Day 30 - Detroit to San Francisco

It was our last day in the US today so we decided to cruise into Detroit for a look around.

Our route took us down the main drag into the inner city and past some urban decay and under-utilised industrial areas.  It wasn't the best part of town to be fair but we did take in some colourful artwork here.

And some sad faces...

A local approached us, saying..  "You're not from around here are you?"  We got the hint and moved on.
 

Past a former beautiful building that is now an empty shell.  It's an abandoned railway station that must have once been a thriving epicentre for the city and much of the Midwest but now it sits with most of its windows broken, wondering its fate.

More modern buildings adorn the central city, with reflections of the stunning older architecture.

They even have steaming vents in the road. Just like the movies.  I guess there's an underground rail system here.

The old buildings mix it in with the new quite happily here.

This is one of the larger brick buildings I've seen.

 This is the General Motors building, right on the Detroit River that separates the US from Canada.  We wandered in for a look-see.  This building was opened in 2000 and features a 50,000 square foot showroom with visual and audio displays and interactive elements.  The display has the latest models of cars for sale from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac - all positioned around a circular pool and water features.

 

There's a red corvette.  According to the spec sheet, you can pick a basic 2012 model up for USD50,500 but this one's $71,190.  It has a 6.2 litre 430hp V8 to help push it along.

This little beauty is a Chev Camaro, 2 LT Coupe 2012 RS edition.  They come in all flavours, including grunty V8s but this one's a six-speed auto 3.6 litre V6.  The price tag, without extras is a mere $28,350 but with extras, it's $34,125.  The extras, by the way, include the 'rally yellow' paint at $325, the black stripe package ($470) and body-coloured antenna.  

I had a seat in this one and it's rather nice but the all-round vision isn't the best.  Still, rather nice.

And for those wanting something a little classy, here's the latest model Caddy, a 2012 CTS-V Cadillac Coupe.  6.2 litre supercharged V8 sporting 556 hp.  0-60mph in 3.9 seconds and it's yours for $64,090 for the basic version and $68,190 with a few more bells and whistles. It would be handy if you lived near to a petrol station though, as this puppy guzzles a gallon of fuel every 12 miles around the city.

Outside, there was a special parking spot for this eco-friendly Volt.  Plug it in and away you go.

One last look at the Detroit sky-line before we high-tailed it to the airport.

And what an airport it was.  The airport terminal was so long, you couldn't see one end from the other and they used this nifty monorail system to get around.

Security was pretty full on at Detroit (as it was at San Francisco), what with a full body electronic scan; sans belt and boots.  Once through security it was on the trusty Delta Airlines flight, four and a half hours to San Francisco.  Over the Rockies...

And strange-looking circular things...

To the city that swags of Kiwis now call home.  

Speaking of home, that's where we are now, after a 12.5 hour flight from San Francisco.

Awesome trip all 'round.  Great company and some many fantastic sights and experiences. 

So long for now...