Moving to Detroit in May, need suggestions for an exploratory visit in March

**jbbrow4** · February-09-12, 02:01 PM

My girlfriend and I are planning to move to Detroit in May. We currently live in Portland, Oregon and are attending law school. We graduate at the end of April and will immediately be heading to Detroit to study for the bar exam which takes place late in July. Once we pass the bar, fingers crossed, we intend to open a small firm that will focus on providing legal services for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Neither of us has ever been to Detroit, but we have been obsessively researching for the past few months. My girlfriend has a 3-day trip planned to Detroit in early March to get a feel for the city and we were hoping to get some suggestions of how best to utilize her time there. We have read about all of the go-to destinations mentioned in every Detroit news story, but we were hoping to get some ideas from locals of their favorite places and activities that exemplify “their” Detroit. Also, if there are people she should try to meet while there, we would love to hear about them too.

We will likely be renting at first, with plans to buy when the right situation arises. We would really appreciate any ideas about possible properties or neighborhoods. We have been mostly looking at Midtown and Corktown, but have entertained the idea of Woodbridge or the Villages. We would likely need a house with a yard, as we have two dogs. We will also be looking for office space for our firm.

A few more details about us: both in our early 30’s, no kids or plans to have kids, love good dive bars and live music, adventurous eaters, interested in art, art culture, architecture, interior design, etc.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

**Lowell** · February-09-12, 02:18 PM

Welcome to the D. It sounds like Midtown, or more specifically the Cass Corridor area of it, would fit your needs perfectly. Good luck on the bar exams. Are you looking for office space too?

**Chinman** · February-09-12, 02:36 PM

Where to start. You are going to be deluged with good ideas. So I will start with mine.
As for renting, I would look hard at Corktown. Woodbridge is beautiful but sometimes suffers from crime rushes. Midtown has the little College feel because of Wayne State Univ. but sometimes also suffers the crime rush although Univ. Police have a strong presence. I am not saying that Corktown is immune, it’s just less than other parts.

1. Dive Bars: Jumbo’s, Comet Bar [[others will have more)
2. Live Music: All kinds Downtown from garage bar bands to World Class Symphony
3. Adventurous Eaters: All the worlds’ cuisine’s are in Detroit and Metro area.
4. You will be amazed at the art scene & architecture in Detroit and Metro area.
This city and metro area, including Windsor and S.W. Ontario, Canada, are great places to explore.

Please enjoy you time here in this great area and I wish you and your wife luck and prosperity in you business endeavor.

**jbbrow4** · February-09-12, 03:09 PM

Lowell,

Yes, we will be looking for office space. Probably sometime in September. We would not need a ton of footage, enough for desks and a conference table. There is probably some merit in finding a space with other lawyers in the building, but it is tempting to try to be among more creative types.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-09-12, 03:20 PM

In the CBD many lawyers seem to be located in the area in and around the Buhl/Penobscot buildings [[financial district). If you want more creative type space perhaps look over by the Globe/International Center [[Greektown/Bricktown). Lawyers there too.

Jumbos... lol I am getting a bit old, but I first thought thats a good bar to go to to try to rustle up some folks who need legal assistance!

**iheartthed** · February-09-12, 03:29 PM

Out of curiosity: Why have you chosen Detroit to start your law career since neither of you have ever been before?

**jbbrow4** · February-09-12, 04:09 PM

iheartthed,

Adventure I suppose, and the chance to be able to afford to build a business and buy a house that would be unattainable in other cities that interest us.

I've been in Portland for 5 years, my girlfriend is from California. We looked closely at Portland, Oakland, and SF as options. Her dad lives in Brooklyn, so we also looked there. During our investigation, Detroit came up and we got very excited about the energy and opportunity we saw. Of those options, Detroit excites me the most. I'm still pretty young and hopefully have the necessary energy to overcome some of the aspects of Detroit that seem to beat people down. I realize it will take time to adjust.

I was born and lived in Kentucky until 5 years ago when I moved to Portland without ever visiting, and it was probably the best decision I ever made. That gave me added confidence to try this.

**pgn421** · February-09-12, 04:41 PM

Jbbrow4-Welcome to Detroit!

**canuck** · February-09-12, 08:28 PM

Good for you, and great for Detroit!

**Jowlska** · February-09-12, 08:43 PM

Welcome to Detroit! I lived in Oregon for 2 years before moving to Detroit. There are it's trade offs, but I think you will find a good group of friends here. I've found that people are more social here because we depend on socializing more than nature outings like Oregon. Kentucky and New York are a lot closer and it will be easier and less expensive to visit your families than it would be in Oregon. I suggest visiting Belle Isle, ride around the People Mover, walk the riverfront and go to Windsor. Also join a neighborhood sports team [[soccer, softball, kickball) Good way to meet people... Good luck in your move!

**Flintoid** · February-09-12, 08:51 PM

For the renting period I would strongly recommend either Midtown or Corktown [[if you can get an apartment, occupancy is consistently above 95%). For a real home, Indian Village cannot be beat [[or the Berry Sub as well). Great location with amazing historic homes at a very affordable price. For office space, in the legal field Downtown is the place to be and again extremely affordable rates. Very excited that you have chosen our city and I think you'll love it. Really try to get to know the good and the bad of the city, but I think you'll see it's a great place. Welcome to Detroit!

**AGinthe313** · February-09-12, 10:07 PM

Spend a few hours in Corktown...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9MFrF0nqJ8

**Zaiko** · February-11-12, 12:08 PM

jbbrow4

It's wonderful you are moving and doing it blindly. We need you. You will be appreciated. During my 7 years in New York I never felt appreciated. No one cared if I was there. No employers and most everyone else other than a friend or two.

Portland sounds like paradise to me, walkable neighborhoods, urban growth line, light rail, water and snow sports 15 minutes away. I fear if I went there I would never come back.

So thanks for coming here.

**Fiddler** · February-11-12, 01:10 PM

Why rent when houses are selling for $500.

**Melocoton** · February-11-12, 03:12 PM

Because only shitty houses are selling for $500.

detroitjim · February-11-12, 03:46 PM

Keep your guard up. Sheep losses are quite high. After your visit ,follow up on this post and let us know if you became one of the statistics.

**gnome** · February-11-12, 04:21 PM

I'll join others in welcoming you to Detroit.

Just out of interest, what kind of law will you and your bride be practicing?

**jbbrow4** · February-12-12, 03:54 PM

gnome,

We plan to open a small firm that will eventually focus on services for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits. Contract drafting, formation documents, commercial leases, IRS filings, some intellectual property, whatever they need really.

But at first, I'm sure we will take any business we can get to keep the doors open!!

**Detroit_uke** · February-12-12, 04:27 PM

Jb - go to: detroitmidtown.com and insidedetroit.org You'll get some info there. I don't know when you are visitng in March - But March 25 - Marche de le Nain Rouge [[they have Facebook page - check it out) - likewise - March 11 - Detroit St. Patrick's Day parade [[also have FB page)

**Bobl** · February-12-12, 04:28 PM

Welcome to the region of Detroit.

**justanotherboy** · February-12-12, 04:52 PM

How about you skip the law office and bring a voodoo doughnut franchise with you - you will make more money.

**Detroit_uke** · February-12-12, 06:20 PM

justanotherboy.................................... ....why oh why...would you mention that?????? What possessed you??????? Why didn't you just come out and say MAPLE BACON???????????? How could you?

**MidTownMs** · February-12-12, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Flintoid

For the renting period I would strongly recommend either Midtown or Corktown [[if you can get an apartment, occupancy is consistently above 95%). For a real home, Indian Village cannot be beat [[or the Berry Sub as well). Great location with amazing historic homes at a very affordable price. For office space, in the legal field Downtown is the place to be and again extremely affordable rates. Very excited that you have chosen our city and I think you'll love it. Really try to get to know the good and the bad of the city, but I think you'll see it's a great place. Welcome to Detroit!

Here is a view of the Berry Sub-Division:

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