A lot of these city visits I do happen when someone pays me to come to town for a speaking engagement, etc. But what I REALLY love is to go to cities where I have no prior commitment at all, and I can just focus on the things I want to. I can't do those trips without support, though, and one great way of supporting is to subscribe to Nebula. (It also gets you all my videos early, ad-free, and sponsor-free!) Using my custom link gets you 40% off an annual subscription. (More options, like Lifetime, up in the description.) go.nebula.tv/citynerd
As a Chicagoan, what you said at the end honestly brought a tear to my eye. American cities can get better and are absolutely worth fighting for! I hope I see Detroit, Saint Louis, Cleveland, Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Chicago make a big comeback in the 21st century!
Thank you sooo much. Michigan Central Station was my gateway to the "Promised Land" in 1954 when I stepped off that New York Central train at Detroit’s awesome cathedral of commerce and met my father for the first time after cruising through the segregated south on a segregated train. After connecting with my dad we walked over to the station coffee shop where my stepmom Chris was having her Sunday morning caffeine fix. This was the first time I had ever seen black and white people sitting at a lunch counter together. I was 9 years old and that was the defining moment in my life which began almost 80 years ago. I will always love the Motor City for showing me a better life filled with limitless possibilities I had never imagined before.
Detroiter here. I was actually at your talk out in Dearborn. Thank you so much for coming and shining some light on what life here is actually like. I was tearing up watching you describe some of the magic. I really, deeply appreciate your work!
Same here.......we're both in same ol tired "bad city" jokes all the time. Kinda ends up forming a kinship with the other misrepresented cities in America. Hell, Detroit and Oakland, Ca. are basically dating each other LOLOLz!
It’s obvious that you did your homework before or after arriving in Detroit. You picked up much more than I would expect for someone only in town for three days. Very well done! The four lane one way streets, as well as many other wide low traffic streets, are fantastic for biking - I have been involved in regular bike tours that have covered the whole city. Loved your presentation while you were here. And yes, I watched on Nebula yesterday.
It’s a shame. My spouse is from Ann Arbor and I hear stories from his mom about how magnificent Detroit was in its heyday. The Hudson’s dept store alone was a city unto itself- one of the largest switchboards in the world before phones became automated. Anyhow, I’m on team Detroit!
Detroit could have a very exciting future. The city just grew in population for the first time in decades. Crime keeps falling. Lots of big investment pouring in around eds/meds and tech. New parks and greenways being built around the city. LVT and rapid transit would kick Detroit’s recovery into a full on boom.
As a native Detroiter, I am skeptical that I will live to see rapid transit implemented on any meaningful scale in Detroit (even with it's amazing renaissance) especially not something like Chicago that connects all the way out to the suburbs, but I'm still not that old yet. That would be a fantastically expensive project given how filled in the suburbs are now. You can drive 40 miles in any direction from Detroit before you see a proper corn field. Idk if Chicago's qualifies as "rapid" transit but it's definitely mass transit and it works; I found their transportation to be pretty damn effective visiting the city without a car. But, being the motor city, it's very accommodating to car traffic and until that population gets back up to 2 million, Detroit is more than capable of handling the current population and influx of people when there's big concerts and sporting events. Getting around Detroit is honestly a breeze, especially if you know what you're doing, rely on GPS or have an experienced uber driver. Maybe I'm biased because I'm from Detroit but that city has a real charm or something to it I've never been able to put my finger on that, outside of Detroit, I've only ever felt in New Orleans.
Completely agree! I’d love to see some kind of shuttle/bus service to and from the airport. Something like service to/from downtown, Ann Arbor, and Royal Oak. Baby steps…
As someone that has lived nearly 50 years in Wayne county, I'm all for regional service! Unfortunately the DOT/SMART buses just aren't reliable enough for any real transport options. Getting Detroit proper setup is a step forward, but the overall metro area has an incredibly long way to go.
It's so exciting. So much space for building densely with much less NIMBY and historic preservation concern. And a chance to build a frequent, automated light metro from scratch.
Detroit fun facts: In 1911, the city was the first to implement one-way streets as a way of improving traffic flow and making commercial deliveries easier. The first stop sign in the US was installed in Detroit in 1915. They also were the first to have no parking zones. James Couzens had been the business manager of the Ford Motor Company from its founding until he got sick and tired of working for Henry Ford in 1913. After he retired from Ford, he went into politics, first becoming Detroit mayor and then a US senator. As mayor in 1917, Couzens proposed dealing with illegal parking with what he called “intensive disciplinary training”. Within half a year, the newly organized Detroit Towing Squad had towed almost 11,000 cars to a city owned vacant lot! And in 1920, William Potts, a Detroit policeman, invented the first four-way and three-colored traffic lights, introducing yellow lights to indicate the light would change soon! The Majestic Theatre and Fox Theatre were both designed by C. Howard Crane who worked on St Louis's Fox Theatre, DC's Warner Theatre, and the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre (demolished in 2014) in London. The Detroit Public Library on the other hand was designed by Cass Gilbert who worked on NYC's Woolworth Building, the US Supreme Court in DC, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas, and West Virginia! Belle Isle was named in honor of Miss Isabelle Cass, daughter of Governor (General) Lewis Cass. Before this, following his victory in the War of 1812, General Alexander Macomb Jr. was assigned to this region and owned the island as his estate. He was later appointed as Commanding General of the US Army. A monument to him was built in the Washington Boulevard Historic District downtown. Coney dogs were created by Greeks who emigrated because of fallout from the Balkan Wars. They called them "Coneys" because many Greeks stopped at Nathan's in Coney Island after leaving Ellis Island before arriving in the Midwest. They were so impressed with the hot dogs there that they wanted to spread it wherever they went and came up with their own recipes. In Detroit, there's a tense rivalry between American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island right next door on which one has the better Coney dog. In fact, Lafayette Coney Island was actually founded by the BROTHER of the founder of American Coney Island! Like how Mister Donut became a thing because its founder Harry Winokur chose to no longer work with his brother-in-law, William Rosenberg the founder of Dunkin' Donuts. Detroit-style pizza is similar to deep dish but it's rectangular! Its car industry is why Detroit style pizzas are shaped rectangular! It was invented in 1946 at a place called Buddy's by Gus Guerra. Gus was searching for a high-end pizza pan to create the perfect pizza until he realized something. Detroit's auto assembly plants used blue steel utility trays used to hold parts (like nuts, bolts, etc). For these plants, they were just a thing to hold parts...to Gus, it was a Sicilian-like deep dish pizza.
Can't believe I missed this for 12 days. As a new Detroiter (5yrs, formerly from Australia) I'm incredibly proud to call this city home. It's a very special place, and its people are too.
@@ruiqianren9405 many reasons. To own a home in Australia I'd have to go into quite large debt which I'd be paying off well into my later years, whereas in Detroit I bought an abandoned home for practically nothing and with a few years and some hard work I now have a debt free home there, in a rough but central and improving neighborhood (NW Goldberg to be precise, right by the Lee Plaza building which is now being rehabbed). I also felt like an adventure. The music and art scene is incredible, great food, great people. Very bike rideable. It isn't for everyone but that's a big part of what makes it special for me.
Not a Detroiter, but really was impressed with what you were able to show in 20 min. or so. The contradictions you treated with honesty and sensitivity. It sure seems as though hope and imagination have survived there and moved things forward. So much now underutilized space. Such opportunity to create something wonderful.
Grew up in Detroit and have since traveled the country, now living in Tampa. I will tell you there is no city like Detroit in the US. The city and the people are very unique, so much in fact that whenever I meet someone from Detroit in a different state I can always tell theyre from the D, just by the way they think and move!
@SawStriker lol, I've been informed people from Michigan have their own accent. I don't think we have accents, but I'm biased cuz I live in Metro Detroit.
@@deannamarie8389 That's facts lol. As soon as i left i started hearing all types of different accents. Youd never know cause every in michigan is FROM michigan lol
As a Detroit resident (Chicago native, so I know urbanism), CityNerd fan (I have the merch!) and someone who works in auto (please don’t throw tomatoes), I’ve been anxiously awaiting this video! Thank you for doing the city justice. There is so much energy here and more people need to see and understand that beyond the negative (and unfair) headlines and stereotypes. As we say: Detroit isn’t back-Detroit never left.
Yeah I had meant to make a point about the people who never left and somehow it got lost in the shuffle when I was writing. Again, just way too many interesting stories to tell.
I'm seriously considering moving..what's been your experience in Detroit? Safety is a concern of mine and I've read responders and police are slow to arrive. I'd be moving from Chicago as well and would love to hear your thoughts.
@@Djsertraline there is crime in every big city. My advice would be the same for anyone: learn about neighborhoods, walk them to get a feel for what you’re comfortable with, get to know the area and your neighbors, don’t do anything stupid and keep your guard up. I live downtown and have yet to experience crime myself. Detroit’s, and the country’s crime rate is on the decline. (By comparison when I lived in Chicago it felt more present, ex: hearing gunshots, seeing property crime. That said I’d still move back to Chicago in a heartbeat!)
@@Djsertraline Car insurance rates are ridiculous in Detroit, unfortunately. I had a lower rate when I lived downtown and when I lived on the edge of the city (in the same zip code as the affluent Grosse Pointes, East of the city). It's one thing that pushed my out to the suburbs b/c I just couldn't justify the cost. If you can, play with quotes based on different zip codes in the city. I'd bet that now, the higher the rents/home prices, the lower the car insurance.
I'm only three minutes into the video, but I'm immediately impressed by how beautiful downtown Detroit looks. I've never visited or seen any video of it, but it looks awesome!
The downtown is phenomenal. Probably some of 10:12 the greatest examples of art deco architecture outside of NYC and prominent works from other periods as well- Beaux Arts, mid century modern, and postmodern are all well represented.
@@jacobbwalters8133 And if you're into art, don't forget the DIA (Detroit Institute of Art). It's free admission for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
As a guy from Detroit I loved your video. You summarized a lot of history well. The only thing you got wrong was saying Yemeni food is better than polish food. I’ve had Yemeni and Bangladeshi food in Hamtramck, and it’s good make no mistake. But if you can find any of the old school Polish spots you will taste the most authentic, home-style Polish food in America. The Ivanhoe cafe (polish yacht club) was founded in 1909 and is legendarily good
As Detroiters, you nailed this one. Really did your research and showed why Detroit is an amazing, unique city. It has a complex set of problems, but no shortage of people willing to put in the work to make it the best it can be. For EVERYONE.
You did our city such justice. Good and bad. Thanks for coming here and not just shitting on it. A thoughtful honest review. Detroit has its problems but the powers at be are genuinely trying to fix them. It won’t happen overnight but people, such as yourself, coming to southeast Michigan and making videos like this is a major step in the right direction. We’re trying here. Thank you.
I just have such a respect and love for this city… My late fiancé was from here.. He had so much pride and love for this city… Its bittersweet for me now.. But I love the growth that happening here… I live in Ohio (45 mins away).. I will continue to visit.. it will be heavy-hearted and with tears in my eyes, I will always thank my forever guy for exposing me to this wonderful city..♥️
We stayed very close to Wayne State and the beauty of some of the old buildings, even the abandoned ones, is breathtaking. Pittsburgh has that quality too, one of the reasons I love it. These cities were wealthy in eras when people believed beauty was intertwined with progress and building a better world and brighter future.
When I was a kid, I sometimes heard people say that if Detroit got its act together, it would be something like Pittsburgh. They have more in-city universities, but otherwise, the cities are similar. I’ll give Pitt the edge in beauty (they have mountains), but any Coney Island crushes Primanti Bros. sandwiches. Yea, I said it… come at me, Pittsburgh. (J/k)
I graduated law school at Wayne State, recently went back to drop my son off for college, It's like a completely different university from when I went there, So many new buildings, It's a very large university now with dorms and all
I visited Detroit about a month before you by bus from Toronto (Originally from Nova Scotia) and it had a serious charm I wasn't necessarily expecting. Energy there was crazy, and totally in the people. Reminded me a lot of back home - musical, creative, space, rugged, friendly. So much about the city felt so much more familiar than Toronto has ever felt. Stayed in the hostel in Corktown (Hostel Detroit). I knew every single thing he talked about in this video from just over 2 days of solo travel. I went hard in Detroit. Couldn't sleep I was so excited. You covered so much of the cyclist / pedestrian experience. I feel like this comment could go on and on. Really cool fucking place in North America. That's it. Thanks for everything Detroit
Everyone loves to hate Detroit at the city level and California at the state level for purely political reasons, but this video proves the haters wrong. I'm starting to think I might want to visit Detroit in the future.
Not so much "wrong" as the showing that there's also many good things in there also. And that the city has the potential - as every crysis gives it, but they need to use the opportunities rightly
Please do visit we have plenty going on even in the winter. Campsius Marcius turns I to a winter wo Verlander with a ice skating rink right in the heart of the city and just a few hours drive there is skiing and snowmobile trails. The city is beautiful along with our state!!
A few things he missed The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is replacing the I-375 freeway in downtown Detroit with a surface-level boulevard to reconnect neighborhoods. Detroit is 73% black and has a very strong culture. The food is pretty good and service is pristine. Lastly Detroit is in a climate Goldilocks zone and will be impacted a lot slower than most places by climate issues.
I-375 project is now renown but IMO they'd better do the city water canal out of it and several other ones that's below ground level around the downtown and the midtown. It'd be cheaper, will also make great pedestrian and recreational space and brings precious water surfaces into the dense core of the city - it could be new green and eco-environ around it combing with the main waterfront
@@Whitebeard79outOfRus there is a huge movement to push back against the I375 redesign as many think it won't do much do reconnect neighborhoods. Look up "rethink I375" and consider joining!
I think Detroit is one of the major cities in the US that I have never been to (or ever even considered visiting). I think it's worth a look into, now!
@@mememachine-386 not really. Ive found that LC is shit everywhere not in Michigan. The dough is off and usually stiff. LC here in MI is much better. Kinda like how Buffalo wings are better in Buffalo NY because they dont use so much breading like everyone else does when trying to replicate them and the generic hot sauce that they use. Are there better pizza spots? of course. But enjoy paying 40$ for two larges. Ill keep LC in business off their stuff crust pizza alone
Thanks for being kind to Detroit. I was born there. I was there during its high times and its lowest times, and now I'm watching its resurrection. It still has a way to go, but the energy and incentive seems to be there.
I'm so glad you made a video about Detroit! I first visited Detroit for work about 7 years ago, and I was shocked and amazed at how friendly the people are, and how nice downtown was. Since then, I've gone to the Auto Show, concerts at the Detroit Fox Theatre, Red Wings games, Corktown, Cass Corridor, etc. There are so many things that I love about Detroit. The thing I love the most is it's resiliency. My friends and family think I'm crazy when I talk about how much I love Detroit. I've also spent a considerable amount of time in Ypsi, and Ann Arbor which are truly great as well.
Man this is exactly how I felt visiting a month or so before he did, from Toronto (Originally from Nova Scotia). I couldn't believe the charm Detroit has there was something really to it. The people are amazing. Something really special about Detroit, you're right.
Detroit's reputation is improving daily. I think the recent NFL draft opened many eyes. There is pride in the city. The main investors are banking a ton, but we're all winning. Someone had to take a chance. They've incentivised people to buy homes and renovate. It is truly a rebirth.
Visited Detroit for the first time last year and was absolutely blown away by it. It's a gorgeous city with some of the most down-to-earth and kind people I have ever met. Michigan as a whole is a very slept on state that I hope makes good decisions for a comeback in the coming decades.
As a former resident of e and w LP be careful. Ohio gets accused of a lof of "Florida" type shenanigans Michigan goes unnoticed for doing. Parts have end times militias, sundown towns, dry counties, and the west coast while unreal in beauty has a haven of Dutch Calvinists toward Holland, Grand Rapids, making it the missing piece of the Bible Belt. Detroit has a spirit of resilience not shared by the rest of the state. It can be moody, racist, resistant to change. Detroit is the gem. Much of the state always hated Detroit, Flint, "Saganasty," Benton Harbor. The west coast LP outside of Grand Rapids (one of its many deeply troubled towns with high rates of violence) is financial by being a Riviera for Chicagoans during summer. Ohio has more big cities and a cheaper COL. There are also less deer and dirt roads (my friend lived in city limits Ann Arbor with a dirt city street ffs). Not saying it's better (Michiganders tend to bristle but the states are laid out similar and similar regionally) because Dutch Calvinist gloom and doom lurks under the surface of Northern Ohio. Cleveland is a fascinating deeply troubled place. However if it plays its cards right it can become a mini-Chicago with distinct neighborhoods. Already has a subway.
@@Pomeray8 I still have to make it out to Ohio. Cleveland fascinates me in much of the same ways that Detroit does. I wonder if the difference is because one (Michigan) has a democratic Governor and majority in their legislative branch? I've noticed that blue states (even if barely blue) get defended a lot more than red (even if barely red) states. I'm from Iowa originally and am aware of the weird, isolationist tendencies of Dutch Calvinist communities (there are a few out in west and central Iowa). Iowa is also similarly compared to Florida. Though I can venture to guess that there are more dirt / gravel roads in Iowa than either Ohio or Michigan :D. I've only been to the west coast of Michigan once (St. Joes / Benton Harbor) and thought it was wonderful (mostly because it was pretty). Though the contrast between those two cities was stark. St. Joseph feels like a different (fancier and nicer) country compared to Benton Harbor. I am tentatively excited for Michigan though because they are so aggressively passing progressive policies. There's more hope there, politically, than in Iowa (IMO).
@@Pomeray8 Michigan has some of the finest educational institutions in the country. Education is the best defense to Trumpism and it has shown with a very effective and well-regarded democratic leadership team in place. MAGA can whine all they want but Michigan is better than it has been in decades and we're laying more concrete here than anytime since the 70s because our freeways are finally being rebuilt and expanded after years of Republican neglect and band-aid fixes. We get it done here and we're not stuck in the 1940s like the GOP.
i'm from the UK, and visited detroit in 2008 as a 13 yo due to my dad having worked in michigan for a short period. Fascinating place, i've backed the sports teams and the city in general ever since. We visited some of the buildings mentioned in this video and it's so good to see them in better shape.
I did the same in reverse, lived in Coventry for the first half of the 1970s at a slightly younger age (7-11). Still have a Coventry City jersey around somewhere... and I'm always happy to have an excuse to take the family over to the West Midlands 🙂
I spent a week in Detroit last year for work and it was AWESOME. What an unsung city enjoying a rebirth. Downtown was awesome with so much going on. It's cracking me up seeing all the photos of Corktown. We stayed in that brand-new Godfrey that has been somewhat controversial. Great area.
My grandfather would load up his horse drawn wagon with poultry, eggs, milk and butter on Saturday mornings around 1 am and head to the Eastern Market in Detroit, a journey of some 55 to 60 miles. That was in the 20’s and 30’s. He was usually home by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Thanks for this, Detroit needs this.
Thank you for visiting my city and giving an unbiased review. One quiet billionaire you missed that started the transformation of Detroit is Roger Penske.
Penske seems to be more of a driver of events rather than real estate development. IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix and the city's prep for SuperBowl XL (2006) were/are very much Penske operations.
@@MotownGuitarJoe very true. His drive to get the Super Bowl to Detroit started the positive changes downtown. Cleanup of the area and new business moving to downtown.
Shhhhhhhhhhh.....we don't want to let too many ppl know it's not actually a post apocolyptic, Mad-Max-times hellscape! But seriously, OMG....thank you SOOOO much for coming through the City. I literally was on the lookout for you at the Jazz fest!
Besides the QLine, the DPM, and the city's bus system, Windsor runs a bus service to Detroit using the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, connecting downtown Detroit with the Windsor International Transit Terminal (next to an indoor water park). And the new Gordie Howe International Bridge allows a bike and pedestrian lane for people to walk or bike across for free! The bridge forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, linking trail networks on both sides of the river including the Canadian Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, as well as the American Iron Belle Trail and the Great Lakes Way. It's definitely worth mentioning Detroit's transit history and how much of a struggle it's been to build a transit system there. The Detroit People Mover was meant to be part of a bigger system! It was meant to be a downtown distributor for a proposed city and metro-wide light rail transit system for Detroit in the early 1980s. Plans included an underground subway that would've been built from downtown to New Center, where it would transition into an elevated rail line running to McNichols (Six Mile). From there, it would've been a street-level light rail and extend beyond Detroit and into Royal Oak, and possibly later into Pontiac (this "Woodward-Michigan service" would've included lines to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and a Fort line towards Pennsylvania Rd in Southgate), with additional rail lines running on Grand River Ave, Mound Road, Harper Ave, and Gratiot Ave, and commuter lines from Detroit to Ann Arbor and Port Huron. However, it and the suburbs couldn't decide on anything for the 600 million promised by Gerald Ford, and so only the circulator got built and the money was withdrawn by Reagan. So the QLine built in 2017 was a step closer to that old vision. Detroit also had commuter rail to Pontiac under SEMTA, but it stopped in 1983, and Amtrak picked up Detroit-Pontiac service as part of the Wolverine. As mentioned, the QLine is still useful, it serves Wayne State University, Fox Theatre, Amtrak, Little Caesars Arena, and is walking distance from the Lions and Tigers stadiums as well from Grand Circus Park. But being curbside and not being in the median for most of its length hurts it and slows its down, and when asked by transit advocates during the planning, the QLine people were like "Yeah so?", they didn't care, they didn't want it to be true transit, they just wanted a casual touristy streetcar to attract development. But in 2016, a plan was put forward that included lots of BRT, cross-county connector routes, more frequent routes, and even commuter rail to Ann Arbor. 894K approved and 911K rejected, but it shows more people are willing to fight for transit! So I still have hope! Both the QLine and DPM are fare-free, ridership is up, they're talking about expanding the DPM to reflect how downtown is now a place people live and play. As shown with riverfront apartments by West Riverfront DPM, otherwise cutoff from downtown by a highway. Besides that plan I mentioned, Detroit has tried many other times to build a subway or an L, like in 1920 when the proposal was vetoed by the mayor (and the council failed to override the veto by JUST ONE VOTE), the vote for a subway (this one was envisioned to be an extensive 21-mile system) was put off the ballot last minute in 1927, 72 percent rejected it in 1929, 68 percent approved in 1933 but the federal government refused to fund it, a scaled-down system was proposed in July 1941 but after Pearl Harbor happened, it fell off the radar, a 1945 plan envisioned subway lines along Woodward and Grand River, but it too didn't happen...yeah. And before this, Detroit had an insane interurban network and streetcar network! By the 1910s, Detroit was the hub of one of the largest unified electrical transportation systems in the world. Detroit United Railways operated what may have been the largest regional electric rail system in the world. It had more than 800 miles of track, more than 200 of them in the city limits of Detroit, where one fare would get you across town, and 600 miles in the high-speed interurban lines. The streetcars were 24 hours a day and ran every few minutes!
I absolutely loved Detroit; it's not what many people think. It was once known as the "Paris of the Midwest" for its stunning architecture, although some of those beautiful buildings have been lost over time. The city has a unique potential to create new memories and attract businesses, all thanks to its advantageous location. I believe Detroit has a bright future, especially as more investors begin to see its possibilities for themselves.
Love Detroit! In Huntsville, AL now but cannot wait to move there next year. So much history and culture. In my experience, Detroiters are very proud of the progress and there is a real sense of community.
I visited Detroit back in Spring Break 2019 for a FIRST robotics world championship and when I was there, I loved downtown, Detroit-style pizza is honestly my favorite style of pizza (and I say this as a NYer born to NJ parents) and it definitely has a lot of potential! Campus Martius was the focal point of Judge Augustus Woodward's (hence Woodward Ave) plan for the reconstruction of Detroit after the Great Fire of 1805 (this fire is referenced on Detroit's flag) which destroyed almost everything in the city that only had 600 residents at the time. So the fire gave them an opportunity to build a new hopeful, big, and strong city that has risen from the ashes, which is why their motto is "Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus" or "We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes". The resulting plan drew heavily from L'Enfant's layout for DC. Woodward proposed a system of hexagonal street blocks, with the Grand Circus at its center. Wide avenues, alternatively 200 feet and 120 feet, were designed to radiate from large circular plazas like spokes from the hub of a wheel. Most prominent of these are the construction of the six main "spokes" of Woodward, Michigan, Grand River, Gratiot, and Jefferson avenues and Fort Street. The alignment of Woodward Avenue coincides with the axis of the pre-settlement Saginaw Trail which followed a route from Detroit to Saginaw via Flint. A series of Native American trails once radiated from the approximate location of the Campus Martius, and this inspired the choice of a radial geometry for Woodward's city plan. Woodward's Plan for Detroit was ultimately be discarded in 1817 while he was away in DC. Instead of following the pattern laid out by Woodward, then Territorial Governor Lewis Cass (hence Cass Ave) platted 10,000-acres of the surrounding countryside into a more typical Grid Plan of 160-acre rectangular farms girded by rectangular roads. This new platting became the basis for the modern layout of Detroit. Despite this, remnants of the original plan can still be found within the city's downtown, including the radial avenues emanating from the Campus Martius, the Campus itself, and the Grand Circus. Woodward was also one of the founders of the University of Michigan! The name and concept of the Campus Martius originated from ancient Rome, a publicly-owned area that's 2 square kilometers in extent. Campus Martius means "Field of Mars" in Latin. In ancient Rome, it was said to be the place where a storm cloud lifted Romulus to the afterlife. It was once the property of Rome's last Etruscan king, Tarquinius Superbus. After his defeat and exile, the plain was dedicated to the god Mars. Roman men assembled every spring before heading off to fight the hostile tribes that surrounded Rome, and citizens gathered for important religious festivals.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican Great comment & thank you from this Detroiter, however, one “critique” is that the Great Detroit Fire happened in 1802, not 1805. It laid waste to every original building in the city save for the British Fort that escaped the flames But lol everything else you said was spot on! Great post
@@NP-ui3tr Every source I found on the fire lists 1805 as the year the Great Fire happened, including the Detroit Historical Society. 1802 was the year Detroit was incorporated as town on the then Northwest Territory. Michigan became its own territory on June 30, 1805, 19 days after the fire, and the territorial government first incorporated Detroit as a city in 1806. Detroit was then unincorporated in 1809. After the British abandoned Detroit during the War of 1812, on October 24, 1815, Lewis Cass restored control of local affairs to the people of Detroit, with the election of a five-person board of trustees and enactment of a charter for the city of Detroit, thus incorporating it as a city again.
Love him or hate him - Dan Gilbert saved Detroit along with great leadership from Mike Duggan. My daughter graduated from Wayne State and we spend a ton of time downtown. It’s a crazy, electric,creative city full of great people. Thanks for getting the story of the real Detroit out there.
As a Detroit resident and a long time viewer this was like my Super Bowl. You did a great job hitting all the hot spots even making it out to the avenue of fashion where I recently purchased my 1st home. Thank you for coming out and shining light on our great city. To see the advancement made even since I was in high school (currently 26) makes my heart smile. Please come visit again soon!
I know very little about Detroit and this was a pretty cool intro. I live just outside Baltimore and spend a lot of time in the city and a lot of what I see in Detroit's resurgence makes me excited about Baltimore. Both cities have been a national punching bag for decades but there's a lot of good bones in both places and a population that really loves their city.
I met a guy from Baltimore staying at Hostel Detroit in Corktown (great place) and he was drawing a lot of parallels as well and was really excited. It was such a cool city with such a cool energy. You should check it out
I have a minor obsession with Detroit and its revitalization.. I'm constantly looking for information about historic renovations and closely followed every step of the Michigan Central Station renovation... It's amazing. I would love to move to the city and find a historic home... THANK YOU for the video! By the way you say the funniest $hit sometimes... "I don't have time for that, but what I do have time for is the the National Transit Database..." Totaly deadpan!
Thank you CityNerd! Detroit is a great city, it’s nice to see someone putting a spotlight on all the positive, hard work and elbow grease a lot of people have put into this wonderful city that’s been kicked around and made the punchline of jokes. Next time you’re in town, if you got some extra time, check out the Detroit Institute of Arts, I’m sure you’d really enjoy it! Props for all the local stuff you got right!
Half a Detroiter here (from the suburbs, but school and work in the city). Great video and fair critique of our transportation. It’s the motor city, so cars were definitely prioritized by design, and now we all need them here. I’ve worked in the blight removal programs, and it is daunting, but the city has made huge progress. I appreciate the positivity in your video and hope Detroit keeps making progress.
Hi! Love your channel with the perfect amount of information and honesty. Great beard! Thank you for the really nice shout out to my hometown of Detroit. There is HUGE city pride despite all the ups and downs throughout the years. I mean, the city burned 3 times and always rises. Wishing you good stuff!
The way you talk about the pizzas 😂 so good! It always amazes me how much you are able to see, film and accomplish in a short space of time. Makes me want to visit Detroit. Thanks for another great video, Ray 💚
Go. Get pizza at Grandma Bob's in Corktown and take it to eat at a picnic table in Roosevelt Park. It does have an erratic quality, which is mainly seen in its messed up roads and horrendous driving style. And you can find blight, trap houses fairly easily. Just because an area like off Warren in Islandview looks visually bleak doesn't mean actual danger. The most dangerous areas are far from "tourist" spots. You will feel and notice a palpable edge approaching anywhere near them. But it's so much more. I was just cruising through Bagley neighborhood scouting the childhood homes of Stevie Wonder, Francis Ford Coppola and a singer from the Temptations all within a few blocks. City has a ton of architecture. Many inner suburbs of interest. Great food. It's just...extremely sprawled. Hope you get to explore it!
As a near Detroiter I’d suggest Jets Pizza as a decent alternative. It’s a local chain that has expanded into some other areas of the country. Some of us (like me) prefer it to Buddy’s.
Wow, I knew the transit situation was grim there, and you did confirm it, but I was blown away by the architecture, it is *very* comparable to Chicago in that regard. Overall a gorgeous city and I hope to see it continue to rebound
As a chicagoan i can honestly say that Dtown looks beautiful with all of the upgrades and the rebuilding/rebranding has came a long way glad to see it taking shape again!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I live in downtown Detroit for 16 years now I just love it. I just find in my travels. There’s no city like it and that’s in a very good way. So many interesting combinations, such a wonderful history, such incredible new development and ideas, and a very diverse and welcoming population.it’s comfortable and exciting and imaginative, I love it
I greatly appreciate your look at Detroit. I was born and raised in Highland Park/Detroit in the 70s before we moved to the suburbs. The depth of the decline was ever present growing up. Then as a young adult I moved to Chicago and lived there for 25 years. When I started thinking about coming back in the 2010s, I was pleasantly surprised by the changes to the city. And am happy that it keeps on going. It's not something that has or will happen overnight, and there's still alot to improve upon. But Detroit has come a long way and not many outside its border really know that yet.
the bones of the city are beautiful, tbh. some of those neighborhoods and those home are 😍 those big buildings and impressive boulevards are awesome. it just looks beautiful. seems like there's so much to be optimistic about.
They need mass transit rail cars in the suburbs that travel to Downtown Detroit to shop and enjoy game sports and events. That would get suburban residents downtown within a short time. I was born in the Detroit area in the early 1960s and travel there yearly.
Mass transit HAS been put on the table at different times for DECADES and it’s always been the SUBURBS that have refused to go alone with it actually happening I can remember DECADES ago when the federal government was going to pay for 80% of a subway system…. But it has always been shot down by the some SUBURBAN communities feeling it would more so benefit Detroit Proper
@@brucebeamon5460 I agree that there has been resistance, but it has often come from suburban elected officials like the late L. Brooks Patterson. He would condemn to attract votes. Without Detroit, there would not have been the creation of the Detroit suburbs. A thriving Detroit benefits the suburban communities. It attracts investors and companies to the Detroit Metropolitan Area, which often means more jobs in the suburbs and more employment for suburban residents who commute to Detroit to reach their place of work. Who wants to invest in a decaying city with a decreasing population if it can be reversed? It is getting better and better year to year.
I moved to Detroit in 1985. By the time I had been here 5 years, I think I had been downtown more than most of the folks I worked with in the suburbs. The Tigers and Red Wings would pull people downtown, but the Lions were in Pontiac and the Pistons were out in Pontiac too and then Auburn Hills. Its so much better to have all four teams within a few blocks of each other now. I started doing regular bike rides throughout the city in 2012. The difference in the city between then and now is amazing. So many areas are thriving and walk-able now. Sure there are many areas that are tough, but when you have a city the physical size of Detroit - as big as Boston, Manhattan, and San Fransisco combined - with fewer than 700,000 people it will take some big ideas to find use for all the land.
As a native Detroiter (now living and working in Nashville, TN), it's a beautiful city. Even in some of the more blighted areas of the city (places you probably shouldn't go alone), you always hidden gems, and places you didn't think would exist in any city. Detroit is a phenomenal place to live, work, and find entertainment. So, I live in Nashville, and I work here as well, but Detroit will always be home. I was born and raised in the city, and I still have family in Detroit. I'll always have a home there, if I ever go back... Personally, I prefer that has fairs well under economic pressure, and Nashville is that city. Like I said, Detroit will be always be home. Go on, call me bias.... I'll wait.
I first visited Detroit in 2011 and couldn't believe the level of abandonment and decay. My last visit was 2017, so still a long time ago from now, but even on that visit I could see so much progress and things were changing so dramatically. You could tell the city was finally on an upward trajectory and it's great to see what a lot of I saw under construction in 2017 now looks like!
I lived most of my life between corn fields in southern Indiana, completely isolated from the bustling city life for 22 years. I'm a new Detroiter who moved to Michigan only 5 years ago, and purchased a home on the west side of the city 2 years ago..and I really do love this city. The changes it has gone through just those 5 years are pretty astonishing, even more in the last 2. I'm proud, fortunate, and grateful for the opportunities this city has provided me. "Say good things about Detroit", a place that'll likely be a forever home for me. From corn stalks to coney dogs.
Always good to see you, Ray! I’m also excited that you’re coming to My Own City, Atlanta! 🎉 Also, as a half-Sicilian, I loved your description of the Little Caesar’s “product.”’😂
Thank you for the visit City Nerd! I’ve been watching your channel for some years now and have loved your laidback, informative style with slightly sardonic/sarcastic humor. I’ve learned a lot more about the US then I did in any class. I also love your take on stroads and pickup truck culture. I myself moved to Detroit in 2019, and unfortunately didn’t get to experience much before Covid. Detroit is such a complex place, and the national news media has done a great disservice. You on the other hand presented a very thorough and thoughtful overview of the city, and I believe folks from outside of Michigan now will have a better sense of what Detroit is actually like! Great Job as always man, and I look forward to more videos from you! PS I wonder what’s your take is on all the Pickup trucks in town 😁
Ahhh Detroit my city!!! I’ve been waiting for this video ahhaha, but really though love this city so much, it’s a beautiful cultural place with lots too do, wondering if you visited Mexican town which is my area!! Sadly yes road designs seem too be planning for the Detroit of 2 million people because we have so many roads that do not need to be as wide as they are, and people in this city drive insane bc we have such wide roads. In fact most people drive for nearly all their trips. Hoping that we can get some young smart people too start really thinking about truly improving transit and road design because it could really help the city. And you didn’t even touch Oakland or Macomb counties that’s a whole new story😵💫
Thank you for coming to visit the marvelous Motor City, Motown, Paris of the Midwest. Well made videos like this showcase our cities insane renaissance. I’m so proud of our City and our resilience!
I visited downtown Detroit at the same time as you and I was really impressed. You can tell things are turning around which is great to see. The Detroit Institute of Arts Museum is incredible (inside and out).
Detroit tops my list of US Cities I am curious to just explore and discover what's going on. I hear heart things and have cautious hopes for a Midwest / Rust Belt cities Renaissance.
i’ve lived in metro detroit almost my whole life. super great video here, thinking about the history of my city and thinking about the spirits of all the fans at the old detroit tigers stadium still being able to watch ball is so magical to me. thanks for such an amazing video!
Thanks for covering Detroit 🙏🏻 give ford credit, they did a fantastic job restoring Michigan Central (hopefully train service can be restored there as well). Also, you did a great job covering a lot but I’ll add an interesting project where they’re converting 375 into a boulevard (maybe still not the most people centric design but certainly an improvement)
There's a group (sadly blanking on the name at the moment) that is trying very hard to have it restored to the proportions of the original boulevard that 375 replaced. A very wide grassy and tree lined median with a pedestrian promenade, flanked by 3 lanes of vehicle traffic on each side, though they're advocating the outermost 2 lanes be made fully protected bike lanes
@@systemakhaosu810That project is in the works. It is called the Reconnecting Communities Project and went through the environmental impact survey and is in the design and planning stages.
Great presentation! I’ve been a suburban Detroiter for 30 years, and worked in Midtown for half of those. I love this area, and appreciate all your terrific insights. You are so right about our need for public transportation. It has to be agreed on between three counties: Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland. If they could all come to understand how much of a benefit it would be for all of them, we would all be better off.
Nerd, I'm from Portland but recently visited Detroit for a football game. I was STUNNED at the comparison. We went downtown Friday night, Sunday all day, and again Monday. And I haven't seen Portland buzzing like that a single time since the pandemic. Even on Monday. And there was nothing even close to as bad as Portland's Chinatown in terms of safety concerns. Now... We definitely never ventured out of downtown. Apparently the residential zones just outside of downtown are some of the rougher areas whereas Portland tends to be somewhere between fine and really nice in those zones. I was very very happy with the trip and would absolutely recommend it to anyone, especially if it's for a sporting event.
If you ever visited again I would recommend that you go and walk around downtown Birmingham for some fancy shops and eating. Somerset Mall is a nice mall to visit. Both are about 25 minutes north of downtown Detroit
As a metro Detroiter, I can say that was a fair characterization. Thanks for taking the time to come to the area and see what it’s like for yourself versus relying on outdated reviews from people who have never visited the area.
I loved Detroit on my last visit. I feel like my city New Orleans is another city that gets a lot of “hate without ever having been there” or worse hate from people who have only been to the French quarter.
I visited two years ago on a quick work trip, and had very similar experiences. A determined city on the rise, full of fresh vibrancy, and forging it's own path. Thanks for the great video!
I spent a week in Detroit for Brownfields in August 2023. We took a downtown walking tour similar to yours but guided by Bedrock's awesome architectural staff. They took us inside The Book, The Press, and some other projects. They're doing good things. Did you take my advice and try the moussaka at Pegasus Taverna?
As I was watching your excellent overview of Detroit I kept thinking, “Will he show the awesome bike path along the water and onto the island?” . You really caught the chill and friendly vibes in that bike path.
I work in the architecture field in/around detroit, actually doing a few projects in some locations you visited! And the city is very much alive. I'm so happy you liked it, you see potential just like all of us that live/work here do and I'm thankful for that. Our city does have a long way to go transportation wise so it's very fair you called that out. (Praying one day they'll reopen rail service at Michigan cental) Or more street cars! Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing it, just like you said there are so many stories Detroit has, it's hard not to love it
Great video! I really wanna visit Detroit now. As a Philadelphian, a lot of this video really hits home. The grandeur of the past, the hollowing-out that occured and the renwal that is present everwhere you look. You gotta come to Philly :)
I lived in Eastpointe, Michigan from 2007-08, while dating a girl from there before we both moved back to my hometown of Kansas City. It wasn't my home for very long, but I visited at least once a year for the next five years or so. I loved Michigan. I loved the people. Detroit always felt like a city with immense character, a city worth fighting for. I haven't been back for some time, but I love reading about how much things have improved there. Looks like I need to plan a trip soon!
In 2018, Final year of college (i went to ltu in Southfield, just north of Detroit) a friend and i would go downtown like once a month. It was really fun. Made me fall in love with Detroit
You'll have to come back next year after The Gordie Howe bridge opens. There's going to be a shared, bike/pedestrian path... And on the Detroit side, there's going to be an extensive, connect set of parks/paths all the way to downtown. The connectivity on the Canadian side is going to be garbage, because Windsor, because Windsor's City Council and BIAs absolutely suck.
Not really. It was more Oakland county, not the auto industry. There is plenty of reasons to dislike the Big three…look up Harry Bennett of the Ford Service department sometime…but people give too much blame for that.
Wish I would have know you were coming. I am a transportation planner with the MPO for Southeast, MI. I live in Detroit and was at the Jazzfest. Good video, I enjoy your content.
Detroit native here. I can't say anything that hasn't been already said in the comments. This is a great, and fair video. I was also pleasantly surprised by East Village part of the video. I also have to admit, describing Little Caesar's as "pizza-like" stings, but hilarious! Great video!
A lot of these city visits I do happen when someone pays me to come to town for a speaking engagement, etc. But what I REALLY love is to go to cities where I have no prior commitment at all, and I can just focus on the things I want to. I can't do those trips without support, though, and one great way of supporting is to subscribe to Nebula. (It also gets you all my videos early, ad-free, and sponsor-free!) Using my custom link gets you 40% off an annual subscription. (More options, like Lifetime, up in the description.) go.nebula.tv/citynerd
Did you take my advice and try the moussaka at Pegasus Taverna?
No robo cops
Would love to see this style of video for St Louis!
Nebula FTW
@@AMPProf Down with Omni Consumer Products!
As a Chicagoan, what you said at the end honestly brought a tear to my eye. American cities can get better and are absolutely worth fighting for! I hope I see Detroit, Saint Louis, Cleveland, Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Chicago make a big comeback in the 21st century!
Okay jew
I don’t think Chicago ever left. At least not in relation to all the other cities you mentioned.
Chicago doesn't need a comeback. It's a world-class, premier city.
I visited Milwaukee about a year a go and downtown is going through a major build phase. I imagine in a couple of years it will be incredibly vibrant.
@jalapenobomber milwaukee an others need to lose dt surface parking
Thank you sooo much.
Michigan Central Station was my gateway to the "Promised Land" in 1954 when I stepped off that New York Central train at Detroit’s awesome cathedral of commerce and met my father for the first time after cruising through the segregated south on a segregated train.
After connecting with my dad we walked over to the station coffee shop where my stepmom Chris was having her Sunday morning caffeine fix. This was the first time I had ever seen black and white people sitting at a lunch counter together. I was 9 years old and that was the defining moment in my life which began almost 80 years ago. I will always love the Motor City for showing me a better life filled with limitless possibilities I had never imagined before.
I’m moved by your heartfelt comment,thanks!❤
BASED COMMENT
This guy right here, please share some more stories from your perspective. Detroit transplant from Chicago but very much a gem of the Midwest
That was a beautiful story, and such a testament to what this city holds throughout its history. Thank you for sharing this.
@@Iissafaith My pleasure.👊🏾👴🏾✌🏾
Detroiter here. I was actually at your talk out in Dearborn. Thank you so much for coming and shining some light on what life here is actually like. I was tearing up watching you describe some of the magic. I really, deeply appreciate your work!
Ray did an excellent job bringing to light the renewal and tasteful criticism of our fine city and region!
I was at the talk too & agree - Ray hit some really strong chords that resonate locally and nationally alike
We thought so too
I was also there.
Be sure to subscribe to my second channel "CityNerd's magic escapades"
Kidding, thanks for coming out to Dearborn!
We're pro-Detroit here in Baltimore. Basically sister cities. Same story for both.
Same here.......we're both in same ol tired "bad city" jokes all the time. Kinda ends up forming a kinship with the other misrepresented cities in America. Hell, Detroit and Oakland, Ca. are basically dating each other LOLOLz!
@@creedawg1978 Oakland can join the Detroit-Cleveland-Pittsburgh-Baltimore family. It just sounds correct in my head.
@@creedawg1978 Funny how it's always the majority black cities that keep getting called "bad cities"
The Rust Belt Alliance (Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh are also in it) 👏
Detroit looks positively aspirational compared to Baltimore at this point
It’s obvious that you did your homework before or after arriving in Detroit. You picked up much more than I would expect for someone only in town for three days. Very well done! The four lane one way streets, as well as many other wide low traffic streets, are fantastic for biking - I have been involved in regular bike tours that have covered the whole city. Loved your presentation while you were here. And yes, I watched on Nebula yesterday.
As a Detroiter, thanks for the video about us! I feel no one gives us a fair shake.
It’s a shame. My spouse is from Ann Arbor and I hear stories from his mom about how magnificent Detroit was in its heyday. The Hudson’s dept store alone was a city unto itself- one of the largest switchboards in the world before phones became automated. Anyhow, I’m on team Detroit!
I live 1/2 mile north of the Detroit city line. Detroit has one of the world's best symphony orchestras!
Let's not forget, The Detroit Institute of Arts, another world class gem
@@PositiveSelfCenter absolutely!
Detroit could have a very exciting future. The city just grew in population for the first time in decades. Crime keeps falling. Lots of big investment pouring in around eds/meds and tech. New parks and greenways being built around the city.
LVT and rapid transit would kick Detroit’s recovery into a full on boom.
As a native Detroiter, I am skeptical that I will live to see rapid transit implemented on any meaningful scale in Detroit (even with it's amazing renaissance) especially not something like Chicago that connects all the way out to the suburbs, but I'm still not that old yet. That would be a fantastically expensive project given how filled in the suburbs are now. You can drive 40 miles in any direction from Detroit before you see a proper corn field. Idk if Chicago's qualifies as "rapid" transit but it's definitely mass transit and it works; I found their transportation to be pretty damn effective visiting the city without a car. But, being the motor city, it's very accommodating to car traffic and until that population gets back up to 2 million, Detroit is more than capable of handling the current population and influx of people when there's big concerts and sporting events. Getting around Detroit is honestly a breeze, especially if you know what you're doing, rely on GPS or have an experienced uber driver. Maybe I'm biased because I'm from Detroit but that city has a real charm or something to it I've never been able to put my finger on that, outside of Detroit, I've only ever felt in New Orleans.
Completely agree! I’d love to see some kind of shuttle/bus service to and from the airport. Something like service to/from downtown, Ann Arbor, and Royal Oak. Baby steps…
As someone that has lived nearly 50 years in Wayne county, I'm all for regional service! Unfortunately the DOT/SMART buses just aren't reliable enough for any real transport options. Getting Detroit proper setup is a step forward, but the overall metro area has an incredibly long way to go.
It's so exciting. So much space for building densely with much less NIMBY and historic preservation concern. And a chance to build a frequent, automated light metro from scratch.
Needs more freeways though. Shouldn't take 20 minutes to get from Pontiac to Novi.
Detroit fun facts: In 1911, the city was the first to implement one-way streets as a way of improving traffic flow and making commercial deliveries easier. The first stop sign in the US was installed in Detroit in 1915. They also were the first to have no parking zones. James Couzens had been the business manager of the Ford Motor Company from its founding until he got sick and tired of working for Henry Ford in 1913. After he retired from Ford, he went into politics, first becoming Detroit mayor and then a US senator. As mayor in 1917, Couzens proposed dealing with illegal parking with what he called “intensive disciplinary training”. Within half a year, the newly organized Detroit Towing Squad had towed almost 11,000 cars to a city owned vacant lot! And in 1920, William Potts, a Detroit policeman, invented the first four-way and three-colored traffic lights, introducing yellow lights to indicate the light would change soon! The Majestic Theatre and Fox Theatre were both designed by C. Howard Crane who worked on St Louis's Fox Theatre, DC's Warner Theatre, and the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre (demolished in 2014) in London. The Detroit Public Library on the other hand was designed by Cass Gilbert who worked on NYC's Woolworth Building, the US Supreme Court in DC, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas, and West Virginia! Belle Isle was named in honor of Miss Isabelle Cass, daughter of Governor (General) Lewis Cass. Before this, following his victory in the War of 1812, General Alexander Macomb Jr. was assigned to this region and owned the island as his estate. He was later appointed as Commanding General of the US Army. A monument to him was built in the Washington Boulevard Historic District downtown.
Coney dogs were created by Greeks who emigrated because of fallout from the Balkan Wars. They called them "Coneys" because many Greeks stopped at Nathan's in Coney Island after leaving Ellis Island before arriving in the Midwest. They were so impressed with the hot dogs there that they wanted to spread it wherever they went and came up with their own recipes. In Detroit, there's a tense rivalry between American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island right next door on which one has the better Coney dog. In fact, Lafayette Coney Island was actually founded by the BROTHER of the founder of American Coney Island! Like how Mister Donut became a thing because its founder Harry Winokur chose to no longer work with his brother-in-law, William Rosenberg the founder of Dunkin' Donuts. Detroit-style pizza is similar to deep dish but it's rectangular! Its car industry is why Detroit style pizzas are shaped rectangular! It was invented in 1946 at a place called Buddy's by Gus Guerra. Gus was searching for a high-end pizza pan to create the perfect pizza until he realized something. Detroit's auto assembly plants used blue steel utility trays used to hold parts (like nuts, bolts, etc). For these plants, they were just a thing to hold parts...to Gus, it was a Sicilian-like deep dish pizza.
Can't believe I missed this for 12 days. As a new Detroiter (5yrs, formerly from Australia) I'm incredibly proud to call this city home. It's a very special place, and its people are too.
Moved here from San Diego in 1991 and never looked back. Love this area and people. I work at Little Caesar's Arena and love downtown Detroit!
Heya Steven! Hope all's well! 💃🕺
Tammie? Haha fancy bumping into you here! I'm great, in Sicily rn for a friend's wedding. Hope you're doing well too!
What's your reason moving to Detroit? From Australia this sounds like a lateral move
@@ruiqianren9405 many reasons. To own a home in Australia I'd have to go into quite large debt which I'd be paying off well into my later years, whereas in Detroit I bought an abandoned home for practically nothing and with a few years and some hard work I now have a debt free home there, in a rough but central and improving neighborhood (NW Goldberg to be precise, right by the Lee Plaza building which is now being rehabbed). I also felt like an adventure. The music and art scene is incredible, great food, great people. Very bike rideable. It isn't for everyone but that's a big part of what makes it special for me.
Not a Detroiter, but really was impressed with what you were able to show in 20 min. or so. The contradictions you treated with honesty and sensitivity. It sure seems as though hope and imagination have survived there and moved things forward. So much now underutilized space. Such opportunity to create something wonderful.
Me too Detroit is NOT nearly as bad as people make it seem
Thank you ;3
Now walk through Warren Heights 🔫🗿
I love my home ❤ Thank you for saying nice things about Detroit.
say nice things is going to be my motto from now on
@@CityNerd Your video on Detroit earned my subscription, this comment cemented that I did the right thing.
Grew up in Detroit and have since traveled the country, now living in Tampa. I will tell you there is no city like Detroit in the US. The city and the people are very unique, so much in fact that whenever I meet someone from Detroit in a different state I can always tell theyre from the D, just by the way they think and move!
@SawStriker lol, I've been informed people from Michigan have their own accent. I don't think we have accents, but I'm biased cuz I live in Metro Detroit.
@@deannamarie8389 That's facts lol. As soon as i left i started hearing all types of different accents. Youd never know cause every in michigan is FROM michigan lol
As a Detroit resident (Chicago native, so I know urbanism), CityNerd fan (I have the merch!) and someone who works in auto (please don’t throw tomatoes), I’ve been anxiously awaiting this video! Thank you for doing the city justice. There is so much energy here and more people need to see and understand that beyond the negative (and unfair) headlines and stereotypes. As we say: Detroit isn’t back-Detroit never left.
Yeah I had meant to make a point about the people who never left and somehow it got lost in the shuffle when I was writing. Again, just way too many interesting stories to tell.
I'm seriously considering moving..what's been your experience in Detroit? Safety is a concern of mine and I've read responders and police are slow to arrive. I'd be moving from Chicago as well and would love to hear your thoughts.
@@Djsertraline there is crime in every big city. My advice would be the same for anyone: learn about neighborhoods, walk them to get a feel for what you’re comfortable with, get to know the area and your neighbors, don’t do anything stupid and keep your guard up. I live downtown and have yet to experience crime myself. Detroit’s, and the country’s crime rate is on the decline. (By comparison when I lived in Chicago it felt more present, ex: hearing gunshots, seeing property crime. That said I’d still move back to Chicago in a heartbeat!)
@@shardimn87 is your car insurance crazy high?
@@Djsertraline Car insurance rates are ridiculous in Detroit, unfortunately. I had a lower rate when I lived downtown and when I lived on the edge of the city (in the same zip code as the affluent Grosse Pointes, East of the city). It's one thing that pushed my out to the suburbs b/c I just couldn't justify the cost.
If you can, play with quotes based on different zip codes in the city. I'd bet that now, the higher the rents/home prices, the lower the car insurance.
I'm only three minutes into the video, but I'm immediately impressed by how beautiful downtown Detroit looks. I've never visited or seen any video of it, but it looks awesome!
Take a visit someday!
The downtown is phenomenal. Probably some of 10:12 the greatest examples of art deco architecture outside of NYC and prominent works from other periods as well- Beaux Arts, mid century modern, and postmodern are all well represented.
@@jacobbwalters8133 And if you're into art, don't forget the DIA (Detroit Institute of Art). It's free admission for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
I am shocked that there is a Gucci right smack downtown! LA doesn't even have that.
@@irdriel7760 $50 T-Shirt?
"Knee-jerk answers are not worthy of this channel." That's why folks who care about cities flock here! Thanks for all you do.
As a guy from Detroit I loved your video. You summarized a lot of history well. The only thing you got wrong was saying Yemeni food is better than polish food. I’ve had Yemeni and Bangladeshi food in Hamtramck, and it’s good make no mistake. But if you can find any of the old school Polish spots you will taste the most authentic, home-style Polish food in America. The Ivanhoe cafe (polish yacht club) was founded in 1909 and is legendarily good
As Detroiters, you nailed this one. Really did your research and showed why Detroit is an amazing, unique city. It has a complex set of problems, but no shortage of people willing to put in the work to make it the best it can be. For EVERYONE.
You did our city such justice. Good and bad. Thanks for coming here and not just shitting on it. A thoughtful honest review. Detroit has its problems but the powers at be are genuinely trying to fix them. It won’t happen overnight but people, such as yourself, coming to southeast Michigan and making videos like this is a major step in the right direction. We’re trying here. Thank you.
I just have such a respect and love for this city… My late fiancé was from here.. He had so much pride and love for this city… Its bittersweet for me now.. But I love the growth that happening here… I live in Ohio (45 mins away).. I will continue to visit.. it will be heavy-hearted and with tears in my eyes, I will always thank my forever guy for exposing me to this wonderful city..♥️
We stayed very close to Wayne State and the beauty of some of the old buildings, even the abandoned ones, is breathtaking. Pittsburgh has that quality too, one of the reasons I love it. These cities were wealthy in eras when people believed beauty was intertwined with progress and building a better world and brighter future.
Also when wealthy were actually taxed. So to avoid it they build cool shit lmao.
well said
Did you stay at the "Inn on Ferry St" or something?
When I was a kid, I sometimes heard people say that if Detroit got its act together, it would be something like Pittsburgh. They have more in-city universities, but otherwise, the cities are similar. I’ll give Pitt the edge in beauty (they have mountains), but any Coney Island crushes Primanti Bros. sandwiches. Yea, I said it… come at me, Pittsburgh. (J/k)
I graduated law school at Wayne State, recently went back to drop my son off for college, It's like a completely different university from when I went there, So many new buildings, It's a very large university now with dorms and all
Thank you, RAY! Great video. Yes, we can change. Cities like Detroit are worth fighting for.
I visited Detroit about a month before you by bus from Toronto (Originally from Nova Scotia) and it had a serious charm I wasn't necessarily expecting. Energy there was crazy, and totally in the people. Reminded me a lot of back home - musical, creative, space, rugged, friendly. So much about the city felt so much more familiar than Toronto has ever felt. Stayed in the hostel in Corktown (Hostel Detroit). I knew every single thing he talked about in this video from just over 2 days of solo travel. I went hard in Detroit. Couldn't sleep I was so excited. You covered so much of the cyclist / pedestrian experience. I feel like this comment could go on and on. Really cool fucking place in North America. That's it. Thanks for everything Detroit
Thank you for visiting and also for your kind words.
You seriously made me choke up with your comments. I’m so proud to live here and it makes me so happy to hear visitors love it too!
Glad you enjoyed, we are a great city!! Come back anytimr
Everyone loves to hate Detroit at the city level and California at the state level for purely political reasons, but this video proves the haters wrong. I'm starting to think I might want to visit Detroit in the future.
Not so much "wrong" as the showing that there's also many good things in there also. And that the city has the potential - as every crysis gives it, but they need to use the opportunities rightly
Hate for some place and distance one lives from said place is proportionate.
I just went and it was amazing
@@benchitty whatd you see 😁
Please do visit we have plenty going on even in the winter. Campsius Marcius turns I to a winter wo Verlander with a ice skating rink right in the heart of the city and just a few hours drive there is skiing and snowmobile trails. The city is beautiful along with our state!!
A few things he missed The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is replacing the I-375 freeway in downtown Detroit with a surface-level boulevard to reconnect neighborhoods.
Detroit is 73% black and has a very strong culture. The food is pretty good and service is pristine. Lastly Detroit is in a climate Goldilocks zone and will be impacted a lot slower than most places by climate issues.
The entire Great Lakes region is incredibly well-situated for climate change in the coming century.
I-375 project is now renown but IMO they'd better do the city water canal out of it and several other ones that's below ground level around the downtown and the midtown. It'd be cheaper, will also make great pedestrian and recreational space and brings precious water surfaces into the dense core of the city - it could be new green and eco-environ around it combing with the main waterfront
@@Whitebeard79outOfRus there is a huge movement to push back against the I375 redesign as many think it won't do much do reconnect neighborhoods. Look up "rethink I375" and consider joining!
@@chicomojo Great Lakes, upstate NY and inland New England. Except for towns in flood plains.
@@chicomojoshh, that’s our Michigander’s little secret. To everyone reading our winters are a nightmare!😂
I think Detroit is one of the major cities in the US that I have never been to (or ever even considered visiting). I think it's worth a look into, now!
It is. As is Cleveland.
Its worth it!! Detroit is amazing ❤
As a Detroit resident, I found your take on Little Caesar's pizza both hilarious and hurtful lol
Deep, deep is good tho.
And true
Well, the fact that it's the 3rd largest pizza chain in the world means that SOMEONE likes it
@@mememachine-386 not really. Ive found that LC is shit everywhere not in Michigan. The dough is off and usually stiff. LC here in MI is much better. Kinda like how Buffalo wings are better in Buffalo NY because they dont use so much breading like everyone else does when trying to replicate them and the generic hot sauce that they use. Are there better pizza spots? of course. But enjoy paying 40$ for two larges. Ill keep LC in business off their stuff crust pizza alone
@@MotownGuitarJoepeople like the price not the food
Thanks for being kind to Detroit. I was born there. I was there during its high times and its lowest times, and now I'm watching its resurrection. It still has a way to go, but the energy and incentive seems to be there.
I'm so glad you made a video about Detroit! I first visited Detroit for work about 7 years ago, and I was shocked and amazed at how friendly the people are, and how nice downtown was. Since then, I've gone to the Auto Show, concerts at the Detroit Fox Theatre, Red Wings games, Corktown, Cass Corridor, etc. There are so many things that I love about Detroit. The thing I love the most is it's resiliency. My friends and family think I'm crazy when I talk about how much I love Detroit. I've also spent a considerable amount of time in Ypsi, and Ann Arbor which are truly great as well.
Man this is exactly how I felt visiting a month or so before he did, from Toronto (Originally from Nova Scotia). I couldn't believe the charm Detroit has there was something really to it. The people are amazing. Something really special about Detroit, you're right.
Detroit's reputation is improving daily. I think the recent NFL draft opened many eyes. There is pride in the city. The main investors are banking a ton, but we're all winning. Someone had to take a chance. They've incentivised people to buy homes and renovate. It is truly a rebirth.
Visited Detroit for the first time last year and was absolutely blown away by it. It's a gorgeous city with some of the most down-to-earth and kind people I have ever met. Michigan as a whole is a very slept on state that I hope makes good decisions for a comeback in the coming decades.
As a former resident of e and w LP be careful. Ohio gets accused of a lof of "Florida" type shenanigans Michigan goes unnoticed for doing. Parts have end times militias, sundown towns, dry counties, and the west coast while unreal in beauty has a haven of Dutch Calvinists toward Holland, Grand Rapids, making it the missing piece of the Bible Belt. Detroit has a spirit of resilience not shared by the rest of the state. It can be moody, racist, resistant to change. Detroit is the gem. Much of the state always hated Detroit, Flint, "Saganasty," Benton Harbor. The west coast LP outside of Grand Rapids (one of its many deeply troubled towns with high rates of violence) is financial by being a Riviera for Chicagoans during summer. Ohio has more big cities and a cheaper COL. There are also less deer and dirt roads (my friend lived in city limits Ann Arbor with a dirt city street ffs). Not saying it's better (Michiganders tend to bristle but the states are laid out similar and similar regionally) because Dutch Calvinist gloom and doom lurks under the surface of Northern Ohio. Cleveland is a fascinating deeply troubled place. However if it plays its cards right it can become a mini-Chicago with distinct neighborhoods. Already has a subway.
@@Pomeray8 I still have to make it out to Ohio. Cleveland fascinates me in much of the same ways that Detroit does. I wonder if the difference is because one (Michigan) has a democratic Governor and majority in their legislative branch? I've noticed that blue states (even if barely blue) get defended a lot more than red (even if barely red) states. I'm from Iowa originally and am aware of the weird, isolationist tendencies of Dutch Calvinist communities (there are a few out in west and central Iowa). Iowa is also similarly compared to Florida. Though I can venture to guess that there are more dirt / gravel roads in Iowa than either Ohio or Michigan :D. I've only been to the west coast of Michigan once (St. Joes / Benton Harbor) and thought it was wonderful (mostly because it was pretty). Though the contrast between those two cities was stark. St. Joseph feels like a different (fancier and nicer) country compared to Benton Harbor. I am tentatively excited for Michigan though because they are so aggressively passing progressive policies. There's more hope there, politically, than in Iowa (IMO).
@@Pomeray8 Michigan has some of the finest educational institutions in the country. Education is the best defense to Trumpism and it has shown with a very effective and well-regarded democratic leadership team in place. MAGA can whine all they want but Michigan is better than it has been in decades and we're laying more concrete here than anytime since the 70s because our freeways are finally being rebuilt and expanded after years of Republican neglect and band-aid fixes. We get it done here and we're not stuck in the 1940s like the GOP.
i'm from the UK, and visited detroit in 2008 as a 13 yo due to my dad having worked in michigan for a short period. Fascinating place, i've backed the sports teams and the city in general ever since. We visited some of the buildings mentioned in this video and it's so good to see them in better shape.
it has changed hugely since then, come on back!
I did the same in reverse, lived in Coventry for the first half of the 1970s at a slightly younger age (7-11). Still have a Coventry City jersey around somewhere... and I'm always happy to have an excuse to take the family over to the West Midlands 🙂
I spent a week in Detroit last year for work and it was AWESOME. What an unsung city enjoying a rebirth. Downtown was awesome with so much going on.
It's cracking me up seeing all the photos of Corktown. We stayed in that brand-new Godfrey that has been somewhat controversial. Great area.
Were you there for Brownfields 2023?
The hostel in Corktown is amazing, definitely this guy's passion project
Unsung city? You kidding? There are more songs about Detroit “Motown, Kiss, Eminem, Kid Rock, Whits Stripes, etc.. than most other cities ive heard
So it’s decided, all City Nerds subscribers are moving to Detroit! Mayor City Nerd has a nice ring to it!
Love to Detroit from your Canadian sister -- Edmonton!!
Keep it up guys, you're showing us who you really are!
Detroit guy here, big Wings fan but I was rooting for the Oilers this last year in the playoffs. Thanks for the kind words!
Windsor: 🧍♀
My grandfather would load up his horse drawn wagon with poultry, eggs, milk and butter on Saturday mornings around 1 am and head to the Eastern Market in Detroit, a journey of some 55 to 60 miles. That was in the 20’s and 30’s. He was usually home by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Thanks for this, Detroit needs this.
Thank you for visiting my city and giving an unbiased review. One quiet billionaire you missed that started the transformation of Detroit is Roger Penske.
Penske seems to be more of a driver of events rather than real estate development. IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix and the city's prep for SuperBowl XL (2006) were/are very much Penske operations.
@@MotownGuitarJoe very true. His drive to get the Super Bowl to Detroit started the positive changes downtown. Cleanup of the area and new business moving to downtown.
Shhhhhhhhhhh.....we don't want to let too many ppl know it's not actually a post apocolyptic, Mad-Max-times hellscape! But seriously, OMG....thank you SOOOO much for coming through the City. I literally was on the lookout for you at the Jazz fest!
Besides the QLine, the DPM, and the city's bus system, Windsor runs a bus service to Detroit using the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, connecting downtown Detroit with the Windsor International Transit Terminal (next to an indoor water park). And the new Gordie Howe International Bridge allows a bike and pedestrian lane for people to walk or bike across for free! The bridge forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, linking trail networks on both sides of the river including the Canadian Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, as well as the American Iron Belle Trail and the Great Lakes Way. It's definitely worth mentioning Detroit's transit history and how much of a struggle it's been to build a transit system there. The Detroit People Mover was meant to be part of a bigger system! It was meant to be a downtown distributor for a proposed city and metro-wide light rail transit system for Detroit in the early 1980s. Plans included an underground subway that would've been built from downtown to New Center, where it would transition into an elevated rail line running to McNichols (Six Mile). From there, it would've been a street-level light rail and extend beyond Detroit and into Royal Oak, and possibly later into Pontiac (this "Woodward-Michigan service" would've included lines to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and a Fort line towards Pennsylvania Rd in Southgate), with additional rail lines running on Grand River Ave, Mound Road, Harper Ave, and Gratiot Ave, and commuter lines from Detroit to Ann Arbor and Port Huron. However, it and the suburbs couldn't decide on anything for the 600 million promised by Gerald Ford, and so only the circulator got built and the money was withdrawn by Reagan. So the QLine built in 2017 was a step closer to that old vision. Detroit also had commuter rail to Pontiac under SEMTA, but it stopped in 1983, and Amtrak picked up Detroit-Pontiac service as part of the Wolverine.
As mentioned, the QLine is still useful, it serves Wayne State University, Fox Theatre, Amtrak, Little Caesars Arena, and is walking distance from the Lions and Tigers stadiums as well from Grand Circus Park. But being curbside and not being in the median for most of its length hurts it and slows its down, and when asked by transit advocates during the planning, the QLine people were like "Yeah so?", they didn't care, they didn't want it to be true transit, they just wanted a casual touristy streetcar to attract development. But in 2016, a plan was put forward that included lots of BRT, cross-county connector routes, more frequent routes, and even commuter rail to Ann Arbor. 894K approved and 911K rejected, but it shows more people are willing to fight for transit! So I still have hope! Both the QLine and DPM are fare-free, ridership is up, they're talking about expanding the DPM to reflect how downtown is now a place people live and play. As shown with riverfront apartments by West Riverfront DPM, otherwise cutoff from downtown by a highway. Besides that plan I mentioned, Detroit has tried many other times to build a subway or an L, like in 1920 when the proposal was vetoed by the mayor (and the council failed to override the veto by JUST ONE VOTE), the vote for a subway (this one was envisioned to be an extensive 21-mile system) was put off the ballot last minute in 1927, 72 percent rejected it in 1929, 68 percent approved in 1933 but the federal government refused to fund it, a scaled-down system was proposed in July 1941 but after Pearl Harbor happened, it fell off the radar, a 1945 plan envisioned subway lines along Woodward and Grand River, but it too didn't happen...yeah. And before this, Detroit had an insane interurban network and streetcar network! By the 1910s, Detroit was the hub of one of the largest unified electrical transportation systems in the world. Detroit United Railways operated what may have been the largest regional electric rail system in the world. It had more than 800 miles of track, more than 200 of them in the city limits of Detroit, where one fare would get you across town, and 600 miles in the high-speed interurban lines. The streetcars were 24 hours a day and ran every few minutes!
I absolutely loved Detroit; it's not what many people think. It was once known as the "Paris of the Midwest" for its stunning architecture, although some of those beautiful buildings have been lost over time. The city has a unique potential to create new memories and attract businesses, all thanks to its advantageous location. I believe Detroit has a bright future, especially as more investors begin to see its possibilities for themselves.
Love Detroit! In Huntsville, AL now but cannot wait to move there next year. So much history and culture. In my experience, Detroiters are very proud of the progress and there is a real sense of community.
I visited Detroit back in Spring Break 2019 for a FIRST robotics world championship and when I was there, I loved downtown, Detroit-style pizza is honestly my favorite style of pizza (and I say this as a NYer born to NJ parents) and it definitely has a lot of potential! Campus Martius was the focal point of Judge Augustus Woodward's (hence Woodward Ave) plan for the reconstruction of Detroit after the Great Fire of 1805 (this fire is referenced on Detroit's flag) which destroyed almost everything in the city that only had 600 residents at the time. So the fire gave them an opportunity to build a new hopeful, big, and strong city that has risen from the ashes, which is why their motto is "Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus" or "We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes". The resulting plan drew heavily from L'Enfant's layout for DC. Woodward proposed a system of hexagonal street blocks, with the Grand Circus at its center. Wide avenues, alternatively 200 feet and 120 feet, were designed to radiate from large circular plazas like spokes from the hub of a wheel. Most prominent of these are the construction of the six main "spokes" of Woodward, Michigan, Grand River, Gratiot, and Jefferson avenues and Fort Street. The alignment of Woodward Avenue coincides with the axis of the pre-settlement Saginaw Trail which followed a route from Detroit to Saginaw via Flint. A series of Native American trails once radiated from the approximate location of the Campus Martius, and this inspired the choice of a radial geometry for Woodward's city plan.
Woodward's Plan for Detroit was ultimately be discarded in 1817 while he was away in DC. Instead of following the pattern laid out by Woodward, then Territorial Governor Lewis Cass (hence Cass Ave) platted 10,000-acres of the surrounding countryside into a more typical Grid Plan of 160-acre rectangular farms girded by rectangular roads. This new platting became the basis for the modern layout of Detroit. Despite this, remnants of the original plan can still be found within the city's downtown, including the radial avenues emanating from the Campus Martius, the Campus itself, and the Grand Circus. Woodward was also one of the founders of the University of Michigan! The name and concept of the Campus Martius originated from ancient Rome, a publicly-owned area that's 2 square kilometers in extent. Campus Martius means "Field of Mars" in Latin. In ancient Rome, it was said to be the place where a storm cloud lifted Romulus to the afterlife. It was once the property of Rome's last Etruscan king, Tarquinius Superbus. After his defeat and exile, the plain was dedicated to the god Mars. Roman men assembled every spring before heading off to fight the hostile tribes that surrounded Rome, and citizens gathered for important religious festivals.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican
Great comment & thank you from this Detroiter, however, one “critique” is that the Great Detroit Fire happened in 1802, not 1805. It laid waste to every original building in the city save for the British Fort that escaped the flames
But lol everything else you said was spot on! Great post
@@NP-ui3tr Every source I found on the fire lists 1805 as the year the Great Fire happened, including the Detroit Historical Society. 1802 was the year Detroit was incorporated as town on the then Northwest Territory. Michigan became its own territory on June 30, 1805, 19 days after the fire, and the territorial government first incorporated Detroit as a city in 1806. Detroit was then unincorporated in 1809. After the British abandoned Detroit during the War of 1812, on October 24, 1815, Lewis Cass restored control of local affairs to the people of Detroit, with the election of a five-person board of trustees and enactment of a charter for the city of Detroit, thus incorporating it as a city again.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican
Ok, got it mixed up
Thanks for clarifying
Detroiter here! Great video and really impressive amount of detail in a fairly quick watch.
Detroit has way too much potential to waste away. It’s definitely worth fighting for.
Love him or hate him - Dan Gilbert saved Detroit along with great leadership from Mike Duggan. My daughter graduated from Wayne State and we spend a ton of time downtown. It’s a crazy, electric,creative city full of great people. Thanks for getting the story of the real Detroit out there.
As a Detroit resident and a long time viewer this was like my Super Bowl. You did a great job hitting all the hot spots even making it out to the avenue of fashion where I recently purchased my 1st home. Thank you for coming out and shining light on our great city. To see the advancement made even since I was in high school (currently 26) makes my heart smile. Please come visit again soon!
I know very little about Detroit and this was a pretty cool intro. I live just outside Baltimore and spend a lot of time in the city and a lot of what I see in Detroit's resurgence makes me excited about Baltimore. Both cities have been a national punching bag for decades but there's a lot of good bones in both places and a population that really loves their city.
I met a guy from Baltimore staying at Hostel Detroit in Corktown (great place) and he was drawing a lot of parallels as well and was really excited. It was such a cool city with such a cool energy. You should check it out
Baltimore is far more dangerous than Detroit
I have a minor obsession with Detroit and its revitalization.. I'm constantly looking for information about historic renovations and closely followed every step of the Michigan Central Station renovation... It's amazing. I would love to move to the city and find a historic home... THANK YOU for the video! By the way you say the funniest $hit sometimes... "I don't have time for that, but what I do have time for is the the National Transit Database..." Totaly deadpan!
Thank you CityNerd! Detroit is a great city, it’s nice to see someone putting a spotlight on all the positive, hard work and elbow grease a lot of people have put into this wonderful city that’s been kicked around and made the punchline of jokes. Next time you’re in town, if you got some extra time, check out the Detroit Institute of Arts, I’m sure you’d really enjoy it! Props for all the local stuff you got right!
FYI ~ he DID SHOW a MURAL that’s located INSIDE the MUSEUM ! Which means he did not miss it
@@brucebeamon5460 That mural is at the Detroit Public Library across the street.
@@brucebeamon5460 The museum has a better mural
will be heading there later this year - my first time ! very excited about it
Have a fun time on your visit. My city has a lot to offer.
It's awesome. Went a couple months ago
Check out the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Motown Museum when you come. You won’t be disappointed.
This might be your best yet... and that's a high bar. LOVE.
Half a Detroiter here (from the suburbs, but school and work in the city). Great video and fair critique of our transportation. It’s the motor city, so cars were definitely prioritized by design, and now we all need them here. I’ve worked in the blight removal programs, and it is daunting, but the city has made huge progress. I appreciate the positivity in your video and hope Detroit keeps making progress.
Hi! Love your channel with the perfect amount of information and honesty. Great beard! Thank you for the really nice shout out to my hometown of Detroit. There is HUGE city pride despite all the ups and downs throughout the years. I mean, the city burned 3 times and always rises. Wishing you good stuff!
The way you talk about the pizzas 😂 so good!
It always amazes me how much you are able to see, film and accomplish in a short space of time.
Makes me want to visit Detroit. Thanks for another great video, Ray 💚
Ooh I’ve been waiting for this one! Detroit is actually beautiful.
Thanks for this video of my hometown. We really have problems but we do have a future.
Man Detroit seems cool! This video makes me want to visit now honestly. I could really go for some high quality deep dish pizza
Go. Get pizza at Grandma Bob's in Corktown and take it to eat at a picnic table in Roosevelt Park. It does have an erratic quality, which is mainly seen in its messed up roads and horrendous driving style. And you can find blight, trap houses fairly easily. Just because an area like off Warren in Islandview looks visually bleak doesn't mean actual danger. The most dangerous areas are far from "tourist" spots. You will feel and notice a palpable edge approaching anywhere near them. But it's so much more. I was just cruising through Bagley neighborhood scouting the childhood homes of Stevie Wonder, Francis Ford Coppola and a singer from the Temptations all within a few blocks. City has a ton of architecture. Many inner suburbs of interest. Great food. It's just...extremely sprawled. Hope you get to explore it!
I moved here after visiting & it is THE BEST!
As a near Detroiter I’d suggest Jets Pizza as a decent alternative. It’s a local chain that has expanded into some other areas of the country. Some of us (like me) prefer it to Buddy’s.
@@Bonnev-jt8hlI prefer jets to buddys ANY day ngl
Wow, I knew the transit situation was grim there, and you did confirm it, but I was blown away by the architecture, it is *very* comparable to Chicago in that regard. Overall a gorgeous city and I hope to see it continue to rebound
As a chicagoan i can honestly say that Dtown looks beautiful with all of the upgrades and the rebuilding/rebranding has came a long way glad to see it taking shape again!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
11:13 biking it detroit is getting bigger and bigger lately. When the new bridge is opened, you will be able to bike across it as well.
As a metro Detroiter, thank you for this video. I think you very accurately described the city. It’s really not such a bad place.
Thank you from Ferndale MI
I live in downtown Detroit for 16 years now I just love it. I just find in my travels. There’s no city like it and that’s in a very good way. So many interesting combinations, such a wonderful history, such incredible new development and ideas, and a very diverse and welcoming population.it’s comfortable and exciting and imaginative, I love it
I greatly appreciate your look at Detroit. I was born and raised in Highland Park/Detroit in the 70s before we moved to the suburbs. The depth of the decline was ever present growing up. Then as a young adult I moved to Chicago and lived there for 25 years. When I started thinking about coming back in the 2010s, I was pleasantly surprised by the changes to the city. And am happy that it keeps on going. It's not something that has or will happen overnight, and there's still alot to improve upon. But Detroit has come a long way and not many outside its border really know that yet.
the bones of the city are beautiful, tbh. some of those neighborhoods and those home are 😍 those big buildings and impressive boulevards are awesome. it just looks beautiful. seems like there's so much to be optimistic about.
They need mass transit rail cars in the suburbs that travel to Downtown Detroit to shop and enjoy game sports and events. That would get suburban residents downtown within a short time. I was born in the Detroit area in the early 1960s and travel there yearly.
The detroit area has a lot of wide arterials with wide medians that would be perfect for elevated rail pylons.
Mass transit HAS been put on the table at different times for DECADES and it’s always been the SUBURBS that have refused to go alone with it actually happening I can remember DECADES ago when the federal government was going to pay for 80% of a subway system…. But it has always been shot down by the some SUBURBAN communities feeling it would more so benefit Detroit Proper
@@brucebeamon5460
I agree that there has been resistance, but it has often come from suburban elected officials like the late L. Brooks Patterson. He would condemn to attract votes. Without Detroit, there would not have been the creation of the Detroit suburbs. A thriving Detroit benefits the suburban communities. It attracts investors and companies to the Detroit Metropolitan Area, which often means more jobs in the suburbs and more employment for suburban residents who commute to Detroit to reach their place of work.
Who wants to invest in a decaying city with a decreasing population if it can be reversed? It is getting better and better year to year.
I moved to Detroit in 1985. By the time I had been here 5 years, I think I had been downtown more than most of the folks I worked with in the suburbs. The Tigers and Red Wings would pull people downtown, but the Lions were in Pontiac and the Pistons were out in Pontiac too and then Auburn Hills. Its so much better to have all four teams within a few blocks of each other now.
I started doing regular bike rides throughout the city in 2012. The difference in the city between then and now is amazing. So many areas are thriving and walk-able now. Sure there are many areas that are tough, but when you have a city the physical size of Detroit - as big as Boston, Manhattan, and San Fransisco combined - with fewer than 700,000 people it will take some big ideas to find use for all the land.
Just try to tell that to the residents of Macomb and Oakland county.
As a native Detroiter (now living and working in Nashville, TN), it's a beautiful city. Even in some of the more blighted areas of the city (places you probably shouldn't go alone), you always hidden gems, and places you didn't think would exist in any city. Detroit is a phenomenal place to live, work, and find entertainment. So, I live in Nashville, and I work here as well, but Detroit will always be home. I was born and raised in the city, and I still have family in Detroit. I'll always have a home there, if I ever go back... Personally, I prefer that has fairs well under economic pressure, and Nashville is that city. Like I said, Detroit will be always be home. Go on, call me bias.... I'll wait.
I first visited Detroit in 2011 and couldn't believe the level of abandonment and decay. My last visit was 2017, so still a long time ago from now, but even on that visit I could see so much progress and things were changing so dramatically. You could tell the city was finally on an upward trajectory and it's great to see what a lot of I saw under construction in 2017 now looks like!
I lived most of my life between corn fields in southern Indiana, completely isolated from the bustling city life for 22 years. I'm a new Detroiter who moved to Michigan only 5 years ago, and purchased a home on the west side of the city 2 years ago..and I really do love this city. The changes it has gone through just those 5 years are pretty astonishing, even more in the last 2. I'm proud, fortunate, and grateful for the opportunities this city has provided me. "Say good things about Detroit", a place that'll likely be a forever home for me. From corn stalks to coney dogs.
Always good to see you, Ray! I’m also excited that you’re coming to My Own City, Atlanta! 🎉 Also, as a half-Sicilian, I loved your description of the Little Caesar’s “product.”’😂
Thank you for the visit City Nerd!
I’ve been watching your channel for some years now and have loved your laidback, informative style with slightly sardonic/sarcastic humor.
I’ve learned a lot more about the US then I did in any class.
I also love your take on stroads and pickup truck culture. I myself moved to Detroit in 2019, and unfortunately didn’t get to experience much before Covid.
Detroit is such a complex place, and the national news media has done a great disservice.
You on the other hand presented a very thorough and thoughtful overview of the city, and I believe folks from outside of Michigan now will have a better sense of what Detroit is actually like! Great Job as always man, and I look forward to more videos from you!
PS I wonder what’s your take is on all the Pickup trucks in town 😁
Ahhh Detroit my city!!! I’ve been waiting for this video ahhaha, but really though love this city so much, it’s a beautiful cultural place with lots too do, wondering if you visited Mexican town which is my area!! Sadly yes road designs seem too be planning for the Detroit of 2 million people because we have so many roads that do not need to be as wide as they are, and people in this city drive insane bc we have such wide roads. In fact most people drive for nearly all their trips. Hoping that we can get some young smart people too start really thinking about truly improving transit and road design because it could really help the city. And you didn’t even touch Oakland or Macomb counties that’s a whole new story😵💫
Thank you for coming to visit the marvelous Motor City, Motown, Paris of the Midwest. Well made videos like this showcase our cities insane renaissance. I’m so proud of our City and our resilience!
This was a great video! there’s so much to say about Detroit and you touched on some really key perspectives.
I visited downtown Detroit at the same time as you and I was really impressed. You can tell things are turning around which is great to see. The Detroit Institute of Arts Museum is incredible (inside and out).
Detroit tops my list of US Cities I am curious to just explore and discover what's going on. I hear heart things and have cautious hopes for a Midwest / Rust Belt cities Renaissance.
i’ve lived in metro detroit almost my whole life. super great video here, thinking about the history of my city and thinking about the spirits of all the fans at the old detroit tigers stadium still being able to watch ball is so magical to me. thanks for such an amazing video!
Thanks for covering Detroit 🙏🏻 give ford credit, they did a fantastic job restoring Michigan Central (hopefully train service can be restored there as well). Also, you did a great job covering a lot but I’ll add an interesting project where they’re converting 375 into a boulevard (maybe still not the most people centric design but certainly an improvement)
There's a group (sadly blanking on the name at the moment) that is trying very hard to have it restored to the proportions of the original boulevard that 375 replaced. A very wide grassy and tree lined median with a pedestrian promenade, flanked by 3 lanes of vehicle traffic on each side, though they're advocating the outermost 2 lanes be made fully protected bike lanes
@@systemakhaosu810That project is in the works. It is called the Reconnecting Communities Project and went through the environmental impact survey and is in the design and planning stages.
Great presentation! I’ve been a suburban Detroiter for 30 years, and worked in Midtown for half of those. I love this area, and appreciate all your terrific insights. You are so right about our need for public transportation. It has to be agreed on between three counties: Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland. If they could all come to understand how much of a benefit it would be for all of them, we would all be better off.
Nerd, I'm from Portland but recently visited Detroit for a football game. I was STUNNED at the comparison. We went downtown Friday night, Sunday all day, and again Monday. And I haven't seen Portland buzzing like that a single time since the pandemic. Even on Monday. And there was nothing even close to as bad as Portland's Chinatown in terms of safety concerns. Now... We definitely never ventured out of downtown. Apparently the residential zones just outside of downtown are some of the rougher areas whereas Portland tends to be somewhere between fine and really nice in those zones. I was very very happy with the trip and would absolutely recommend it to anyone, especially if it's for a sporting event.
If you ever visited again I would recommend that you go and walk around downtown Birmingham for some fancy shops and eating. Somerset Mall is a nice mall to visit. Both are about 25 minutes north of downtown Detroit
As a metro Detroiter, I can say that was a fair characterization. Thanks for taking the time to come to the area and see what it’s like for yourself versus relying on outdated reviews from people who have never visited the area.
I loved Detroit on my last visit. I feel like my city New Orleans is another city that gets a lot of “hate without ever having been there” or worse hate from people who have only been to the French quarter.
New Orleans is like my second home I always have a good time 💪🏾
Really? I've only ever heard good things about New Orleans except the hurricanes
I visited two years ago on a quick work trip, and had very similar experiences. A determined city on the rise, full of fresh vibrancy, and forging it's own path. Thanks for the great video!
I spent a week in Detroit for Brownfields in August 2023. We took a downtown walking tour similar to yours but guided by Bedrock's awesome architectural staff. They took us inside The Book, The Press, and some other projects. They're doing good things. Did you take my advice and try the moussaka at Pegasus Taverna?
As I was watching your excellent overview of Detroit I kept thinking, “Will he show the awesome bike path along the water and onto the island?” .
You really caught the chill and friendly vibes in that bike path.
Thank you! Lived in Detroit 81 years. Not one statement I disagree with. That seldom happens.
Downtown Detroit is one of the safest places in the U.S. always has been! … You missed the frank lloyd wright house on 7 mile and Woodward.
What’s the address? I drive 7 mile every day can’t imagine that it’d miss it every time
@@peteyharr5470 2760 w 7 mile rd.
Native Detroiter that went back last week for a Sting concert and my niece’s wedding. Unbelievable changes. Very proud of this Phoenix.
I work in the architecture field in/around detroit, actually doing a few projects in some locations you visited! And the city is very much alive. I'm so happy you liked it, you see potential just like all of us that live/work here do and I'm thankful for that. Our city does have a long way to go transportation wise so it's very fair you called that out. (Praying one day they'll reopen rail service at Michigan cental) Or more street cars! Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing it, just like you said there are so many stories Detroit has, it's hard not to love it
Great video! I really wanna visit Detroit now. As a Philadelphian, a lot of this video really hits home. The grandeur of the past, the hollowing-out that occured and the renwal that is present everwhere you look. You gotta come to Philly :)
I lived in Eastpointe, Michigan from 2007-08, while dating a girl from there before we both moved back to my hometown of Kansas City. It wasn't my home for very long, but I visited at least once a year for the next five years or so. I loved Michigan. I loved the people. Detroit always felt like a city with immense character, a city worth fighting for. I haven't been back for some time, but I love reading about how much things have improved there. Looks like I need to plan a trip soon!
In 2018, Final year of college (i went to ltu in Southfield, just north of Detroit) a friend and i would go downtown like once a month. It was really fun. Made me fall in love with Detroit
Thank you!!!!! We love our city. Its about to be a new world paradigm for American cities in the new millenium. It just keeps getting better.
You'll have to come back next year after The Gordie Howe bridge opens. There's going to be a shared, bike/pedestrian path... And on the Detroit side, there's going to be an extensive, connect set of parks/paths all the way to downtown.
The connectivity on the Canadian side is going to be garbage, because Windsor, because Windsor's City Council and BIAs absolutely suck.
The auto industry really built, and simultaneously effed up Detroit. I really hope the public transit movement catches on more.
Not really. It was more Oakland county, not the auto industry. There is plenty of reasons to dislike the Big three…look up Harry Bennett of the Ford Service department sometime…but people give too much blame for that.
Great topic! Epic storytelling with awesome video footage to boot.
Wish I would have know you were coming. I am a transportation planner with the MPO for Southeast, MI. I live in Detroit and was at the Jazzfest. Good video, I enjoy your content.
Salute To Detroit From Cincinnati, Ohio. 💯
Detroit native here. I can't say anything that hasn't been already said in the comments. This is a great, and fair video. I was also pleasantly surprised by East Village part of the video. I also have to admit, describing Little Caesar's as "pizza-like" stings, but hilarious! Great video!
Calling it "pizza-like" was hilarious. but also far too generous. At leas he ALLUDED to Buddy's (mentioning the square shape) as superior