Detroit

[Coach_J 2,181]

Those of you who stayed home in fear, you missed a great tournament.  The venue was stellar, few bad sight lines, lines were reasonably short for the pisser and beer (and Founder's on tap at a national championship...Nirvana!).  Using the Q-line, the arena was very easy to get to; most I know walked from their hotels (yes, people walked the streets of Detroit).  And even if you did not venture off of Woodward Avenue (a smart choice), plenty of places to eat and drink and have some laughs.  If you knew a local Detroiter, you didn't have to pay for parking--and I heard of no murders, muggings, carjackings, etc., that so many voiced concerns over.  The jumbo screen at the LCA was fantastic, and the atmosphere electric, which only heightened some incredible competition.  If you didn't have fun here, well, I'm guessing you don't much fun anywhere.  Met folks from all over (I kind of chair hopped depending on the bout I was interested in and sat with people from Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Rutgers, etc.) and all were enjoying the show.  No doubt some are primed to chime in with some badmouthing, but overall the BS that some were spreading before the meet was unfounded.  Great job, Detroit, and hoping we can host again in the not so distant future.

Edited March 20 by Coach_J
revision

[Mphillips 1,738]

Did I miss the hundreds of post' of people who were afraid to go to Detroit?

[Wrestleknownothing 1,510]

My wife and I had a great time in Detroit. Dinner at the London House was great, but breakfast at the Dime Store was as good as it gets. The venue was first class. Very well designed, easy in, easy out, clean, comfortable, very good food options, very friendly and helpful staff. And walking around Detroit felt like walking around any other city in the US. No big deal.

[gowrestle 689]

Great venue. People in Detroit were awesome. Tournament was outstanding. Wrestling fans are THE BEST!

[Michigan wrestling 43]

Hope everybody had a great time in Detroit for NCAA's!  Until next time!

[VakAttack 4,016]

Really enjoyed myself.  Used the Lime Scooters, which is always a fun way to see a city, and had a great hot dog at American Coney Island late night after the finals.  My only regret waiting to get a hotel since the prices were so high I decided to stay in Dearborn.

[gromit 494]

All this talk about safety reminds me of a conversation a group of buddies and I had with two St. Louis beat cops in a coffee shop at NCAAs one year.  We were asking how busy they were, etc. and they told us in no uncertain terms that every year the nationals were in town there was a noticeable downtick in minor street crime (muggings, assault, etc.).  We all laughed at the thought that the smart criminals had it circled on the calendar and knew from experience to avoid all of the mangled ear wresting fans roaming the streets…. probably a good week for them to take a vacation.

[Fletcher 1,108]

I was pleasantly surprised by Detroit. Had a great meal every single night. Arena has same capacity as StL, Cleveland, Pitt, but felt smaller and closer to the mats. Is it more vertical than other arenas?

[BobDole 1,203]

Comments from a dead person

1. The arena was really cool 
2. Whomever designed the street layouts in and around Detroit is either a genius or smoking crack
3. Can someone within Michigan use a little taxpayer money for roads? Thankfully 90% of wrestling people drive 4x4s or we wouldn't have made it.
4. Driving from Dearborn there was not very much traffic, the arena was easy to get to and park.
5. Great wrestling and it was even better having a full house of fans yelling and screaming.
 

[gimpeltf 2,075]

39 minutes ago, BobDole said:

3. Can someone within Michigan use a little taxpayer money for roads? Thankfully 90% of wrestling people drive 4x4s or we wouldn't have made it.

I posted this before- I mentioned to RichB that perhaps Michigan can be added to this-

[MSU158 2,012]

46 minutes ago, BobDole said:

Comments from a dead person

1. The arena was really cool 
2. Whomever designed the street layouts in and around Detroit is either a genius or smoking crack
3. Can someone within Michigan use a little taxpayer money for roads? Thankfully 90% of wrestling people drive 4x4s or we wouldn't have made it.
4. Driving from Dearborn there was not very much traffic, the arena was easy to get to and park.
5. Great wrestling and it was even better having a full house of fans yelling and screaming.
 

You are lucky NCAA"s wasn't a couple weeks earlier.  We had a long, extended streak of sub 32 temperature, followed by a small "heat wave" with a bunch of precipitation.  It wreaked HAVOC on the roads.  It was one of the biggest pot hole causing events that I can remember...and I remember a few.  Still, Michigan has poured TONS of money into the roads the past few years  I-75 just North of Detroit, has been under a HUGE project for several years now, with a few more to go.
 

We just happen to have basically no weight restrictions for haulers, limited types of concrete construction and just about the worst type of frost,freeze, thaw weather you can possibly have for roads.  This makes for an unsustainable system for smooth roads...

[IronChef 1,101]

Detroit was great. Nice arena and good food. The investment in the downtown area shows. I'd be happy to go back. I hope it gets added to a regular rotation. There is no need to ever have the tournament in St. Louis again.

[Michigan wrestling 43]

40 minutes ago, MSU158 said:

2. Whomever designed the street layouts in and around Detroit is either a genius or smoking crack

Judge Woodward prepared a city plan, which was then approved by Congress in April of 1806.  Although the plan was heavily influenced by European models, including the Wren’s design for London and the L'Enfant plan for Washington, it employed the gridiron system rather than the Baroque European plan. By using the gridiron system, it would allow for future expansion without destroying the plan’s foundation. Woodward’s design closely resembled Wren’s plan, yet it primarily imitated the style of L’Enfant.

[Michigan wrestling 43]

1 hour ago, BobDole said:

 

The hub-and-spoke configuration, designed by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, was meant to create a hexagonal shape with a park in the middle. Additional hexagons were implemented, and as the city grew larger, the streets formed circuses. The city of Detroit has a very unique street layout, and because of it, visitors may frequently lose a sense of direction.  Unlike the structure of any other major cities, the hexagonal street blocks and a Grand Circus at its center make the city of Detroit unique. This formation also facilitates traffic flow through the landscaped city blocks.

Edited March 21 by Michigan wrestling

[J Trump 6]

Really enjoyed myself as well. Great wrestling and company. @VakAttack even bought me a couple brews :)

 

 

[Wrestle81 82]

Been to 45 NCAA's....this year's was as good as it gets

[VakAttack 4,016]

1 hour ago, J Trump said:

Really enjoyed myself as well. Great wrestling and company. @VakAttack even bought me a couple brews :)

 

 

[BobDole 1,203]

2 hours ago, Michigan wrestling said:

Judge Woodward prepared a city plan, which was then approved by Congress in April of 1806.  Although the plan was heavily influenced by European models, including the Wren’s design for London and the L'Enfant plan for Washington, it employed the gridiron system rather than the Baroque European plan. By using the gridiron system, it would allow for future expansion without destroying the plan’s foundation. Woodward’s design closely resembled Wren’s plan, yet it primarily imitated the style of L’Enfant.

I'm on my way to find this guy as I type. However, I'm not sure he's in the same "hotel" as I'm staying these days. I heard he's in the southern one.

Edited March 21 by BobDole