Detroit Moxie: "They All Don't Want to Leave" (home, dorm)

[ForStarters]

A small quote from the blog Detroit Moxie makes a big statement: "They all don't want to leave."

Perhaps Detroit's radical population decline has left you thinking that everyone wants out of the city. Not so.

There is a growing number of people who actually want in. Hostel Detroit opened last month to much fanfare, and an equal amount of negative naysayers bemoaning anything related to Detroit in the background. Today, it seems the hostel's business is booming.

Constantly, I hear, "Nothing can succeed in Detroit." Or, "There's nothing worth seeing there. It's not worth going." Well, if I didn't live in the city, I might honestly be inclined to believe those people. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact is, more things are emerging in Detroit than not. It is a happening place right now. As someone recently said, there is “a quiet noise, a rumbling.”

Listening to the quiet*noise - Detroit Moxie -

[Slappy san]

I hate to say it but....all the ruin porn folks must like saving on accommodations.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by Slappy san

I hate to say it but....all the ruin porn folks must like saving on accommodations.

Definitely. It's also possible that the Hostel is capturing visitors that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to come to Detroit. The more types accommodations the city can offer, the more people will be interesting in visiting. The more who visit, the more Detroit benefits culturally and economically. It's a win-win-win-win.

[East Coaster]

I'm so glad to hear that there's finally a hostel in Detroit! Can any of you tell me more about the neighbourhood it's located in? Is it within walking distance of attractions, restaurants, etc.? And has anybody stayed there? Feedback? I was looking at their website the other day, and their dorm room prices are pretty typical (good!) but their private and semi-room prices are really, really inexpensive compared with other hostels. I hope this does well. And I can't see how it wouldn't.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by East Coaster

I'm so glad to hear that there's finally a hostel in Detroit! Can any of you tell me more about the neighbourhood it's located in? Is it within walking distance of attractions, restaurants, etc.? And has anybody stayed there? Feedback? I was looking at their website the other day, and their dorm room prices are pretty typical (good!) but their private and semi-room prices are really, really inexpensive compared with other hostels. I hope this does well. And I can't see how it wouldn't.

Hostel Detroit is located in North Corktown, which is a residential neighborhood north of I-75, just outside of downtown. The actual neighborhood is what I would call a transition zone, and is actually a lot of urban prairie, take a look: Google Maps Other than the hostel, North Corktown is home to Nancy Whiskey, which is a pretty neat blues bar, but has become somewhat hipster. However, the Hostel itself is only three blocks off Michigan Ave, which is the main drag through actual Corktown. In Corktown, there are a number of bars and restaurants, like Slow's BarBQ, and music venues, like PJ's Lager House, all within walking distance of the Hostel. Corktown is also famous for Michigan Central Station, which is the large abandoned train station often associated with Detroit.

If you stayed at the Hostel, you could bike to downtown Detroit in about 15-20 minutes. You could also walk to Michigan Ave and grab a cab to downtown or anywhere else in the city, like Mexicantown or Midtown. I happen to know some of the people who were involved with establishing the Hostel, and I can tell you that they are truly the best kind of people.

I made you a travel map of Detroit covering the greater downtown area. I tried to make it pretty thorough, but there's plenty of stuff I just couldn't get on there!

Here ya go: Hostel Detroit - Google Maps

[East Coaster]

This map is amazing, ForStarters! Thank you so much! It gives me a much better understanding of distances between places in Detroit, and certainly highlights many of the places I'm interested in seeing. And I appreciate the information about the specific location of the hostel.