I’m home, I’m home (for a little over three weeks)! The place I call home? Troy, a suburb located outside of Detroit. I spent a lot of time in Detroit growing up with both of my parents working in the city. I was actually born down there and went to day-care there!
Occasionally, when I tell people that I’m from outside of Detroit, their eyes will bulge out at me, as if I’m about to pull a gun from my back pocket. At this, I crinkle my nose and try to pretend that I don’t notice. I actually live in a very nice place, and their assumption doesn’t hurt my feelings but rather batters my opinion of them.
See, the stigma associated with the city is something that really gets to me. How are we supposed to make it better if people keep putting it down and assuming the worst for it? If you were trying to make positive changes in your life, and someone kept putting you down, can you imagine how hard it would be to get off of your feet? What gets me even deeper is that some people who say nasty things about Detroit have never been there. Sure, there are bad parts, but there are also great parts. In fact, a lot is being done to make the city a better place. It’s in the first steps toward revival.
Here’s a look at some of the good parts of Detroit. I spent a lot of hours down there waiting for my stepsister to finish her exams at Wayne State University. My mom, stepdad, and I explored for a while.
Avalon | Hugh | Source Bookseller’s
A lot of these places have been around for a few years, and a lot of people were walking around in this area. The lofts are making it a very modern and cool place to live. (And yes, like most everything, this does remind me of New Girl).
The Fox | The Filmore | Campus Martius
If you didn’t know, they’re building the M1 Rail on Woodward along neighborhoods by the Central Business District, Midtown, New Center, and North End. It’s goal is to by the catalyst of the area, promoting growth. They’re also building a new hockey arena for the Red Wings, our hockey team.
My stepdad is a really big music guy, and we all know how much music was made in Detroit. They recorded people like Diana Ross & the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder. There is so much history in this city.
The city life is also very alive; you can see people going out downtown to Greektown! We just went to the Astoria Bakery (mmmm!) to get some treats after dinner in Mexicantown.
It’s really clear to see how much is being done to the city when you drive through it. Keeping in mind that all cities, suburbs, and rural areas have bad parts, Detroit will never be perfect; no place or person could ever be. It can be fixed to it’s best potential, though. It’s our generation that can do this. Yes, there are bad parts (a lot of them), but it’s getting better and people need to know that.
A lot of young, college and high school kids say that they want to move to the city when the graduate. They usually mean Manhattan or Chicago, but one day, I think that they could mean Detroit too.
If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!