I am a native of the Detroit area. I was born here, and have lived here all of my life. I briefly worked in the City of Detroit, and have been there many times to visit. In my lifetime, I have heard just about every criticism with respect to the greater Detroit area that one could possibly imagine, and, sadly, I have been known to dish out such criticisms. Sure, there's not as much to do around here as there is in, say, New York City, Boston, or Chicago. It gets cold and snowy, the roads could be in better shape, and the city of Detroit has its share of problems. However, in spite of its problems, I continue to live here, and I think it's because I have grown to love the place. Here are a few reasons why:
Detroit Can Be a Fun Place
Thanks to Kid Rock, you could walk up to anybody, anywhere--man, woman, child, factory worker, doctor, businessman, the Pope, etc.--and say, "There ain't no party like a Detroit Party...!!" and that person would pepper spray you and call the police. Because, really, people tend not to appreciate being accosted on the street by complete strangers shrieking Kid Rock lyrics at them. However, were that not the case, then something like this would happen:
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: ... And in closing, I would like to reassure Americans that I will do everything in my power to make this country a better place. Thank you, and God Bless America.YOU: There ain't no party like a Detroit party . . . !!
W: CUZ A DETROIT PARTY DON'T STOP!!!!
As you can see, everyone knows that we like to have fun here in the greater Detroit area.
Mmmm... Hot Dogs...
Our coney dogs are quite legendary. Sure, we may not have invented them, but we seem to have perfected them. I had a friend in law school who was from Pennsylvania, and he would refer to coney dogs as hot dogs with "Michigan sauce" on them, because, apparently, that's what they call them there. My Grandpa Lee pretty much only barely tolerated living here -- he had spent much of his life in the Baltimore area until Ford transferred him to Dearborn--or, as he says, only half-jokingly, until he was "sentenced to Michigan for 15-20 years." He now lives in Florida, and about the only thing (other than, perhaps, my sister and me) that he seems to miss about living here are the coney dogs. I like mine with cheese, onion, and mustard, and the ones they make at the Senate Coney Island in Dearborn are especially tasty. Of course, now that I'm on a low-carb diet, I don't eat them anymore, but it's nice to know that they're here if I need them. Incidentally, whomever invents a decent low-carb version of the coney dog will have my nomination for the Nobel Prize. But I digress.
Sports
Detroit loves its sports, and we have some of the best teams around. We have several top-rate, championship-caliber teams: The Detroit Red Wings are perennial NHL powerhouses, and our devotion to them has made Detroit "Hockeytown USA," the Detroit Pistons just won the 2004 NBA championship, and the University of Michigan Wolverines were the 2003-2004 Big Ten champions. We, uh, also have the Detroit Lions and the Detroit Tigers.
Music
I could go on forever here: Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, The White Stripes, Alice Cooper, Aretha Franklin, George Clinton, Grand Funk, Mitch Ryder, Eminem, Kid Rock, and so on.
Not NYC, But Also Not, Say, Gary, Indiana
So basically, while Detroit has its problems, it is also a pretty cool place to live. I have sworn for years that I would move the hell away from here at my first opportunity, and yet, I'm still here. It hasn't been for lack of opportunity, either. I've been to almost all of the states, and I've seen a lot of places, but I have a hard time imagining living anywhere else but here.
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