Detroit -The New Los Angeles?

**jw101** · January-27-15, 07:43 PM

A new organization called D:NLA [[Detroit: New Los Angeles) has a new website that compares 5 different areas of Los Angeles to Detroit- and actually, they're pretty dead on. Venice Beach with Metropark Beach, Birmingham with Beverly Hills, and more. Check it out http://www.detnewla.weebly.com and make some comments. I, for one, love the concept because I love both cities. What do you think?

**mtburb** · January-27-15, 10:10 PM

Never seen that site before. The similarities are indeed striking.

I'd like to contribute two of my own:

**FormerEastsider** · January-27-15, 11:24 PM

Current Temps: Detroit 19...

....Los Angeles 63...

**FlyingJ** · January-28-15, 02:08 AM

Originally Posted by FormerEastsider

Current Temps: Detroit 19...

....Los Angeles 63...

It's silly. Venice is nothing like Metropark. Irvine, South Orange County is more like Troy/Auburn Hills...I'm not sure what their point is-other than revive the Famous Detroiters' Sunset Strip Coney joint? http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/05/ga...coney-dog.html

**Cincinnati_Kid** · January-28-15, 02:25 AM

That'll be the day, when Detroit becomes the New Los Angeles. I see no similarities.

**mikeg19** · January-28-15, 08:15 AM

I've always heard LA was a shithole and to basically be avoided in favor of a lot of other better areas in Cali.

**stasu1213** · January-28-15, 08:24 AM

Gratiot 7 mile rd is the new Watts

**Bham1982** · January-28-15, 08:26 AM

Couldn't you make the same broad comparisons between any two U.S. metros?

Jones Beach is Metropark Beach?

Greenwich, CT is Birmingham?

Etc. etc.

**dtowncitylover** · January-28-15, 09:32 AM

This is quite silly and a stretch.

How many times is Venice Beach closed for e. coli problems?

Anyone who calls Main St. in Royal Oak "flaming hot" is obviously a tool.

And while Birmingham is indeed upscale, it pales in comparison to Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive.

And Los Angeles is a sprawling metropolis of 3 million people in the city, 10 million in the suburbs, with diverse neighborhoods and the hub of west coast culture.

The only thing we have in common is our car culture.

**nain rouge** · January-28-15, 09:53 AM

Actually, Detroit is a lot like Minneapolis and Milwaukee, except it completely trashed itself in an attempt to be like LA, Miami, and Dallas. Because Detroit mistakenly believed its only disadvantage relative to those metros is that it wasn't suburban and exurban enough.

Pretty much everyone is in denial that exurban developments in icy, geographically boring Michigan don't have the same appeal as places like the Hollywood Hills. When you're shoveling snow and skidding on ice for months as you stare at immense parking lots and plots of grass with "FOR SALE BY THE MAFIA - ZONED RESIDENTIAL " signs, well, it just isn't as glamorous.

**FormerEastsider** · January-28-15, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Gratiot 7 mile rd is the new Watts

Have you been to Watts lately?

**Hermod** · January-28-15, 10:15 AM

Without regard to any physical similarities of buidlings and street scenes, Detroit metro and LA metro are thousands of miles apart on attitude and outlook.

**mtburb** · January-28-15, 11:09 AM

Just realized that there's a Southgate in metropolitan Los Angeles too-and in regards to the commercial and residential strips there, even looks oddly like our Southgate.

**jw101** · January-28-15, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by mtburb

Just realized that there's a Southgate in metropolitan Los Angeles too-and in regards to the commercial and residential strips there, even looks oddly like our Southgate.

Really? I never knew that. Overall, it's a pretty interesting idea... I was thinking that the Sunset Strip would probably be... Woodward? Maybe even Livernois? And Malibu would have to be Gross Pointe- easily! Silver Lake, LA would probably be West Bloomfield.... just cool.

**313WX** · January-28-15, 01:30 PM

If anything, Detroit was the original LA...

**ABetterDetroit** · January-28-15, 02:14 PM

Having lived in LA the biggest difference is that the people aren't fighting with each other pointing fingers and blaming other communities for their problems. LA is always in flux, changing, evolving.

**MSUguy** · January-28-15, 02:37 PM

So someone found few random spots that look similar in the two cities. The premise behind is the site is rather silly

**Detroitdave** · January-28-15, 04:05 PM

I've lived in both cities and , born in Detroit, moved to LA when I was 13, back every summer and holiday to Detroit ,ect . I've lived in LA from 1987-2010 ,now back in since 2011. Both cities have major sprawl.
but LA is 3 times as big and 3 times as dense.
That's about where it ends. The only city that comes close to LA in regional shopping is NYC.
In LA shopping is a sport and every area of the city has major shopping unlike Detroit that has little to none.
However Detroit is developing very well in the hip department , I just hope it doesn't get self centered and spoiled like LA can be LOL

**313WX** · January-28-15, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitdave

I've lived in both cities and , born in Detroit, moved to LA when I was 13, back every summer and holiday to Detroit ,ect . I've lived in LA from 1987-2010 ,now back in since 2011. Both cities have major sprawl.
but LA is 3 times as big and 3 times as dense.
That's about where it ends. The only city that comes close to LA in regional shopping is NYC.
In LA shopping is a sport and every area has part of the city has major shopping unlike Detroit that has little to none.
However Detroit is developing very well in the hip department , I just hope it doesn't get self centered and spoiled like LA can be LOL

As stated above, Detroit from the 1960s to 1980s was like a smaller LA.

Every part of the city [[Detroit) had major shopping during that time like LA [[besides Woodward Avenue, the New Center Area and Washington Blvd., there was the Avenue of Fashion, 7 Mile/Gratiot, Grand River/Greenfield, etc.).

Also, like LA, Detroit was also very car-centric and sprawly at that time while still having a vibrant/crowded urban core. In fact, before LA, Detroit had the most extensive freeway system of any major city...

**Detroitdave** · January-28-15, 05:08 PM

LA reinvested in every shopping area, unlike Detroit, keeping the residents shoppin in their own part of the city. Even "watts" i e Baldwin Hills ect.

Detroit does have some thing in common with LA , both cities removed their amazing rail lines., however LA has made huge gains in replacing them.

LA has a huge advantage ... weather and the movie industry and tourist industry and ... yada yada yada LOL

**313WX** · January-28-15, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitdave

LA reinvested in every shopping area, unlike Detroit, keeping the residents shoppin in their own part of the city. Even "watts" i e Baldwin Hills ect.

Detroit does have some thing in common with LA , both cities removed their amazing rail lines., however LA has made huge gains in replacing them.

LA has a huge advantage ... weather and the movie industry and tourist industry and ... yada yada yada LOL

True about the weather.

The auto industry of course [[which is comparably far more cyclical with its ups and downs, as even in recessions people still watch movies/television and listen to music) was Detroit's equivalent to LA's entertainment industry...

**Ray1936** · January-28-15, 05:52 PM

Cars with California license plates are usually driven by very poor drivers. When I see a CA plate here in Nevada, I equate it to seeing an Ohio plate in Michigan.

[[Hey, lighten up! I'm having fun! Well, maybe......)

**jw101** · January-28-15, 05:59 PM

BREAKING NEWS: D:NLA has released a statement and 2 new comparisons. I think they actually chose mine!!!! Except WB http://www.detnewla.weebly.com/

**nain rouge** · January-28-15, 06:14 PM

Uh... wait... this is serious? I didn't even look at that site until now. Yeah, Metro Beach is Venice, just with an empty boardwalk instead of a vibrant beachfront strip. But hey, why get all technical? Really, all Detroit and LA have in common is that both have had developments after World War II.