This is a thank you note to Dan Gilbert (and others, but this one’s for Dan) for creating our fantastic new downtown Detroit.
My brother, Joe Gaulzetti, and I were downtown Saturday night for dinner and a show. It was a beautiful evening, and the city was full of people of all ages. Many times that night we marveled at how different it is now from the Detroit we grew up with. Former classmates of Dan’s (Southfield-Lathrup class of ’77 and ‘82 — go Chargers), we’re suburban kids who have seen Detroit through some rough times. Today’s Detroit is almost unrecognizable.
We toured the lobby of the Shinola Hotel, strolled through Capital Park and Campus Martius, checked out Woodward Avenue’s new stores, bought drinks for a young couple on a date at Central Kitchen, saw Bonnie Raitt at the Fox Theatre and ended the night with a drink at Eatori. We kept looking at each other saying, “This is Detroit?”
Thanks, Dan. I hope you’re able to get downtown soon on a Saturday night to experience all you’ve created.
This is Detroit? This is Detroit!
Janita Gaulzetti
St. Joseph
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit developer Dan Gilbert is the man | Letters
Reporting by Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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