48hrs in Detroit
8-9. March, 2024.Detroit, also known as the Motor City, is best known for its role in the automotive industry, with the "Big Three" automakers - General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler - all headquartered in the city. However, Detroit's history is also marked by racial tension, economic decline, and urban decay. In the mid-20th century, the city experienced a mass exodus of white residents to the suburbs, leaving behind a predominantly African American population. This, combined with the decline of the auto industry, led to high unemployment rates, poverty, and crime.
In many ways, I expected to find Detroit empty. We were warned about places to avoid; to be careful at stop lights as people run red lights to prevent burglary; and about having a (gasp) Japanese car parked in Ford's factory parking lot. But all of this we knew and were ready for.
But there were many things we weren't ready for.
First of all the size of the place. I've pinged my old swimming buddy from Swiss Cottage who lives in Detroit to catch up, only to learn that while he does live in Detroit, his place is a 45-minute highway drive. That's HUGE. I've heard in the range of 100-mile diameters floating around and I wouldn't at all be surprised by it. Our weekend plan was very quickly adjusted to fit just the downtown.
Another thing we weren't ready for was the duality of it all. In every place in the world I've been to, there are "good" and "bad" neighbourhoods. But nowhere have I seen such stark contrast right next to each other. A million-dollar mansion right next to the ramshackle, fire-damaged ruin. Neither was abandoned, like many of Detroit's factories, but people actively lived there. I could think of no other place in the world where the 'haves' and 'have-nots' live right next to each other. I don't know about the crime and burglary rates these days (I'd imagine they were still high), but most of the time, I didn't feel fundamentally unsafe as I feel in, for example, Peckham.
Then, there was the love people from Detroit have for their city. Talking to Austin, who acted as our guide for the weekend, got me feeling that despite travelling the world, he can't see himself anywhere else in the world. And I have a massive amount of respect for that. Unlike before, I can't understand it, but I can and do respect it. And that this love is shared can be seen from the state of the city which is clearly being revived and restored. It's unlikely it will ever reach its former glory, but mementoes of an almost unimaginable wealth of the city that was at the heart of the industrial revolution in America are being restored at every step.
And this restoration gives the city this incredible feeling as if you've stepped into the past. Walking its streets felt as if I was in a sort of movie set, and dressing in a Great Gatsby style wouldn't have been out of place at all. In fact, I did wish I had an oversized topcoat and a fedora. Sitting in a rooftop speakeasy, sipping on my old-fashioned, for once, I don't think they would have been out of place.
