April 17th, 2011: Detroit city happens to get about 124 international tourists a year. Last week, 3 of those 124 international tourists were friends of mine that stayed with me as I attempted to provide them with a snapshot of Detroit and the surrounding area. Being treated amazing well during my travels in South America by the locals and my friends, it was now my turn to happily host a group. Detroit is hyped as being one of the most dangerous places in the US. Detroit even made Forbes #1 most miserable city in the US a few years back due to having the highest rate of violent crime and the 2nd highest unemployment rate. This is okay if you are a law enforcement officer such as Robocop or a rapper like Eminem. But, for the average obese Detroit grown native, it is not good if you are too scared to leave the confinement of your very own home, forcing you to watch reality shows while you eat Bon Bons all day as you go about disturbing your twins or girls out of boredom.
During my friends visit, I gave them a whirlwind tour to try to give them a snapshot of Detroit. From shooting handguns (a Colt 45 and a Beretta), visiting a working Ford Motor Company factory to watch the F150 pickup trucks grow up on the assembly line, strolling through some museums and seeing one of the most fascinating parts of Detroit…the modern day roman-like decay.
It was brought to my attention that there was a once fancy theater during the late 1920’s in downtown Detroit, which was barbarically converted into a parking garage. Wanting to gain access, we planned to just walk in but the chain linked gates were locked preventing us from an easy entry.
Heading to the security desk inside the adjoining building, there was a uniformed male security guard sitting at a control desk that was watching over the buildings decaying state. The “female card” was played, having my French friend Cecile ask him about us going in to take some photos, laying on the heavy French accent. The man proved that he was not the stereotypical overly testosterone filled male clouding his intelligence, not falling for our strategy.
The security guard even called us on or weak tactics, noting how we had the girl ask him when there were 3 others…all guys. We were busted, though it did give us a ticket to the 6th floor to see the property manager, Betty (name changed to protect her identity). Even though the “female card” was compromised, we were confident that the “male card” would work to grant us a lawful entry and…it did.
Looking at something like this parking garage was surreal. It is amazing to think that Detroit was once a beautiful thriving city. Throughout most of Detroit you can still see the ruins confirming its current struggles and pasts glory. From the streets that remind you of a modern day ghost town to the industrial areas that look as if it was on the outskirts of an atomic blast, the conclusion can easily be made…Detroit is a...historic dump.
*Please note: Photo of theater (before/after) courtesy of Wikipedia and the Detroit/shooting photos are courtesy of Cecile
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