Visiting Detroit? Read This Thread!

GentlemanMasher*

Guest
I'll be in Detroit to see the last 2 games of the season in mid April. I'll be there I think Wednesday and will be returning Sunday. Between games I'm just looking for stuff to do. Won't have a car, didn't feel like renting one, but I don't mind taking cabs. This has been a great topic so far and has helped out.

What are the best areas for just wandering and experiencing the vibe of the city? We'll be going to museums and stuff like that but as far as hole in the wall gems and cool stores that sell all kinds of stuff, where should I look?
 

Biggun35

Bender
Dec 5, 2003
144
0
Brentwood, TN
Visit site
My son's team will be playing in the USAHockey Nationals in Lansing at the end of March and we are driving over for the Preds game Friday night, what will the traffic be like on a Friday night? Will we have issues finding parking by the Joe?

Thank you in advance.
 

sully6one

Unregistered User
Aug 6, 2011
1,596
66
Michigan
My son's team will be playing in the USAHockey Nationals in Lansing at the end of March and we are driving over for the Preds game Friday night, what will the traffic be like on a Friday night? Will we have issues finding parking by the Joe?

Thank you in advance.
Use the joe Louis parking garage
 

Fugu

RIP Barb
Nov 26, 2004
36,952
220
϶(°o°)ϵ
My son's team will be playing in the USAHockey Nationals in Lansing at the end of March and we are driving over for the Preds game Friday night, what will the traffic be like on a Friday night? Will we have issues finding parking by the Joe?

Thank you in advance.


Traffic won't be bad, just a bit of a haul for you. There's plenty of parking at the parking garage, but it takes forever to get out of there at the end of a game. I usually park on Cobo Hall roof. It's right next to the Joe. You take the SE corner stairs or elevator down to ground level, turn right and you're at the Joe.
 

No1TopGun

Registered User
Jan 26, 2011
17
0
Melbourne
Awesome thread guys Red Wing fan here from Australia gonna be hitting Detroit for the playoffs. Can't wait to check some of these places out :yo:
 

Lou's Koolaid

I live here
Jan 12, 2007
7,867
0
KWT660
Trucker and Devils fan from Nj stuck here for the night. Im at the produce market down on w fort st. Is it easy to get a cab or bus back here after the Wings game. I was considering coming here in 2 weeks when the Devils were in town but, it looks like Im visting the Joe tonight instead.:)
 

Lou's Koolaid

I live here
Jan 12, 2007
7,867
0
KWT660
Made it safely back to the produce terminal. A 3mi walk back the cab drives here never heard of Fort W ave.:amazed: Well the Wings put on quite a skills clinic. Good barn and hockey atmosphere. Im glad I checked it out. NHL arena #13 for me.:D
 

sarcastro

Registered User
Jul 28, 2005
13,059
1
Made it safely back to the produce terminal. A 3mi walk back the cab drives here never heard of Fort W ave.:amazed: Well the Wings put on quite a skills clinic. Good barn and hockey atmosphere. Im glad I checked it out. NHL arena #13 for me.:D

Glad to hear you had a good time - I don't know the city well enough to have helped you further, but a 3 mile walk down in that area can be quite daunting for anyone, much less a stranger to the town.
 

GentlemanMasher*

Guest
If you're going to Detroit, go to Pizza Papalis in Greektown. I forget the official name, but just point to the picture on their menu of the gigantic pizza-inside-a-pizza looking thing and say "give me that". Worth it. So worth it.
 

Sharabhi

Registered User
Jan 10, 2008
351
2
Have a few questions regarding Wings games @ Joe Louis Arena.

I'm looking to get some tix for a group of clients I have in the area. I know they are big Wings fans, and I was wondering which games would be considered the most sought-after? Who are your biggest rivals? Perhaps Pits vs Det would be the hottest ticket?
 

jaster

Unregistered User
Jun 8, 2007
13,085
8,210
Have a few questions regarding Wings games @ Joe Louis Arena.

I'm looking to get some tix for a group of clients I have in the area. I know they are big Wings fans, and I was wondering which games would be considered the most sought-after? Who are your biggest rivals? Perhaps Pits vs Det would be the hottest ticket?

There will be different takes on this, but teams considered rivals/good matchups would include, in no particular order, Chicago, Nashville, St Louis, San Jose, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and the rest of the Original 6 (Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston). Philly, Vancouver, and LA may also be in the running, since they are good teams as well.
 

SoupNazi

Serenity now. Insanity later.
Feb 6, 2010
26,340
14,034
There will be different takes on this, but teams considered rivals/good matchups would include, in no particular order, Chicago, Nashville, St Louis, San Jose, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and the rest of the Original 6 (Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston). Philly, Vancouver, and LA may also be in the running, since they are good teams as well.

I'd agree with my pal J-Nasty on this one.

As far as the biggest rivalries, I'd say Chicago, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Anaheim due to the history among those teams.
 

FolignoQuantumLeap

Don't Hold The Door
Mar 16, 2009
31,084
7,399
Ottawa
I'm currently exploring the possibility of having my buddy's bachelor party in Detroit. The wedding is in Sarnia and there's just nothing there to do there. Thinking a Tigers game then going out for a night on the town. We're not really looking for strip joints or anything but if someone could recommend some bars that guys in their early to mid 20s would enjoy, it would be much appreciated.

Also, is there a shooting range somewhere we could go? Keep in mind we're Canadians an complete gun noobs. None of us own firearms, but we'd like to experience that 2nd amendment we keep hearing so much about. Maybe there's a place that'd give us a group lesson? Thanks!
 

TS Quint

I can see!
Sep 8, 2012
7,792
5,064
I went to Detroit once AND LIVED dispite the crazy Lebanese cab driver who talk about how America was an awful place with a leader (G.W.B.) who kills his own people and the Jewish media was to blame. This was 2002. I'm from Canada and forgot where I was and pointed out that Ted Turner isn't Jewish. He lost it. Then I started to think "this guy probably has a gun" and didn't say a word for the next 45 minutes. Good times!

But other than that I had a great time. The Old Shillelagh was a blast. This old guy (owner maybe?) came out and played some great sing along music, proper Irish drunken good times.
 

mkoivu9*

Guest
I'm flying into Detroit next week for work and unfortunately will have to be in the downtown area. Any recommendations on how to avoid trouble ? I hear there are lots of crimes and murder :(
 

The Zetterberg Era

Ball Hockey Sucks
Nov 8, 2011
40,956
11,575
Ft. Myers, FL
nevermind got fired up on a why do UFA's sign with the Wings or who would ever like Detroit comments that happen so often. Detroit isn't perfect but the image of it as a war zone is really over done, for instance Chicago is easily going to be the new Murder capital of America when the numbers come out for this past year, but nobody would ever say something like that about that city. For the poster above there are plenty of safe places and nice things to do. Try google and also check the first page of this thread.
 
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silkyjohnson50

Registered User
Jan 10, 2007
11,301
1,178
Yep. And like 70% of the gun homicide in Detroit is drug/gang related, so it's not like it's all a random battlefield. With that being said, don't do anything stupid or venture into areas that you're unfamiliar with or unaware of (regardless of the time of day). Downtown Detroit is fine and can be fun. Food, booze, and casinos are abundant. You can play indoor simulator golf 20 minutes outside of Detroit if that floats your boat or if you're in town Sunday-Wednesday you can take a little drive and go catch the Red Wings training camp, which will be held where the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL play.
 

vannzee

Ruslan Salei fan...
Dec 18, 2010
492
11
S.E Michigan
Although I am from the area and have been to several games before, I have always rode with friends and parked at Greektown and used the people mover to reach the arena. Tomorrow will be my first time driving to the game so I have a few questions.

1.) Does anyone remember how expensive parking is at Greektown?

2.) How far is Greektown from the Five Guys restraunt? If I remember it is almost built into Greektown.

3.) Where are the best places to park closer to the Joe and what price range are we looking at?

4.) What time do the gates open? I think it was an hour and a half before puck drop.

Thank you in advance.
 

WingedWheel1987

Registered User
Jan 11, 2011
13,315
897
GPP Michigan
Parking is free at Greektown. There are very rare exceptions where they charge you, but if you have a players card, its always free.

Five Guys is a four minute walk from the parking structure. You are correct, it is basically built into it.

There are random parking lots around the Joe and you can expect to pay 20-25 bucks for parking. They are just empty lots with almost no security. Keep that in mind. You can expect to walk for about 5-6 minutes after parking. I almost never use those lots anymore, so I can't give you any precise locations. They are pretty hard to miss.

Another option is to take the shuttle from old shillelagh to the Joe. It's free and about a five minute walk from Greektown. It leaves about 30 minutes before the game starts.

I am not a big fan of the bar, but I use the shuttle often and it's always a great experience.

http://oldshillelagh.com/

That is the website if you aren't sure where its located.

Pretty sure the gates open an hour before the game starts.
 

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