Most business in Detroit is conducted in the north and west suburbs, those vast, beige swaths of subdivisions and malls in Southfield, Novi and Auburn Hills. Yet executive travelers seeking something more creative and distinctive should head to downtown Motown—because Detroit is looking pretty good these days.

The nation's 11th largest city (and 10th largest metropolitan area, with 4.5 million residents) played host to both Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in July 2005 and Super Bowl XL in February 2006. The streets are newly paved. Main thoroughfares have been spruced up. The People Mover, an elevated monorail system that loops 2.9 miles through downtown, is back in action after a long construction-related closure. From a railing along the wide, blue strip of the Detroit River, you can see the skyline of Windsor, Ontario, the only spot in the U.S. where you can look south and see Canada.

Still, the best parts of Detroit are hidden. But if you know where to look, you will feel the new vibrancy pulsing beneath an aging exterior, particularly in the city's intriguing new restaurants and nightlife. You will also find the cultural gems that automotive riches have built.

The city's character
Detroit, as everyone knows, is most famous for three things: cars, sports and music. It has been home to everyone from Henry Ford to Ty Cobb, Aretha Franklin and Eminem. It's where modern manufacturing was invented. Founded in 1701 by the French explorer Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac, it has been the destination of millions of hopeful immigrants—French, Polish, Irish, German, Italian, Mexican, and more recently, many from the Middle East. Snugged up next to Canada, Detroit still has an international feel to it. Predominantly African-American, the city has developed a gritty strength of character that has survived the worst and keeps hoping for the best.

Although Detroit is the poorest big city in America, its downtown is very safe. (One survey showed that downtown Detroit had 26 percent less crime than the average U.S. city.) It also has a glitzy mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, who narrowly survived a reelection battle in fall 2005.

Many travelers come and see what is not beautiful in Detroit. But look more closely, and you'll discover that many aspects of the city are gracious, fine, funky and fun. This town is like a layer cake: Cut through one layer, and you find another.

What to see
The two must-see museums are the Henry Ford (in nearby Dearborn) and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The Henry Ford contains acres of indoor and outdoor American history, focusing on great inventions and American know-how. You can see the first Model T, the actual Wright Brothers' bicycle shop where they invented the airplane, Edison's laboratory, the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was shot, and Edgar Allen Poe's writing desk. The museum also has perhaps the finest historical car collection in the world. The complex (20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, 313-271-1620, www.thehenryford.com) also contains an IMAX theater, and it is the starting point for new tours of the nearby Ford Rouge Plant, which makes the Ford F-150 pickup.

Located in Detroit's university cultural district, the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward, 313-833-7900, www.dia.org) is undergoing a massive renovation through 2007. The advantage of the construction for busy travelers is that this fine arts museum, the fifth largest in the country, has temporarily consolidated all of its best holdings in only a few rooms. You can take in Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, Bruegel and other old masters in about an hour, then visit the most famous attraction, the gigantic Diego Rivera murals called Detroit Industry, which take up an entire hall. With their panoramas of muscle and steel on the assembly lines, Rivera painted these works as a tribute to the American auto industry and the working man. In this age of globalization, some may see the murals as a poignant elegy.

The small but mighty Motown Museum (2648 West Grand Boulevard, 313-875-2264, www.motownmuseum.com) is housed in the original "Hitsville USA" building Berry Gordy, Jr. lived in when he started the Motown record label in the early 1960s. Artifacts from the Temptations, Supremes, all the Motown singers—even Michael Jackson's celebrated white glove—are here. Also preserved is Gordy's little apartment over the studio, and the studio where so many hits were recorded. It's hard to believe that an idea so big started so small.

Architecture buffs should look out for the bright arts and crafts Guardian Building (500 Griswold Street), a 1928 downtown skyscraper that was recently remodeled and is a darling of preservationists. You also can't miss the round towers of the 72-story Renaissance Center, aka Ren Cen, General Motors headquarters. Runners should try jogging on the Riverwalk, behind the Ren Cen.

Baseball fans may want to pause at the empty Tiger Stadium, still looking as fresh as it did when it closed in 2000. And truly hidden, but popular among European tourists, is the Heidelberg Project (on Heidelberg Street between Mack and Vernor, in a run-down neighborhood on Detroit's east side; www.heidelberg.org). Artist Tyree Guyton put gigantic dots on rotting buildings and abandoned cars, then assembled junk and thousands of dolls to make a statement about poverty and despair in crumbling neighborhoods. The city dismantled parts of it in 1991 and 1999 after the neighbors complained, but it came creeping back as Guyton's artistic fame grew.

There is not much shopping downtown, but you can find good gifts at Pure Detroit (500 Griswold Street); original ties at Pangborn Design (400 Renaissance Center); collectible pottery at historic Pewabic Pottery (10125 East Jefferson Avenue); stylish hats at Henry the Hatter (1307 Broadway Street); and used books at the enormous John L. King Used and Rare Books (901 West Lafayette Boulevard).

Entertaining clients
Think sports, casinos and dining. The Detroit Lions may be lackluster, but their venue, Ford Field, is one of the best in the NFL—particularly the suites. The Detroit Tigers may also have seen better days, but their six-year-old stadium, Comerica Park, has an old-style ambience and a panoramic view of downtown that is particularly awesome on summer nights. The Joe Louis Arena downtown is holy ground to Detroit Red Wings fans, and tickets may be slightly easier to come by in 2006 and 2007, as Stanley Cup memories fade. Only the red-hot Detroit Pistons play in the suburbs, 30 miles north in Auburn Hills. (If you can get tickets, clients may also enjoy University of Michigan football, about 45 miles west of the city.)

Detroit has three big casinos: Greektown, MGM and Motor City. You also can try the Windsor Casino, across the river in Canada.

If you want to take clients out on the water, the new Detroit Princess paddle wheeler, formerly a Harrah's casino riverboat, has lunch and dinner cruises during the summer and offers charters (877-338-2628).

One of the unique attractions of Detroit is the ability to leave the country for the evening. Cross from downtown Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, via the Windsor tunnel or Ambassador Bridge (bring a passport or two forms of ID). The best part of being in Windsor is looking back at the Detroit skyline, but the city also has a lot of adult entertainment and small restaurants. Just watch out for 19-year-olds from the U.S., who clog the streets on weekends to drink in Windsor, where it's legal. For theater, try the 1920s Gem or Fox theaters. The Gem is small; the Fox seats 5,000.

Detroit has seen an explosion of excellent new restaurants in the past two years. For business dinners, try Seldom Blues or Coach Insignia in the Renaissance Center, Vicente Cuban Cuisine, or the global fusion at Atlas and Mosaic restaurants. Passing through on your own? Visit venerable old Detroit restaurants where the locals go, such as Mexican Village, Roma Café and Lafayette Coney Island.

A clubby executive bar and restaurant is the Caucus Club, while newer places are Centaur Bar and Oslo Sushi, both downtown near the Fox Theatre.

For breakfast, try Detroit's Breakfast House and Grill, where Detroit's power crowd eats. If you're lucky, you may run into the mayor.

Getting there
Depending on which airline you fly, Detroit Metro Airport, about 20 minutes west of downtown Detroit, will be either one of the nicest or dumpiest experiences you have as a business traveler. That's because the four-year-old McNamara Terminal is sleek, modern, traveler–friendly and efficient. Northwest, Delta and international flights leave and arrive there. A second new terminal will open in 2008, but until then, travelers on other airlines must pass through the Smith Terminal, which has a ratty, frayed, 1950s Eisenhower-era atmosphere. Both terminals, however, have plenty of room to handle the crowds.

Internet: The entire airport offers Wi-Fi.

Security tips: Detroit has a good record for short security lines, usually not more than about five minutes. If it's open, the fastest way through security at McNamara terminal is through the station inside the attached Westin Hotel.

Waiting around: Before you go through security, the best place to meet clients at the McNamara Terminal is the Dema Bar and Restaurant inside the Asian-style Westin. Avoid meeting clients at the run-down Smith Terminal.

Transportation: Hop rental car shuttles to all major brand lots. There is no subway or train from Metro Airport to any destination. Take one of the plentiful Metro Cars limo sedans ($48 to downtown, $63 to Novi in Oakland County), or take a Metro Airport Taxi ($39 to downtown, $44 to Novi). Both are available at the Arrivals level of both terminals.

Restaurants

Atlas Global Bistro
3111 Woodward Avenue
313-831-2241
East-meets-West sophistication

Baile Corcaigh Irish Restaurant
1426 Bagley Street
313-963-4546
Not your average Irish pub

Caucus Club
150 W. Congress Street
313-965-4970
The old-fashioned, discreet executive place you thought no longer existed—popular with downtown lawyers and professionals

Centaur Bar
2333 Park Avenue
313-963-4040
New, with a young professional crowd

Coach Insignia
Renaissance Center
313-567-2622
Power dining 72 floors above it all

Detroit's Breakfast House and Grill
1241 Woodward Avenue
313-961-1115
Power breakfasts for heavy-hitters

Lafayette Coney Island
118 West Lafayette Boulevard
313-964-8198
Iconic Detroit diner

Mosaic
501 Monroe Street
313-962-9366
Modern, creative and upscale

Oslo Sushi
1456 Woodward Avenue
313-963-0300
Super trendy, with after-hours techno music

Rattlesnake Club
300 River Place
313-567-4400
Features one of Detroit's best chefs, Jimmy Schmitt

Seldom Blues
Renaissance Center
313-567-7301
Jazzy atmosphere in a casual setting

Hotels
Atheneum Suites
1000 Brush Avenue
313-962-2323
www.atheneumsuites.com
All-suite hotel near busy Greektown

Detroit Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint
3600 Centerpoint Parkway
Pontiac, MI
248-253-9800
www.marriott.com
Business hotel near Oakland County I-75 business hub

Inn on Ferry Street
84 E. Ferry Street
313-871-6000
www.innonferrystreet.com
Rooms in six historic mansions in Detroit's cultural center

The Inn at St. Johns
44045 Five Mile Road
Plymouth, MI
734-414-0600
www.theinnatstjohns.com
Just opened 118 deluxe rooms in a former seminary located halfway between Detroit and Ann Arbor

Marriott Renaissance Center
313-568-8000
www.marriott.com
72-story tower on the Detroit riverfront

Westin Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Airport
734-942-6500
www.westin.com
Gorgeous Asian-style hotel attached to McNamara Terminal, about 30 minutes from downtown

ELLEN CREAGER is a travel writer for the Detroit Free Press.