Warning-- long post. But with pictures!

It was interesting to see your post, because in 2016 I did the same trip.

Others may ask, why in the world would Detroit be on your bucket list of places to go? Well, I am a city/urban/transportation planner, and since I was in college, the whole scene of Detroit (specifically its changes post-1967) has intrigued me-- how it was a HUGE city and since essentially the '67 riots it has been going downhill, losing people, all the while with repeated calls of "oh, now we've turned the corner, we're in a Renaissance! Just look at our Renaissance Center / People Mover / One Detroit Center / Ford Field / Casinos!", but it just got worse. I've followed it quite ardently; the most interesting aspect for me was/is the physical manifestation of the change, i.e. the abandonment and ruins: of public buildings, skyscrapers, schools, churches, and huge swaths of neighborhoods. Looking at those areas on Google Street View now is worse than looking at the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans; but Detroit didn't experience a Katrina-level event, it was all a result of socioeconomic change.

Before I went, I was a little worried about being in-town, so I wound up getting a nice hotel out in the burbs within shouting distance of the old Pontiac Silverdome. But after visiting in person, I'd say it appears safe to stay in the heart of downtown, especially in the casino area or one of the downtown hotels.

Given your wife (and your) interest in visiting the abandoned/emptied areas, or ruins (there is actually a term for doing that in Detroit, "ruin porn") I would strongly advise you to do what I did and rent a car, thought you weren't planning on it. We are, after all, talking the MOTOR CITY and transit just doesn't cut it there. You can see and visit so much more with your own car, and plot your own paths and routes to see old abandoned/vacant neighborhood and ruins.

And to tell the truth, I NEVER felt unsafe in doing so. There were so few people in such areas that it was more like going out to the country than going to the "hood" or the "ghetto". Just look at Google Earth with aerial views (not maps) and you can see the old neighborhoods where there is more green than paved, and visit those areas.

That being said, here is what I did and my trip recommendations:

--Walk along the riverfront, which is nicely done. And the Detroit River water is actually BEAUTIFUL, a nice blue-green shade, not like the muddy rivers we are used to.

--Go to the restaurant/bar top of the RenCen (Rennaissance Center) near the riverfront-- Detroit's tallest building-- and have a drink while looking out over the city and taking a few pics.

-- While downtown, see the Joe Louis Fist sculpture, the Spirit of Detroit statue, and the Mariner's Church ("Maritime Sailors' Cathedral" in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"). All of these are close together.

-- Have a Detroit tradition, a Coney dog, at either the American or the Lafayette; they are adjacent to each other.

--Visit the old Tiger Stadium site, which has been repurposed as The Corner Ballpark;

-- Catch either a Red Wings or Pistons game at Little Caesar's Arena. Too bad you will be there before baseball season; Comerica Park is a very nice ball park with beautiful views:

-- see Michigan Central Station, which was abandoned for years and is under a major renovation, with some business tenants already in place.

-- Take a ride around downton on the elevated People Mover.

-- See the interior lobby of the Guardian Building, a great example of Art Deco design:

--Again, drive around the old abandoned neighborhoods, for the weird emptiness and the shame of abandoned beautiful old architecture:

--As a juxtaposition to the abandon, ride just northeast of the city limits and drive along Lake St. Clair in the various Grosse Pointes (as well as within those towns). This is an extremely nice, extremely wealthy area and beautiful to see.

-- I crossed via the tunnel to Windsor as you guys were thinking of doing; not much there but a great spot to get a shot of the Detroit skyline from the other side. I actually drove down a ways on the Canadian side to see and walk on the shores of Lake Erie, which I had never seen.

--When I was there I DID visit Belle Isle, but they were holding a Grand Prix race on the island and vehicular access was limited. I actually parked and walked across the bridge to the island rather than taking a shuttle bus. I caught some of the race, and wandered around the island as well-- it seems like a really nice place to visit and explore (when there is not a race going on over its surface streets), but again, do so with an auto. There's lots to see and it's bigger than it looks.

--If you are there on a Saturday morning, try to take in the Eastern Market which is a great farmer's market. You can almost have a full breakfast on free samples alone

--If you have time, the Detroit Institute of the Arts is nice; they have a noted Diego Rivera mural and one of the casts of Rodin's The Thinker as well as other art.

That's it. Let me know if you have any questions.