Diary of a Dearborn Insider

Here are five reasons why living in Dearborn for as long as I have (going on 25 years) can become unbearable:

Congested residential streets.
Crazy driving and double-parked cars.
Hawked-out cafes and the Hookah Epidemic.
The stifling surplus of gas stations, barber shops, grocery stores, and halal meat markets.
The WEDDINGS!

…You know the rest.

Thus it can be startling to see that every time an outsider comes to visit this small Michigan town, there is nothing but nice things to say.

“You’re so lucky to be living in Dearborn.”

“You guys don’t know how good you have it here.”

“You guys take this place for granted!”

Really? For granted? Where are these people coming from? The Sahara Desert?! I can’t help but wonder, what’s there to take for granted?

But the truth is that the outsiders are right. For the most part, residents of Dearborn tend to forget that there’s a lot to take for granted. So I’m on a quest. To the outsider, I’m presenting to you the exclusive one-stop guide to all the main streets, best eats, and inner cheats throughout the City of Dearborn. In a word, this is where you’ll find everything that the brochures and websites don’t tell you. Experience Dearborn like a resident!

And to the insider who has it all and has forgotten it—and I’ll admit to being the first among them—this will serve as a reminder. In the end, we live in a town that’s not only unique to the U.S., but to the world entire! This will serve to remind us why.

This is the Cellar Scoop.