We are traveling to Detroit for a football game in december and staying the weekend, we were thinking of staying at the Milner Hotel and were wondering what the area is like, re: restaurants etc.

I would strongly advise against the Milner. If you're on a real strict budget, you could find something better in the suburbs for a comprable price.

If you want to stay downtown, the hotels are the Marriott and Courtyard, the Atheneum and the Hilton Garden Inn. The former Pontchartrain is reopening as a Sheraton, but I'm not sure of the date.

The Greektown and Bricktown areas are a short walk from Ford Field and have lots of restaurants and bars. One of the three casinos is also located there.

Several good Greek restaurants; Pizza Papalis and Nikki's for pizza. Tom's Oyster Bar for seafood and Roma Cafe, a short cab ride away, for great Italian.

Thanks Citylights, I'm curious though, why the bad vibes for the Milner?

For the last 40 years or so, the Milner has been what's commonly called a flop house.

Though they had a boon when the stadiums and opera house opened nearby, I doubt the owners have invested the amount of money needed to correct all the problems they had. If you haven't read any reviews of the property, check Trip Advisor <http://tinyurl.com/25b4go>.

While I normally dismiss one or two bad reviews or those that are vague about things like "rude staff" or "dirty", many of the writers cite the same issues.

If you really want to stay downtown, another option would be to use one of the bidding sites like Priceline or Hotwire. You could get one of the other hotels well below their rack rate.

A third option would be staying in Windsor. You could catch the tunnel bus back to Detroit and it would drop you within a block of Ford Field.

I agree with city lights. Forget the Milner. The Ren Cen (marriott) is very nice and right on the Detroit River with many shops and restaurants. Greektown is within walking distance though the people mover can take you there for .50cents. And if you really like to hoff it you can actually walk to Ford Field. There are plenty of bars and restaurants around FF.

As for Greektown, it's not like it was say 20 years ago. Now it got a Casino and that's what draws most people. But the good thing is...They still serve good food at a couple of place. Laikon in one of them. You can't go wrong with lamb chops, saganaki (flaming cheese)beets and garlic (you'll stink up FF after eating that)but it's one of my fav's. I love flaming greek sausage and at least 10 slices of bread. Not pita bread, but good greek bread, crusty on the outside and soft inside. Make sure You ask for Mike as your waiter. They are closed on Tues.

Hella's is another good restaurant, but I really like Laikon's the best.