Big Year for a Big Town
Are we ready? I don’t feel like we are. I told myself that I was going to only post positive articles on this site. But Detroit has made this impossible for me.
How is it possible that the biggest news around getting the town ready for the Super Bowl is the Fox theaters throw back marquee on the top of the fox theater? How does this help the city look better? How does this help the mass crowds get around Detroit metro?
And how is it possible that the city of Detroit wants people to stay home! This is the best chance for the shop owners in Detroit to make some cash, and The City wants people to keep their money in the burbs. Wow.
How is it possible for the world famous Motor City to blow this opportunity? I see a disaster! I am afraid that Detroit is going to go down in history as the worst Super Bowl hosted ever!
Will my now 2-year-old daughter ever say to me “Hey dad, lets go down into the city today?”
You’re kidding, right? Even after the debacle at the Silverdome we got the game back. There’ll be some comments and slaps I’m sure but barring some major catastrophe things will be fine.
Things may turn out alright, but its undeniable that the City and the powers that be could have had 10x as many improvements done by now.
I’m not sure that’s true Lance. Available funding is what drives improvements and the economic problems here are very real. So is the defeatist attitude held by a lot of people, especially suburbanites. Penske has done a marvelous job of getting people involved, all be on the same page and making a difference. That positive, can do attitude is what needs to be carried forward after the game. While the funding might not be available for many major infrastructure improvements there are quality of life issues that volunteerism can address be it through neighborhood watch groups, assisting the elderly and infirm with home maintenance, or just getting together once a month to pick up trash. A postive attitude and a little bit of effort from everyone will make it work. Think Pistons teamwork – everybody steps up and contributes what they can without beating up on the guys having off nights – that’s why they win.
i’d have to say i’m a bit more optimistic about things than this post… it’s premature to say how anything will pan out… i think people are gonna come down to the city and places like Campus Martius are going to change many peoples’ perceptions about the city (like it has for the people i’ve brought down)… we can’t depend soley on the media or solely on the city government to change the city or the perception of it… we just need to do our part…