cluelessgirl314

E 7 Mile begins at Mack. Between Mack and Lakeshore, it is known as Moross, which is a very nice street with expensive houses. Once it crosses Mack, the houses become notably more modest. there is a very large hospital right at the intersection of 7 mile and Mack. Between I-94 and Kelly, the houses continues to get smaller, but the neighbourhood is still somewhat decent. Once you cross Kelly, things start to become less nice very quickly and by Gratiot, it is clear that it isn't going to get any nicer now that you are in Detroit.

Strand Dr. winds around Belle Isle on the side of the Island closest to Canada. From here, Canada looks so beautiful and so close- only about 100 meters away. On this side of the island, there are some interesting buildings, most of which are now closed. There is a giant, amazing fountain near where the road begins at Sunset Dr. As you follow this road, you pass by ponds, a small play ground, a few wooded areas and a beautiful, large plant conservatory with a glass dome. Belle Isle and Detroit were once beautiful and you can see that as you drive along Strand.

Morningside runs through Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores. It is a relatively quiet street. Any traffic moves very slowly because the entire street is residential. Between Briarcliff and Vernier, the houses that line it are rather large. Across Vernier, the houses seem even nicer as the road gently winds through the suburbs and leads to many lanes and small courts. Along Morningside, right by Vernier, is Grosse Pointe North Highschool. Near Fairford, there is Our Lady Star of the Sea church and elementary school. Morningside abruptly ends at Cook rd.

Hawthorne is a very nice street that runs through Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores. It is quietest closest to Lakeshore. Closer to the lake, the houses are larger and more expensive. After the first closest block to the lake, the houses seem to be perfectly sized to be comfortable for families with children. Past Mack Ave, the houses still grow more modest, but they are still ideal for raising children and located still in the Grosse Pointe School District.

Kercheval is a very nice street. It travels through the Grosse Pointes. Between Kerby and Fisher, there is a very nice small shopping district called the Hill. It has several nice restaurants and specialty shops and also, interestingly, the Consulate of Iceland. Between Neff and Cadieux, there is another small shopping district called the Village. There are restaurants, chain coffee shops, a Trader Joe's, and several clothing shops. Kercheval is lined with very large houses beyond the Village, until one nears Detroit. There is another small shopping district right by Alter road. It has several restaurants, a snobbish art gallery and several shops. As soon as you cross Alter, the shops end and it becomes clearly evident that you aren't in Grosse Pointe anymore.

Kenmore Drive is a relatively quiet street. It isn't a particularly good route to take to get to I-94 and has little thru traffic. Between Mack Ave and I-94, it is the nicest. It is lined with modest but nice homes. Across the highway, the homes get smaller but they are still in the Grosse Pointe school district for several blocks.

Nine mile ends at Jefferson and begins quite a ways away, on the other side of Ferndale. Near Jefferson, it is a pleasant street with several restaurants near by. As one travels near Gratiot, the road travels through areas which are less pristine but still not bad neighbourhoods by any means. After Mound Rd, it becomes gradually nicer and eventually goes through Ferndale, which is a pleasant, diverse community with a good nightlife.

Near I-94, the infamous 8 mile rd becomes Vernier Rd, as it cuts through Grosse Pointe Woods. Almost immediately after crossing I-94 into the Pointes, one can see the vast difference between the seedy mile road and Vernier. There are three schools on the short stretch of road that is Vernier, along with many houses. It is not loud street compared to the quiet sidestreets of Grosse Pointe, but it is still in a very nice part of town.

Lakeshore Drive shows you what Grosse Pointe is all about. It follows Lake St. Clair , which is almost always in view as long as this street keeps the name Lakeshore. At Alter Rd and also at 9 mile, this street becomes Jefferson, but in between, it is a lovely drive. Beautiful views of the lake and various private boating clubs are seen on one side of the road, while the other side is dotted with beautiful mansions.
It is a pleasant, slightly meandering drive.

Lafayette is a relatively short street that starts in the center of downtown Detroit and ends shortly after is crosses the Lodge Freeway. There are several landmarks on Lafayette which are quite nice. the most famous of which is Lafeyette Coney island. It is the oldest Coney around and is a very interesting dining experience, with the old men who work there shouting orders in a foreign language and the lack of any menus or options aside from a coney dog and fries.

My favourite thing on this street is John K King's used book store. It is the largest used book store in all of Michigan and contains four floors crammed with over one million titles. It is truly an amazing place for anyone who loves to read or collect books.

8 Mile has a reputation for being a dangerous road, but really, it is mostly just a long road lined by shady strip clubs, fast food restaurants, warehouses and strip malls. This road rapidly changes from being the nice road by the name of Vernier which cuts through Grosse Pointe Woods to becoming a seedy strip of road with little purpose aside from being a relatively quick detour from the suburbs to I-75.

During the day, this road isn't too scary and it is simultaneously very funny to drive down (the strip clubs have horribly funny names) and very depressing. At night, 8 mile is not a place where you would want to be stranded, but it would be preferable to being stranded on Outer Drive at night, I suppose. Traffic moves quickly so it is relatively safe to travel it at night.

Woodward is where many interesting things happen in downtown Detroit. It begins and the central hub and then travels towards I-94. Near to the center of the city, Woodward is lined with several theaters, cathedrals and restaurants. As it progresses towards I-94, it is lined with new housing developments and many small stores, only some of which are boarded up. Further down, Woodward leads directly onto the campus of Wayne State University. As you near the campus, you will pass by the Majestic theatre aka the Magic Stick, a concert venue. You will also pass some of Detroit's finest assets, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Orchestra Hall and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Gratiot begins at the hub of dowtown Detroit. The downtown area is not unlike those of other cities. Once you leave the center of the city, the street becomes very squalid almost immediately and remains so until 8 mile- where it promptly becomes a much nicer place.

Between 8 mile and 12 mile is my favorite stretch of this road. This part is dotted with pawn shops, car dealerships, a small cemetery and all sorts of small, unique independently owned shops- a wonderful smokey coffee house called Trixie's, several record stores and a couple stores which seem to appeal to hippies, to name a few. To those who were reared in the snobbish Grosse Pointes, these places might be considered "shady" or "dirty," but really they are a breath of fresh air after being in the boring suburbs.

Surrounding this stretch of Gratiot is the small city of Eastpointe. It is comprised of small, modest ranch style homes. To those from Grosse Pointe, this is considered a very unrespectable place to live, but really it is a safe neighbourhood and also is a very practical place to live.

Past 12 mile, Gratiot becomes a street lined with stripmalls, unappealing restaurants and nothing of real interest until Mt Clemens. Beyond Mt Clemens, Gratiot stretches all the way to Port Huron. The scenery along the way rapidly becomes more rural, making for a pleasant but long route to Port Huron.

Jefferson follows the Detroit river through the city of Detroit itself, and continues towards Lake St. Claire, to the affluent Grosse Pointe Communities. When it reaches Grosse Pointe Park at the intersection of Alter Rd, the street suddenly changes to one populated by large, beautiful houses. As it continues along the lake, its name changes to Lakeshore Drive, only to become Jefferson again at 9 mile.

Follow Jefferson downriver, and you might find yourself lost. The street curves into Rosa Parks Blvd, but if you continue down Jefferson, you will drive down a dingy, narrow side street, which abruptly curves and ends on Fort St., only to pick back up several miles down fort St. This section is not a nice neighbourhood by any means and I highly encourage taking I-75 if you need to venture down river so you can bypass the dilapidated steel mills and neighbourhoods.

Through Detroit itself, Jefferson is mostly lined with boarded up buildings, strip malls and the occassional remnant of the city's former beauty. Notably, you will pass the water treatment plant (such a beautiful building), several churches and the entrance to the once pleasant recreation area, Belle Isle. The street is more consistent as it reaches the downtown area, at which it becomes merely a normal street in a city and is lined with some fine restaurants and passes by the Renaissance Center.