Quote Originally Posted by shasha View Post
Hello Zeyrek,

Here is what I understand: you will be working downtown & have 2 young children. With that in mind, may I suggest the following inner-ring suburbs: Ferndale & Pleasant Ridge, both situated on the Woodward Avenue corridor. Every day my husband takes the bus [[run by SMART, not the city-owned bus) downtown, a short 20-25 minutes travel time, the buses run every 15 minutes during peak commuting hours. Most of the cultural amenities in the city are located on Woodward [[Institute of Arts, Historical museum, Orchestra Hall-symphony etc) & are accessible by this busline. Most suburbs, including these, have wonderful recreation leagues for children [[soccer, baseball, etc); Pleasant Ridge has an outdoor pool with childrens swimming lessons & swim teams in the summer, as well as a fitness center for adults. My block is full of children riding their bikes & playing outdoors. I can walk or bike for groceries [[to Ferndale or Royal Oak) or to the Saturday Farmers Market in Royal Oak. I can walk to several restaurants & coffees shops. As for safety - my house is never locked [[unless I am away for longer than a week-end, foolish I know) & I have never had a break-in. However, I am not up to date with the Ferndale school system [[of which Pleasant Ridge is a part of), I know that it has a very diverse student population, including a low income segment which makes some parents wary.
I lived in the city several years ago, but with children, this was the best decision for us.
Off topic, but why wouldn't lock your doors?
I live in a relatively safe area myslef, but it only takes me a few seconds to lock my doors when I leave and unlock them when I come home. It's not like you have to go into your yard, cut down a tree branch and wedge it up against your door.