Originally Posted by
Bham1982
I think the reverse is generally true. The Pointes have decent access to big box stores, but very limited retail/restaurants/services.
How many destination/special occasion restaurants are in the Pointes compared to upscale areas in Oakland? How many higher-end retailers? Nicer hotels? Elective medical practices like dermatologists or plastic surgeons? Upscale gyms? How many interesting ethnic markets or bakeries?
If you're in, say, Bloomfield, you have three Whole Foods, two Plum Markets, two Papa Joes and two Holiday Markets within a few minutes. In the Pointes there's nothing. For gyms you have multiple Lifetimes, multiple LA Fitness and even Equinox. For shopping you have Somerset, Orchard Lake Road, Telegraph, Woodward, Maple, etc. For dining you have upwards of dozen high-end steakhouses. You have three French bakeries within a mile of downtown Bham. You have kosher everything in WB and Indian everything to the west.
The Pointes have really nice homes, but not a lot of nearby "stuff" serving a higher-income demographic. It's a place to nest, not really a place to consume. On the positive side, it's less of a "Keeping up with the Jones" feel and there are FAR fewer poseur types. And no traffic congestion.