Harpos concert venue neighborhood (Detroit, Warren: apartment, car insurance, high crime)

[Dport7674]

I'm moving to Detroit in the spring. I've been there twice in the last couple months, but stayed at a friend's house in Royal Oak.

In Detroit I've only been to the Fillmore for a concert, the main(?) library and went to a place called Duly's for a coney dog because Anthony Bourdain said so.

I was reading about an apartment that is close to a place called Harpos. Is that a decent (and cheap) neighborhood?

And how is it as a venue? There's a show I'd go to in April if I was close by.

Thanks!

[Nattering Heights]

I never went there, but I remember a description of the restroom from 20 years ago: They don't need a restroom, since patrons can screw on the dance floor. Maybe they have cleaned up since then. The neighborhood is eastside, the rougher and poorer side of Detroit.

[bigjim]

I have some fond memories of Harpo's back in the day. It was always a bit rough.

I'd certainly go to the bar again, but I wouldn't live around there.

It's on the East Side of Detroit, which is generally thought to be the rough side of Detroit.

I doubt you'd die but the risk of crime/burglary/car stolen/general shenanigans is considerably higher than I care to deal with on a daily basis. Also car insurance is high in Michigan in general and in Detroit it is MURDER. And you wouldn't want to live around Harpo's without a car, unless you want to Uber everywhere, which could get expensive. The public transportation is not good.

For what it's worth, my cousin got carjacked in their parking lot, but it was 25 or so years ago, so doesn't really apply to the discussion today.

Open Google maps, and pull up Harpo's. Go to the satellite view. Look at the neighborhoods around it and see all the missing houses (very common on the East Side). Zoom down to street view and see how many of the remaining houses are boarded up/burned out/piles of rubble. Rows and rows of them on some streets.

People do live there, and I have no doubt that most of them are good folks just trying to get through the day. But it's a bit too Mad Max for me.

Lots of people are moving into/back into Detroit. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it too. But do your research.

Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for.

[bigjim]

Originally Posted by Nattering Heights

I never went there, but I remember a description of the restroom from 20 years ago: They don't need a restroom, since patrons can screw on the dance floor. Maybe they have cleaned up since then. The neighborhood is eastside, the rougher and poorer side of Detroit.

And the men's room always had a quarter inch of water on it. all over the room. You'd slosh as you walked around.

Saw some great bands there back in the day. Lots of pretty girls. Their "Sexiest Man Alive/Sexiest Woman Alive" contests got weird (and they had to have been illegal, lots of skin).

Dollar pitchers of beer and mixed drinks. Sometimes 50 cent pitchers. They were half sized pitchers but still.

It was a fun bar for a twentysomething guy a few decades ago.

[bigjim]

If you really want to live on the East Side the city of Hamtramack is completely surrounded by Detroit, only a few minutes from Harpo's, has their own (much better) police, considerably less crime, not that expensive, and has a ton of great ethnic food due to being a haven for recent immigrants. A bunch of good little bars that have local music too, and good nightlife in general.

Still has sort of a gritty blue-collar Detroit feel to it, and certainly not crime free by any means (nowhere is), but a lot cleaner, safer, doesn't have the burned-out buildings and vacant houses, quite a bit more economically vibrant than the East Side of Detroit. Car insurance still sucks.

[usroute10]

About 1.5 miles east of Harpos is a very nice residential neighborhood in Detroit called East English Village. However, most of the neighborhoods in Harpos vicinity are not very desirable. BigJim's suggestion of Hamtown is solid. Hamtramck has its own venues and plenty of restaurants, pubs, the Fowling Warehouse (look it up) and Detroit's minor league soccer, Detroit City FC.

[bigjim]

Originally Posted by usroute10

About 1.5 miles east of Harpos is a very nice residential neighborhood in Detroit called East English Village. However, most of the neighborhoods in Harpos vicinity are not very desirable. BigJim's suggestion of Hamtown is solid. Hamtramck has its own venues and plenty of restaurants, pubs, the Fowling Warehouse (look it up) and Detroit's minor league soccer, Detroit City FC.

East English Village has a lot of beautiful old (Cheap!) houses and, if I recall, private security patrolling (I was one of the guards back in the 90s). The immediate vicinity is still not so great, though. That's the thing about Detroit. You can have a great neighborhood like East English Village, West Village, Boston Edison, even the edges of Palmer Woods, and you're still only a street or two from Mogadishu.

Hamtramack has much less crime. Just saw a shooting map for Detroit and there are dots all over the city. Hamtramack has almost none. It's a blank island in a sea of dots.

Detroit has come a long way, many neighborhoods are up and coming, tons of great things happening, but you still have to be really aware of where you are, especially if you're moving in somewhere.

[MS313]

That's Ravendale, my old hood. It was rough then but rougher now. It's alot of drugs and theft. People won't be trying to kill you but they may try to steal from you so just be on the lookout.

Hamtramack is a good alternative, as well as other decent eastside neighborhoods like East English Village, Indian Village, Harbortown, ect.

[Bondurant]

I have not been to Harpo's since '99. At that time it was an area that was high crime. My cousin that used to live on the west side, Warrendale, told me Harpo's was in one of the worst neighborhoods in Detroit. This was 2 decades ago so things may have changed. Your biggest concern, realistically, would probably be vehicle theft and or b&e.