Last weekend, I had both my parents visit my apartment in Midtown and take a trip down to Eastern Market. This was not just any chilly fall morning for me, as my parents actively avoid Detroit and have been known, from time to time, to talk that negative talk we all know so well surrounding Detroit. They came to visit to make certain I was living in a safe area and to see that I am responsible enough to find a suitable place to live, just as they had done with my brother two years ago when he moved downtown.

My parents were more than happy with my place, and they both thoroughly enjoyed the bustling vibes and low prices offered by Eastern Market. I was content about the visit and chalked it up as a success as we capped off the afternoon with a long lunch at Zeff’s Coney (they have an excellent classic club, for all my turkey and bacon lovers out there). What made the visit so meaningful to me was something my mother said on the drive home after lunch. We were passing through Brush Park and Midtown, and I had been giving a mini tour of various developments in the area (e.g. Wing’s Stadium, big parent-pleaser), and my mother began reflecting on how amazed she was at the state of Detroit. She said, “You know, I am really just so happy to see all the signs on these buildings saying things like, ‘in development.’ I thought it was all talk what’s going on in Detroit, but its not. I am really impressed.” She went on to express how excited she is for me that I could be a part of something real, something important.

While I speak from one experience with my own mother, I’m confident in saying it’s possible to reduce the stigma attached to Detroit. And even if it is cliché, it truly does seem that the more I talk about and share my life in Detroit with the people I love, the more open and excited they themselves become about experiencing the city.

www.detroiteasternmarket.com/page.php