Michigan Station, Detroit

[Del Mar]

BBC News - Michigan Central Station: The story of its rise, fall and...

Found this article on the BBC website just now. I find the history of the rise and fall of Detroit's fortune fascinating.

 

[Papamike]

I love Detroit, an amazing city, I will be there next Monday (for my work)

 

[Papamike]

A pic of the Station in 2012

 

[Cyclerosis]

I love Detroit, an amazing city, I will be there next Monday (for my work)

Take a 15 minute ride from that point to visit the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. I-94 to Michigan Ave then turn left on Oakwood. One of the best places to visit in the entire metro Detroit area. I grew up on the east side of Detroit but spent a lot of adolescent time in the downtown area for various school functions.

 

[theloop]

A pic of the Station in 2012

Went there as part of our Detroit Tour 2013. My CB500x is near the middle.


We also wound up on the roof of the Packard plant. My CB500x shows up a couple of times in the Video, only for a second,
[video=youtube;BPIIlbkDQL0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPIIlbkDQL0[/video]

On the roof of the Packard plant.

 

[Del Mar]

What an eerie sight it is. Thanks for your extra pics.

I find it amazing how such a significant building can be allowed to just rot away. It would be kinder to demolish it unless it could be restored but of course that would be mega $$$$. And then it would need a use of course. I guess there's no rail track there any more?

 

[Old Can Ride]

The old Houston train station is now Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. An old train still runs above the left field stands with every Astro home run.

 

[Papamike]

Freezing in Detroit tonight






flying back home tomorrow!

 

[Cyclerosis]

What an eerie sight it is. Thanks for your extra pics.

I find it amazing how such a significant building can be allowed to just rot away. It would be kinder to demolish it unless it could be restored but of course that would be mega $$$$. And then it would need a use of course. I guess there's no rail track there any more?

You could make that comment about the entire city. It 'used' to be a great place to live when I was a kid. After the riots of July 1967, Detroit got steadily worse. The house I grew up in, now has bars on doors and the first floor windows are boarded up. Not sure if anyone lives in my old house, but it's sad to see what has become of a once vibrant neighborhood.

 

[Old Can Ride]

Every place changes, but Clint Eastwood did a great job in Grand Torino in showing the current Detroit. The Bush free trade agreement with Mexico had a lot to do with that situation. I was in Chihuahua, Mexico last week, and all the major auto manufactures have large plants there. I could not even believe the size of the Ford plant. Chihuahua is now a modern town with a population of over one million, and many USA companies are going there for the huge tax brakes, free trade, and cheap labor. The California company that my son-in-law works for, Tyko International, is in the process of moving to Mexico. Yes, Detroit is today's most miserable city (#1 Detroit, Mich. - In Photos: America's Most Miserable Cities 2013 - Forbes), but do not give up. Downtown Houston was once that way, but folks got together and downtown is now once again the place to go. I have heard that even Gary, Indiana is currently trying to come back. Now that would be a real come back story!

 

[Cyclerosis]

The 'current' Detroit is tidily blocked from view when traveling along the I-94/I-75 interchange. If anyone gets off the expressway, they will see the blight spread through most of the city, much like the photos posted above. While the downtown 'casino' area is nice and downtown itself as a whole is ok, the surrounding areas are not at all desirable places. Detroit was in decline before the riots, mostly due to tax breaks in the suburbs and completed highways connecting Detroit to the suburbs, and the decline was exacerbated many fold post riots. When I left in 76', the only car manufacturing plants left, were Chrysler and Cadillac. True, there have been attempts to restore areas within Detroit, and the present governor of Michigan has created a better environment by declaring Detroit a 'right to work' city. If you only knew the corruption in Detroit politics, you would appreciate how significant that move is. I'm not anti union by any means, but the unions in Detroit were corrupt to the point of stifling development and employment within the city limits. If this sounds like a minor rant, I'm actually just scratching the surface. I could go on.

 

[Agent]

Went there as part of our Detroit Tour 2013. My CB500x is near the middle.


We also wound up on the roof of the Packard plant. My CB500x shows up a couple of times in the Video, only for a second,

Oh my. That video looks like it could have been taken out of one of those post-apocalyptic video games. Is that something that you just did with friends, or is there a business leading safaris through the urban wasteland?