BYCU

BYCU

This is one of those articles that make you want to go on an adventure and check out its subject matter: 10 Detroit Dive Bars You'll Love.

Until you realize it's, well, Detroit.

And that they're talking about "dive" bars in Detroit, which is like talking about "diseased" hookers. I mean, when you see "hooker," you think "VD" (at least I do), and when I see "Detroit," I think "dive."

No matter, the list is intriguing. When you see a picture like this and wonder, "How is this place not condemned," it makes you want to go check it out before the roof falls in.

And that bar is probably in one of the safer neighborhoods. We're not talking Grosse Pointe (street view link), but located just a mile from the suburbs, it's not Cass Corridor either, like another bar on the list: Old Miami. I've actually been outside of Old Miami. I used to drive by it when I went to Wayne State University to do legal research for the law firm where I was a summer clerk. It never crossed my mind to get out of the car and go inside, even in broad daylight. Heck, it never even crossed my mind to unlock my car doors or roll down my windows even though my Chevy Nova didn't have air conditioning and it was summer.

But even though Cass Corridor is still notorious in memories for the terror it was for much of the 1960s through early 2000s, I guess it's undergoing something of a boom these days. Which isn't surprising. Much of Detroit is booming. That's what happens when things hit rock bottom: they bounce. The only question is, is it a dead-cat bounce or a real revival?

I don't know. My brother-in-law says he has frequented many of these bars and no one has killed him yet. I'll probably be seeing him in a few weeks. I'll try to get more details, but I can't believe many, if any, of them are safe to visit at night.