My bookstore is right across the water from Canada. There's a ferry and we get lots of ferry traffic driving by our store - which means Canadian traffic.
A woman was checking out the other day, when she said (in a great French accent): Can you please tell me how to get to Dee-Twa? (I'm having a hard enough time with the nasally Northern Michigan accent, let alone French Canadian).
It took me a second and then I had to laugh - AT MYSELF, of course. I then explained to the woman how to get to DETROIT. However, from that day forward, I dubbed Detroit Dee-Twa (and made all of my friends say it that way). It sounds SO MUCH better (and honestly, I think it is the answer to the economy problems here. If only people here would pronounce it Dee-Twa many of our problems would be solved).
Next I'm making a major push for the old way of saying phone numbers. You know, like PR549 or Rochester 8226. That's not catching on as well as Dee-Twa, but I'm hopeful. After that, it's a JackiePalooza for the city and then I'm queen of the world!
