Red Wings to play temporarily at the Palace?...

[Novine]

Sorry folks but middle-aged men coming down to see the Red Wings are not parents dragging their precious kids down to see Miley Cyrus. The fact that the Red Wings have sold out a season's worth of games at JLA tells us nothing about the motivations of parents taking their kids to see the latest Teen Scream act. R8RBOB can say that this fear of Detroit is so 20 years ago but the lunatic ravings here and elsewhere say otherwise. I've never had a fear of going downtown or much anywhere else in Detroit and do it regularly. But there's plenty of people in the 'burbs who have a "I'll never set foot in Detroit" attitude and to pretend otherwise is only fooling yourself.

[R8RBOB]

Sorry folks but middle-aged men coming down to see the Red Wings are not parents dragging their precious kids down to see Miley Cyrus. The fact that the Red Wings have sold out a season's worth of games at JLA tells us nothing about the motivations of parents taking their kids to see the latest Teen Scream act. R8RBOB can say that this fear of Detroit is so 20 years ago but the lunatic ravings here and elsewhere say otherwise. I've never had a fear of going downtown or much anywhere else in Detroit and do it regularly. But there's plenty of people in the 'burbs who have a "I'll never set foot in Detroit" attitude and to pretend otherwise is only fooling yourself.

Hmm, perhaps you should try to look at this like there is no Palace and ask yourself this:
if the only large-size arena was located in Detroit, would parents take their kids to see Miley Cyrus at a Detroit arena regardless of the evils of Detroit?

[drjeff]

I think some acts prefer the Palace because it's so nice compared to JLA, and SO much easier to get to and park. You don't have to dodge traffic on a freeway to get to your car at the Palace, which was poorly designed and sited in about the worst spot they could find in Detroit.

If you live west of Detroit, going to the Palace is a huge pain in the ass. After living in Ann Arbor for many years, I pretty much refused to go up there, it took so damn long to get there and was a giant pain to leave. Going to events in downtown Detroit is simple, there are lots of places to park [[you can take the people mover for 50 frickin cents and park anywhere in downtown for little or no money.) Now that I live closer to Detroit, I still won't go up to the Palace except on very rare occasions, maybe once every 2 years. If events are in downtown, I do not even hesitate. Plus there are a lot more good bars and restaurants in downtown for before or after a game or event. The Palace has nothing to offer. It is a nice venue but too far from the city.

If you think JLA is hard to get to, then you're either an idiot who can't read signs or mapquest directions or you're just looking for a reason to complain. I've never had to sit stuck in traffic going to an event downtown whereas that happens every time I go to the Palace because of the traffic bottlenecks in that area. There are lots of ways to get anywhere in downtown. I also see no lack of families the Joe, Comerica Park, or Ford Field, so being scared isn't an excuse either.

[gencinjay]

How can the Wings make an agreement to play at the Palace when they have not secured funding for a supposed downtown replacement?

I'm sure they have done their due diligence and started looking at all available options that will be available to them when they do secure the funding. If they are indeed renovating or demolishing the Joe, this is one of the most important things they would need to have secured. It would be foolish for them not to have a deal worked out that they can option if other avenues fail.

[R8RBOB]

IPlus there are a lot more good bars and restaurants in downtown for before or after a game or event. The Palace has nothing to offer. It is a nice venue but too far from the city.

.

Agreed. The Palace with its huge parking lots allow people to drive in and drive out. Because of Davidson's greed, he made sure bars and restaurants could never build within walking distance of the Palace.

[gencinjay]

There are lots of ways to get anywhere in downtown.

Shhhh! I like being able to drive by people stuck on 75 or the Lodge and laugh while going to the events.

[BShea]

If you think JLA is hard to get to, then you're either an idiot who can't read signs or mapquest directions or you're just looking for a reason to complain.

Um, I live downtown, within walking distance of JLA. Do yourself a favor, and take a satellite view of the arena and tell me that's a wise place to have built such an arena - with the river on one side, Cobo one and the Riverfront Towers on another, with a highway on the fourth. Fans have to sprint across traffic. Find me an urban planner who thinks putting a windowless concrete box on the water front is a good idea, and in spot that's carved in there. It's hard to get to, period.

I've never had to sit stuck in traffic going to an event downtown whereas that happens every time I go to the Palace because of the traffic bottlenecks in that area.

I guess the lines of cars I see living downtown during events are a mirage.

All events at a large venue are going to have traffic snarls. Some are worse than others. But to suggest there are not traffic backups for downtown Detroit events is ... um ... different.

[drjeff]

If you think JLA is hard to get to, then you're either an idiot who can't read signs or mapquest directions or you're just looking for a reason to complain.

Um, I live downtown, within walking distance of JLA. Do yourself a favor, and take a satellite view of the arena and tell me that's a wise place to have built such an arena - with the river on one side, Cobo one and the Riverfront Towers on another, with a highway on the fourth. Fans have to sprint across traffic. Find me an urban planner who thinks putting a windowless concrete box on the water front is a good idea, and in spot that's carved in there. It's hard to get to, period.


As I said, there's a people mover stop at the Joe. It costs 50 cents from anywhere downtown.


I've never had to sit stuck in traffic going to an event downtown whereas that happens every time I go to the Palace because of the traffic bottlenecks in that area.

I guess the lines of cars I see living downtown during events are a mirage.

All events at a large venue are going to have traffic snarls. Some are worse than others. But to suggest there are not traffic backups for downtown Detroit events is ... um ... different.

My point was that there are lots of ways to get downtown and lots of different places to park. Just because a lot of suburbanites are too dumb to consider an alternate route doesn't mean everyone is sitting in traffic. At the Palace you have one way of getting in and out. In Detroit there are dozens, plus you can park wherever you want downtown and either walk or take the people mover.

[rb336]

Um, I live downtown, within walking distance of JLA. Do yourself a favor, and take a satellite view of the arena and tell me that's a wise place to have built such an arena - with the river on one side, Cobo one and the Riverfront Towers on another, with a highway on the fourth. Fans have to sprint across traffic. Find me an urban planner who thinks putting a windowless concrete box on the water front is a good idea, and in spot that's carved in there. It's hard to get to, period.

in all the games i've been to at JLA, I've had to sprint across traffic exactly ..... zero times, although I do agree that it wasn't a great place to put it

[ghein]

Bill, I'll give you two big reasons why parking is easier at the Joe than the palace:

Multiple parking options. Sometimes I park on top of Cobo. Sometimes I park in a surface lot and walk through Cobo. Sometimes I park at Greektown and people mover over. If I was a moron I could also park at the Joe garage. The Joe is a horribly situated stadium and EZ out parking is STILL easier to find around there than the palace.

There's stuff to do in the D. At the Palace, you watch the game then try to leave immediately with the 10,000 other cars. Downtown, some people stick around after the game. Not as much of a logjam when some of the spectators are walking to bars and restaurants as opposed to their cars. Comerica is a great example of this. Twice the capacity of the palace but not twice the traffic because people like to hang out after Tigers games. CoPa in the burbs surrounded by a sea of parking would be a nightmare to get out of.

[Novine]

"At the Palace you have one way of getting in and out."

Not true. For those who know, the entrance off Harmon Road is usually a pretty quick entrance.

[GPCharles]

The Palace is a major league pain in the ass to get to from the eastside. I went opening night for Sting, but rarely go back.

The Palace and the Silverdome are similar in that they both sit directly on/off freeways. No way for the traffic to filter out.

[GREENTROIT]

CoPa in the burbs surrounded by a sea of parking would be a nightmare to get out of.

Ever been to Dodger Stadium in LA? It's exactly as you describe and it IS a freaking nightmare.

[Gistok]

If you think JLA is hard to get to, then you're either an idiot who can't read signs or mapquest directions or you're just looking for a reason to complain.

Um, I live downtown, within walking distance of JLA. Do yourself a favor, and take a satellite view of the arena and tell me that's a wise place to have built such an arena - with the river on one side, Cobo one and the Riverfront Towers on another, with a highway on the fourth. Fans have to sprint across traffic. Find me an urban planner who thinks putting a windowless concrete box on the water front is a good idea, and in spot that's carved in there. It's hard to get to, period.

I've never had to sit stuck in traffic going to an event downtown whereas that happens every time I go to the Palace because of the traffic bottlenecks in that area.

I guess the lines of cars I see living downtown during events are a mirage.

All events at a large venue are going to have traffic snarls. Some are worse than others. But to suggest there are not traffic backups for downtown Detroit events is ... um ... different.

BShea, I think your muddling the debate here... NO ONE argues that JLA was a dumb place to place an arena.... the discussion was DOWNTOWN versus AUBURN HILLS.

It's easier to get out of downtown than the Palace. Granted JLA is in an awkward location... but between the People Mover, the restaurant vans, and all the options of different roadways still make it an easier place to EXIT than the Palace.

Now if and when a new arena gets buiilt near downtown [[Foxtown, lower Midtown, etc.), with all the options it will be easier to get home from after a game than everyone trying to get out of the Palace parking lots onto M-24/I-75.

[R8RBOB]

Ever been to Dodger Stadium in LA? It's exactly as you describe and it IS a freaking nightmare.

The Oakland Coliseum, home to the "A's" and RAIDERS. Great to tailgate during football season but sucks when you and 60,000 people are attempting to leave out the same two gates.

Last time I went to the Palace with my mother, we left out of the wrong gate [[over by Guardian and ended up somewhere in Pontiac.

[jtf1972]

Technically, it was the Detroit Cougars that played in Windsor!

[dnvn522]

in all the games i've been to at JLA, I've had to sprint across traffic exactly ..... zero times, although I do agree that it wasn't a great place to put it

I had to sprint across traffic once. Then I decided I needed to find a better way.
Needless to say, I was laughing my ass off when I saw some Penguins fans attempting to walk the Lodge under Cobo during the SC finals.


With that said, I can't imagine watching a Wings game at the Palace...you'd never be able to tell who was who! I'd probably just wait until the new arena was built.

[Gistok]

I had to sprint across traffic once. Then I decided I needed to find a better way.
Needless to say, I was laughing my ass off when I saw some Penguins fans attempting to walk the Lodge under Cobo during the SC finals.

LOL... and I thought I saw it all when an American man dragged his wife and 2 kids across the roundabout known as the Place Charles DeGaulle in Paris. That's where the 12 busy boulevards radiating from arguably the worlds busiest traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe come together.

The man apparently didn't know that there were 6 pedestrian tunnels leading to the arch in the island in the middle of the giant traffic circle. It was like watching a human version of the "FROGGER" video game.

It was deja vu afterwards when I saw National Lampoon's European Vacation later...

[MotownSpartan]

"you wouldn't agree that for many of the northern suburbs, it might add too much to the drive time?"

Not really. On 75, you can get from the far north end of Oak. Co. to downtown Detroit in a reasonable amount of time. I doubt it takes any longer than it would take someone to drive from the west side to Pine Knob or from Ann Arbor to Freedom Hill.

So living in a far north end suburb of Oakland County isn't actually that bad if you work downtown because the drive can be done in a "reasonable amount of time"? I've read plenty of posts on this board saying the exact opposite thing regarding the commute from suburbs like Novi to downtown [[i.e, why would anyone want that long commute everyday).

edit: although I suppose it's different to make the commute everyday vs. for special events only. Nevertheless, as an east-sider, I rarely attend functions at the Palace because the drive is too much of a pain but I don't think twice about attending functions downtown or in the near vicinity.