[maverickfan138]

To echo what Josh said, buying into what mainstream media tells everyone about Detroit is not a good thing to do at all.

Venues: Ford Field, like all other modern football stadiums is a great venue for an FRC event. The home of the Lions has its own parking structure and since it’s located across the street from Comerica Park and a block away from the Fox Theater, there’s more than enough parking within a five minute walk. Cobo Hall, as mentioned already, is newly renovated and has plenty of space for the event. One can travel between both venues and all throughout downtown by means of the People Mover (monorail).

Lodging: Detroit’s Renaissance Center has a Marriott in its middle tower. Greektown Casino, Motor City Casino, and MGM Grand Casino all have skyscraper hotels. If one’s team fancies a trip across the border, Windsor has many more large hotels. If any of these options are not within budget, there are the typical Hampton Inns, Super 8’s, Holiday Inns, and the like in Dearborn, Farmington, Southfield, Royal Oak, Grosse Pointe, and pretty much any Metro Detroit suburb (the furthest neighborhood I mentioned is about 30 minutes outside of downtown).

Food and Shops: Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans, has done a fantastic job with revitalizing the Woodward Corridor. Numerous shops and eateries have opened up over the past few years as urban revitalization of the area and its surroundings continue. There is a three story Buffalo Wild Wings right off of Campus Martius. There’s a Five Guys and Olga’s within walking distance of Ford Field in addition to plenty of bars and breweries for the mentors. Corktown, a neighborhood just south of downtown and home of the former Tigers Stadium, is home to Slow’s Barbecue and Mercury Bar. These two restaurants are revered by food critics all over the country and often featured on the Food Network – they just scratch the surface regarding the delicious eateries in the area. Detroit’s new Arena District and the M1 Rail Project should be completed by the time FRC comes to Detroit. These projects should bring more restaurants and businesses downtown and facilitate travel throughout the city. It’s impossible to go hungry in Detroit.

Things to do: Outside of the competition, there’s plenty to do. Detroit is home to the Science Center, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Renaissance Center has a great display of GM products in their atrium. One can walk from Cobo for about three miles along the Detroit waterfront. The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn is only a 15 minute drive outside of downtown and will surely be a hit with anybody involved in FRC. If anyone wants to tour college campuses, Lawrence Tech is a 20 minute drive, Oakland University a 45 minute drive, and Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan an hour drive.

Detroit is not a wasteland nor is it a warzone. The people of Detroit city are generally friendly people who are just trying to make it by and will thank you tremendously if you provide a helping hand. There are only a few bad eggs who ruin it for everybody (I recommend everyone watches Grand Torino sometime before April, 2018).

The best part about all of this is that everyone on here can have their doubts about Detroit being the next host city and/or continue to whine about the change in the first place, but when it is time to compete, we [metro] Detroiters will still welcome all of you with open arms. We will gladly show that our city the exact opposite of what mainstream media wants you to believe and that it’s a thriving, friendly, and wonderful place to be.