Welcome to Michigan . . .
Man - do I feel for the average "Joe" who comes to Michigan. Most people who fly in arrive at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), by far the worst airport in any developed nation. This isn't just me talking - DTW has won awards for this. There must be some people who are pretty proud of this fact, as we have been winning on and off (mostly ON) for the last 20 years. You'd think that they would have at least fixed the moving walkways by now.
Those that drive in usually enter the state from Indiana or Ohio, both of which use concepts such as toll-road fees, road maintenance, and realistic weight limits on the trucking industry to keep their roads in decent shape. If you happened to miss the "Welcome to Michigan" sign at the border, rest assured that the sink... er, pothole in the middle of the road will not miss you. As you try to recall hearing the story "Meteor shower devastates I-75", stay focused on the road - someone is about to cut you off. I've driven in each of the "lower 48" and let me tell you, Michigan by far has the most aggressive drivers. The madness goes both ways - I've seen an 80-year old grandmother drive like a bat out of hell just to catch up to me, roll down her window, and flip me off all for squeezing my car next to hers and making a right hand turn first (she was stopped at a red light and couldn't make up her mind which lane she wanted to park in).
As you can see, Michigan doesn't exactly roll out the red carpet in welcoming its visitors. Before you get frustrated, just remember that Michigan is a BIG state and the southeastern portion of the state hardly can by used as a measure to judge the whole, especially for the nature lover. Detroit, however, is no picnic to the outsider and should be positioned just above Pontiac, Flint, and Taylor as places to visit.
Supporters of Detroit have positioned themselves into one of two camps. One side will tell you that the city is full of undiscovered wonders, which go unheralded due to racist suburbanite fears of giving Detroit so much as a glance. It's a desperate attempt to convince themselves that "It's really not that bad." To their credit, Detroit does have a few "diamonds." The other group of Detroiters, the "Casino Camp", seems to take a "half full" look at Detroit - Detroit not only isn't that bad anymore, but, thanks to the casinos, its on the verge of being transformed into a model, world class city. This is nothing more than a scam, of course - because there's essentially no reason to travel into Detroit for the average tourist, there's no way that the local casinos will every see the client diversity that Las Vegas enjoys. Detroit casinos simply milk the money out of the hands of the locals, money that will never be realized by the local communities. The net result will be a rich, corporate, downtown and even poorer neighborhoods.
Looking at it realistically, compared to any other US city with a population exceeding 1 million residents, Detroit can be described as, at best, lethargic. The public school system not only is limited in resources, but it cannot provide for the basic safety needs of its students - building are falling apart, surrounding neighborhoods are in blight, and children are attacked when walking to school. Taxes in Detroit are high, and the city services which residents can expect to receive leave much to be desired - abandoned houses are not demolished in a timely manner, street lights don't work, and, unless you live in the Mayor's neighborhood, your street will not be plowed when it snows - even if a foot or more snow has fallen. The population has also fallen below 1 million, which means that federal funding will be cut. Of course, if you listen to residents, Detroit has a population of over 1 million people; it's just difficult to get an accurate count of the homeless.
On the plus side, Detroit lost the title of "Murder Capital" a number of years back. Crime rates have been consistently falling. General Motors has committed to completely redeveloping the Renaissance Center as their new corporate headquarters, Compuware is building their headquarters downtown, and Mayor Dennis Archer is still in charge. In terms of overall personal safety, Detroit's bark is much worse than its bite.
After the initial shock wears off, and you get outside of the Metro-Detroit area, Michigan is really a great place to visit.
Strictly Michigan
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