Alan Simpson of the Chicago Tribune wrote a great article about the Detroit and Dearborn areas in the online edition of the paper’s Travel section today.

If you bang your head against the wall (or think about doing so) at least once a day because you are trying, yet again, to explain to someone that is not yet enlightened on the awesomeness of Detroit why you love the city so much, this is a must-read.

Here is the e-mail that I sent to Mr. Simpson immediately after reading his piece:

Dear Mr. Solomon:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I enjoyed reading your article on the Detroit/Dearborn area that ran in today’s Chicago Tribune. It was informative, thorough, and realistic – did I say realistic? As a 20-something that moved to downtown Detroit last year from the outer suburbs of Metropolitan Detroit, hardly a day goes by that I am not defending my fair city to outsiders with preconceived notions about Detroit – similar to the one you mentioned in the beginning of your piece – that are either large exaggerations of the truth, or the result of a previous city visit that took place twenty or thirty years ago.

The city of Detroit has made large gains in the past decade, and is home to a growing number of restaurants, entertainment venues, art galleries, and retail districts, as well as a vast array of cultural, social, and academic institutions. These are all things visitors to Detroit will discover; but they have to make a conscious effort to do so.

Clearly, after reading your article on the Detroit/Dearborn area, you have done this – and, as a Detroiter, I thank you for encouraging others to do the same.

Thanks again,

Girl

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