Athelia

Hi there,
We will be in Detroit the weekend of September 17 - 18, 2016 and we have tickets to the Lions game on Sunday the 18th, which is an afternoon game. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront on Washington.

The front desk at the hotel is telling me that the best way to get to and from the game is to walk and that it is an easy 15-20 minute walk. From Google Maps it looks like an easy 1 mile or so walk.

Is it safe to walk from the hotel to the game and back on a Sunday afternoon in downtown Detroit? Are there areas we should avoid, and is the Washington street path the best way to walk or is there a better route for us to take if we are on foot?

Detroit looks pretty cool and we are looking forward to our visit.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Citylghts

Yes, you'll be fine along Washington Boulevard. As in any large city, keep your wits about you. You can also walk up Woodward Avenue. For a different view of the city, take the People Mover from Cobo Center to either the Grand Circus or Broadway stations.

gardendiva

I agree with Citylights. You may want to take the People Mover one way and walk the other. For me that would be a pretty brisk walk in 20 minutes. If you walk, I would take Woodward. Much more to see along the way. Make sure that your at least walk by the Guardian Building on Griswold on your way to or from Woodward.

I just looked at the map. The closest People Mover stop is the Financial District Stop. Looks like it is in the same block as your hotel.

Athelia

Thanks for your advice! We are thinking about walking to the game via Woodward (will definitely check out the Guardian Building!)and then taking the people mover back to the hotel after the game.

We are thinking about walking back over to the Greektown area after the game, grabbing dinner to hopefully let the crowds thin out, and then catching the people mover at the Greektown station back to the Financial District station for a quick walk back to the hotel.

Any thoughts on that plan? I have read that the Greektown station is really hard to find. Any advice?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Citylghts

The Greektown station is inside the casino at Beaubien Street. You can enter the building right there and take the escalator up to the second floor. If you enter from Monroe Street (near Pegasus), just walk to the far end. If you have difficulty, the guards or anyone else will be more than glad to point you in the right direction.

gardendiva

Sounds like a good plan. Enjoy your visit.

Athelia

Thanks again for your great advice! We really enjoyed Detroit and felt safe walking around downtown and taking the people mover. We walked to the game using Woodward and went to Greek Town and did a loop on the people mover. You were definitely right about the Guardian Building - it's a must see and beautiful. There is also a nice coffee shop and Detroit gift shop inside the building. The Lion's game was great - too bad we didn't win. People were really nice and food and beer was great. We enjoyed the Grand Trunk and the Roasting Plant on Woodward, and I was lucky enough to get a tour of the Motown Museum through my conference. We had a really good time and I would definitely recommend Detroit to others. It's a great city!