Traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan? Advice from a local.
We lived in Ann Arbor for four years and hosted friends who traveled there for business or vacation.
Getting there: Detroit International Airport (DTW) is 20 miles east from Ann Arbor. There is no public transportation in Detroit and greater Detroit area. Unless somebody is picking you up, your options are a rental car, Ann Arbor Taxi or Ann Arbor Shuttle. It is a limo service. They require a reservation with a flight number and arrival time at least one day ahead. Detroit Taxi is almost non-existent.
Ann Arbor has a train station. People who came to stay with us from Chicago arrived by train and reported the experience satisfactory. One-way ticket for one person is cheaper than one day rental car even without gas. Amtrak also operates buses which I don't recommend.
Staying there: Ann Arbor has several chain hotels and extended-stay hotels: Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn, Days Inn, and so on. They are clustered near the business park south of the town, in walking distance from Internet2 headquarters and Briarwood shopping mall. When we just moved to the Ann Arbor in the middle of bitter winter with our possessions still in transit, we stayed in Courtyard in a two-bedroom suite with kitchenette with a gas stove, dishwasher and refrigerator. University of Michigan has its own guesthouse. Independent Bell Tower Hotel is in downtown/central campus. Another independent hotel is Weber's at Jackson Road.
Eating there: Zingerman's is the best place to eat in Ann Arbor. Zingerman's Deli in Kerrytown, Zingerman's Roadhouse in Westgate Mall off Stadium Boulevard, Zingerman's creamery and bakery. Closest competition to it is probably in Chicago. Other than that, Miki off Main street for Japanese fare, Eve in Kerrytown for formal dining, ethnic food, including Mongolian Barbecue and Ethiopian restaurant, cafes and several chocolate parlors.
What to do: Ann Arbor's most celebrated event is annual midsummer Art Fair. Ann Arbor hosts several summer festivals with music and movies in the open air. Year-round: Hands-on Museum of science and technology for kids. University of Michigan Natural History Exhibit Museum and Fine Art Museum: well-organized museums with small and unremarkable original collections and good exhibitions. Both campuses are bike-friendly and nice places to walk. North campus has a huge carillon (concerts every evening in July and August). Kerrytown is an old historic part of the town with restaurants, galleries, and weekly Farmer's Market. Within driving proximity of Ann Arbor are Great Lakes, the closest lakeshore is Huron at Port Huron, 1.5 hour drive northeast; Detroit Zoo; and Henry Ford Center in Dearborn.
Shopping: Briarwood Mall hosts Gap, Macy's, and such. It is a relatively new large indoors mall. Outdoors malls Southeast, Southwest and Northeast of the town have all regular food and department stores. UM central campus hosts the original Borders store. There are several independent used and rare booksellers in, one of the best bookbinders in the country, and famous decorative papers store Hollander's.
Ann Arbor weather is something worth mentioning. The best time is August to October. Fall is warm, sunny and picturesque; winter starts late November, it is rather cold and overcast with occasional snow. City uses unreasonable amounts of salt to keep car dealers in business. Spring is felt mid-February but doesn't really start until April. May and June -- tornado season. City checks tornado siren every Tuesday afternoon for several minutes. Summers are hot and humid, but nowhere as bad as New Jersey.
See also: Ann Arbor.