Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- The Detroit Metropolitan Airport (www.metroairport.com), 35 miles southwest of downtown, is a hub for Northwest Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525). Cab service to downtown costs $39.

By Train -- Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com) provides daily service from Chicago (trip time: 5 1/2 hr.) and Ann Arbor (1 hr.) to its station at 11 W. Baltimore St. at Woodward Ave. Trains also stop at Amtrak stations in Dearborn, 16121 Michigan Ave.; Greenfield Village, 20900 Oakwood Blvd. Royal Oak, 201 S. Sherman Dr.; Birmingham, 449 S. Eton St.; and Pontiac, 1600 Wide Track Circle.

By Car -- Major routes into Detroit are I-75 from the south (Toledo) and north (Flint), I-94 from the west (Chicago), and Route 401 from the east (Toronto).

Visitor Information

Contact the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, 211 W. Fort St., Suite 1000, Detroit, MI 48226 (tel. 800/DETROIT; www.visitdetroit.com).

Getting Around

They don't call Detroit the Motor City for nothing. There's little in the way of public transportation. The notable exception to that rule is the elevated People Mover train that loops around downtown, a convenient means of visiting the downtown tourist sites and Cobo Hall Convention Center for only 50¢ per ride. But unless you remain downtown, you'll need a car.

Fast Facts

To find a physician, contact the Detroit Medical Center (tel. 888/DMC-2500; www.dmc.org). Medical assistance is available at Detroit Receiving Hospital, 4201 St. Antoine Blvd. (tel. 313/745-3000). Sales tax in Michigan is 6%; hotel taxes in Detroit range between 13% and 15%, depending on the county.

Special Events & Festivals

The Motor City displays her best and newest at the annual North American International Auto Show (www.naias.com) in mid-January. In mid-August, '50s- and '60s-era muscle cars and street rods rule at the annual Woodward Dream Cruise (www.woodwarddreamcruise.com), a 16-mile parade of 40,000 vehicles along Woodward Avenue, the largest single-day car event in the world. The weeklong Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival celebrates Canada Day (July 1) and American Independence Day, ending with fireworks over the Ambassador Bridge.