"Detroit," Meet Detroit

**begingri** · November-17-11, 11:13 PM

Toby Barlow

You may know this already, but the one thing I've learned since I moved here is that many, if not most, of the people who identify themselves as being from "Detroit" have really no idea what Detroit is like. That's because they really live in, say, Novi, Warren, even neighboring Redford, and haven't explored downtown in years. Holding onto mythologies perpetuated by a hysterical press over the past quarter century, they cling to the belief that there are no grocery stores in the city [[we actually have 115) and still ask me where I get my dry cleaning done [[for the last time, I get my dry cleaning done at the dry cleaners.) They've been to the Fox, to Comerica Park, and maybe waited in line at Slows, but they haven't been to MOCAD, Astro Coffee, D'Mongo's, Good Girls Go to Paris, Le Petit Zinc, Supino's Pizza or any of the other places that have popped up over the past half-decade.

People will say, "Oh it's not like it was," they'll say they can't bear what happened to Detroit, but they're simply blind to the possibilities of the present. Nostalgia for an old bygone Detroit is fine, but it's not relevant to what is happening on Michigan Avenue, on Woodward Avenue, and in Eastern Market right now. It's great that you still know the Faygo song, but do you know about the College of Creative Studies' massively incredible new Taubman Center? Who do you want to be? That guy hanging out at Starbucks sporting a Mark Fidrych t-shirt who has no idea where Cliff Bell's, Honest John's or the Russell Street Deli are [[that last one's on Russell Street, by the way) or do you want to be really, actually, honestly, 100% from Detroit?

The lack of knowledge comes from a very specific history. The last two or three generations got out of Detroit during the enormous boom years, leaving the city limits for the American dream of a suburban house with two cars in the garage. In their wake, they saw Detroit go through an enormous upheaval of poverty, extreme racial division, and abandonment. The problems seemed too huge and too intractable so, out of frustration, they simply stopped looking. When they turned their back on the city, their children and their grandchildren did the same.

But you can't have a region without a center. If you're from Detroit, you've got to know it and be a part of it, embracing all of its opportunities, its troubles and its beauty. It is not just some idealistic dream, it's an economic necessity: The reason this is so fundamentally important is because -- get this -- it's the straightest path to getting your property values back. It's that simple. You may be from Berkley or Dearborn Heights or Beverly Hills or even Ypsilanti -- it doesn't really matter how far out you go -- but if you're in Southeast Michigan, you're from Detroit. It's your brand. So deal with it. When companies are thinking of relocating to the region, bringing jobs here, the perception of Motown is the biggest thing that matters. And when companies start thinking of relocating away from the region, the health and reputation of Detroit has a certain undeniable weight. Those companies aren't going to listen when you say "Come on! We're different! We're Troy!" They may have fallen for that in the past but now they know the truth. Detroit is right here, front and center, our inescapable fact.

Continued at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/toby-b...b_1097133.html

**Hamtragedy** · November-18-11, 12:10 AM

More banal generalizations from the usual suspects trying to "help".

Hooray, now huffpost drops someone in who gives us something not new, not helpful, not hard hitting, not, really anything, just the same lame-assed tune.

BFD. Next

**ordinary** · November-18-11, 08:49 AM

This was in the article, "Seriously, nothing good ever came out of suburbia." Good grief, talk about a blanket statement. Who the heck is Toby Barlow?!

By the way, I lived the first six months of my life on Barlow Street. Then my parents moved to . . . another house in Detroit!

**hamtown mike** · November-18-11, 10:57 AM

Toby Barlow is one of the biggest civic and cultural cheerleaders within the city of Detroit.

His energies and efforts are to be commended.

I am particularly fond of this particular project:
http://vimeopro.com/fourexitfour/people-mover

And I thought I was hot sh*t for almost getting arrested for attempting to participate in a pillow fight and going to the Temple's chicken races.

**ordinary** · November-18-11, 02:17 PM

That was kind of cool. How did they get all that stuff inside the people mover?

**EastsideAl** · November-18-11, 02:58 PM

Sometimes, when I've been outside of this area, I've had some strange reactions to my answer to the question "where are you from?" When I answer "Detroit" the follow-up question, particularly from former Michiganders, is often "which city?" They seem baffled when I also answer "Detroit" to that query.

In fact, more than once I've run into people who, when I told them I was from Detroit, adamantly refused to believe that I was from the actual City of Detroit. One guy in a job interview even said to me "Looking at you, I know for a fact you're BSing me" - talk about unsubtle code speak.

**bopcity** · November-18-11, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by ordinary

How did they get all that stuff inside the people mover?

Because there weren't any people who needed to be moved on it?

No disrespect to Toby but he's a big-time advertizing guy, views things from a loftier perch than your average Detroit Yes denizen and is directing his message to people who aren't familiar with the place.

Harper Collins bio: Toby Barlow is executive creative director at the advertising agency JWT in Detroit and a contributor to the literary magazine n+1 and the Huffington Post. He splits his time between Detroit, Michigan, and New York City.

**Hamtragedy** · November-18-11, 11:51 PM

EastsideAl I've gotten that my whole life. Usually results in a step back or two. Followed by lots of questions, mostly stereotypical ones, which are easily shot down. Rationale and facts usually result in a great conversation with a complete stranger or strangers.

boneshaker · November-19-11, 12:27 AM

the downtown isnt the issue... the neighborhoods are....I would recommend ALL elected officials in the tri-county area walk across the city of Detroit on any given day.Walk 7 mile from Evergreen to WoodwardorWalk Van Dyke to eight mile.

**313WX** · November-19-11, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by boneshaker

the downtown isnt the issue... the neighborhoods are....I would recommend ALL elected officials in the tri-county area walk across the city of Detroit on any given day.Walk 7 mile from Evergreen to WoodwardorWalk Van Dyke to eight mile.

They wouldn't do it if you paid them all $1 billion dollars.

I

**silverbeauty** · November-19-11, 07:52 AM

**rjk** · November-19-11, 11:41 AM

Yeah, if only they could find a way to get people from the suburbs to go to Eastern Market that place would be packed as opposed to the way it is now which is well, packed. I haven't done a survey, but it looks like a largely suburban crowd to me. Also I get that feeling based on the long line of cars on I-75 getting off at the Mack exit. The long lines outside Russell Street Deli on Saturdays indicates to me that plenty of people know about this place.

He mentions Hatramck, I've talked to many of the buisness owners and they say they couldn't survive without the suburbanites who patranize their stores.

This guy is talking out of his ass.
There are plenty of examples of buisnesses in Detroit that people from the suburbs will patronize in large numbers. The problem is you just can't open a buisness and say we're here, come and spend your money. You have to provide a unique experience and a quality product/experience and people will come in droves [[See Eastern Market).

Interest that this guy talks about negative perceptions of Detroit, but then goes on to say that nothing good has ever come out of suburbia. Some people act like if you're not spending time/moeny in Detroit you're in suburbia spending your free time watching the grass grow or staring a wall. I like spending time in Detroit, but if for some reason I could never step foot in Detroit It would not be difficult for me to entertain myself in suburbs. This guy may find the suburbs boring as well as other people who live in Detroit, but there are a lot of people who don't.

He also mentions getting people to move to the downtown area. He and others should be more concerned about the large number of the middle class who are leaving Detroit. Detroit is going to be screwed as long as people continue to leave the neighborhoods in large numbers, unless he just wants to define Detroit nothing more than just a few square miles.

**Hamtragedy** · November-20-11, 01:01 AM

I guess I just don't understand what a point of an article like this is. Its obvious to everyone that most people in suburbia could give a rats ass about the city unless there's a Tiger/Lions game or a Kid Rock Show. This infighting is as old as the population decline.

People new to the area aren't really interested in this, especially the ones moving into, or at least vacationing, in the areas near downtown. They could care less about people who are still in the city or the people that have left. All they really are interested in is that the police show up when they call them.