Detroit Considered 'Most Exciting' City in America By New York Times Contributor
DETROIT (WWJ) -- Would you consider Detroit the most exciting city in the country? That's how a New York Times writer views the Motor City.
Rising -- that's how novelist and New York Times contributing writer Reid Larsen would describe the city of Detroit in one word. Larsen's latest article, "Detroit, the most exciting city in America?" highlights the people of the city, as well as Detroit's growth over the years.
The article went into the details of how the city has grown since his last trip to Detroit about 15 years ago. Larsen spoke with WWJ Newsradio 950's Zahra Huber about the article, and hopes it'll change the way people think about and see Detroit.
"If in any small way this article shifts that needle about the international conversation, even if it's a superficial way, say 'oh you actually heard cool things are happening in Detroit,'" Larsen said. "It's the more we can move it away from the (conversation of) 'I know its a city going through this downturn' to 'wow things are happening there.'"
One of the reasons for Detroit's revival mentioned in Larsen's article was the role of Dan Gilbert. Larsen considered Gilbert's decision to move the Quicken Loans headquarters to Detroit in 2010, which resulted in the creation of "Gilbertville" where the sidewalks are "packed with millennials taking a break from beach volleyball to sip craft beer and nibble on artisanal pickles."
"As capitalism returns to Detroit's downtown in all its feverish forms, you can see the city materialize before your eyes," Larsen wrote. "It's like watching hot lava cool: there is Gather, the trendy new communal table restaurant; there is the Little Caesars Arena, the new home of the Pistons and Red Wings; there is the new Q-Line streetcar whispering down Woodward Avenue; there is the future home of Shinola's boutique hotel (another Gilbert joint)."
The lengthy article also included a few hotels and restaurants to check out when visiting the Motor City. The two hotels listed in the story are El Moore and Detroit Foundation Hotel, while there were five restaurants Larsen gave praise to: Selden Standard, Detroit Vegan Soul, Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles, Russell Street Deli and Wright & Company.