Detroit or Royal Oak

I had a conversation with a good friend about the prospect of moving downtown the other week. For him, it has come down to two options: Detroit or Royal Oak.

I am not a fan of Royal Oak. I enjoy a few bars there, namely Gusoline Alley and Ye Olde, but I do not think I could ever live there.
   
For me, it comes down to an unpleasant feeling. When I am in Royal Oak, I feel like I am living some run-of-the-mill twenty-first century life in which everything is merely a replica of something else. The bars, houses, and restaurants all exist in a timelessness that invites the people who live there to partake in the illusion that this is life and it will continue on forever in the same fashion.

I know that time is fleeting and that these years in my early twenties won't last long.

When I am in Detroit, I feel that I am a witness to the truth of time. I am made aware of the importance of each moment because I have seen what happens when things are not tended properly. I know what can happen if we forfeit our original thinking and sync into routine. The character of Detroit has the idiosyncrasies that Royal Oak lacks. Sure, not all of the details are good, but it offers a  personality distinguishable from the rest. I see each moment as one of privilege and joy when I am able to tour a unique building like the Detroit Boat Club or the Detroit Public Library. These structures exist like Great Lakes reminding me of the cultural epicenter that Detroit once was and in many respects, still is. The charm of Detroit reaches far beyond these landmarks; relics and symbols mold the streets like cobblestone.

When I sit in a Detroit bar, I feel the intriguing history all around me waiting to be poked at and investigated. I don't feel that in Royal Oak. Living in Detroit, for me, is about living in a place that has significance in the history of the world and deriving meaning to my own life by being a part of it all.

If Royal Oak has any significance in the world, it is that it kept thousands of young, educated people out of Detroit.