Vacation in Detroit ?

[Islandman]

Totally agree. If I went to Europe it would be for 2 weeks, but I doubt I'd stay in any city more than 4 nights. That's my pattern for the U.S./Canada too. Pick a region, go for 2 weeks, but only stay in any city for 2-4 nights. I've never been to the Caribbean, but I expect I'd be bored silly of beach/pool sitting after a few days. And since I don't gamble and are severely allergic to floor shows, you can't pay me enough to go to Vegas.

I'm not a sit at one beach kind of guy either. My home of PR boasts tropical and desert climate, rain forests, mountains, caves, and hundreds of unique beaches. And then there is the food. And no need for passports!

But yeah, I've had friends come down there and be perfectly happy sitting at one hotel/resort and one beach in San Juan. Love it or not, that is how the majority of Americans vacation.

[Spartan]

I'm not a sit at one beach kind of guy either. My home of PR boasts tropical and desert climate, rain forests, mountains, caves, and hundreds of unique beaches. And then there is the food. And no need for passports!

But yeah, I've had friends come down there and be perfectly happy sitting at one hotel/resort and one beach in San Juan. Love it or not, that is how the majority of Americans vacation.

Yeah, but those people aren't coming to Detroit regardless, so it's not really a target market. Detroit is competing with cities like New Orleans, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, etc for tourists. Not New York or Chicago. Not Miami, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.

[iheartthed]

For the most part, planes going to Detroit are for 3 purposes :
a.) someone coming to Detroit for Work, employer sent them
b.) someone returning to Detroit, after being somewhere else
c.) some coming to see a family member

Is this limited to people who actually leave the airport? Detroit Metro is a transit airport, like Atlanta. A good chunk of the travelers never even leave the airport.

[Willi]

Nothing silly about the cold hard facts -- Detroit sucks for a vacation.
To a complete OUTSIDER, never having been to the INNER City of Detroit, its lame.
Landing in Detroit Metro Airport, staying near the airport, driving all day, every day,
- a full 20 to 30 miles ONE WAY , for a 60 mile round trip to see a few sites - sucks !

We need to do better if we want people to come to Detroit, Michigan
- and I mean Detroit , not the suburbs , or Alpena or Traverse City or Pictured Rocks, etc.

Other cities, other countries, have ALL the same major stuff, a tourist trap of crap.
Just can't see what the big draw would be to get someone to fly to Detroit, spend their money, here

[iheartthed]

Nothing silly about the cold hard facts -- Detroit sucks for a vacation.
To a complete OUTSIDER, never having been to the INNER City of Detroit, its lame.
Landing in Detroit Metro Airport, staying near the airport, driving all day, every day,
- a full 20 to 30 miles ONE WAY , for a 60 mile round trip to see a few sites - sucks !

We need to do better if we want people to come to Detroit, Michigan
- and I mean Detroit , not the suburbs , or Alpena or Traverse City or Pictured Rocks, etc.

Other cities, other countries, have ALL the same major stuff, a tourist trap of crap.
Just can't see what the big draw would be to get someone to fly to Detroit, spend their money, here

For what it's worth, my friend is a native New Yorker with no ties to Detroit whatsoever and he took two leisure trips to Detroit this past summer. In all he's been there three times and loves it.

[ghettopalmetto]

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of this thread. It is intended to be a "woe is us", Detroit-is-a-red-headed-stepchild thread? Is it intended to build a case for a publicly-subsidized tourist trap? Or is it, perhaps, an opportunity to see what Detroit can do to encourage more tourism [[both "domestic" and "foreign")? I prefer to believe the latter....

I travel as much as I can, and honestly, I'm not one of these "sit-on-my-ass-on-the-beach" types. So destinations like Florida have very little appeal to me. Typically, what compels me to visit a place is a sense of history and culture, and maybe something a little different than home. After all, isn't that why we leave home--to have different experiences?

I don't think Detroit needs to emulate anywhere else. It would be folly to advertise Detroit as a great beach destination, for example. But there are plenty of strengths that can be capitalized. That's not to say, create a tourist-trap atmosphere, but really think about helping potential tourists instead of just trying to take their money.

When I visit a place, one of my favorite activities is to get a cup of coffee [[preferably from a locally-owned shop), and walk the streets. I find you get a good sense of a place from that perspective. Unfortunately, in Detroit, one can only walk so far before the pedestrian environment becomes hostile, if not bleak. That's not to say one can't drive at all [[especially since most visitors to Detroit are likely from within the Great Lakes region), but it's nice to get out of the car and stretch and *experience* a place.

So, if I may, below is a bit of a "wish list"--things that I appreciate as a visitor in other cities, and things I would pursue if I worked at the Detroit CVB:

1. Can I get there? How easy is it to drive around? Downtown Detroit is notoriously difficult and disorienting to drive for novices. Any efforts to reduce the amount of driving necessary would make Detroit an "easier" place to visit. Signage helps.

For those flying, is transportation from the airport convenient and reasonably priced?

2. Lodging. A good mix of hotels appeals to travelers at varying price points and tastes. Are they close to attractions? Conveniently located? Walking distance to a good range of dining options?

3. Wayfinding and information. Clear, concise pedestrian-oriented wayfinding is often overlooked, but perhaps the most critical importance. I might have heard of a new DIA exhibit, but if I don't know where it is, or I get lost looking for it, I'm not going to enjoy myself.

An *extremely* visible Detroit CVB office would be helpful! Hiding away in the financial district isn't going to be one bit helpful to leisure visitors.

4. Good restaurants: Locally-owned places with quality fare. I'm a bit of a foodie, so if I visit Detroit, I could care less if there's a Cheesecake Factory if you show me something special and well-executed. Again, a range of options for different budgets and tastes.

5. Detroit has wonderful places to visit, but they're all over the map. I would employ a "district-based" approach. Divide the region into subareas [[downtown, midtown, Corktown, Dearborn, etc), and provide localized area maps with amenities marked on each. For example, if I know that Dearborn has an amazing Middle-Eastern enclave, I'm more apt to have lunch there on a jaunt to Greenfield Village. Clear driving/transit directions to each area would be helpful.

6. Highlight what you have--not what you don't have. Walking tours [[guided and unguided) should not be overlooked, especially ones that highlight Detroit's history and industrial heritage. Maybe don't try so hard to sell the "sports" message--most sports fans already know that you have professional teams. But why does Detroit never play-up its diverse ethnic heritage? Talk about something unique!

7. I think Detroit is a fantastic place to visit. And don't underestimate how many people will see the "Pure Michigan" commercials and completely bypass Detroit on their way Up North or to Lake Michigan. Stopping in Detroit for two or three days is a perfect addition to those destinations. What's the CVB doing to capitalize on that, and make such a "combo visit" easier for folks?

Be what you are, not what you think other people want you to be. Make it easy and enjoyable for people to get to know you. Those are just my thoughts.

[Gpwrangler]

Nothing silly about the cold hard facts -- Detroit sucks for a vacation.
To a complete OUTSIDER, never having been to the INNER City of Detroit, its lame.
Landing in Detroit Metro Airport, staying near the airport, driving all day, every day,
- a full 20 to 30 miles ONE WAY , for a 60 mile round trip to see a few sites - sucks !

We need to do better if we want people to come to Detroit, Michigan
- and I mean Detroit , not the suburbs , or Alpena or Traverse City or Pictured Rocks, etc.

Other cities, other countries, have ALL the same major stuff, a tourist trap of crap.
Just can't see what the big draw would be to get someone to fly to Detroit, spend their money, here

A few 20 minute trips is not driving all day. And part of visiting the Motor City is experiencing the freeways, 8 mile, etc.

When I have business visitors they always want to go to Comerica or Ford Field, drive through some of Detroit's neighborhoods, see some of the places from movies they have seen etc. as well as the Henry Ford, U of M etc. and of course a drive throu In a couple evenings we get it all done.

[SWMAP]

Some enlightenment here:

http://www.freep.com/article/2013121...ourism-creager

Says Detroit is a Fodor's Must-See City.

[Spartan]

The problem with Detroit tourism isn't a lack of attractions, it's the difficulty in traversing between them. Detroit has many world class destinations, including some that are unique to Detroit. [[Keeping the list only to attractions within 15-20 minutes or so)

- DIA [[top 10 in US)
- Detroit Zoo [[top 10 in US)
- Henry Ford & Greenfield Village [[one of a kind)
- Ford Piquette and River Rouge plants
- Motown Museum [[one of a kind)
- World-class architecture, specifically in Art Deco [[specifically, Guardian and Fisher)
- Top-notch entertainment district [[second largest theater district in the US)
- Top-notch sports city
- World-class festivals and events [[Jazz Fest, Movement, Dream Cruise)
- Heidelberg Project [[unfortunately, this is mostly gone)
- Detroit Riverfront
- Belle Isle [[one of the largest city parks in the country)
- Campus Martius

However, you absolutely MUST rent a car in Detroit, unless you're willing to spend hundreds in transportation. This is especially difficult for international travelers. If you go downtown/midtown, you could probably make a weekend of it [[although it will cost you $50+ to get there from the airport). However, getting to the Zoo, the Henry Ford, etc becomes difficult. You could easily spend a week vacationing in Detroit and seeing things you'd rarely see in other cities. Unfortunately, you'd spend about a day of it driving around as well.

[noise]

- Detroit Zoo [[top 10 in US)

I hate to harp on this zoo thing, as I think Detroit is a fine vacation spot in the way most US cities are, but where did this "top 10" ranking come from? Who is regarding the Detroit Zoo so highly?

A Google search was fruitless.

[Spartan]

I hate to harp on this zoo thing, as I think Detroit is a fine vacation spot in the way most US cities are, but where did this "top 10" ranking come from? Who is regarding the Detroit Zoo so highly?

A Google search was fruitless.

After some searching, it appears I have overrated it some. It's probably not going to draw in visitors like an Omaha or San Diego might, but it is still a pretty highly regarded zoo and a solid asset, though. For example, it gets 4/5 on TripAdvisor

[noise]

After some searching, it appears I have overrated it some. It's probably not going to draw in visitors like an Omaha or San Diego might, but it is still a pretty highly regarded zoo and a solid asset, though. For example, it gets 4/5 on TripAdvisor

I think where you and I differ is that it's simply not highly regarded in comparison to other zoos.

[animatedmartian]

However, you absolutely MUST rent a car in Detroit, unless you're willing to spend hundreds in transportation. This is especially difficult for international travelers. If you go downtown/midtown, you could probably make a weekend of it [[although it will cost you $50+ to get there from the airport). However, getting to the Zoo, the Henry Ford, etc becomes difficult. You could easily spend a week vacationing in Detroit and seeing things you'd rarely see in other cities. Unfortunately, you'd spend about a day of it driving around as well.

This doesn't make any sense to me. If someone is visiting Chicago or NYC, they're doing the same thing; spending a considerable amount of time traveling. It's something that's expected to happen.

When I went to Chicago, I used the CTA. Waited like 10 minutes for a bus at Navy Pier so I can get to the Sears Tower. Waited for another bus when going from the Sears Tower to one of the museums in the park. Waited for another bus to get to an event in the Southside of Chicago. Very few cities actually have everything within a proximity that doesn't require anything more than walking. In any city, you're going to spend a considerable amount of time in either a train, a bus, or a car, be it a taxi or a rental, and it's going to cost money. That's poor planning on the part of the tourist if they don't take that into consideration.

The only thing "difficult" would be the costs. Maybe it is more expensive to travel around Detroit compared to more compact and transit-oriented cities, but this other nonsense about it taking to much time to get across town is silly. A 15 minute travel is going to be the same 15 minutes in every other city.

[preserve]

Who really takes a long vacation to another city? Most of us do a 4 day weekend of site seeing.
No one mentioned the river tour, Diamond Jack cruise. When in other cities, it's always nice to take their river cruises and see the city from the water. Even Cleveland looks good from the boat.
The museums do take way more than an hour to appreciate. I always take folks to the Historical Museum first. The whole purpose of seeing other cities is to see what they have to offer, not necessarily to go shopping. Chain stores are chain stores. Boston has great history,
Cleveland and Pittsburgh are revitalized cities and also offer history, maybe of industry, but history nevertheless. I think vacation is misused. Europeans have vacations, we have odd days off and maybe a week here and there, but still connected to the job.

[Bham1982]

Who really takes a long vacation to another city? Most of us do a 4 day weekend of site seeing.

I've spent a week or more in a single city, but not generally in the U.S. I don't think it's super-odd. I could easily spend 6 months somewhere like Paris and never get bored.

I think, in the U.S., if we're talking "urban" vacationing [[so forget Orlando and Vegas), you could do NYC or LA for a week. I've done both for a week+ and had very busy days.

Miami possibly too, but probably a stretch. SF or DC or NOLA 4-5 days max for most people. Boston, Chicago, Philly would probably be more of a long weekend for most visitors. Besides that, any other U.S. city would probably be more of day or weekend trip.

[Bham1982]

Also Boston is not that small. People always form their impressions based on population of city limits, but metro area comparisons are probably more reasonable. The Boston MSA has around 5 million people, and the Boston CSA has around 8 million people.

The economic output is considerable too. It's a wealthy metro area. Boston had a gross economic product of 514 billion in 2013, compared to 597 billion for Chicago and 262 billion for Detroit. Boston probably receives a decent amount of business travelers, both domestic and international.

[iheartthed]

This doesn't make any sense to me. If someone is visiting Chicago or NYC, they're doing the same thing; spending a considerable amount of time traveling. It's something that's expected to happen.

Actually, you can walk between many of NYC's tourist spots. The walk from the Empire State Building to Central Park is less than 30 minutes. All of Midtown Manhattan's tourist traps are between those two locations. The Financial District is even more compact than midtown. You can get from the World Trade Center to Wall Street in less than 10 minutes by foot.

[animatedmartian]

<br>
<br>Actually, you can walk between many of NYC's tourist spots. &nbsp;The walk from the Empire State Building to Central Park is less than 30 minutes. &nbsp;All of Midtown Manhattan's tourist traps are between those two locations. &nbsp;The Financial District is even more compact than midtown. &nbsp;You can get from the World Trade Center to Wall Street in less than 10 minutes by foot.

That's my point. If it takes 30 minutes to walk between ESB and Central Park, how is that any different than 30 minutes from Campus Martius to Henry Ford Village? The distance covered is obviously significantly different, but it's still 30 minutes spent traveling.

[iheartthed]

That's my point. If it takes 30 minutes to walk between ESB and Central Park, how is that any different than 30 minutes from Campus Martius to Henry Ford Village? The distance covered is obviously significantly different, but it's still 30 minutes spent traveling.

Because most of New York's attractions are stuffed into that 30 minute walk. You could spend a week trying to do all there is to do along what is a 30 minute walk, point to point. In Detroit there's those two points and nothing else between.

[Bham1982]

The problem with Detroit tourism isn't a lack of attractions, it's the difficulty in traversing between them. Detroit has many world class destinations, including some that are unique to Detroit. [[Keeping the list only to attractions within 15-20 minutes or so)

- DIA [[top 10 in US)
- Detroit Zoo [[top 10 in US)
- Henry Ford & Greenfield Village [[one of a kind)
- Ford Piquette and River Rouge plants
- Motown Museum [[one of a kind)
- World-class architecture, specifically in Art Deco [[specifically, Guardian and Fisher)
- Top-notch entertainment district [[second largest theater district in the US)
- Top-notch sports city
- World-class festivals and events [[Jazz Fest, Movement, Dream Cruise)
- Heidelberg Project [[unfortunately, this is mostly gone)
- Detroit Riverfront
- Belle Isle [[one of the largest city parks in the country)
- Campus Martius

Most of these things aren't unique, though.

Belle Isle is pretty ill-maintained and big urban parks aren't rare.
A riverfront isn't a rare thing. Almost all cities have waterfronts of some sort.
Big cities tend to have big festivals and events. Also not rare.
Campus Martius is the main intersection. Not rare.
Sports are a function of population. Not rare.
Architecture, on average, kind of sucks. There are some notable buildings, but this is true in almost all big metros. Nice pre-war office buildings though.

Motown Museum, ok, that is unique, but it's a house.
Henry Ford/Greenfield is unique but less of a museum and more of a rich dude's weird collections of random stuff from random locations
Factory tours are kind of unique, but most people don't care. "Hon, forget Aruba this year, let's fly to Detroit and tour an auto plant".
Heidelberg is totally unique and horrible and that's not a good thing for Detroit's competitiveness
Zoo and art museum are quite good but, again, not enough of a draw on their own

[dtowncitylover]

Most of these things aren't unique, though.

Belle Isle is pretty ill-maintained and big urban parks aren't rare.
A riverfront isn't a rare thing. Almost all cities have waterfronts of some sort.
Big cities tend to have big festivals and events. Also not rare.
Campus Martius is the main intersection. Not rare.
Sports are a function of population. Not rare.
Architecture, on average, kind of sucks. There are some notable buildings, but this is true in almost all big metros. Nice pre-war office buildings though.

Motown Museum, ok, that is unique, but it's a house.
Henry Ford/Greenfield is unique but less of a museum and more of a rich dude's weird collections of random stuff from random locations
Factory tours are kind of unique, but most people don't care. "Hon, forget Aruba this year, let's fly to Detroit and tour an auto plant".
Heidelberg is totally unique and horrible and that's not a good thing for Detroit's competitiveness
Zoo and art museum are quite good but, again, not enough of a draw on their own

Welp, I guess since all cities basically have the same thing we should all just stop visiting them. Nevermind the fact that, while they might be similar, they're in a different environment that might help re-imagine people's perspective on life and help invigorate creativity and understanding.

Some people don't like Aruba. They don't want to lounge around 24/7 drinking and tanning. They want to see people, explore places, and learn. Detroit can offer all three in a different way Chicago, NY, or Boston can. All cities are different and you will learn different things.

And Heidelberg is an art project. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's horrible. And frankly to have something that unique and interesting might be good for Detroit's competitiveness with creative cities like SanFran or Portland.

And obviously you've been living under a rock for sometime or would know that Belle Isle has come a long way since the takeover. Urban parks aren't rare, but BI offers beautiful views of the city and waterways and a country-like atmosphere in the middle.

[Bham1982]

Welp, I guess since all cities basically have the same thing we should all just stop visiting them.

Except they don't, which is the whole point.

NYC, LA, Miami, New Orleans, Vegas, Orlando, Honolulu, etc. are rather unique, which is, in part, why they get tons of tourists, and why Detroit doesn't.

You seriously don't get why someplace like NOLA gets tourists while someplace like Dallas doesn't? Really?

And obviously you've been living under a rock for sometime or would know that Belle Isle has come a long way since the takeover. Urban parks aren't rare, but BI offers beautiful views of the city and waterways and a country-like atmosphere in the middle.

Well that certainly sounds unique. A well maintained park with a country-like atmosphere; never heard of such thing. I'm sure the tourist hordes in Paris and Venice are cancelling their plans and rebooking their flights to Detroit as we speak...

[dtowncitylover]

Except they don't, which is the whole point.

NYC, LA, Miami, New Orleans, Vegas, Orlando, Honolulu, etc. are rather unique, which is, in part, why they get tons of tourists, and why Detroit doesn't.

You seriously don't get why someplace like NOLA gets tourists while someplace like Dallas doesn't? Really?


Well that certainly sounds unique. A well maintained park with a country-like atmosphere; never heard of such thing. I'm sure the tourist hordes in Paris and Venice are cancelling their plans and rebooking their flights to Detroit as we speak...

No, they get tons of tourists because this is America and those are popular. They may be "unique" but some of it is pure American shallowness and consumerism. Orlando? Disney Corporation. Las Vegas? Gambling. LA/Miami? Tinseltown and tanning. But some people are fine with that.

I would say New York and New Orleans are the only truly unique one on that list.

All cities are different, obviously, but the thing that grabs outsiders about Detroit more than anything, is how unlike we are to any place in world. There is no comparison. [[You can joke and say Baghdad, but that's completely idiotic)

[dtowncitylover]

Architecture, on average, kind of sucks. There are some notable buildings, but this is true in almost all big metros. Nice pre-war office buildings though.

I know, right?! I wish we had more suburban cookie cutter houses and bland strip malls to showcase. For the size that Detroit has become, we have an amazing collection of architecture from neighborhood stock to places of worship to the downtown Art Deco. For the cities that surround us on the population scale are at par or superior to them. In fact for the 10 cities around us on said scale, DC and San Fran would beat us.

[Bham1982]

IFor the size that Detroit has become, we have an amazing collection of architecture from neighborhood stock to places of worship to the downtown Art Deco.

I would say, on average, Detroit is one of the ugliest cities in the developed world. Most of our major streets are borderline dystopian. I am not getting this claim that people will visit us for the allegedly beautiful architecture.

Where are these arterials and neighborhoods that make Florence and Brugge look like a West Virginia outhouse? I'd love to see them.