit board, and I'll try to dig that up for you, as people gave great advice there.

While Troy is very safe as pps mentioned, its a pretty bland/boring suburb. I would actually recommend the city if you're looking to see anything about what Detroit is actually like while you're there.

Staying near the DIA should be safe. And as pps mentioned, as long as you're aware of you're sorroundings, you'll be fine. I was just downtown last week for Slow's BBQ (recommend it) and to go to the MGM Grand casinos. I always recommend that people spend some time in the Greektown neighborhood. There's some great restaurants, its close to the baseball stadium, there's a casino. In all, its safe and pretty fun.

Anyway, off to try to find that thread...

Meg1036 · May 2011

Here's the thread I talked about. Not much on where to stay, since the OP had a hotel already, but a lot about things to do/neighborhoods if that's of any interest:

clicky

lisa89760 · May 2011

I would stay in the city!! Lot's to do (like meg said) Go to slows for sure and check out greektown. It's pretty safe especially the areas you are looking at going. Did you check the casino hotels? They might have deals.

I personally love going to Detroit (I live about 30 min outside) and the nightlife is really fun.

sarah0725 · May 2011

Thanks for finding that thread for me, Meg! Reading now.

It's always a dilemma for me deciding whether or not to stay downtown when I go to a city. Hotels are definitely cheaper in the suburbs, but it's nice to be able to leave your car and then just walk out into a place, so I tend to really enjoy staying downtown. This is the hotel:
http://innonferrystreet.com

It looks like the kind of hotel I really like, so that's also tempting. We're on kind of an old-fashioned/B&B style kick with hotels.

Meg1036 · May 2011

That hotel looks so cute!

I feel you on the hotel rates. If you feel like you can spring for it, do it! If you can't, nice/safe suburbs with good access to downtown include Troy and Birmingham, as well as Plymouth and Northville. Plymouth and Northville and Brimingham have sort of cute downtown areas where you should be able to find B&B type places, if that's what you want.

janicejab · May 2011

Yes, there is crime in Detroit. But there is in every inner city area. Just pay atteniton to your surroundings and stay in the downtown areas. As a PP mentioned, most of the crime is between people who know one another, not really a lot of random crime. I grew up about 20 minutes outside of Detroit and spent a lot of time there growing up. I have never had a problem there and don't know anyone else who has either.
As far as hotels go, that's actuslly not that bad in downtown Detroit. You can definitely get something cheaper in the suburbs or close to the airport though. I think the last couple of times I stayed in Detroit, the room was $130-140.

maratea · May 2011

I was the OP in the thread that Meg linked. We stayed at the Westin Southfield. It was nice and cheap ($50 with name your own price on Priceline, plus it has free parking). It was really awkward to get to though. Thank goodness we had a GPS. But, there wasn't much besides restaurants within walking distance.

If you want a super fancy pants dinner, go to The Forest Grill in Birmingham. It's very nice, but fairly expensive too. So so worth it though.

ETA: Also go to the Cadieux Cafe for me. We didn't have time to go, but I want to make another trip back to Detroit just for that. http://www.cadieuxcafe.com/

songbrd410 · May 2011

Another place to consider staying is Dearborn. It's very close to Detroit, has many hotels at different price points, and it's home to The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. If you're looking to do siteseeing, you cannot pass up the museum or village (which are in the same place)!! It is a very cool place. The museum even has the car Kennedy was shot in. Be sure to look into it!

Also, make sure you go to Slow's BBQ like PP's mentioned. Bouns: it's across from the famous Detroit train station!

bonnyandtim · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:50150f71-0ba3-4d11-9311-8f7c6db367ab">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm originally from Detroit and still visit on occasion. It depends on where you go (like any other city), but in general much of the crime that happens involve people who are actually acquainted with each other in some way, there's simply not a lot of "random" crime. It's still important to be aware of your surroundings and walk around like you have a purpose (basic street safety stuff). Since I typically stay with family, I can't speak for the hotel/lodging, though. Maybe others on the board could give you a heads-up on that. There are things to do in and around Detroit, and there's lots of history there. Have fun :-).
Posted by marinabreeze[/QUOTE]

All of the PPs have given great suggestions.

I have lived my entire life ~2 hours away, but am in or passing thru Detroit probably 4-ish times a year for 1 thing or another.

My cousin/BM lives right in town since she goes to college there. We had my b-party at her apt. & we did walk on the sidewalk at night & I felt OK. For sure be aware, but really most of the crime IS relationship-related. My cousin has lived there 3 years & she has never had any even suspicion of problems.

i also don't know about the hotels, as I stay w/ cousin. A PP mentioned the airport, which is an option, but the airport is NOT in Detroit. So depending on your visit, your airport hotel might be quite a way away. Even an hour.

For sure if you can, visit the Henry Ford!!! So much is there; I still learn more every time I go there. It might fit into your project, too.

Good luck, have fun, keep us posted!

MandK9 · May 2011

DO THE INN ON FERRY STREET!! My fiance and I are staying in one of those houses the night of our wedding, and some of my family is staying in a few others. It's amazing.

Go to Cliff Bell's either for late night classic cocktails, or for Sunday brunch, both with live jazz. It's a renovated legit jazz club from the 40s, and is amazing.

Ditto Slow's. That place makes me happy. But they are always packed, so allow for some time if you decide to do that.

I used to work downtown and wouldn't get out until 9pm or so. I never felt unsafe walking around alone at night; there's a bad rap, but there's really so little violent crime, and so little of that tiny bit of violent crime is random. I really wouldn't worry if I were you.

Oh, and Mara, I'm impressed that you know about Cadieux!! Featherbowling, awesome

Check it out if you can, Sarah.

P.S. Our reception is downtown, so I'm an advocate. And I can't remember if you're one of the posters I've interacted with that likes beer. I feel like you are, for some reason. Come back and tell me, and then I will tell YOU where you absolutely must go while you're here.

ETA: I'm feeling lame for saying "bad rap" now up there, because A) everyone else is saying almost the exact same thing, and

everyone else is spelling it "bad rep." So now I feel like I'm doing it wrong, and I can't find definitive proof anywhere that says which way is proper.

lmalear01 · May 2011

Oh... Stay downtown for sure!! There is so much to see and to do. Depending on the weekend you are coming $150 is high average. We only live about 25 min from downtown so we only stay downtown about twice a year usually just to get away..like after the casino or a hockey game. When we do stay we use priceline. There are only three 4 star hotels in downtown detroit and you definately can't go wrong with any of them because they are all on the people mover and they are all within a three or 4 block radius. They are the detroit renaissance center, the atheneum and the Westin. We have stayed as low as $89 a night with priceline. It just depends on the weekend you are trying to go. The Casino hotels are WAY overpriced but nice. There is also a really nice Hilton Garden Inn two blocks from Campus Martius. As far as safety is concerned Detroit has gotten a really bad rep. Like most people have pointed out, the crime is usually against people they know not random strangers. Just be cautious.

Have a great trip!!

Kristen1114 · May 2011

If you want to stay downtown stay at either the Marriott at the Renaissance Center or the Westin Book Cadillac. Both probably abou $150, but I think its worth it. If you don't want to stay downtown (or pay that price) try a suburb. Within a 20 minute drive I'd recommend Dearborn, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, or Livonia, and you won't have to pay for parking at the hotel. If you're downtown, it's safe. I wouldn't worry too much (safer than Philly from what I can remember) its the outskirts of the city that get a little shady and I'm not really sure why you wolud have any reason to be in any of those areas anywas. Besides the DIA (which is great) go to a Tiger's game if you can (and the weather is nice enough) and there are plenty of other bars and restaurants in the city that are definitely worth giving a shot. Outside of the city, there's some good shopping and little downtown areas as well, PM me if you are looking for anything more specific!
I live about 45+ minutes outside of Detroit but FI and I often go downtown for the day or weekend because we really enjoy it. Don't let the bad rep scare you away!

courtney1188 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:9de1f566-6fd4-43df-9074-e59f95d21c5b">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for finding that thread for me, Meg! Reading now. It's always a dilemma for me deciding whether or not to stay downtown when I go to a city. Hotels are definitely cheaper in the suburbs, but it's nice to be able to leave your car and then just walk out into a place, so I tend to really enjoy staying downtown. This is the hotel: <a href="http://innonferrystreet.com" rel='nofollow'>http://innonferrystreet.com</a> It looks like the kind of hotel I really like, so that's also tempting. We're on kind of an old-fashioned/B&B style kick with hotels.
Posted by sarah0725[/QUOTE]

Honestly, I don't recommend this. If you take a wrong turn or something (or even if you don't, depending on where in Detroit you're headed) you could end up walking through an area that you would much rather be driving through. Not to perpetuate the bad rep and sorry if I tick off any of the other Detroit girls here, but I would not feel safe walking through Detroit any further than from the building to the parking lot late at night. And that is based off my personal experiences, I grew up about five minutes outside of the city.

I would stay in Dearborn (right by the Henry Ford, which you could check out while there) or Southfield or something like that.

MandK9 · May 2011

I feel more unsafe walking around in my neighborhood right outside Ann Arbor at night than I do downtown Detroit. I mean, obviously don't go park your car at 10pm on Cass Corridor and take a little late-night stroll through the slums, but walking around the University area, or Greektown, or Foxtown, or near the riverfront, or even Corktown, and you will be fine. It's sort of common sense; you can tell if a place doesn't look so up-and-up.

I.E. I would imagine you'll avoid places that look like this, without needing to know what people say:

Again, I walk around alone all the time there, at night. Nothing has ever come close to being threatening. A homeless guy approached me once with a story about working at the hospital (he had a homemade badge hanging around his neck) and needing money for the bus because he had just gotten mugged or something. I liked that guy.

I do get my back up a little when people say bad stuff about my city. I love it and keep trying to get people to give it a chance.

courtney1188 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:3a5e3a40-4111-46a1-adcf-5ef82e287552">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]I feel more unsafe walking around in my neighborhood right outside Ann Arbor at night than I do downtown Detroit. I mean, obviously don't go park your car at 10pm on Cass Corridor and take a little late-night stroll through the slums, but walking around the University area, or Greektown, or Foxtown, or near the riverfront, or even Corktown, and you will be fine. It's sort of common sense; you can tell if a place doesn't look so up-and-up. I.E. I would imagine you'll avoid places that look like this, without needing to know what people say: Again, I walk around alone all the time there, at night. Nothing has ever come close to being threatening. A homeless guy approached me once with a story about working at the hospital (he had a homemade badge hanging around his neck) and needing money for the bus because he had just gotten mugged or something. I liked that guy. I do get my back up a little when people say bad stuff about my city. I love it and keep trying to get people to give it a chance.
Posted by MandK9[/QUOTE]

It's my city too, but what I'm saying is she needs to be careful if she's going walking around the city at night with no car. A couple of wrong turns and she could accidentaly end up in a place like the picture you just posted. That's pretty true of any metro area though, just be very aware of your surroundings if you stick with your current plan.

lmalear01 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:3a5e3a40-4111-46a1-adcf-5ef82e287552">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]I feel more unsafe walking around in my neighborhood right outside Ann Arbor at night than I do downtown Detroit. I mean, obviously don't go park your car at 10pm on Cass Corridor and take a little late-night stroll through the slums, but walking around the University area, or Greektown, or Foxtown, or near the riverfront, or even Corktown, and you will be fine. It's sort of common sense; you can tell if a place doesn't look so up-and-up. I.E. I would imagine you'll avoid places that look like this, without needing to know what people say: Again, I walk around alone all the time there, at night. Nothing has ever come close to being threatening. A homeless guy approached me once with a story about working at the hospital (he had a homemade badge hanging around his neck) and needing money for the bus because he had just gotten mugged or something. I liked that guy. I do get my back up a little when people say bad stuff about my city. I love it and keep trying to get people to give it a chance.
Posted by MandK9[/QUOTE]

I agree completely!! My I feel more uncomfortable in my neighborhood than greektown or any of the hot spots at 3am. I love Detroit. She'll be missing out on the experience if she stays in Dearborn. No offense. If you are coming to see the Henry Ford stay at Greenfield Village. If you want a true Detroit experience...stay somewhere downtown!

sarah0725 · May 2011

Update for everyone who gave advice: I decided to book one night in the hotel downtown I already mentioned, and one night in Ann Arbor, since that's where I actually need to do my research. I will keep my wits about me and enjoy spending time in your fine city!

Thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations, everyone!

songbrd410 · May 2011

Just so you know...Ann Arbor and Detroit are about 40 mins away from each other.

sarah0725 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-detroit?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b462ba2b-a02f-4137-aaef-32cecb22ec4aPost:2c65dff8-3d12-44e6-8b5e-b545179af37b">Re: NWR: Detroit</a>:
[QUOTE]Just so you know...Ann Arbor and Detroit are about 40 mins away from each other.
Posted by songbrd410[/QUOTE]

I am well aware. We need to drive through Ann Arbor to get to Detroit, coming from Milwaukee, and I have a bunch of research that I need to do there.

MandK9 · May 2011

Have a great time in Ann Arbor! It is a beautiful city, especially on campus. I'm biased, though, because that's where I went to school

Meg1036 · May 2011

Ditto MandK. I love Ann Arbor, but I both go to school and live here. You won't have the same questions/safety concerns in Ann Arbor that you had for Detroit, but if you have questions at all, shoot them my way!

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