Monday, September 19, 2011

Broadway's Dark Tonight

This past weekend I made my first trip to the great Midwest.  After we rushed to get to our plane with less than an hour to spare to get to our gate, we were greeted by pleasant people.  Growing up in the Northeast, you take for granted when someone is nice to you, and sometimes even look at them with suspicion.  However, the good midwest folks don't feel that way and they are generally nice people with big hearts.

Our trip was to serve two purposes, one to get me to my first professional football game, and two to see where my significant other grew up.  When we checked into the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center we were excited by the location and they put us on the 70th floor.  This is the highest standing hotel in the Western Hemisphere and the home of the GM Headquarters. Our view was amazing, and we unpacked and headed to Greektown.  We enjoyed a meal at the Parthenon, and then hit up the casino where we donated a few dollars to them.

Our entertainment began when we returned to the room and got a full detail of our neighbor's sex life.  It was mildly entertaining for a few minutes.  However, they were fighting until 4 am or later.  They woke up around 10 am (we knew this due to the paper thin walls) and their pleasant loud conversation continued.  They left for someplace and then we went back to sleep.  We slept in till 1 pm, and got up and changed rooms.  We went off to explore the Detroit metro area by car, where I got to see the various places that my significant other had lived.  We even looked at houses which there were plenty.

I think what struck me the most, was that we didn't see many people until Sunday afternoon for the Detroit Lions game.  I was told that the city of Detroit went from one that was 2 million to now only 800,000.  The previous economy was factories, where the good people of Detroit would build American cars for the nation.  The manufacturing economy is gone, and now we're a service economy.  Many buildings sit empty, and the street "broadway" is dark.  It was sad, and what they need, is what most of the country needs... JOBS.  It was sad to see, but underneath the sadness their remains hope.

It's my hope that Detroit, and other cities like it rebound, when our legislators quit their fighting and actually start doing something.  They need to create tax incentives for businesses to set up shop in places like Detroit to make it worth their while.  I am for Obama's job plan, because I want our country to be successful.

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