detroit vs. troy

a few years back, when i was touring with "mamma mia", i wrote this about our stay in detroit:

"i wish i could say something to detroit.
i don't know what it would be.
in almost four years of traveling, i have learned
that there are truly great parts of any town.
every time you think "ugh...columbus",
you show up and columbus is great.
(p.s. columbus is great).

i didn't find those parts of detroit.
maybe i didn't take the time, or make the effort.

maybe i spent too much time looking at the burned out buildings,
busted out windows and sad, depressed areas of town i drove past every day on my way back to a nice, quiet hotel in the suburbs,
only a few miles from the country club.

the audiences were great. but they always are.
a little different here and there.

but the city.

i'm sorry detroit. i didn't get to know you.
or maybe i did."

after that appeared on a tuesdays post, i got a kinda snippy email from a ticked-off michigonian saying i hadn't given detroit a chance. whoops, i thought! didn't mean to offend!

see, my initial experience with detroit was the word from our stage manager that after the shows, we shouldn't walk to the parking lot alone -- only in groups. that would be the parking lot directly behind the theater. the fenced in parking lot.

interestingly enough, that angry email was from a
troymi@something.com. i emailed back (apologizing for not giving detroit a chance) and asked if the writer actually lived in troy, mi (an affluent, mostly white suburb of detroit.) yup, they said. and you should see troy, it's beautiful!!

last sunday, detroit overtook st. louis as the most dangerous city in america according to "city crime rankings", an annual reference book of crime statistics and rankings. now, i'm not sure where they rank this year, but last year troy, michigan was at number five of the safest cities ranking.

maybe some of the folks living in dangerous detroit should check out troy! from what i hear, it's lovely!