Lower East Side
Gratiot Avenue splits East Side Detroit diagonally, eventually connecting with the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94). The vast majority of the area consists of residential lots that stand vacant, particularly those closest to the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the west. The weeds are exceedingly tall, rising over the heads of most persons along many streets in what were once respectable neighborhoods as nature takes back what was once hers. Whole streets of houses are falling in upon themselves, decayed and ruined with no one to care for them.
Among white middle-class people, the area has a reputation as one of the most violent sections in the city. They tend to avoid the place and talk about its dangers with racist overtones - thugs, gangs, loitering, et cetera. Nevertheless, people go about their daily lives--and deaths. The dead are honored here with memorials on utility poles, some featuring stuffed animals, while others consist of dozens of liquor bottles. Farther down a side street, one of several burned-out homes bears a message in spray-paint: "R.I.P Vees."
Against this backdrop stands the historic Eastern Market, the largest market in the United States. It is bounded by Gratiot Avenue to the southeast, and the Chrysler Freeway to the northwest. Every Saturday it is transformed into a vibrant marketplace with hundreds of open-air stalls where everyone from toddlers to tycoons flock to the market to enjoy one of the most authentic urban adventures in the city. The market and the adjacent district are rare finds in a global economy - a local food district with more than 250 independent vendors and merchants processing, wholesaling, and retailing food.
