Detroit vs. Atlanta: A Southerner’s northern take

The badmouthing of Detroit gets tiring. Day in and day out the home of the U.S. automobile industry takes a beating in the media and in blogs worldwide.

Detroit is dangerous.

Detroit is dead.

Detroit offers nothing.

No.

No.

And no.

Detroit is no more dangerous than any other big city. There are places I wouldn’t go at night in Detroit. I can say the same about New York City, Denver and Dallas.

Detroit is far from dead. The heart beats as strong as ever.

Those who announce that Detroit offers nothing haven’t been there.

Having just spent the better part of three weeks in and around the Motor City, it’s clear this once-proud industrial center has been through a rough patch lately. But it’s even clearer that Detroit’s revival and determined spirit of renewal grow with every sunrise.

And as a Southerner born and raised, I’m going out on a dangerous limb and attest that in my opinion Detroit is infinitely more interesting than, say, the holy – and I use that term not in a wholly religious sense – Southern cultural hub of Atlanta.

Go ahead my Dixie brothers and sisters. You may gasp now, declare my heritage revoked and heap Confederate voodoo upon me.

But I speak the truth. And if you’ve not visited and explored Detroit, you’ve no right to doubt nor question my analysis.

Now, none of this suggests Atlanta fails to intrigue. That simply would not be so.

But here are some ways I personally believe Detroit rises above the ATL (that’s what the Uppities like to call Atlanta):

• Detroit possesses a real sense of history and place. You feel it. You see it. For me, Atlanta rises as not much more than a big city without much more to be said about it than that. Yes, I know the whole Sherman-Atlanta story. And a great story it is. But it hardly holds a wrench to the long, storied industrial history of Detroit. That history defines the city – for better and for worse – in a way few American cities can be defined.
• Taste is a matter of, well, taste. For me, Detroit beats Atlanta hands down on the taste (i.e., food) front. Having spent far more hours in Atlanta than Detroit and having dined at far more restaurants in Atlanta, I can honestly say that just one – Buckhead Diner – comes to mind immediately. In Detroit and its metro area, my mouth waters when I think of the ribs at Slow’s Bar-B-Q, the ambiance and perfect meals at Michel Symon’s Roast, the calamari at Giovanni’s Ristorante, the goulash at Hungarian Rhapsody, the coney hamburger at National Coney Island or the wild salmon BLT at Cass Café. And that barely begins to scrape the surface of great eats in Detroit. Roll into Mexican Town, Greek Town and other ethnic areas for authentic dishes sure to make you wonder why you’ve never tackled this feed festival before.
• One could argue that Atlanta’s antebellum homes give that city an unapproachable edge in architecture. One would be wrong. Outside those homes, Atlanta’s architecture leaves the senses dulled and unexcited. Detroit’s architecture, on the other hand, represents broad styles and eras often mixed in housing, commercial and even industrial settings. Sadly, some of the city’s best works stand in disrepair and empty while defying time, man and the elements – I’m thinking of the Michigan Central Station in particular. Others, such as the Masonic Temple, remain viable, vibrant testaments to a city’s proud history.
• The Detroit Red Wings. That franchise has arguably one of the most colorful, successful histories in all of sports. You simply can’t talk about any Atlanta sports franchise in the same terms.
• It’s no secret that flying in much of the U.S. means, by some awful mandate of the travel gods, a stop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). God help us all. What a drab, lifeless piece of hell on earth. And prayers up for anyone suffering from claustrophobia doomed to walk those terminals. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), conversely, is light, open, and easy to navigate and for reasons I cannot explain, the TSA agents at DTW seem almost friendly. Imagine! Now granted ATL is the world’s busiest airport, thus hosting exponentially more people daily than does DTW. But must every ATL expansion continue the old course of poor lighting, low ceilings and narrow corridors?
• As far as I can tell, Detroit demonstrated enough imagination over its history to not repeat street names. That alleviates much confusion for locals, visitors and GPS navigational systems. Atlanta – perhaps a reflection of its laidback Southern roots? – geographically displays just 71 streets with some variation of the name ‘Peachtree’. Need I explain the looks one gets when asking directions to a location on Peachtree?
• North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. It’s the first of its kind each year. It’s the biggest of its kind. And I could kick my own butt for not staying an extra day to attend. Shame on me.

Look, there are plenty of things I like about Atlanta, just like there are plenty of things I like about Chicago and Denver and Dallas.

But there’s an indomitable spirit permeating the foundation of Detroit that you have to experience to understand. The city may be down, but there’s something amazing brewing in Motown. And plenty of folks quietly ease into the city every day to take a sip of the tomorrow’s sweetness.

(Visit my other blogs: Journalism, Because it Matters and Hire This Journalist)

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