Go East... and become homeless (Detroit, Grand Rapids: apartments, movie theaters, college)

[AdemH]

I was in Detroit looking at some houses last week. I must admit, I was pretty scared walking around houses and peeping through windows. I'm a white guy with a big beard, so I'm sure I stuck out big time. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I've been through every bad area in NYC. I've been in and out of projects, been through some rough areas in the Bronx and used to go to Harlem daily. I've never felt scared in any of those rough areas. Detroit is a whole new monster. I still see progress and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by AdemH

I was in Detroit looking at some houses last week. I must admit, I was pretty scared walking around houses and peeping through windows. I'm a white guy with a big beard, so I'm sure I stuck out big time. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I've been through every bad area in NYC. I've been in and out of projects, been through some rough areas in the Bronx and used to go to Harlem daily. I've never felt scared in any of those rough areas. Detroit is a whole new monster. I still see progress and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Haha. I moved to NYC for a few years in the late 1990s. That's what I was thinking in NYC as well. Everything seemed so more comfortable!

Sometimes when I talk to NYC'ers and I say it feels almost racial-free of issues unlike Detroit. (Not that it is, but comparatively!) I mean, the fact that in NYC, you can more or less go places without that Detroit feel. I mean, you can certainly walk through uncomfortable areas in NYC, but with Detroit, you can't even imagine walking through them, and sometimes just driving through them is already spooky enough!

I think people can't understand those feelings/realities. I always find it fascinating when Europeans or people on the West Coast US think 'Detroit, it's a city, how bad can it really be?' and they try to imagine the worst of Seattle or the worst of Berlin...but it's just a completely completely different city without any similarities to completely functional cities.

[jonnynonos]

European cities don't, and never have had, the kind of crime problems Americans have had, period. They would be f##king horrified at how things are in the worst parts of American cities...and those aren't even as bad as they were in the 80s/90s.

Unfortunately we live in a country that is increasingly uncomfortable asking questions.

Comparing Detroit to NYC is just foolish. At one time, many years ago, the worst parts of NY probably rivaled the worst parts of Detroit, but city to city, it's absurd to compare the two. NYC probably has more in common with Grand Rapids than it does Detroit.

[AdemH]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Haha. I moved to NYC for a few years in the late 1990s. That's what I was thinking in NYC as well. Everything seemed so more comfortable!

Sometimes when I talk to NYC'ers and I say it feels almost racial-free of issues unlike Detroit. (Not that it is, but comparatively!) I mean, the fact that in NYC, you can more or less go places without that Detroit feel. I mean, you can certainly walk through uncomfortable areas in NYC, but with Detroit, you can't even imagine walking through them, and sometimes just driving through them is already spooky enough!

I think people can't understand those feelings/realities. I always find it fascinating when Europeans or people on the West Coast US think 'Detroit, it's a city, how bad can it really be?' and they try to imagine the worst of Seattle or the worst of Berlin...but it's just a completely completely different city without any similarities to completely functional cities.

NYC is super mixed. You literally have people from all over the world living in compact areas.

Detroit is super massive and things are sort of spread out. Plus, the population is mainly African Americans with some white people here and there now.

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

European cities don't, and never have had, the kind of crime problems Americans have had, period. They would be f##king horrified at how things are in the worst parts of American cities...and those aren't even as bad as they were in the 80s/90s.

Unfortunately we live in a country that is increasingly uncomfortable asking questions.

Comparing Detroit to NYC is just foolish. At one time, many years ago, the worst parts of NY probably rivaled the worst parts of Detroit, but city to city, it's absurd to compare the two. NYC probably has more in common with Grand Rapids than it does Detroit.

Some Europeans might **** their pants if they drove through Detroit near sunset or during the night. lol

I think you can compare any two cities when it comes to that spooky hood/ghetto feeling.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

European cities don't, and never have had, the kind of crime problems Americans have had, period. They would be f##king horrified at how things are in the worst parts of American cities...and those aren't even as bad as they were in the 80s/90s.

Unfortunately we live in a country that is increasingly uncomfortable asking questions.

Comparing Detroit to NYC is just foolish. At one time, many years ago, the worst parts of NY probably rivaled the worst parts of Detroit, but city to city, it's absurd to compare the two. NYC probably has more in common with Grand Rapids than it does Detroit.

Now THAT comment was absurd.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

Any update?

Yeah...hope he's okay.

[xfactor85]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Yeah...hope he's okay.

My god... I'm reading the OPs latest posts and I am seriously concerned about his safety.

Cheap housing in Detroit isn't worth dying over..... Remember, it is cheap for a reason.

His account of Detroit is much much worse than I have ever imagined... It reminds me of that movie I am Legend with Will Smith.

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by xfactor85

My god... I'm reading the OPs latest posts and I am seriously concerned about his safety.

Cheap housing in Detroit isn't worth dying over..... Remember, it is cheap for a reason.

His account of Detroit is much much worse than I have ever imagined... It reminds me of that movie I am Legend with Will Smith.

Hope he pipes up soon... OP... where Rrr Uuu?

Also didn't it get a little wet around there yesterday?

[animatedmartian]

OP's probably busy working on his house. Although he's probably pretty frustrated now to find out that his basement might have flooded. Though most reports have been about flooded basements in Warren which is father north but at the same time, there's been lots of pictures or street flooding within the central eastside of Detroit.

If he wasn't affected by the flood directly, then he was probably indirectly affected because all the freeways are basically f-ed up right now. Getting around today has been an absolute hassle for anyone using the freeways to get around.

Maybe OP ought to set up a webcam in his front yard so people don't get so paranoid.

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by AdemH

I was in Detroit looking at some houses last week. I must admit, I was pretty scared walking around houses and peeping through windows. I'm a white guy with a big beard, so I'm sure I stuck out big time. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I've been through every bad area in NYC. I've been in and out of projects, been through some rough areas in the Bronx and used to go to Harlem daily. I've never felt scared in any of those rough areas. Detroit is a whole new monster. I still see progress and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What neighborhood of the city were you looking? Detroit is a city of "pockets" and it's not wise to wander randomly lest you happen into the wrong "pocket". Looking over real estate in a solid black neighborhood, you may very well be a curiosity.