weekend in Detroit - how do I fill the rest of the 2 weeks?

Going to a wedding in Detroit in October. I'd like to make it into a 2 week trip so am looking for recommendations. I'd like to rent a car and do some driving. Except for that weekend, the world is my oyster! Also can anyone suggest a website that might indicate travelling times.

thanks

Chicago is definitely worth 3-4 days.

Mapquest.com is pretty good for driving times/directions.

Hopefully the humidity, unlike anything experienced in Ireland would have subsided by October but not be replaced with snow.

Detriot itself was run down last time I was there. Chicago is definitely worth a look. You could go south to Colorado and Las Vegas or west to Portland Oregon and Seattle both of which are nice cities. Seattle has a kind of Canadian feel.

If you go to Seattle, I'd recommend this tour in that city which I found both entertaining, full of one liners and also educational.

http://www.undergroundtour.com

Its called the underground tour because Seattle was built on a marsh and the first floor of practically every building has sunk into the earth and has formed a secret world of undergrounds networks.

Internal flights are cheap enough in the US if you decide to ditch the car.

I have used these websites in the past and managed to get bargains of 100 dollars from San Francisco to Seattle and the same amount for Chicago to Boston but that was about 3 years ago. Planning where you go in advance takes away some of the spontaneity but might also save a few bucks.

http://www.expedia.com/default.asp?ccheck=1&

http://www.cheaptickets.com


Theres definitely too much to write as its such a big place and you probably have read about other places to go to already. Have fun. I'll be headed out that way myself next month

Defo Chicago - Have been all over the states and it is my fav city

Chicago is a fantastic city alright; the only other US city I would rank as high is San Francisco.

If you are in Detroit, you are right on the Canadian border. Toronto & Niagara Falls are within easy driving distance (Detroit is about halfway between Chicago & Toronto). Also if you are at it, there are other parts of Ontario and even Quebec which are reachable; certainly worth visiting Montreal if you can.

Also if you are a bit more adventurous, there is the whole North-East USA including Washington DC, New York and Boston. I have done the rounds of the above (starting from Toronto) on a road trip myself. You could cover a large enough area within the timeframe you mention.

thanks, as always , for the great advice!
Gnash