The country round Detroit is as flat as can be imagined. A lady of Detroit once declared, that if she were to build a house in Michigan, she would build a hill first, Harriet Martineau 1837
It is a large, well-built, half-finished city.. It is neither pleasant nor picturesque at all. I will not say that it is uncivilised, but it has a harsh, crude, unprepossessing appearance. I do not think it well to recommend any Englishman to make a special visit to Detroit, who may be wholy uncommercial in his views and travel in search of that which is either beautiful or interesting. Anthony Trollope, North America, 1862
If Detroit was not naturaJly one of the prettiest cities on the American continent, art, capital, and the home loving instincts ofits somewhat cosmopolitan population could not fail to make it such. Its charming and almost unique situation, its temperate climate, clear, sparkling atmosphere, with its numerous parks and squares, noble avenues, and spacious public buildings, its picturesque walks and drives, added to the generous hospitality of its citizens, and the excellence of its hotel accommodation, combine to make it one of the most attractive and really enjoyable cities on the American continent. S.W. Silver & Co., Handbook lo Canada, 1881
When I had been round the Ford works – or that part of them which is comprised in the Fordson factory – I felt like the Queen of Sheba, of whom it is recorded that when she had seen Solomon’s Temple and palaces, there was no more spirit left in her. To be sure these buildings are not temples and palaces, but if absolute completeness, and perfect adaptation of means to end justify the word, they arc in their own way works of art, and they have the artistic quality of stirring the imagination till it falls back exhausted. J.A. Spender, Through English Eyes, 1928
Detroit lay across the river, a mile away, like a huge pincushion stuck full of lights. Eric Linklater Juan in America, 1931
The capital of the new planet – the one, I mean, which will kill itself off, is of course, Detroit. I realised that the moment I arrived. Henry Miller, The Air-conditioned Nightmare, 1945
If Detroit is right, there is little wrong with the American car, that is not wrong with the American public. John Keats, The Insolent Chariots, 1958
There are cities that get by on their good looks, offer climate and scenery, views of mountains or oceans, rockbound or with palm trees; and there are cities like Detroit that have to work for a living, whose reason for being might be geographical but whose growth is based on industry, jobs. Detroit has its natural attractions: lakes all over the place, an abundance of trees and four distinct seasons for those who like variety in their weather, everything but hurricanes and earthquakes. But its never been the kind of city people visit and fall in love with because of its charm or think, gee, would not this be a nice place to live. Elmore Leonard, Unknown Man (1977)
And it is awful here, there is no other way to say it. But I believe that Detroit is America’s city. It was the vanguard of our way up, just as it is the vanguard of our way down. And one hopes the vanguard of our way up again. Detroit is Pax Americana Americas way of life was built here. Charlie LeDuff, Detroit: An American Autopsy (2013)
Detroit is largely composed, today, of seemingly endless square miles of low-density failure. Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961)
Planning is for the worlds great cities, for Paris, London, and Rome, for cities dedicated, at some level, to culture. Detroit, on the other hand, was an American city and therefore dedicated to money, and so design had given way to expediency. Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex (2002)
The only difference between Detroit and the Third World in terms of corruption is Detroit don’t have no goats in the streets. Charlie LeDuff, Detroit: An American Autopsy (2013)
Detroit is a city that works hard, gets tired, gets dirty, gets defeated, and picks itself up every day and keeps going with a tenacity that amazes anyone who is paying attention. Aaron Foley, How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass (2015)
Here in Detroit, a city of war, the violence continues. On the city’s west side, a 150-block area is off limits to everybody. US Army Paratroopers, National Guardsmen, state and local police are continuing the fight against a handful of snipers. Detroit (2017), news report form 1967 riots directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Detroit is where you make it or break it. It has got soul, and it has got stories that will lift you up if you listen. Curtis Hanson, 8 Mile (2002):
Detroit, city of heart and steel, where the labourers’ hands shape dreams as enduring as the iron they forge. Philip Levine, What Work Is (1991):
In Detroit City, we rise, we shine, with a fire in our hearts that will never decline. Kid Rock, Detroit City (2012):
In Detroit, everyone always gets to work on time, because the factories never stop, and the city hums with purpose. Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex (2002):
This city has got a kind of grit, a beauty in its toughness. Detroit’s people do not give up, they fight for what is theirs. Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (2008) spoken by Walt Kowalski (played by Eastwood),
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, Detroit is where I made it. Eminem, Lose Yourself (2002):
You’re talking about f-ing Detroit, Rock City, brother. Scalper in Detroit Rock City (1999), directed by Adam Rifkin
Just a city boy born and raised in south Detroit; he took the midnight train going anywhere. Journey Lyrics from Journey, Don’t Stop Believing
Detroit Michigan – architecture – books – Charles H Wright museum – churches – dine in the city – Eastern market – Ford Piquette plant – Henry Ford museum – Henry Ford story – instagram spots – Institute of Arts – Irish community – Michigan Central station) – Motown Museum – movies – murals – musicians – public art works – quotes about Detroit –Rosa Parks seat – Ten things – traffic lights – US cities that declared bankruptcy – Westin Hotel –
