iaink

I know the area around the Dearborn truck plant seemed pretty grim to me...


Presumably dbd visits HD and Lowes to buy stuff at US prices, its the areas you go through to get there that make the impression.


As I said up top, Detroit is a strange mix of abject poverty and great wealth as far as I can tell.

Windsor seems OK, but I do wonder about Richos point about the tax base in the long term.

manningl

So its as I thought all jackanory you have nothing really to say do you apart from what we can all find in the news... I will rest my case and get on with my work Enjoy your weekend all

MikeUK

High Unemployment is normally associated with high crime, an issue that may influence one’s choice when choosing a venue to go shopping...

Atlantic Xpat

My Dearborn story is of my first visit to Ford WHQ back in the mid 90's. I stayed at the Ritz Carlton which is approx 500m away from Dearborn Town Centre Mall across the carpark. After sitting on a plane for many hours (the BA flight at the time came via Toronto) and finally checking into my hotel I fancied a stroll. Halfway across the carpark to the Mall I was stopped by the roving security patrol.

"What are you doing?" he said.
"Going for a walk" I replied.
Blank look. "What do you mean?" The concept of walking being alien.
"Well I'm staying at that hotel" turns and points, "& fancied a walk"
"Buddy, it ain't safe to do that. Let me escort you back to your hotel"

I declined and carried on my merry way without being murdered. Still, the urban legend amongst fellow travellers at the time was that the n'er do wells of Detroit came to Dearborn by bus & went back in (stolen) cars so perhaps I was dumb and lucky. The other piece of received wisdom from fellow travellers was that the strip clubs in Windsor were better than those in Detroit because they took everything off, not just their tops. But, as a straight laced sort of chap, I didn't explore that option.

On another trip I went for a drive around scenic Detroit aiming for the mansions of the auto barons in Grosse Point. All very nice but go one block too far and you weren't in Kansas anymore. And that was in the 90's when the auto industry was doing well. I can well imagine the scenes of urban decay now.

Still, according to the Chrysler superbowl commercial a few years back Detroit was fighting back from the ropes....

G77

You've sold the OP on Windsor now

dbd33

Er, news is independent reportage backed by statistics. Anecdote, "it looks nice to me", is not usually considered equal. Still, it looks nice to you, it doesn't look nice to me. Even, innit.

MarylandNed

Yeah but Detroit has more bad areas than most cities. And Detroit's worst areas eclipse those in most other cities. I've been to Detroit and the other major US cities many times. There are certainly some nice areas and the downtown area is improving - it's a lot better than it was when I first went there 20 years ago. However, you have to admit that there are many abandoned areas in Detroit and it has some of the worst urban blight in the entire country. Granted it's not as bad as some people make out - but it is pretty bad overall.

G77

As a local though, you just learn to avoid those areas, unless you have morbid curiosity like DBD, there's just no reason to go there. The interstates can take you anywhere you want, to the perfectly fine areas, without having to experience the urban blight.... I'm under no illusion that it doesn't exist and probably worse than most other cities, I just choose to avoid it....

manningl

And as I discovered yesterday DBD is a fraud! He hasn't witnessed anything!!! He's just a storyteller

Anyway we are supposed to be talking about Windsor not Detroit.... I suppose DBD knows all about the crack ridden City of Windsor too and all the gun toting criminals we have here....

MikeUK

And by this statement about a well known regular to this forum, its clear that we have discovered your talents

Rose tinted glasses.... rose tinted enough that a white cane might be in order

manningl

So what if he is well known doesn't mean he's qualified to talk about every single subject he has no real life experience at. If you don't know just keep your mouth shut.

Rose tinted glasses? Tell me what's not nice about Canton, St Clair Shores, Farmington Hills, Royal Oak or Rochester Hills please?? I doubt you or DBD has ever been to any of those areas but you just talk about the places like 7 mile and the boarded up buildings.

If you are going to say something then say the good and the bad not just the bad and invent stories about gun toting individuals that you have never seen in your time in the City. I asked him to tell me about the incident and he fobbed me off with a load of rubbish...

I know crime is high and all the rest that goes with it but as I go there more than any of you do I can tell you what I see and witness. Call it Rose tinted or whatever but your opinion on Detroit counts for squat as you do not do anything there and know nothing other than what your hear and read.

You may both be regulars but so what you know nothing about the city so comment on somewhere that you do know and don't question what I see on a regular basis. I may have been lucky but it's the truth.

dbd33

To the contrary, while I've been to Detroit, and diverted through devastated Spanish language parts of town as described above (recently, so the diversion debated above seems to have come back) my not being dead is not of any significance compared with years of news reports of decline, poverty and crime.

I have to say that claiming Detroit does not have more crime and poverty than other US cities is as eccentric an opinion as Steve_'s view that Canada has good television. If you get mugged will it suddenly be dangerous for everyone?

dbd33

I've described my entire experience of Windsor. It looks a lot like Sudbury but I don't suppose many posters have seen Sudbury so that's not really of any help.

el_richo

Out of curiosity, which is better, Windsor Ontario or Windsor UK?

MikeUK

The reason we take notice is he's well travelled in this area, that experience is good enough.. you don't have to live somewhere to recognize it's sh1t hole


For what its worth I have also been to Detroit and Windsor, when I used to live in London ON, it was a convenient airport to drive too...