A trip to Little Italy reveals the Windsor destination isn't what it used to be (Detroit: home)

[usroute10]

“It’s nothing like it used to be,” she says of the neighborhood. “Before 9/11, tourists were coming in by the busloads. If you didn’t make a reservation at a restaurant three weeks out, you wouldn’t get in.”

The businesses that catered to Americans were the ones that went under first, Simone says. It all started with the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that tightened border security, which was only restricted further in 2008 when the U.S. began requiring passports to cross back into the country.

Borrelli says when he was growing up, Erie Street was a home for first-generation Italians. The immigrants still make this area their home, but they’re more likely to come from places like Albania or the war-torn countries of the Middle East, instead.

“Twenty years ago it had a vibrant feel,” Borrelli recalls of the neighborhood. “There was a lot going on, especially at night. Getting a parking spot used to be a challenge. All the restaurants were full. Now one or two are full.”

DETROIT FREE PRESS - Visit reveals Windsor's Little Italy isn't what it used to be


This is sad news. I visited last year and it seemed like a cool strip. I didn't know it had kinda fallen off. I hope things will improve.

[North 42]

Originally Posted by usroute10

DETROIT FREE PRESS - Visit reveals Windsor's Little Italy isn't what it used to be


This is sad news. I visited last year and it seemed like a cool strip. I didn't know it had kinda fallen off. I hope things will improve.

Little Italy is doing just fine! It was the years after 911 that caused so many businesses to close due to a tightening border. Many of the patrons were American back then, so when they stopped coming over in droves, some of the establishments just couldn't make it.

A lot has changed since then, and there are many more restaurants, bars and cafes now than there used to be back then. Good luck getting in for dinner at any of the restaurants on the weekend if you didn't make reservations! Good luck trying to find parking as well!

The whole stretch has undergone all new streetscaping a few years ago with wider sidewalks with more room for outside patios. Businesses are thriving again, and there is a healthier mix of local patrons and tourists now. The street is still very Italian, with multiple generations of Italian Canadians working and living in the area. You can still Italian being spoken all along the street.The strip is just different from what it was like years ago, but I think it's much nicer now with even more choices than it offered before!

Obviously as the years go by there will be less and less older Italians around, as immigration from Italy is pretty much nill compared to the huge immigration waves of the early 20th century! All Little Italies all over North America are going through the same changes as here, with changing demographics and immigration patterns! Ours just happened to also suffer from a very tightened border, which compounded things! The same changes are also happening in many of the China Towns through North America, things change with time, they always have!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I could almost justify traveling the 2K+ miles for:

[North 42]

Windsor style pizza is the best!!!

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by North 42

Little Italy is doing just fine! It was the years after 911 that caused so many businesses to close due to a tightening border. Many of the patrons were American back then, so when they stopped coming over in droves, some of the establishments just couldn't make it.

A lot has changed since then, and there are many more restaurants, bars and cafes now than there used to be back then. Good luck getting in for dinner at any of the restaurants on the weekend if you didn't make reservations! Good luck trying to find parking as well!

The whole stretch has undergone all new streetscaping a few years ago with wider sidewalks with more room for outside patios. Businesses are thriving again, and there is a healthier mix of local patrons and tourists now. The street is still very Italian, with multiple generations of Italian Canadians working and living in the area. You can still Italian being spoken all along the street.The strip is just different from what it was like years ago, but I think it's much nicer now with even more choices than it offered before!

Obviously as the years go by there will be less and less older Italians around, as immigration from Italy is pretty much nill compared to the huge immigration waves of the early 20th century! All Little Italies all over North America are going through the same changes as here, with changing demographics and immigration patterns! Ours just happened to also suffer from a very tightened border, which compounded things! The same changes are also happening in many of the China Towns through North America, things change with time, they always have!

Thanks for offering another perspective and another side of the story. Long live Via Italia.

[North 42]

Originally Posted by usroute10

Thanks for offering another perspective and another side of the story. Long live Via Italia.

Thanks! I just find articles like this to be overly sensational. It's funny that they conveniently left out the part where there have been so many new Italian restaurants that have opened along the street in the past few years!