Super Bowl XL - Welcome to Detroit!

[Snowflake]

For all the visitors coming to Michigan for the Super Bowl . . .

1. First, you must learn to pronounce the city name. It's Deh-troit NOT DEE-troit. If you pronounce it DEE-Troit then we will assume you are from Toledo and here for the Country Music Hoe-down.

2. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Detroit has its own version of traffic rules... Hold on and pray!

3. The morning rush hour is from 6:00 am to 10:00 am. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning. Weekends are open game.

4. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended, cussed out and possibly shot. If you're first off the starting line when the light turns green, count to five before going across the intersection. This will avoid getting in the way of cross-traffic who just ran their yellow light to keep from getting shot.

5. Schoenherr can ONLY be properly pronounced by a native of the Detroit metro area. That goes for Gratiot too.

6. Construction and renovation on I-94, I-96, I-75, I-275, I-375, The Lodge and The Southfield Freeways are a way of life and forever. Just deal with it.

7. If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a factory defect or they are "out-of-towners".

8. All old men (or women) with white hair wearing a hat have total right-of-way.

9. The minimum acceptable speed on I-696 and I-275 is 85 regardless of the posted speeds. Anything less is considered downright SISSY. Oh, and don't even think of allowing more than one car length between cars!

10. That attractive wrought iron on the windows and doors in Detroit is NOT ornamental. DO NOT get out of your car to take pictures.

11. Never stare at the driver of the car with the bumper sticker that says "Keep honking, I'm reloading", he/she is.

12. If you are in the left lane, and only going 70 in a 60 mph zone, people are not waving because they are so friendly in Detroit. I would suggest you duck.

13. I-275 and I-696 is our daily version of NASCAR.

14. It's not M-10, it's "the Lodge".

15. That's not a lake, it's a pothole.

16. If someone tells you it's on Outer Drive, you better hope you have a map.

17. The Michigan left turn is simple. If you want to turn left, go a ¼ of a mile past your turn, get to the left, then make a left, then make another left, then make a right when you get back to the intersection where you wanted to turn left in the first place. NOW you have gone left.

18. And those 2 really ugly arches over Telegraph???? DON'T EVEN ASK!! WE DON'T HAVE A CLUE!!!!!

WELCOME, ENJOY YOUR STAY.

[Geri]

Having driven through Deh-troit a few times from Canada (where we obey the rules) you have to know that Becky's not kidding, it was always a white knuckle drive.

Thanks for the memories.

Geri

[Don Wood]

Ah yes -- it is just as I remember it!

[ellakc2]

Your to funny. Hopefully it will be a great game. Cold but good. Go Pittsburgh.

Philly fixed the yellow, green light thing. They put camera's at the dangerous intersections and it actually works! Tickets and money talk.

Mare

[Ry]

When our son first started to drive I had to explain the "Michigan stop" to him...as in we don't stop we just slow down and look...

[rmm17]

Hey...As a native Ohioan I am insulted by number 1. And, If you've never been to a hoe-down, dont knock until you've tried it.

[Sheri]

Too funny, Snowflake did you author these tidbits? This is good enough to copy, mass forward and annoy my email mailing list! I would just add:

19. To impress all your family and friends, on your way out make sure to pick up the tshirt: "I'm so bad, I vacationed in Detroit!"