Greektown Streetscaping

[BrushStart]

Why is it even called Greektown anymore?

What the hell else would you call a place with dozens of Greek-oriented establishments? Little Italy? Wait, who won the war over Macedonia, I forget....

[EastsideQT]

Why is it even called Greektown anymore?

What do you think it should be called...

[gumby]

What do you think it should be called...

How about Paradise Valley. Oh wait, they already renamed another established neighborhood that.

[R8RBOB]

Why is it even called Greektown anymore?

It should be called "The area formerly known as Greektown"
I was in Greektown on Monday at the casino and I saw a steakhouse and I noticed the Athens store got a upgrade. Speaking of the Greektown casino, I commented on lack of a tables in the casino. I assumed that they want to keep the number of dealers low.

[DetroitDad]

Yeah, I wasn't clear on that. It seems to make some sense to have a place for people to sit, someplace that homeless people won't sleep on or shit all over. But that's only in a place where you have to wait, such as in a subway. What is the point of giving people a place to lean on a busy street? All while taking walking surface away and blocking people who'd get out of a car there? Uhhhh ...

Generally, the benches are not mid-block, nor stretch the whole blocks. The benches are near corners, outside churches, at plazas where biskers tend to locate, and outside the restaurants/clubs/bars that generates waiting/congregating outside.

Attachment 8204

The bottle necks created by the curb indents do not contain the benches. Several of the more prominent ones are actually located along Monroe, between Randolph and Beubien. That area needs some help in order to bridge the gap between Campus Martius Park and Compuware, and Greektown Casino. Randolph in particular is surrounded by three parking garages with ground floor retail that has trouble filling the retail space.

[Detroitnerd]

Generally, the benches are not mid-block, nor stretch the whole blocks.

Yeah, we've seen that from the pictures.

The benches are near corners, outside churches, at plazas where biskers tend to locate, and outside the restaurants/clubs/bars that generates waiting/congregating outside.

So that's why they're set up outside Ham Shoppe, which never has waiting outside, and Sweet Georgia Brown, which has been closed for years?

Several of the more prominent ones are actually located along Monroe, between Randolph and Beubien. That area needs some help in order to bridge the gap between Campus Martius Park and Compuware, and Greektown Casino.

First of all, what kind of "help" is needed? And what kind of "help" do these "commuter leaning benches" afford?

[Lowell]

Monroe is so narrow, it is easy to slip across the street at any point which many, myself included, do. The only possible thing I can think of is that some bureaucratic brainiac somehow thought that was a bad idea and building these would discourage that movement -- something like the fence in the meridian on Warren between Woodward and Third. When I see things like this my first question becomes, "Who got the contract and why?"

[Rocko]

What bugs me most is the shoddy materials and construction. Pointless thought they may be, if they look ok and hold up well, then I don't care that they're there. Neither seem very likely if they didn't even bother to use stainless fittings....who the hell approves this stuff, anyways?

[DetroitDad]

This is the same project we all were talking about last year, right? http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...ight=Greektown It's my understanding that some street scape elements are extra, like tables and chairs, benches, and trash cans. My understanding is that they are paid for by the business owners or merchant association.

[REL]

I think they're fine. They'll give people a place to rest their behinds. Also, I heard they have been shown to reduce jaywalking, which will reduce the number of drunken idiots dashing in front of my car every time I drive through "Greektown" [[use of quotes- intentional).

[Detroitnerd]

I think they're fine. They'll give people a place to rest their behinds. Also, I heard they have been shown to reduce jaywalking, which will reduce the number of drunken idiots dashing in front of my car every time I drive through "Greektown" [[use of quotes- intentional).

Oh, yeah, that's awesome. Let's set up Detroit for vehicular traffic first, and do everything we can to restrict and control pedestrian movement.

Oh, wait. That's the sort of thinking that has decimated pedestrian traffic in every corner of downtown ... except Greektown. So, we have to stamp out these damn pedestrians so people can drive down Monroe?

[bailey]

Oh, yeah, that's awesome. Let's set up Detroit for vehicular traffic first, and do everything we can to restrict and control pedestrian movement.

Oh, wait. That's the sort of thinking that has decimated pedestrian traffic in every corner of downtown ... except Greektown. So, we have to stamp out these damn pedestrians so people can drive down Monroe?

Why is that street even open to traffic anyway? seems like a perfect block to just close and limit to pedestrian traffic anyway. Especially with the parking deck being oriented toward the access road and easy on/off of the expressway.

[Detroitnerd]

Why is that street even open to traffic anyway? seems like a perfect block to just close and limit to pedestrian traffic anyway. Especially with the parking deck being oriented toward the access road and easy on/off of the expressway.

You know what? That's a freakin' GREAT idea. How about this: Close it between 6 p.m. and 4 a.m. Just put holes in the ground on both sides of Monroe and slip in steel poles to block cars. Just like Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

+1 bailey