My Whirlwind One-Day Trip to Detroit 🚶‍♀️🌆

At the end of last month, I came to Detroit for a visa appointment and decided to explore the city solo! Before my trip, I asked so many friends about it. The responses were either "Never been" or "I'd be too scared to go!" 😅 After all, Detroit constantly ranks high on those "most dangerous cities in the US" lists. And here I was, going alone, without a car, relying purely on walking and public transport. 😇 But guess what? I went anyway! And honestly, it wasn't nearly as scary as the internet made it out to be. I took the DAX bus from the airport to downtown and back—the bus was clean, spacious, and almost empty! Downtown was full of towering skyscrapers, a testament to its glorious past. 😍The streets were pretty clean, and I saw a fair number of people walking around or sitting in cafes and restaurants. It's definitely not a ghost town. I arrived downtown around noon and headed straight for a viral brunch spot called Dime Store. It was cheap and delicious! 😋 After fueling up, I hit the iconic landmarks: the gorgeous Guardian Building, the Spirit of Detroit statue, and The Fist (a monument to Joe Louis). The statue and The Fist are really close to each other. I kept walking and ended up at the Riverwalk, with a clear view of Canada across the water! 🇨🇦 It totally reminded me of standing in Dandong, looking over at North Korea. 😂 The Riverwalk was actually quite pleasant, but the wind that day was brutal and freezing—my ears were in pain! 🥶 Next, I hopped on the free People Mover loop. I'll be honest, a few stations and some cars had homeless people sleeping in them, which was a bit intimidating. I got off at Grand Circus Park to see the fabulous Fox Theatre and Comerica Park, then rode the People Mover again to the Renaissance Center (the GM headquarters).🎉 I rested and explored inside for a long time. It was interesting to see many people who appeared to be homeless also sitting inside the building. They weren't unkempt; many were dressed neatly, reading books or listening to music. After that, I headed back to my hotel and ordered food delivery. I didn't dare to go out at night. If you're traveling alone here without a car like I was, with all those "debuffs" stacked up, I'd recommend you don't wander around after dark either.😀 All in all, my perception of Detroit was quite positive! But there's one thing I have to mention... The moment I stepped off the bus downtown, I was hit by this strong, unpleasant smell I'd never encountered before. I realized it was the distinct smell of weed 🍃. That scent lingered throughout the city center, and honestly, it was pretty gross. 🤢 #USA #Detroit #SoloTravel #StudyAbroad #TravelDiaries #DetroitTravel #PublicTransport #Impressions #CityExploration