Originally Posted by
Rocket
You mean parallel parked, IN THE STREET ? That's not going to work. People park in lots, so they can safely walk around the cars and check them out. If you're parallel parking on a main thoroughfare, that's very dangerous. It also means the cars are spread much further apart, so you get half as much looking and chatting per mile of walking.
That's not even Detroit. That's Highland Park, and those two shopping centers have an horrific crime rate. People wanting to cruise aren't going to park there and get out of their cars, then try to fend off the addicts begging for money. And they'd be afraid of leaving their classic cars, which don't have the same level of locks and security of modern cars. Also, when cruising, you generally leave the windows down, doors unlocked and perhaps even the hood open. People are comfortable doing that in Birmingham and Bloomfield, but not Highland Park.
So far as I know, the Dream Cruise organizers don't collect huge fees and then pay cities money. The cities provide the police service at their own expense. The cities figure it's worth it to a degree because of all the money the businesses in the area will make from attendees. The bed & breakfasts, restaurants, fast food carry out joints, etc.
Detroit has almost none of that. If you are South of 8 mile, where are you going to eat? State Fair is about the only thing. And there's not much other than an Applebee's.
So Detroit would be providing hundreds of police officers for security and traffic enforcement, and it's business owners would be making next to nothing. Not sure if that's in Detroit's best interest. A food-truck palooza at Foreman Mills might be a cool thing. But then they'd need to find a way to get cruisers to leave the heart of the cruise and head 6 miles south to get there.
And on the cruise Saturday, driving the 1 mile from 12 to 13 can take more than an hour. So cruisers are loathe to leave the cruise area, and then have to fight their way back in later. Way better to just buy a pizza from one of the local spots along the road. Some even sell pizzas curbside. I know you couldn't pay me to leave the heart of the cruise. IF I go at all, I go in once, and stay until my back hurts, then leave. I'm not about to leave and come back just for food.
I'm certain that if you were to buy a classic car and cruise it for a few years, you'd get where everyone is coming from.