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Together, Detroit and its environs form a roughly semicircular area separated by the Detroit River from the Canadian province of Ontario. The semicircle is bisected by Woodward Avenue, which extends north to the city of Pontiac, Michigan. Detroit is crossed by other major thoroughfares, among them Gratiot Avenue, extending straight to the northeast, and Grand River Avenue, extending straight to the northwest. Connecting these in an arc is Grand Boulevard, which once marked the outskirts of the city and still contains many lovely homes, interspersed with commercial sections. Other major avenues are Jefferson, which parallels the Detroit River and Lake Saint Clair in the northeast; and Michigan Avenue and Ford Road, running southwest and west respectively.

Detroit's major streets, many nine lanes across, give priority to the easy flow of cars. Strip-mall style commercial buildings along these streets typically hide comfortable and sometimes elegant residential neighborhoods. East side streets follow the original French riverbank settlement pattern, causing the streets to run at an angle to the west side's north-south grid.

The Detroit River, besides providing lanes for freighters and speedboat races, is home to the city's largest park, Belle Isle. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also created New York’s Central Park, Belle Isle is a 19th-century landmark that offers vistas of Detroit and Windsor, Canada. The park's approximately 400 hectares (1000 acres) provide areas for picnicking and swimming as well as a marine museum, conservatory, children’s zoo, aquarium, riding stable, and the Detroit Yacht Club.

Other large city parks include Rouge Park, Palmer Park, and Chandler Park. One of the most popular parks in the city is Hart Plaza, adjacent to Jefferson Avenue on the waterfront. It is the site of Detroit’s ethnic weekend festivals and features an ice-skating rink and areas for concerts and plays. Metropolitan Beach on Lake Saint Clair is one of the largest freshwater beaches in the world. The Detroit Zoo, which lies just north of the city, has an impressive wildlife collection that draws visitors from the United States and Canada. The metropolitan area also benefits from a series of spacious Metroparks located beyond the northern and western suburbs, which offer biking and walking trails, swimming, and boating.

The Detroit area is home to several professional sports franchises. The Lions football team plays in the Silverdome, an enclosed stadium in the northwestern suburb of Pontiac. The Lions plan to move into Ford Field, a new downtown stadium, in 2002. In 2000 the Tigers baseball team moved from historic Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park, also in downtown. The Red Wings of the National Hockey League play at the Joe Louis Arena downtown on the Detroit River. The Pistons professional basketball team plays in The Palace of Auburn Hills on the metro region's northern rim. Division I college teams also call the area home, most notably the Wolverines of the University of Michigan.

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The Detroit News

The Official Website for the City of Detroit