visiting in september from scotland (Detroit, Livonia: 2015, crime, hotel)

[silverhead]

hello all,we will be visiting the area in sept,staying in a hotel in Livonia.we will be visiting the Gerald ford in ann arbor and the henry ford/greenfield village,we figured Livonia a good mid point.also planning to visit the motown museum as the wife is a motown fanatic and this museum will take her back to her youth 45 years ago!.a couple of questions,is the area around the motown museum safe and secondly I note a few comments on this forum about not stopping at red lights at night in Detroit and coincidently I met a guy from the Birmingham area working here in Edinburgh in a hi fi shop and he mentioned the same thing when I told him we were visiting Detroit.we would like to visit a restaurant in downtown Detroit one night.can I assume not stopping at red lights only applies off the main roads where no tourist should be anyway.re the henry ford/greenfield we planned on spending a couple of days visiting there.do you think that is too long or just about the right.we will be here for five days so any other local tips/advice will be greatly appreciated. cheers john

[animatedmartian]

I don't know about the not stopping at red light thing. There's some areas of the city where traffic is so light that there's really no need for red light. Some red lights are being removed by the city and are being replaced by stop signs (so just stop to make sure the traffic is clear then cross) and there's usually a sign saying the light is being removed. Otherwise, it's pretty dangerous to blow through red lights. Though as a tourist, it's pretty unlikely that you'd venture into such areas.

The area around Motown Museum is pretty safe, although other than the Museum itself, the area around it (especially to the west and south) is pretty dilapidated with nothing much to see and actually might be more depressing than anything. Otherwise it is okay to drive through.

The Henry Ford Village is in a very good suburban area and is pretty safe all around.

[silverhead]

thanks for the info.the not stopping at red lights was in case of carjacking rather than running the red lights.i have been to the states over 30 times so pretty savvy driving/safety wise.i would imaging that people referring to not stopping at red lights mean at a certain few junctions in the suburbs where we would have no business driving through that area anyway.cheers john

[animatedmartian]

Most of the suburbs are actually pretty safe (and affluent) and full of traffic. You'd be more likely to cause an accident than get carjacked. The inner-city, or within Detroit city proper, is where most of the crime is. You'll easily be able to tell which areas are in Detroit proper and which are suburbs outside of the city boundaries just from visual appearance. Anyway, chances are you likely you wont have to venture into any unsafe area since you'll likely be traveling through the city using the freeways which bypass most neighborhoods.

[MS313]

As others have said, running red lights is extremely dangerous. Especially in daylight. But there is a difference between stopping at a red light in a empty neighborhood with little traffic and stopping at a red light in a crowded neighborhood. But you will know the difference by the traffic and the overall look of the neighborhood. If you come across an area that appears empty, just treat the red light like a stop sign.

The Motown museum is a good place to go from what I hear. It looks pretty small to me but that is where it all started. Amazing history right there especially for any music fan.

There's plenty of restaurants downtown so I don't think you'll have a problem there. Use the Yelp app if you have a smartphone... it helps me out sometimes.

The Henry Ford is a must see for Detroit history. But plan a few hours because it is big.

[Ummagumma]

Originally Posted by silverhead

thanks for the info.the not stopping at red lights was in case of carjacking rather than running the red lights.i have been to the states over 30 times so pretty savvy driving/safety wise.i would imaging that people referring to not stopping at red lights mean at a certain few junctions in the suburbs where we would have no business driving through that area anyway.cheers john

Absolutely don't even think of running the red lights in the suburbs.

Livonia is a nice middle class neighborhood. Very safe, at least until some yahoo from Scotland decides to run a traffic light . I haven't been to Motown museum, but looking at the map, you just take I-96E to I-94E to M-10N (a bit of roundabout way, but it really cuts your street-level part of trip to minimum) and then it's a short distance to the museum. Greenfield village is safe all around.

Generally, the areas of Detroit to avoid are south of 8th mile down to roughly a mile or so south of I-94. The very heart of downtown near Greektown is very safe and touristy. If you're on Outer Drive and Greenfield, I don't think you want to stop at a red light, especially at night, but you shouldn't be there in first place. However if you're staying in Livonia, you're actually West of downtown, so you can safely travel South down Telegraph until you hit M-12, and take M-12 East to Greenfield Village without ever hitting the bad areas. You'd be going through Dearborn Heights, it's a heavily Mideastern neighborhood, pretty safe.

[usroute10]

Below is a list of activities/attraction that I believe are of exceptional quality or are very unique to Detroit that I hope you will include in your trip to Detroit

Detroit Institute of Arts
This art museum has the 5th or 6th largest art collection in the U.S. It may not be on par with the Louvre, but it is one of the best of in this country. Check out the Diego Rivera Murals - Pure Detroit

Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History
The largest African-American History museum in the U.S.

Ford Rouge Factory Tour (this is actually part of the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village experience, you are just bused to the actual factory from the museum)

Arsenal of Democracy Museum
This museum displays military vehicles (tanks, Jeeps, trucks, etc) that the Detroit automakers produced for World War II

Eastern Market
One of the largest and oldest indoor/outdoor public (food) markets in the U.S. (go on Saturday morning)

Windsor, Ontario
If you've never been to Canada, check out this town across the river from Detroit. It has a fantastic riverfront promenade, a decent downtown, and a couple of cool neighborhood districts like Walkerville and Little Italy

Preservation Detroit does 2-hour long tours on Saturday mornings of Downtown, Midtown, the Cultural Center, the Cass Corridor, and Eastern Market

[silverhead]

many thanks for the replies.honest I won't be running any red lights anywhere.we are very law abiding us scots.looking forward to visiting your fine state.cheers john

[Coldjensens]

Car jacking at red lights? This is not 1979. No it does not really happen. Maybe once it happened to someone so this became an urban legend. There are a few areas where I would be cautious about driving through, especially late at night when people are drunk, however the odd of you being in those areas are pretty much none.

I just got back from a 2 hour bike ride through Detroit with 2000 people. The "scary" residents came out on their porches and cheered, waved, and shouted encouragement or welcomes. And that was not even in Downtown or midtown where it is nicest and where you would be. I have no problem allowing my kids explore downtown/midtown while I am at work once they are 15. Putting them in a car and driving on the freeway is considerably more dangerous. Allowing them to swim is too, and don't even mention jumping on a trampoline. . . .

UNless you are a big sissy scardy cat, you will enjoy downtown/midtown and probably want to come back.

Oh and leave a full day or two for the Henry Ford/Greenfield village. It is huge and worth it. Don't miss the DIA either. even if you are not an artsy type. I am not and i love it there. Also try to get tickets to a show or concert if you can afford it and your schedule works. we have one of the largest theater districts in the USA.

And when you want to try American beer: Oberon is pronounced Oh Bear On Everything they make is great.

Welcome

[beasley106]

Sorry to hijack the thread but there any great dive bars/live music venues that are worth checking out in Detroit particularly for a 20 something male? I just found out that I unexpectedly have a four day weekend and thought it would be a good excuse drive over there from Baltimore to checkout the city.