Originally Posted by
casscorridor
It isn't called Royal Joke for no reason, it's called that because it is a joke. The main demographics that RO appeals to is the faux-Yuppie crowd [[faux because they see themselves as urban, without actjally having to live in a city) and the bro crowd. Many people in Metro Detroit consider RO some kind of "urban" meca. They see a few square blocks of quaint botiques, a couple large new apartment buildings and an art theatre and consider it a bastion of urbanity. I think this is because they have not experienced a real city outside Detroit [[if they have even seen Detroit which they likely have not, outside a yearly trip to the ball game or fireworks).
We have folks on this form claiming its the single most "urban" and vibrant place in the Metro. I have to disagree. RO isn't really urban at all. Its Disneyland urban, lily white and "safe" to drop the kids off for the day. And if you look at Greater Downtown, you see a fairly huge [[10+ times the size of RO) urban area that is gaining vibrancy each year and each month as more and more busisses open and more people move in. Once the lightrail opens I think this issue will be settled... Detroit will finally get the recognition it deserves. A development boom will start and the number of pedestrians per block will increase exponentially, far outshadowing RO's potential which is close to being reached as there is little land left to develop, and no transit connection beyond a smart bus.
Also, as far as a cultural center, Royal Joke isn't much. Not much more than pontiac which has the Crofoot. Maybe it is compared to other burbs, but it aint nothing thar special when compared to say Midtown for example, or even Dearborn. Sure they got the Main art which plays mainstream indie flicks, and the RO Music Theatre which has some mainstream shows, and a couple galleries. But besides that, there really isn't much. You have to go to the city to find the real underground and cutting edge culture... RIC, DFT, Burton, all the various DIY venues, the artist colonlys, etc.