Know your Coney Islands from your coney dogs.
Look beyond the Comeback City narrative. Yes, for decades Detroit was a symbol of industrial decline. And yes, in the past few years the city has experienced a dizzying transformation, with impressive new construction projects, an influx of outside money and interest, and an accompanying overhaul of the city’s dismal image and reputation. But a savvy visitor will resist swallowing this simple narrative. Even as downtown visibly transforms, most of outer Detroit—the Neighborhoods, to use the local term—remains poor. In the past couple of years, thousands of poor Detroiters faced a water-shutoff crisis; last year, the the FBI listed the city as the country’s most violent. (Detroit’s police chief disputed the statistics.) Downtown and select areas may be thriving, but the city’s defining question remains how evenly the benefits will be shared.
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