Detroit is not a city that tries to impress you immediately. At first glance it can seem rough around the edges, with wide roads, faded industrial buildings and lots of rusting cars parked on the road or driving around (TÜV would have a field day).
But after a few days in the city, especially when the trip mixes work and meeting people, Detroit begins to reveal its character.
Lots of match cars on our office wall.
Where are the trucks and buses?
The main reason for the trip was business: visiting clients around the Detroit area and presenting at the Spring Briefing in Novi. Novi sits northwest of downtown and compared to the briefings I did in Europe sits on a greenfield with nothing around. You need a car to get here. The presentation was one of those events where you spend hours talking through market developments, meeting customers and exchanging ideas, but just as important was the chance to catch up with current and former colleagues. It's connecting with people face to face in our digital world.
On stage
Driving around Detroit is an experience in itself. Fuel prices feel super high by American standards, yet even after the recent increases they are still roughly 50 percent lower than in Europe. Filling up my rental Kia K4 costs less than half of what it would in Germany, which is fortunate because in Detroit you spend a lot of time behind the wheel. You also spend a lot on parking. When I arrived, I was fortunate to get a spot in the side street and it was late enough that I did not have to pay. The next morning, I went down at 7 am to feed the machine with plastic money, but maximum time was 2h. The next 4 nights I arrived earlier and used the Valet service (50$ per night) - still a bargain to the up to 175$ options around the hotel.
GM Headquarter around the corner from my hotel.
Detroit driving takes some getting used to. The roads are wide, fast and often chaotic. Drivers switch lanes without warning, ignore speed limits (70 mph =112,654 km/h) and overtake on all sides. Then there is the famous Michigan Left, the unusual traffic system that forces you to drive past an intersection, make a U-turn in the median and then come back. The first time you encounter one, it feels completely wrong. By the third or fourth time, you begin to understand why Michigan drivers defend it so passionately.
Motorway junction
Another unforgettable part of driving through Detroit is the billboards. Everywhere you look there are enormous advertisements for lawyers: accident lawyers, injury lawyers, and truck case lawyers promising millions of dollars in settlements. It sometimes feels as though every second billboard in Michigan is trying to convince you that after a car accident, one phone call could change your life.
not my hotel - but looked good
The city itself is full of contrasts. Downtown Detroit has seen a remarkable revival, with restored buildings, new restaurants and busy streets around Campus Martius and the riverfront. But only a few blocks away you still find reminders of the city’s difficult past: empty factories, abandoned houses and cars slowly rusting away. Somehow these scenes do not make Detroit less interesting; they make it feel more real.
One of the highlights of the trip was attending a Detroit Red Wings game. Hockey is woven deeply into the identity of the city, and the atmosphere inside Little Caesars Arena is electric even before the puck drops. The crowd arrives wearing red jerseys, the music is loud and the entire building seems to vibrate when the Red Wings score. Next to nothing happens when the opposing team scores. Thanks to the girls from Livonia sitting next to us, I made it to the Jumbotron. Even for someone who does not follow the NHL closely, it is impossible not to get caught up in the energy.
Score for us (Red Wings)!
The colleagues: Ina, Tona, Manny, Chris
Final result: Red Wings won 5:2
When the entertainment is over, the arena empties fast.
also on the ice.
For a completely different side of Detroit, it is worth driving out to Belle Isle. The island park in the Detroit River offers some of the best views of the city skyline, along with quiet roads, old trees and a sense of calm that is hard to find elsewhere in the city. Looking across the river toward Canada while the sun sets.
Downtown Detroit
Bridge to Belle Isle
Canada (Windsor) and US (Detroit) in one picture
There was also time for a brief stop at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets. Like so many American outlet centers, it is enormous, with dozens of stores, food courts and seemingly endless parking. After days of meetings, client visits and difficult traffic, wandering through a mall almost feels relaxing.
Not my shopping: not in 2014 when I took the picture, not in 2026.
But at least I got jeans, a shirt and a vest this time,
instead of only a kitchen timer.
Detroit is not beautiful in the conventional sense. It is messy, loud, confusing and sometimes frustrating. But it is also full of energy, history and personality. Between the client meetings, colleagues, hockey, strange traffic rules and views from Belle Isle, the city leaves a stronger impression than you expect. Detroit may not be easy to love, but it is impossible to forget.
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