JinkyO

When I first moved to Detroit, crossing the border to Windsor was a big deal -because that's where the casino was. You had two ways of getting across the river, one was the tunnel off Jefferson and the other the Ambassador Bridge.

Ambassador Bridge St. starts as a ramp of 1-75 and takes you straight to the Customs stop. To cross over and back you need your driver's license and birth certificate or passport.

The bridge itself is impressive. On my drives back to the city there's a spot on 75 north, right around the Rouge River where the freeway elevates. Then, at the top of the hill, the bridge and city lights are visible. A gorgeous gateway into Detroit. Even better these days because the bridge owners have finally fixed the burnt out lights. (It used to say "Amb-ssa-or Br--ge" with all the dead lights).

If you come back to the US via the bridge Ambassador Bridge St. feeds right back onto 75 South.

Belle Isle is a nature preserve island in the middle of the Detroit river. Across the river you can see Windsor Canada. The Isle is one of those strange Detroit anachronisms, yes, most of the 'they talk' is true, Detroit can be a grimy, dirty and scary place to live, yet in the middle of it it is a gem like Belle Isle that so captures how nice this city used to be!

Central Ave. is one of the may streets that wind around and through the island but what makes Central special is that it's the main route through the wooded nature reserve. At 20 mph you can cruise back to the age of Lafayette. Deer and fox, rabbits and geese. Graffiti and trash are the exception here. As you get further into the woods you find pull offs and picnic areas.

I never stopped for a picnic (it's a bit isolated back here) but I have done some light hiking through the woods.

My only caution is that Central is two-way in some spots, and pedestrians walking roadside are pretty common as are deer, so you really want to stick to the speed limit for everyone's safety.

When I first moved to Detroit I was all about the adventure and exploring. Humboldt got explored. This is a sad little street. Bad roads and lined with wide open lots full of trash and boarded up houses. Even sadder is that between the trash and shells were broken down houses that people still lived in. I reviewed another Detroit street called Canfield, gushing about it's old style cobble streets. One block of Humboldt is still cobbled too but somehow it doesn't feel nearly as nostalgic.

Still amid all the ugly is a gleaming bright highlight of Detroit, the Catherine Ferguson Academy at the corner of Humboldt and Selden. It's an alternative school for pregnant teenage girls. Ok, social commentary aside, I think it's pretty awesome these girls get a 'second chance' so to speak. The school grounds run a full block up Humboldt and feature a barn and animals; chickens, goats maybe even horses though I didn't see any on my adventures.

That should be enough to make you want to drive. W. Jefferson. Or not.

When I lived in Detroit I worked in Taylor, Mi and lived in Cass corridor. That meant I was facing 1-75 traffic everyday and hated it, so I was always up for exploring the surface street routes. West Jefferson brings you north from the down river cities like Ecourse, and the Ford Rouge complex into downtown. From there it turns to E. Jefferson and goes north to some of the nicer suburbs.

The drive is pretty spotty. Lots of trucks use the route and the pavement's in pretty bad condition. The Jefferson street drawbridge was actually installed for the River Rouge plant so supply ships could get in and out easily. Unfortunately (or not depending on your POV) it's still in operation and pretty common to get caught in a traffic back up here. Honestly, this route kinda' creeped me out. It's very industrial in parts, abandoned industrial -low income in others. Further south is nicer because it turns residential.

As it turned out, it was quicker for me to take 75 to and from work.

3rd gets you from the WSU campus downtown to the Joe Louis arena . In between you'll get a pretty good slice of Detroit life. There are more depressing streets in the city, yes, but 3rd ranks pretty high on the list. Empty lots, liquor stores and government housing projects. As you get down towards MLK it get's pretty desperate.

If I were a WSU student I'd definitely stick closer to the campus area. The pluses of 3rd are proximity to campus and the University Food Center, a strip mall with a Blockbuster video and grocery store, all within walking distance.

I guess another plus is, being so close to campus I used to see a lot of police patrols. Because it borders the Lodge freeway and leads to campus, it's a pretty busy street. Not so sure I'd be comfortable living here with small children.

I'm a little surprised there aren't more reviews for the streets in this Cass Corridor/Wayne State area.
Prentis is a small street that only runs from 3rd to Cass. I lived around the corner from here but always walked this route when I was going into town on foot.

It's pretty mixed residence, heavy on students and families with a lot of giant, old school apartment buildings. One half of the street (2nd to Cass) boasts some downright lovely tree coverage.

A few years back a laundromat moved in on the street, a must have in any neighborhood. It's also convenient for local bars, corner stores and the restaurants over on Cass. All in all, I wouldn't mind living on Cass. A warning though, it's mostly on-street parking unless you get into one of the managed apartments with a lot lease.

Canfield is like a lot of the city street's in that it traverses Detroit through. Too much street for me so my review is confined it the section of W. Canfield between 3rd and Woodward.

If you like beer and good food, don't miss out on Traffic Jam and Snug at the corner of 2nd. It's a micro brew pub, bakery and restaurant. I've only eaten here once (it was delish!) but on the weekends the valet parking is always backed up so my guess is a lot of peeps agree that it's good.

Somehow this segment of Canfield escaped the blight and ghetto-fication of the bulk of the city. Mostly residential, the street is a mix of single family and converted apartments. Most striking is the cobblestoned section between 3rd and 2nd. I haven't checked but I seem to recall a historical placard set up. Like a lot of the back alleys that connect the streets in this area, the stone pavement is like a peek into the past.

The street turns to a light industrial area between 2nd and Woodward. Kinda' creepy at night but a good place to find a parking spot when the more popular on street parking is gone.

E. Forest is probably best known as the location of the Dally in the Alley, a two day street party held every fall. I lived at the corner of Forest and 2nd so I did a lot of travel on Forest. Next to the Dally, the other plus is that it runs parallel to Warren so it's great when you still need to go east-west but avoid congestion.

Neighborhood wise the street changes as it crosses the city. Some parts, like near the University, are fairly quiet. When you get further away you're into the inner city slums that mark way too much of Detroit.

E. Grand Blvd. is one of my favorite streets to drive on in Detroit for two reasons. First it leads right to Belle Isle and second because it gives a great look at how nice Detroit used to be.

The street is a great wide boulevard that you can practically see the Model T's cruising down. It's lined with these grand old houses that practically beg to be part of some turn of the century movie set.

Guh!

Now the reality. Most of those houses are either broke down, burnt out and abandoned. Or, broke down and turned into nursing homes. The street itself is not so clean, the boulevard greens not maintained.

You'll find a fair amount of small stores and closer to Warren, a business district. I wouldn't want to live on this street at all, but I do enjoy the view and imagined memories.

2nd Ave runs from the 75 onramp and dead ends at the Wayne State campus. I lived at the corner of 2nd and Forest, a few blocks down from WSU and have to say it wasn't bad. There's definitely a nicer vibe on this end of the street versus further south towards downtown. Ok, in the WSU area you'll find a good selection of cheap rental apartments, some better managed than others. Ask around.

Corner stores and small restaurants aplenty on the street and one street over on Cass.

On street parking is the norm, this can be a huge hassle, especially if you're coming in at night.

Crime wise, I think it's much worse as you get further from the university, but, I did have a car stolen off of 2nd. (Police later recovered it). There is a bus route that runs down 2nd, and you're only two blocks from Woodward where most of the buses run.

The best part of 2nd is that you're close to everything, Ford Theatre, the museum, downtown and the freeways. Now that I pay way to much rent in California, I can appreciate the great rent ($400 for a 1 bedroom) I paid when I lived on 2nd.

The worst....eh, it's still downtown Detroit. Drugs, crime and blight are less than two minutes away.