Quote:
Originally Posted by astroman31
When visitDetroit.com leads the Website with the comment that "Meetings are safe..." it makes you pause. I realize FIRST wants to help Detroit dig out of big problems, but to bring 30,000 kids into a near open city like Detroit is troubling. Assuming Ford Field and the surrounding areas are actually secured, how easy will it be to get food, go to a hardware store, and take the kids outside? There are no grocery stores, no hardware stores, no nothing in the city (not even movie theaters). Trash doesn't get collected, no snow removal in Winter, fire and police protection is limited at best. Is Detroit the best we can do? And we want to bring kids into that?
In St. Louis, we can easily find what we need with many hotel options and never worry about our safety. If we don't want to pay the cost of a downtown St. Louis hotel, we found comfortable and affordable options in Chesterfield and other outside communities with access to grocery stores, restaurants and malls.
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I would advocate listening to the people who live around Detroit before characterizing it in such an unflattering way; the vast majority of Michigan people I've talked to about hosting major FRC event in Downtown Detroit say it's a great idea. After all, the North American International Auto Show is hosted in Cobo Center every year and it's a fantastic event. The state marching band championships are always hosted at Ford Field and I can say from being there that it's a fantastic venue and that it's very safe.
With regards to food, there's a ton down in Greektown and for grocery stores, I know there are couple including a Whole Foods.
I know people were just complaining about St Louis for being too unsafe for the kids. Both cities are similar in that they have fewer than half the population they had at their peak. However, just like in St Louis, Downtown Detroit is not an abandoned wasteland - there are large family friendly events happening there pretty much every weekend.
One thing I am confused about
: Cobo Center and Ford Field are on the opposite sides of Downtown. A setup where the pits are in Cobo and the fields are in Ford Field would not work, so I'm wondering what the plans are regarding the use of both of these facilities.