Grosse Point Questions (Detroit, Royal Oak, Birmingham: appointed, sale, mortgage)

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by us66

Grocery delivery in Detroit? I know other big cities have it, but in Detroit it's darn near impossible to get a pizza delivered, let alone the groceries. Pretty much every liquor and convenience store that I know of in Michigan accepts food stamps and people buy, price be damned.

As for seeing a weeks' worth of stuff going aboard a bus, go check out the southbound bus stops on Van Dyke at 14 Mile (Super Evil*Mart) and 16 Mile (Meijer), complete with shopping carts, no small feat up by Meijer considering Meijer is across at least six lanes of roadway from the bus stop.

You can definitely get groceries delivered in downtown Detroit. There are a few companies that deliver to my building a couple times a week, though I've never personally used them. Google shows a company called groceries-express, which delivers to my address. Prices look pretty good too. There is also a brand new company that delivers wine to your door, but I think their delivery service is limited to the City of Detroit. I'll see if I can find a link to them.

[ForStarters]

Okay! I found the link to Detroit Drinks (wine delivery) : Putnam Weekley presents Detroit Drinks Their service is up and running for the holidays. Scroll down the page for their wine selections. As I guessed, delivery out of the city is an extra $15.00 fee.

[Retroit]

Wow...wine delivery...what will they think of next? It never ceases to amaze me how much money people have to spend during the supposedly "worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." As if it is difficult for Detroiters to walk down to the corner liquor store.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Wow...wine delivery...what will they think of next? It never ceases to amaze me how much money people have to spend during the supposedly "worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." As if it is difficult for Detroiters to walk down to the corner liquor store.

I tend to think that this service is used mostly by people who want to buy a case of assorted wines that aren't available at a single liquor store, so this company takes all of the leg work out of restocking your wine collection. It may also be used by some local celebs, like newscasters, athletes, or entertainers who don't want to be seen buying a grocery cart full of wine. You have to remember that even though the economy is lousy, it isn't lousy for everyone, and there are still a lot of people with money. CNBC just reported that the sale of high-end luxury items were up huge this weekend, which usually means that the rich are spending.

Edit: Come to think of it, there are a number of prominent judges and even a recognizable radio personality and a news writer that live in my building. These people probably wouldn't want to be seen at the store stocking their carts with booze!

[hockeywidow]

OP - We just moved to GPP in August and are very happy here. The schools are ranked very high (according to MEAP scores, which aren't the best or only indicator of a school's success), and three of the elementary schools and GP South HS were ranked among the top 15 schools in the entire state. I have a friend who teaches at South and loves it there.

We are presently renting in the Park, and starting to look to purchase a home here. You'll get alot of bang for your buck! The taxes are high, but in all honesty, the services that you get are amazing and unlike any I've seen in a city or town anywhere. From leaf pick up and snow removal (roads, sidewalks), the amazing parks (including a movie theater), to clean, safe streets, I will not begrudge paying taxes here.

My only complaint is the lack of retail and grocery shopping. Even the new Kroger in the Village is about half the size of any grocery store in the northeast, and the selection is very limited. But that seems to be Kroger in general. Trader Joe's makes up for it, and when you count in Detroit's Eastern Market (I try and go for fresh fruits & veggies), from May-October there is a Farmers Market in the Park, Village Market and Fresh Farms Markets with their great butchers, you're pretty much covered. I also find myself in St. Clair Shores for several things -- kids clothes at Connie's, paper goods at Party Adventure...

There's a really great community here. I've met folks here who have moved from the NYC area like us (several NYers!), and from the UK. I had six moms from my daughter's school over this week for coffee one morning and we were all commenting that there is a very urban feel to GP. Yes, it's a "suburb", but we lack the big box stores and cookie cutter homes. We can be downtown in 15 minutes without getting on a highway. I've been to The Fisher Theater, my husband has season tickets to the Red Wings, my kids love the Science Center, the list goes on. People here in the Park, in particular, are committed to the city of Detroit. Our school has paired with an elementary school in Detroit and all of our community service projects are with that school. And it's not just donating items, the two principals are very involved and promote interaction between the children.

I've had people who live in GP Farms and Woods tell me to not live in the Park because it share more borders Detroit. I have no issue with that at all. I've met wonderful pople here, many doctors, lawyers, finance men & women, as well as auto professionals.

Come back to Grosse Pointe!

[tekgirl]

Hi hockeywidow, Can you tell me which three elementary schools are ranked top 15? We too will be moving from the NYC suburbs in the summer hopefully.

...Sorry to hijack the original post.

[hockeywidow]

Originally Posted by tekgirl

Hi hockeywidow, Can you tell me which three elementary schools are ranked top 15? We too will be moving from the NYC suburbs in the summer hopefully.

...Sorry to hijack the original post.

Kerby, Richard (both in Grosse Pointe Farms), and Maire (Grosse Pointe "City" and a small part of Grosse Pointe Park). Each school scored 97% at or above achievement. Defer in Grosse Pointe Park I think also ranked high (in the 90's).

My daughter is at Trombly in the Park. Her school had a 85% at or above goal, so not too bad. We liked that there was a bit more diversity in the Park, and Trombly is the smallest school in the district with only two classes per grade. Great principal and very involved parents.

Good luck with your move! Lots of great people here, and GP is a fantastic family community. And compared to the East Coast, you'll get a tremendous value in buying a home. I've just started to look at houses for sale (we're renting for the year), and we can get 4,000 sq feet for what I sold my 1200 sq foot house in Fairfield for!

[tekgirl]

Thanks for the info, hockeywidow. Very helpful!

[Ohio248]

If you are coming from Connecticut, I would also suggest you look at Oakland County suburbs.

Central Oakland County is basically the Westchester or Fairfield County of Metro Detroit. Here you will have the nicest homes, the best schools, the most shopping and restaurants, etc. This is where the corporate executives generally live.

Grosse Pointe is nice too, but its property values haven't held up as well, there are more issues with nearby urban decay, and there is relatively sparse shopping, dining and services. You will have to make the long drive to Oakland County for shopping malls, restaurants, and the like. Beautiful older homes though, and still very nice looking.

The biggest advantage of Grosse Pointe is that it is a little closer to downtown Detroit, so if you work there, or hang out there alot, it may be a bit closer. This is a marginal difference, though, when compared with Oakland County places like Huntington Woods or Royal Oak.

I used to live in Old Greenwich, CT, and the closest approximation of Fairfield in Michigan is the Birmingham/Bloomfield area. Birmingham is basically the downtown area and Bloomfield is the backcountry.

[spikey2011]

Has Grosse Pointe become more intergrated? I'm African American and considering a job offer in Detroit and can offer to buy in the 700-800 range. Would I feel welcome here, or should I consider another area, I will be working in Downtown Detroit. Was considering Palmer Woods but schools are not very good.