Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Detroit Visitor guide

Arriving. If you're flying into town, you'll arrive at Detroit Metro Airport (code: DTW), an efficient, modern complex, whose North Terminal was added in 2008. The airport is about a 30-min. drive southwest of downtown Detroit, and nearly the same distance from Ann Arbor. Rent a car from metro airport, or use a private car service such as Metro Car Metro Cars(800-456-1701), Metro Quick Pick Car Service,(734-218-1883),which advertises a one-way trip to downtown Detroit for $52;  and about $59 to Ann Arbor $58; Ypsilanti. 
Getting Around. Metropolitan Detroit has a limited public transportation system of buses known as DDOT. So you'll need a car, especially to venture beyond Detroit's downtown; it's best to rent one at the airport, but you can also find a rental in town. Generally, you'll want to keep your car in a parking lot, not on the street.
Downtown, taxis are typically found only around stadiums, museums and hotels or other hotspots like the Westin Book Cadillac and Marriott Renaissance Center. Otherwise, you can use Detroit's monorail, the People Mover, to get between downtown destinations including the Rennaissance Center, Greektown and the Detroit Opera House. Or, for an alternative way to see the city in the summer and early fall, call Rickshaw Detroit at 866-461-3163.
Biking. Want to go motorless in the city? Good choice: Detroit is flat and eminently bikable. Check out the Dequindre Cut, a 1.35-mi. bike and jogging path drafted alongside train tracks and Lafayette Park, a large apartment and park complex just east of downtown Detroit. The development includes a set of post-World War II high-rise condo buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe, and the neighborhood is worth checking out on its own. Eventually, the Dequindre Cut will connect Detroit's Eastern Market section to the Detroit River. You can rent bikes at Wheelhouse Detroit, on the waterfront not far from the Renaissance Center; Wheelhouse also does tours.