Michigan blows

Yes, I am. I started out at a small municipal being a jack of all trades. Got a new job about 6 months ago (why I moved) designing and overseeing the construction of wind generators. It is interesting for sure, but as the youngest engineer in the company I catch all the travel assignments. My job is about 65 percent travel. This is a lot of fun sometimes, but when you're gone for three weeks and find out that you missed the appeal time for the BS 200 dollar handicapped parking violation, it gets annoying...:bang:

This thread isn't all about Detroit. I drove all over Michigan. Saw a lot of depressed industry and got a "run down" vibe from it. And don't even get me started on Northwest Airlines. The client that hired us was talking about how all the young professionals leave the state because there is no work there.

I'd take Boston over Chicago. Even the pizza.

Adam

There is no doubt that Michigan is going through some rought times...all of us that are in the automotive and industrial industries feel it for sure.

You still however did not "drive all over michigan", but likely drove through a good portion of the depressed areas (the city of Detroit and Flint).

It's alright though, I can see your confusion when you come from a state that's nearly 6000 squre miles smaller than the upper peninsula of Michigan. :D

Oh, and Northwest airlines sucks donkey balls for sure! Just be sure not to schedule a flight towards the end of the month :p
 
Actually I live in Natick, MA these days which is 20 minutes from Boston. Detroit does not stack up well against Boston.

I stayed in a town called "Bad Axe" Michigan. I had a couple meetings in Novi and Detroit, but the project site was in Bad Axe, MI and Ubly, MI. The principle means of income where I stayed was corn, sugar beats, hay, and beans. There is no industry whatsoever there and the locals are decidedly unfriendly. When they found out I was designing 100 or so 500 foot tall windmills in the fields they were even less happy. Contrast that to Western New York, which is also farm land, where the people are friendly to the point of annoying and strolling around is encouraged.

I don't know how many of you travel for business, but its not a vacation. That crap about going out to fancy dinners all the time, taking in the sights, is not reality. The reality of it is flight delays, cheap hotels, expense limits, and cars rented where mileage is accounted for.

For the night I was in Detroit, we were told by the hotel not to walk around at night unless you had a guide or knew the area.

Cities that I've been to that I thought were fantastic: Miami, San Diego, Boston, Austin, San Francisco, Montreal, East Aurora New York, Raleigh

Cities that I did not like: Detroit, New York City, anywhere in Louisiana



Like said before you didn't even see the dream cruise?? And you were right here? Did you know there is a drag race track in Ubly?
 
my girlfriend moved to wilmington nc from new baltimore mi, and i visited her a few times before she moved. i somewhat enjoyed it to an extent. like every big city theres projects that you shouldnt walk around at night. i can say this that i wouldnt mind going with a couple of buddies and goin bar hopping to meet some girls. i went to a few bars around detroit when i visited. i noticed that the girls there are very easy. i also noticed that there are some rude sob's living there too. no one i encountered seemed to be in a good mood. im from charlotte nc which is a fairly decent sized city. i like charlotte a lot. theres a fair amount to do there. ive also been to chicago. i really enjoyed chicago . downtown is awesome.
 
i went to a few bars around Detroit when i visited. i noticed that the girls there are very easy.........

Which bars were these....maybe me and the Michigan boys will meet up and try them out....:nice:....

Hey whitesnake.....ur from shelby ......i work in shelby...on 23 and schenner...that's probably close to u...where do u cruse Ur stang??
 
You guys are funny. On the one hand, you say I didn't give it enough of a chance. On the other hand, you want me to judge it based on a 1-2 day event? Perhaps I was a bit unfair, but I think its more outrageous to say a city rocks because of 1 day involving cars.

The city of Worcester, MA, where I went to college, pretty much sucks but they have the Worcester Summer Nationals two days a year in the summer that show case hot rods, bikes, and an awesome burnout competition. But I wouldn't say Worcester is a great city because of two days in the summer!

Spacemonkey - Everyone gets a GPS. For some clients, I have to enter in a project code in the COPY machine so that we can charge them per copy. Its called Cost Accounting Engineering, but I call it lame.

Adam
 
You guys are funny. On the one hand, you say I didn't give it enough of a chance. On the other hand, you want me to judge it based on a 1-2 day event? Perhaps I was a bit unfair, but I think its more outrageous to say a city rocks because of 1 day involving cars.

The city of Worcester, MA, where I went to college, pretty much sucks but they have the Worcester Summer Nationals two days a year in the summer that show case hot rods, bikes, and an awesome burnout competition. But I wouldn't say Worcester is a great city because of two days in the summer!

Spacemonkey - Everyone gets a GPS. For some clients, I have to enter in a project code in the COPY machine so that we can charge them per copy. Its called Cost Accounting Engineering, but I call it lame.

Adam


A bit unfair…hell yes. No-ones demanding you should have claimed a city or state rocks because of a 1 day event…but when you miss what is touted as the worlds largest 1 day automotive gathering yet claim "Damn, is there nothing to do" it pretty much you threw in nail in your own coffin.
 
Wait who's funny? You deemed it sucked based on one trip... why can't they claim it's great based on one trip? :rlaugh:

I've never been there, but I would sure take the opinion of those that LIVE there over those that VISIT. :shrug:
 
Wait who's funny? You deemed it sucked based on one trip... why can't they claim it's great based on one trip? :rlaugh:

I've never been there, but I would sure take the opinion of those that LIVE there over those that VISIT. :shrug:

Well basically thats all I have. I consider myself fairly well traveled in the 48 states. No matter where I go, I'm there for business under the same circumstances, so really the only variable is the location. So if I don't like it, I just don't. I don't have an evaluation rubric, it just is what it is.

You could argue that because I live in Massachusetts that I can't say without bias that Massachusetts is great.

And I don't judge a city based on bars or how easy the broads are. It's basically a gut feeling you get as you drive around, how the locals treat you, how everyone walks around with their shoulders slumped, the pride people take in their properties, whether people look you in the eye and how they shake your hand... you could call it the intangibles.

If people say I'm wrong then I respect their opinion, but after a week there and in comparison to other places I've been, I didn't care for it. That's all I got to say on the matter.

Adam
 
I not only hear you... I understand fully. I've had that impression from a few places I've traveled to. But I also didn't get that impression enough to post on a National website that the place.... "blows". :rlaugh:

But heh, after hearing about some of the "broads".... perhaps that's not such a bad thing. :shrug: :D
 
Hey I live on the west side and love it. Grand Haven and all the other places right on the lake are great. Not to mention we have the Metro Cruise, which is probably 60-70% of what the dream cruise is. Thats a few miles from me and actually going on this weekend. Setup just like woodward. Idk, I like MI alot. The lakeshore and surrounding areas are beautiful. Not to mention the girls....sheesh.
 
No one said Detroit rocks because of an event that doesnt even happen in the specific city of Detroit. Shoot half the guys are talking about the bars, tigers games, throw in red wings games, and bar hopping. I even gave an example of a great date i went on with a chick at one of detroit's great theaters and restaurants off the river front. Stuff that you'd do every weekend. Everyone also admitted to detroits downfalls, we're just defending that the city of detroit and its surrounds are not the black sticky **** on the bottom of the barrel that you made it out to be :nice:

There are still a lot of companies that are based out of michigan in suburbs of Detroit....Southfield, Troy to name a few. Its roots are still deep in automotive stuff. Which is one of the reasons the dream cruise is what it is.
 
"No one said Detroit rocks" Nope. That's Cleveland. Ask Drew Carey. :rlaugh:

I don't see what the problem is, with Michigan. The Buckeyes get everything they want out of Michigan, every year. Thanks to Lloyd Carr, they even get it without much of a struggle. :nice:

Sorry. I just wanted to pick on the guys from Ann Arbor. You MIGHT have a chance, this year. 18 of our Seniors have gone to the NFL. ;)



Seriously, though. I had planned to go to the WDC, this year. Anybody want to start a thread that has some pics of the cruise? Where do you (local or "go every year") guys hang out, at the Dream Cruise? It'd be easier to go, knowing that I will be able to find some people I "know".
 
"No one said Detroit rocks" Nope. That's Cleveland. Ask Drew Carey. :rlaugh:

I don't see what the problem is, with Michigan. The Buckeyes get everything they want out of Michigan, every year. Thanks to Lloyd Carr, they even get it without much of a struggle. :nice:

Sorry. I just wanted to pick on the guys from Ann Arbor. You MIGHT have a chance, this year. 18 of our Seniors have gone to the NFL. ;)



Seriously, though. I had planned to go to the WDC, this year. Anybody want to start a thread that has some pics of the cruise? Where do you (local or "go every year") guys hang out, at the Dream Cruise? It'd be easier to go, knowing that I will be able to find some people I "know".
Well they have this thing called mustang alley that is always packed. Let me go grab the detroit thread on here....