  Nem Member Username: Nem Post Number: 27 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 68.61.183.215 |
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/s tory/5305948 "This week's MVP award: The people of Detroit. Kind, courteous, and helpful, the fine folks of Motown have made this week as wonderful as possible. Breathe easy, Detroit — you pulled it off." This was the first bit of positive national coverage I was able to find on Detroit post-Superbowl. I'm sure there will be plenty more in the morning. I'm only 21 but I've lived in the Detroit area my entire life and I have never been so proud of this city. Positive attitudes, optimism, and a general sense of pride are all things that have been sorely missed in Detroit for at least 30+ years and if nothing else, the Superbowl has brought each of those. I live in the 'burbs and up until the last 5 or so years, I only really visited Detroit for sporting events and concerts. My curiosity finally got the best of me and I did some exploring downtown and found some of the "hidden gems" the city has to offer. After that I became hooked. Since then, I have been downtown almost every week doing all kinds of stuff, not just going to concert and sports venues. I spent much of the last 2 weeks with my fiance walking around downtown taking pictures and visting some of the new stores and resturants that have sprung up over the last few months. We had a blast!! I firmly believe that suburbanites like myself can change their attitudes of the city, if they are willing to overlook the stereotypes and see the city and its recent changes for themselves. Events like the Allstar game and the Superbowl may have had far greater effect on the city than just the refurbished buildings and repaved streets. For thousands of young people, this could have realistically be the first time they have ever walked around the downtown area. Bringing people into the city, both the out-of-towners and the suburbanites, and allowing them to see the changes for themselves is key to keeping the momentum of revitalization continuing far beyond February 5th, 2006. |
