Just made the move to Detroit, working too much to find a place to live

[jtf1972]

Welcome!

As someone who recently moved back & is in the process of buying a place & finding a regular job, I can sympathize with your transition.

This is a nice tool: http://www.padmapper.com/

Look into buying also... It can actually be cheaper than renting!

[drjeff]

I drove that route [[alone) daily to work for 9 months last year. It's not a big deal.

More sad and lonely than scary.

I routinely drive that route in a convertible with the top down. Other than seeing a few hookers between Livernois and Wyoming, it's not bad and I've never felt the least bit unsafe. Parts of it are ugly, yes.

[vivadetroit]

If you go with Hamtramck, I'd stay away from the south side [[Between Holbrook and the train overpass at Denton). I lived on Faber and it was kind of sketchy.

Good luck!

[Don K]

Yes. The Michigan Avenue drive from Dearborn into Downtown doesn't quite pass the "Would I want my mom driving this route alone daily?" test.

This. Way back in '78 when I moved to the area, my parents came out to visit, and I planned a day of visiting Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum followed by a trip downtown to see the sights. I looked at a map, said, "taking Mich Ave downtown is probably as good as anything else", and gave my parents a real "welcome to Detroit" experience. I'm guessing the area hasn't improved in the last 33 years.

[English]

This. Way back in '78 when I moved to the area, my parents came out to visit, and I planned a day of visiting Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum followed by a trip downtown to see the sights. I looked at a map, said, "taking Mich Ave downtown is probably as good as anything else", and gave my parents a real "welcome to Detroit" experience. I'm guessing the area hasn't improved in the last 33 years.

Wow, it was that bad back then? I was a baby when you took your parents on that ride. I always felt Michigan really went down within my memory... apparently it was long before then.

[motivedetroit]

I found the Renaud on Hancock and Second to be pretty suitable. It is a little worn, but it is pretty good overall.

If you want something a little nicer, the renovation of the Helen Newberry on John R. is in its last couple of weeks. I got a tour of the construction site recently, and it's going to be incredible.

Yes, I agree....The Renaud and the Touraine on Second and Hancock are pretty decent for the money. There was even some parking behind the buildings.

[corktownyuppie]

I routinely drive that route in a convertible with the top down. Other than seeing a few hookers between Livernois and Wyoming, it's not bad and I've never felt the least bit unsafe. Parts of it are ugly, yes.

Well I say this with great trepidation, because I don't mean it to be offensive.

We have a person who is interested in moving to Detroit. I'm assuming that if he is like most people from outside the city, he will likely face some criticism and judgment for doing so. Being from the outside, he is one degree of separation from many others who are probably curious about the city, and if they're open-minded enough...perhaps willing to reserve judgment til they hear the real story from their friend who is moving there.

And in an environment where the city has lost population for 5 decades, and even moreso in the last 10 years, the city has an opportunity to make a positive impression on someone new and all his friends...and we're saying "parts of it are ugly, and yes there are hookers, but I've never felt unsafe"? or "sad and lonely but not scary"?

That's what I mean by the "Would I want my mom driving this route daily?" test. I don't think she's going to be robbed at gunpoint. I think that she'll spend the 20 minutes asking herself, "WTF am I doing here?". Worst case scenario, she's afraid...best case scenario, she's "lonely and sad"?

Having spent most of my life in Detroit, I admit that after awhile, your eyes just adjust to seeing things in a different light. For example, there's that are on Bagley between Corktown and Mexicantown that is all abandoned industrial sites. I agree....more lonely and sad than scary. So is that really the area of town where you want to say, "Hey, welcome to Detroit"?

Sometimes I think suburbans get this part right. We might make fun of them for being unnecessarily skittish. But instead of telling them "hey get used to this", how about we steer him toward a place that isn't scary, sad, or lonely. And for those of you who say, "Well, that's Detroit", then I beg you to raise your standards and think about how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us.

It keeps bringing me back to that statement English made about a mild-PTSD that is just sorta pervasive in the city.....

[antongast]

And for those of you who say, "Well, that's Detroit", then I beg you to raise your standards and think about how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us.

Well, if that's not Detroit, then what is? I'm not sure "Welcome to Detroit, please don't look at Michigan Avenue" is a terribly convincing sales pitch either.

[jolla]

But that *is* Detroit.

I have lived in the area for just over a year. I work downtown Detroit and lived in Dearborn and now I live in Troy.

I try to take surface streets to work [[as opposed to expressways) because I'm always searching for an area that defies the stereotypes of Detroit. Sadly, I haven't found it.

Most suburbanites [[and non-Michiganders) are afraid of Detroit. "Sad and lonely" is better than scary.

[corktownyuppie]

But that *is* Detroit.

I have lived in the area for just over a year. I work downtown Detroit and lived in Dearborn and now I live in Troy.

I try to take surface streets to work [[as opposed to expressways) because I'm always searching for an area that defies the stereotypes of Detroit. Sadly, I haven't found it.

Most suburbanites [[and non-Michiganders) are afraid of Detroit. "Sad and lonely" is better than scary.

Well, yes it is Detroit. But so is W. Jefferson Ave. approaching West End in Delray. That doesn't mean I tell all my buddies moving from Brooklyn that they should go apartment shopping there.

At his rent range, he could surely consider some of the apartments in Midtown/Cultural Center, perhaps Harmonie Park or in Corktown.

There are areas that defy the stereotypes of Detroit, and I think those parts are becoming more and more well-known.

[RickBeall]

Each area of Hamtramck has block clubs. If you type "Hamtrack block clubs" in Google you will find them. You will meet a lot of great people at the block clubs.