Detroit has the #1 best riverfront

**Vic01** · January-27-21, 06:25 AM

and will get some recognition, if you cast enough votes

We're currently in 1st place, let's keep it that way, vote every day.

National contest in USA Today

https://www.wxyz.com/homepage-showca...tional-contest

**Vic01** · January-27-21, 09:18 AM

I sure hope all 60 views went and voted "yes"... let us know, please

**jcole** · January-27-21, 09:30 AM

I voted and posted to my FB

**K-slice** · January-27-21, 09:46 AM

Voted!

Go to the Best Public Square category and you can also vote for CM!

I was hoping to see Belle Isle in the best city park as well, no such luck...

**KnnNike** · January-27-21, 12:57 PM

I voted for Detroit, but how on Earth are we in first place? I don't know what kind of metric others are using; I love the Detroit riverfront, but there's no way it's better than Chicago, NYC, and others...

**bartocktoo** · January-27-21, 01:07 PM

10 years ago, this wouldn't have even been on any list. The riverfront has a long way to go, but it's come a long way already.

**Satiricalivory** · January-27-21, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by KnnNike

I voted for Detroit, but how on Earth are we in first place? I don't know what kind of metric others are using; I love the Detroit riverfront, but there's no way it's better than Chicago, NYC, and others...

New York City and Chicago both have their waterfronts strangled by either highways or extremely wide roads.

When Ralph C. Wilson park is finished and we get some more infill development on the waterfront I think we could easily rival Boston for the best big city waterfront in the country.

**Henry Whalley** · January-27-21, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by KnnNike

I voted for Detroit, but how on Earth are we in first place?

Agreed. Hart Plaza has always been a béton brut eyesore and the riverfront would be greatly improved were it replaced by a green space. As to the fountain, I can take it or leave it.

**Kathleen** · January-28-21, 10:17 AM

Voted...several times already.

Best Riverfront: You can vote for the Detroit Riverwalk at https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-riverwalk/

Best Public Square: Campus Martius is in the running. Vote at
https://www.10best.com/awards/travel...public-square/

There are other categories to vote in, if you are so inclined. Where a Detroit site was not nominated, I found a favorite that I've visited and so voted for them.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · January-28-21, 10:24 AM

Voted from California

**gumby** · January-28-21, 04:56 PM

I love the Detroit riverfront but have to admit between the 2 on the list that I have actually been to I have to say that San Antonio's is better. Sorry.

**Dmberko11** · January-28-21, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by gumby

I love the Detroit riverfront but have to admit between the 2 on the list that I have actually been to I have to say that San Antonio's is better. Sorry.

The Riverwalk in SA is lovely. Their downtown isn't all that impressive but the Riverwalk makes it so nice. Great restaurants, shopping, AMC theater...they have it all down there.

**Jason** · January-28-21, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by KnnNike

I voted for Detroit, but how on Earth are we in first place? I don't know what kind of metric others are using; I love the Detroit riverfront, but there's no way it's better than Chicago, NYC, and others...

There are no metrics, it's just voting. I think the riverfront probably just did a good job of getting the word out about the vote.

**Detroit Stylin** · January-28-21, 06:09 PM

Ask yourselves this: how many American cities have an international riverfront?

**Dmberko11** · January-28-21, 06:24 PM

Good point

**ASilvaman** · January-28-21, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by Henry Whalley

Agreed. Hart Plaza has always been a béton brut eyesore and the riverfront would be greatly improved were it replaced by a green space. As to the fountain, I can take it or leave it.

The riverwalk consists of a lot more than just Hart Plaza. Is that your only complaint?

**jcole** · January-29-21, 08:59 AM

You can vote every 15 hours

Originally Posted by Vic01

and will get some recognition, if you cast enough votes

We're currently in 1st place, let's keep it that way, vote every day.

National contest in USA Today

https://www.wxyz.com/homepage-showca...tional-contest

**jmcf1949** · January-29-21, 09:43 AM

Detroit is likely the only large city with a riverfront that is not used to create revenue. What a waste.

**401don** · January-29-21, 09:50 AM

I must say that aside from design what makes any riverfront lively is the volume of people using it. Of course one contributes to the other. I've been more than impressed with how many people use the river walk at any given time. By the percentage of white people on it, vs. the number of white city residents and tourists, clearly suburbanites are coming down expressly to walk it. Cities with larger downtown populations like Chicago and Toronto can get higher volumes of usage but Detroit's easy access is a huge benefit over both of those. I think allowing a few hot dog and ice cream carts in addition to the cafe by the carousel would add to the area. A beer garden and a couple of food trucks on the parking lots east of Ren Cen with picnic tables and a small opening with access to the riverfront could be done on a trial basis.

**Vic01** · January-29-21, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

You can vote every 15 hours

Thanks, I'll pick up the pace

**bust** · January-29-21, 07:14 PM

I'm having a hard time thinking of cities that have a nicer riverfront. [[I've neither been to San Antonio nor a few others in the running.)

But I can name many others where they've decided the best uses of their riverfronts do not directly create revenue.

For the better part of the last Century the bigger problems cities like New York and Philadelphia have had with their riverfronts have stemmed from the prior focus on "revenue-generating" purposes and the nature of what resulted: ports, piers, factories, refineries, warehouses, slaughterhouses, rooming houses, bars, and brothels. [[Some of you may say some of those aren't so bad.)

In New York that extended all the way up both sides to upper Manhattan, and pretty much all the way up the Harbor waterfront and E. River in Brooklyn and Queens.

Just one example: where the UN stands today used to be a[[nother) slaughterhouse district. When that was demolished what they replaced it with didn't do much to improve access to the waterfront either.

Those purposes brought in revenue, but they didn't make great neighborhoods [[nor great rivers). Nature way back was much more abundant and near to cities so I suppose many [[more) took it for granted besides. Much less true today. For the past several decades cities like NY, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc. have been working hard to replace those uses mostly with [[wait for it) parks and other forms of public access.

They do this even though public access doesn't directly bring revenue [[except for occasional naming rights or a concession). They do it because by making the city more beautiful and enjoyable they attract more and [[and more upscale) businesses and residents -- and the revenue follows from there.

Sorry for all the parenthesis [[and hyphens) -- my English teachers wouldn't approve.

**jcole** · January-30-21, 09:55 AM

I can speak to San Antonio; it is largely stores and restaurants. They have gondolas that you can pay to ride in. Frankly, I wasn't overly impressed. I was at the Alamo and had to go through some business across the street and go down some stairs to reach the riverwalk. It seemed kind of enclosed and sunless to me I think because of all the buildings, several stories high, ringing the river. Lots of big, old oak trees also. I think it's that way to offer shade and coolness in the summer heat of Texas, but I didn't love it.

Originally Posted by bust

I'm having a hard time thinking of cities that have a nicer riverfront. [[I've neither been to San Antonio nor a few others in the running.)...

**jcole** · January-30-21, 09:58 AM

Here's a more direct link to vote for Detroit
https://www.10best.com/awards/travel...detroit/share/

**Gistok** · January-30-21, 05:10 PM

San Antonio's River Walk is more like a canal walk. It is no wider than a 2 lane roadway, and comes into downtown San Antonio from a spur of the San Antonio River... loops thru downtown, and then reconnects back with the San Antonio river. Like I said, it is little more than a narrow canal...albeit a beautifully lined with commercial buildings canal.

**jcole** · January-30-21, 05:59 PM

Yes, you're right; it is a shallow canal more than likely dug for its purpose of attracting people to the stores there.

Originally Posted by Gistok

San Antonio's River Walk is more like a canal walk. It is no wider than a 2 lane roadway, and comes into downtown San Antonio from a spur of the San Antonio River... loops thru downtown, and then reconnects back with the San Antonio river. Like I said, it is little more than a narrow canal...albeit a beautifully lined with commercial buildings canal.