Lcoals...your advice on Hostel Detroit? (Hancock: rentals, mover, hotels)

[Toronto416]

Hey!

I'm visiting sometime this spring, and in the past I have stayed at a hostel if it's just me travelling alone. However, my experience in Buffalo left me with the impression that some of the hostels in the States are code-words for homeless shelters. The hostel in Detroit is at 2700 Vermont Street, in Corktown (I did my homework). Does anyone know much about that area of the city? Walking distance to restaurants, the Y, things to see?

Also, I don't have a car, and was curious about the bus system in Detroit (or lack of it). Does the same thing go for the People Mover, or is that on a pretty consistent schedule? Thanks for the advice, and hope to be there in a few months!

[zthatzmanz28]

Bus system is very dysfynctional. Though Cork Town is nice, the closest eatery is probably Slow's BBQ and they are usually wall to wall and not always the best food--dispite the hype on FOOD Network.
Walking? There are some bars heading towards downtown on Michigan Avenue. The PPl Mover is some distance from Cork Town. Since it is on auto-pilot, it runs a regular schedule and I do not think it goes down too often?

Not sure what you are looking to do while staying at the homeless, I mean HOSTEL. Are you just wanting to take in the sights of downtown Detroit? Without transportation, you will be faced with irregular bus service or paying cab fares to get most places.

And the hostel looks to be several blocks NORTH of Michigan--Between Michigan and MLK Blvd..

[jackmichigan]

I didn't even realize that there was a hostel in Detroit. Looking at the location, though, it's not really in the area I would consider to be Corktown, which is south of Michigan Avenue (near the site of the old Tiger Stadium which is an empty lot these days). If you look on Google maps, streetview shows that the hostel's location is pretty much in a neighborhood which has been wiped out--there are very few houses remaining in the immediate blocks. I don't know what you plan to visit, but the hostel isn't in a good location to be walking around.

[animatedmartian]

You might get better results if you contact the hostel directly.

hostel detroit

[ForStarters]

Been a while since I posted, but this thread deserves a fair response. Hostel Detroit is not a homeless shelter. It mostly houses international travelers. It was founded by Emily Doerr to help encourage Detroit tourism. I attended the grand opening just a few years ago. The inside is very well maintained and it caters to young urbanites looking to explore Detroit. They will even rent you a bike.

The Hostel itself is located just off Michigan Avenue, which is a major thoroughfare into downtown. The block the Hostel sits on is sparse, as many of the surrounding homes have been demolished, though I do not consider the area dangerous. Corktown, which is one of Detroit's up-and-coming neighborhoods, is a few blocks south of the Hostel. The local bars and restaurants in the area are hipster-esq.

Several previous posters have stayed at Hostel Detroit and have all had good experiences to my knowledge.

[slowlane3]

See if there might be comments from guests, about it on Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor

[Toronto416]

Hey guys thanks for the replies! I did contact the hostel and I got a good feeling from the person I spoke to (professional sounding, knows the area, etc) and my main reason for asking you guys is because (thanks jackmichigan!) I did look at the address on google satellite and aside from the hostel I don't see anything there - it almost looks rural or deserted.

I wanted to visit because I've run the marathon there many times and usually stay in Windsor since I'm from Fort Frances, Ontario. But everytime I've been in Detroit I've wanted to spend a few days taking photos and just stopping and looking at all these cool old buildings (as opposed to running past them). I've photographed downtown Minneapolis and Chicago...my luck in Chicago skyline shots have been from the Hancock Tower and I went up to the Willis Tower observation deck. I have seen a few great shots of Detroit but when I look up 'observatories' I don't see anything, so I'm not sure if they're getting those photos from the tops of hotels, or does the GM Building have a top floor lookout deck? Does anyone know of something like a revolving restaurant downtown that allows a great view? I also checked out the Boll YMCA in Detroit and that looks pretty nice as well. But yea, my interest in that hostel is if I want to stay for a few days, their rates are really low, especially if you travel alone and plan to be out and about a lot.

[animatedmartian]

There's a restaurant on top of the GM building, but you have to actually patronize the restaurant to go up there or else take a 2-hour tour of the complex that starts at 12 and 2 clock. Other than that, there's not really an official observatory deck in Detroit. I hate it too.

[Squeamish]

I read that this hostel does not have any sign telling you what it is outside (hence unlikely to get walk-in customers) and that you're required to book your reservation online before arriving. Obviously that is to cut down on a lot of the dumpy/homeless/dirty people that are just looking for a cheap place to stay, and I'll bet it does a good job of it. Although I never stay in hostels, because I don't like the idea of people getting up and making noise in the same room while I'm sleeping, based on what I read and the way it's set up I would probably be comfortable staying at this particular hostel, and it sounds like they give you a great introduction to Detroit too.