Detroit Day 1: Travel

September 4, 2010, 7:10am:

Today marks day 1 of my travels: Detroit, Michigan: Home of the Pistons and the Tigers. Although I am not there yet, even from waiting in the terminal it was made very apparent just how different the people and culture of Detroit is from Miami. I’m not seeing a lot of Latinos, that’s for sure. The most I’ve seen are Caucasians and African Americans. The choice of attire is very different too. I can see the reminiscence of “Detroit Rock City” going on. I saw a few young guys with rock band t-shirts, flannels, torn up jeans, a few with horn-rimmed glasses, long hair, and even one with a bandana-type scarf tied up on his head. I can definitely imagine these young men at a KISS or ACDC concert. It is different indeed.

I’m not quite sure if Detroit is considered much of a tourist destination but I am making the assumption that most of these people who are heading to the same destination as me are on their way home. I wonder if I’m the only Detroit-bound tourist. Last night there was a big concert with Eminem and Dr. Dre in Detroit. Two people that I know took the trip to Detroit on Thursday just so they can watch the show and are leaving while I’m coming. I bet it was something else. Fun Fact: Detroit is the home town of Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem or Slim Shady, Kid Rock, and Madonna (whose last name is actually Ciccione!).

Word to the wise, make it a habit to show up to the airport two hours in advance. It is much better to be waiting for a long time than it is to stress out about missing your flight. I experienced that myself today when I arrived at about 6:18am for my 7:00am flight. The self-check-in kiosk didn’t let me check in and I had to wait in a long line. I was very scared of missing my flight but I made it in record time. Well, I suppose the fact that the flight was delayed didn’t hurt either.

I am now sitting in the flight cabin and the pilot just made an announcement that it is currently 55 degrees Fahrenheit in Detroit… And I didn’t pack a sweater, just my line jacket. This is going to be interesting.

I was very fortunate indeed because sitting to my right was a very pleasant gentleman. His name was George. I didn’t know his name was George until he gave me his business card though. We had a very long conversation about life and culture in Detroit from his perspective. He was born in Houston, Texas and had lived in Detroit for about five years and now lives in South Florida.

George gave me his little rundown of what he thought of when he thought of Detroit: 1. Automotive industry, 2. Motown, 3. Very pronounced geographic division of ethnicities.

Detroit is where the headquarters of Ford and General Motors is located, hence the nickname “The Motor City.” The economy is relative to domestic car sales and the region is directly influenced by it. For the most part it is a blue collar town and lacks the flashiness that is characteristic of most big cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and New York. Sports are very big here but it isn’t to the point on individual fanaticism as it would be in most places. You can probably spot the star pitcher of the Tigers at the mall or the grocery store and nobody would really make the big of a deal. George himself said that he’s spotted Kid Rock at the mall once or twice and it really was not that big of a deal.

Next is music. The type of music which has had the most influence on genres like R&B, Hip Hop, Gospel and anything in between is Motown. Motown all started in Detroit (Grand Avenue to be more specific). Music is very influential in this city, as I alluded to earlier in calling it “Detroit Rock City,” in reference to the movie about KISS fans set in Detroit.

Next is the biggie! From what George tells me about his experiences as an African American from outside of Michigan, Detroit is a very divided place in terms of race. In the “8 Mile,” with is an 8-mile perimeter on the city proper, you’ll pretty much be surrounded by 99% African Americans. In a place called Dearborn there is a great amount of Arabs and those of the Islamic faith. There is a small pocket on the outskirts of the city limits called Mexican Town with a dense population of Mexican Americans. There is also a place called Greek Town which has a party atmosphere and my flight buddy recommends a restaurant called Pegasus. Sorry guys, no Chinatown. However, there is a place called Troy with a lot of Indian influence (South Asian Indians that is) Also there is some Dutch influence attributed to the early years of Detroit’s existence. George and I discussed how important it is to understand the hows and the whys of why certain people ended up in Detroit. For example, African Americans who live up there more than likely have roots in the South and moved up for employment in the automotive industry. George put emphasis on his assertion that, based on his experiences as an African American man living in Detroit, that this is a city that still struggles with the race issue on a daily basis.

This is going to be an interesting trip indeed.