Have any of you been to Grand Rapids lately? Holy cow, it's kicking Detroit's tail.

[27 Mile]

I'm not just saying this to get a rise. I was in downtown Grand Rapids this week and what I saw blew me away. GR has the new and old buildings cultivating the urban vibe the kids and yuppies want. Lots of new construction. Grand Valley, MSU medical school, a few hospital centers. Streets are super clean. No homeless or sketchy loiters. An unbelievable amount of foot traffic! It is the closest thing to a Chicago nabe I've seen in Michigan.

Grand Rapids feels like it's at least a decade ahead of corktown, midtown and dtown Detroit triangle, with no sign of slowing down. I have to assume there's a lot less bureaucracy to deal with there as well, which is much more attractive to businesses and young people on the move.

Forget Chicago or Pittsburg, Detroit needs to figure out GR's secret.