Detroit

I saw your post in two different places so I am also adding my comment here:

I currently live in Detroit and have lived in several different areas within the city, including downtown. The area you’re staying in is safe.

Within a few blocks of you are high end restaurants and bars, hotels, the winter market and Christmas tree, and stores (including Gucci and and Shinoa) and a heavily guarded FBI building is visible from your hotel.

You’re staying not far from where major events have taken place including the NFL draft as well as large music festivals which have attracted millions of people to the city, in addition to the regular sports games that bring in tourism. Downtown has very much shifted to cater towards visitors and getting people to stay and spend money.

As others have said, midtown also has a lot to offer including the DIA. Eastern Market can be fun on the weekends but in the winter it’s less active. The surrounding metro area also has things like Greenfield Village and the Ford museum depending on what kinds of things you’re interested in.

Will you see homeless folks and potentially asked if you have spare change? Yes, it’s a bigger city in America. Will you be attacked by exploring the downtown area? No.

If you want any specific recommendations please let me know and I’d be happy to help.

Detroit isn’t Britain. Any thugs there would have easy access to firearms, and no need to stab.

Downtown Detroit is perfectly safe and filled with lots of fun things to do both during the day and at night. The worst that will likely happen is that a homeless person will ask you for money while sitting harmlessly on the street. This can happen in any major city, tho. Stick to downtown and stay out of the Detroit neighborhoods and you'll be fine. There is nothing touristy to do in the neighborhoods so you'll have no reason to go into them.

Pretty much everything negative people say about Detroit is the typical overblown pearl clutching. As for your family that lives in Detroit... Do they actually live in Detroit or one of the suburbs? Because that will be most telling. Most people that live in the metro Detroit area will say they're from Detroit because it's easier to explain than being from Clinton Township or Troy.. And suburbanites can be snobby about Detroit in general. I fully agree with your gut feelings and they are spot on.

As for a comment for your first time traveling to the US.. I'm delighted you chose Detroit and I'm hopeful you will have a blast while here! Detroit has awesome culinary, music, and art scenes and there is something here for everyone!

https://cityofdetroit.github.io/crime-viewer/

You can go as far back as the 70's. That shows reported crimes in Detroit. Best used on desktop browser.

Detroit is as dangerous as any other typical metropolitan area in the US. Follow average safety advisory like when traveling to any foreign country.

Detroit is not as bad as it used to be; not as good as you want it to be. I wouldn't walk in residential or underpass areas at night, but around the business downtown area, especially the stadiums and theaters, it's usually a pretty lively area during days, and especially during events.

If you ever need to go somewhere and there's sketchy parks or whatever in between, we do have Uber/Lyft like any other major city, and that's a very safe way to travel.

Jesus Christ. No, it’s unlikely anyone will stab your wife. I’ve lived in the city for five years, and zero people have crossed me.

If you don’t mess with anybody, nobody will mess with you here. Just be kind, treat people like people, and folks tend to give that same energy back. Detroiters are good people.