Quote Originally Posted by Lowell View Post
Kudos casscorridor65 for starting such a thoughtful thread.


There's a touch of "I can't believe this is happening" going on. Old timers are gobsmacked. There seemed no way our city of ruin could ever rebound. And some "Certainly this can't last; all the other fits and starts fizzled and died." Anybody remember Trappers Alley?

Now there are thousands of new residential units coming on line. In Crain's today there was an article about the new Scott at Brush Park, mentioning it had 190 units--fully leased.

Why the newcomers are flocking there? For the same reason I did. Where else is one going to find the best of art, symphonies, culture, theater, major league sports, dining, clubs, waterfront, Canada, casinos, the best architecture, on and on, all within easy biking or walking range? All you had to do was be brave and open-minded and your reward was an inexpensive and enriching and exciting place to live.

In 1998 I received an outpouring of email after I launched the Fabulous Ruins of Detroit tour. Over and over I heard young suburbanites say how they wanted to live in a vibrant urban center, even asking for advice on how to do it. The pent up demand has always been there and now it is unleashed. And I can hardly believe it.

You’re absolutely correct Lowell: all the reasons you listed for living here, museums, sports, theatre, etc., [[and Wayne State for me), are exactly the reasons why I moved here 25+ years ago and continue to love living here everyday.

And others were correct: bored suburbanite kids love coming down here to enjoy a different world than where they live north of 8 mile. Even my own niece is here almost every weekend with her friends from Port Huron. They all think their “Unc” lives in the coolest place in Michigan.

As I said in my original post, I love living here and I’m definitely not one of those old timers that want to divide the neighborhood between new blood/old blood. I really enjoy ALL the people living here and don’t want anyone to leave, even though I know MANY are forced to because, sadly, they simply can't afford it. I guess our conversation at the Cass Café was more along the lines – if the shoe were on the other foot and I lived elsewhere, knowing what I know, how much would I be willing to spend to live here?

Like I said, the neighborhood offers up the same for all of us no matter whether it’s HUD housing at 2nd & Mack or $1.5 million dollar lofts eight blocks away on John R.