  Dan Member Username: Dan Post Number: 1182 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.47.194.247 |
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20060305/M ETRO/603050359/1003 One month later, Super efforts fade Detroit needs more than football game to clean up image Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News Advertisement Steve Perez / The Detroit News "We've got a long way to go, I can't kid you," says Greg Gedda, who owns the Union Street restaurant, a 20-year fixture on Woodward. "There's more to do down here." See full image Elizabeth Conley The Detroit News Ben Schecter gets a window display ready for Serman's Clothes in Detroit. Downtown businesses hoped the Super Bowl would bring in new customers. See full image David Coates / The Detroit News During the Super Bowl, this storefront at 138 Monroe was filled with Big Game gear. A month later, it sits empty. See full image Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News Before the Big Game, this billboard warned: "The World is Coming: Get in the Game Detroit." See full image Printer friendly version Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery DETROIT -- A grassy median along Washington Boulevard boasts six gaslight-style street lamps covered with silver garland and 36 young elm trees wrapped with strands of lights. But this quaint oasis in downtown Detroit, part of the city's revitalization efforts for the Super Bowl, can't be seen at night because the lights don't work. One month after the game, city residents and businesses fret that the positive impact they expected from the sports spectacle is no more visible than those spindly seedlings in the dark. Litter and graffiti have begun to reappear downtown and along highways. Storefronts on Woodward Avenue and other main drags are empty once again, with few prospects for new tenants. | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 848 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
I have noticed the same thing as well. The freeways are messy. The homeless are making their way back to their overpasses. The most opportune time to capture the ambience of a viable and livid downtownn is surely passing us by. I know I spend a lot of time downtown...but its going to take more than just me. I think soem of these business should gather together and take one day and keep their shops open and offer sales and what not. The city needs to help keep trhese businesses in Detroit by advertising Detroit. Now we are just the last city to host the Super Bowl. thats all. | ||
Alexei289 Member Username: Alexei289 Post Number: 1046 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.61.183.223 |
Well it doesnt help that most of the development that happened away from Downtown went in one Northern direction... Meaning that many of the suburbanites that could very well help downtown become a retail center are so far away that even if they wanted to go there, its almost an hour away... And that is competing with places like Lakeside mall and summerset less than 20 minutes away... It would be wrong to say that the average distance from the city center for the average suburbanite is not a huge factor in nixing a trip there... Downtown will improve when the business (The big ones, no not joes breakfast shop), place their footprint there. That will spark the daytime population needed to sustain a retail, and eventual residential market. They all work on themselves. Basically we need to make it economical and desirable for larger corporations to move from Troy and Livonia downtown.. and more importantly from other parts of the country. We definatly need to make Detroit a trading city as well as a producing one. We need advertising firms and banks operating here and not in Chicago.. our eternal competitor in the trading cities market. That fixes downtown... great... but now what about the neighborhoods... The fact is that the neighborhoods are property of Detroit... and Downtown is the property of the region... We may very well see a vibrant and prosperous downtown in the next 10-15 years, and an even further declining neighborhood base.. Chances are that any new business moving downtown will still have its workers living in the suburbs... Although it would definatly open up more of a market for residential development. ... But again.. until the big corporations move here... theres simply not enough money to go around and not enough of a spark in the market to keep it burning. What would people think of that proposed downtown tax that would pay for improvements downtown? | ||
Shave Member Username: Shave Post Number: 1061 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 152.163.100.8 |
Alexei, IMO, I think clusters of small start-ups (bio-techs, research, etc.) may prove much more valuable to Detroit than existing businesses moving from the suburbs to the city etc. The metro-Detroit region is not growing. Therefore, is it really a net gain for Detroit when a suburban-based business moves to downtown Detroit? Many will differ on their opinions of this issue. I don't even like the idea of luring businesses from other states. If anything, Michigan needs to focus on luring foreign firms and investors into the region. The time is ripe as globalization increases at a feverish pitch. However, Michigan leaders and the blood-sucking unions are more interested in maintaining the status quo (a "strong" manufacturing base). It is obvious that Southern states and foreign countries are more heavily favored in this regards. Playing "musical chairs" with existing Michigan-based businesses (especially those heavily invested in manufacturing) will not make a stronger Detroit, SE Michigan MSA, or Michigan. | ||
Jfried Member Username: Jfried Post Number: 741 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 69.47.87.96 |
I guess we had to expect it, but f' the detroit news. it's been a freaking month. way to sell the excitement when the crowds were in town, but turn back to the same old detroit bashing the first chance they get. did I mention f' the detroit news? | ||
Matt_the_deuce Member Username: Matt_the_deuce Post Number: 538 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.14.248.252 |
I second that.... Hack journalism at it's finest. Did anyone send this doofus an email? | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 865 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
I think that the success of downtown doesn't necessarily depend on suburban companies moving downtown...I agree with Shave, I think new businesses, new technology from other parts of the country and world would be more beneficial to the area. I think that we bring new people to the area as well. Thats what the area needs is new blood. As fars as the neighborhoods go. As the downtown gets larger, the surrounding neigborhoods will begin to diminish and the more dense residential area will start to pop up. Whats so funny is that when I was a kid always visiting Chicago we would drive downtown from my relatives house...Now going back to the old neighborhood they lived in, it is now a part of downtown. I think there were milliion dollar condos right across the street from the cabrini Green projects now. | ||
Eastside Member Username: Eastside Post Number: 796 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 69.246.10.58 |
You people are really dismayed by all this? This town is what it is and the Superbowl was what it was. The spruce-up that happened around town was just a prop...there is nothing to build on because Detroit did not change, it just put up a front. If you expected more, you simply bought into this front. The whole thing was sweet for a minute...it afforded us a glimpse of how we would all like to see Detroit, but alas the glimpse was fleeting. Superbowl week 2007 will be a lonely time around here. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 324 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 68.2.191.57 |
You've made a hammock of my spirits.  | ||
Matt_the_deuce Member Username: Matt_the_deuce Post Number: 539 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.14.248.252 |
The whole point is that it seems the author of the article bought into it - which is ridiculous. We all know that all the temp. bars were just that. Was it all so hard to figure out? No it wasn't. This is just an attempt to take another negative dig to sell papers. Same old shitty media tactics in this town. Downtown is in much better shape than it was a couple of months ago and that's what counts - nothing more, nothing less. Embarrassing journalism | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1499 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 70.227.207.76 |
In the "Busy Saturday Night" thread Motorcitymayor2026 talks about how alive downtown Detroit was this pass weekend, despite the fact that the Red Wings weren't playing. His first hand account definitely differs from this reporter's account. Paraphrasing a line from the article that got me ticked was, "except for Greektown the rest of Downtown was like a ghost town." Sure doesn't sound like the downtown Detroit that Motorcitymayor witnessed. I agree that this is hack journalism. The reporter had a deadline and had to come up with something. The only thing of importance mentioned in the article was the fact that graffiti artists are back marking their territories. Like I said in the Busy Saturday thread, "these graffiti artists ought to be shot." They are no longer tagging vacant buildings and they need to be stopped and punished. | ||
Eastside Member Username: Eastside Post Number: 797 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 69.246.10.58 |
Deadlines are a part of every business...so I can't make a connection between a deadline and being a hack. Writing "these graffiti artists ought to be shot" is a great example of hack journalism though. | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1500 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 70.227.207.76 |
Eastside, I hope you saw my unedited version of this post. You must be one of those graffiti artists bastards who defiles this city with your trash. Or maybe you're a hack reporter at the Detroit News. At any rate, if you have nothing constructive to offer to this thread then you need to STFU. (Message edited by royce on March 06, 2006) | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 868 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
Nice one Royce...perfectly stated | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1501 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 70.227.207.76 |
Also, Eastside if you can't make the connection between a deadline and a hack job, then you're not using your thinking cap. If a reporter is under the gun to turn in a story, the reporter will turn in anything just to get the story in. He or she may not have checked their facts or, in this article, make repeated generalizations and offer nothing of substance. The "ghost town" line really pisses me off. Did he really travel through downtown to witness no activity? If he did go around downtown, did he do it at 8:00 p.m. or at 3:00 a.m. Eastside, as more people respond to this thread throughout today, you will see that your view is one that is in the minority. It might have been better if you didn't say anything at all. (Message edited by royce on March 06, 2006) | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1502 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 70.227.207.76 |
Thanks, Broken_main. | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 869 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
By the way...I too commend motorcitymayor on his view of Detroit. I explained to him that I have taken the initiative to not only shop Detroit more but to make it my priority to shop Detroit first before going "suburban". My wife, the kids and I went to the movies at the RenCen today and the experience was below average. I am going to contact the theater and let them know of my experience and I will give it another try next month, just to see if things change. I must admit, despite the few setbacks that we had, the theater was packed and the crowd was mature, unlike a recent visit to the Star Fairlane, where unruliness seems to be the norm. | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 870 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
Also, by the way...earlier in this thread I was a little down because of the lack of shine in the city that we saw before the Super Bowl...i must now stand corrected and say that, for a Sunday, it was more vibrant than i have seen in the past and the streets were clean. We didn't get to ride the DPM tonight so I couldn't tell how many were riding it. Also, a good crowd was at Cobo tonight and a lot of people in the RenCen, I just wish some of the shops were open today. It would have been great to patronize some of them tonight. maybe in the future this will change. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 3785 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 141.217.174.223 |
After the Super Bowl came and went, WHAT'S NEXT? | ||
Southwestmap Member Username: Southwestmap Post Number: 402 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 64.79.90.206 |
NCAA Men's Final Four Games at Ford Field in 2009 - another great thing to look forward to. | ||
Motorcitymayor2026 Member Username: Motorcitymayor2026 Post Number: 557 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 68.251.25.41 |
Broken_Main, What happened to you at the theatre? It seems like there have been lots of complaints about the place. I have only been once, but it was clean and fairly busy. Screens a bit small, other than that a good time....ive only been once though.... curious to hear what kind of problems there may have be. | ||
Tomoh Member Username: Tomoh Post Number: 92 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 68.40.205.183 |
So all the temporary stores selling Superbowl merchandise are gone. How is this either news or at all surprising? There are dozens of empty storefronts on Woodward, same as two months ago! Actually, with the Woodward, it's at least somewhat better. Tubby's can't keep its area clean of sandwich wrappers, well, it sounds like a job for Tubby's. As for keeping the downtown clean in general, what about the thousands of ambassadors who came downtown to help out who were asked whether they'd be willing to help out again and responded "Yes!" overwhelmingingly -- maybe this is a quarterly project for them and us. Perhaps there was little improvement in national opinion (outside of the hundreds of thousands who actually came) of the city when compared to San Francisco and New York. What matters much more is the change in opinion of the 6 million plus people in this region who are capable of visiting on a whim and on a regular basis. Where was any mention of that? I think we can look forward to hundreds of new residents in new lofts and condos currently in various stages of construction, bigger casinos with more workers and hotel rooms that the casinos will find ways to fill with people who will at least spend a little time outside of the casino, and of course we have warmer weather to look forward to with the outdoor festivals that accompany it. Downtown certainly wasn't a ghosttown last Saturday. | ||
Nellonfury Member Username: Nellonfury Post Number: 112 Registered: 03-2005 Posted From: 68.43.156.135 |
"Detroit needs more than football game to clean up image" I agree with Mr.Donnelly from the Detroit News. SuperBowl XL was cool but the city needs to put this in the past and start thinking about a better future for the city.Final Four is three years from now and that just the start.Since SBXL is fade away,soon the billboards messages will say: "The World is Has left us!" "XL-lent Detroit, now take me down" "SuperBowl XL:The Movie,coming soon to a big screen near you" | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 889 Registered: 06-2005 Posted From: 69.222.11.226 |
Motorcity, I took the wife and children and my daughter's friend to the 5:20 showing of Madea's family Reunion. There were only 2 people working the refreshment station. The worst part about this is that you had to buy your tickets at the refreshment stand. I was about 10th in line and there was about 15 more people behind me. The movie had started while I was in the line, as did everyone elses movie at the other theaters. In other words, most of the patrons were standing in a line while the theaters sat playing a movie. They finally opened the actual ticket booth/desk and everyone behind me rushed to that. Oh was I pissed. Not only that I learned that the refreshment stand didn't take credit and that the ticket desk did. I had to leave my wife in the refreshment stand with the few dollars we had on us to get the refreshments while I had to use the credit card at the ticket booth/desk. The quality of the popcorn...okay. the prices...too high(we actually spent 40 dollars on basically nothing). The drink station...unclean and the pop was all flat. To my suprise the theater was about 70 percent full and I prayed that the people in there didn't have to go through what I did. I wouldn't be suprised if they initially started out for the noon show and probably had to wait in line for 5 hours...hehehe. There were a lot of people theater hopping. I think that they need to retrain their staff, probably redesign the reception area and seal off the area between theaters to prevent the hopping. I surely didn't see a manager around. All of the employess were teenagers and really seemed confused. Like i said before, I am going to inform them of my experience and give them another chance in about a month. |
