Futuristic glass-box office buildings and a tastefully revamped park overlook the deodorant-green Detroit River , but for the most part downtown seems rather empty - even in the middle of the day, its streets are quiet and uncrowded. One reason is that most offices and stores are squeezed into the six gleaming towers of the Renaissance Center , a virtual city within a city. Zooming up 73 stories from the riverbank, the towers offer a great view of the metropolis from an observation deck ($3). This giant business, convention and retail center, known locally as the RenCen, was one of many complexes developed by Detroit Renaissance (a joint public/private sector project) to rejuvenate downtown in the aftermath of the 1967 riot. Seen by some as the savior of the city, the consortium is viewed less favorably by those who were compelled to sell their small businesses and homes to make way for its mammoth projects. In 1996, General Motors bought the RenCen, promising to take down the concrete ramparts that make it so fort-like and alienated from the rest of the city center. (The ramparts still stood in 2001.) Landscaping plans include a glass-enclosed "Winter Garden" on the river and a riverfront boardwalk to Belle Isle.

Rare green space comes among the fountains and sculptures of Hart Plaza , which rolls down to the river in the shade of the RenCen. It hosts free lunchtime concerts and lively weekend ethnic festivals all summer long. The US leg of the annual Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival takes place here in early September. The plaza nestles between the towering RenCen and another massive chunk of steel and concrete, the Cobo Convention Center . This in turn is next to Joe Louis Arena (tel 313/983-6859), home of Detroit's beloved Red Wings hockey team, 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cup champions.

Ten blocks north up Woodward Avenue is the Theater District , downtown's prime nightlife spot. Highlights are the magnificently restored Siamese-Byzantine Fox Theatre , 2211 Woodward Ave (tel 313/983-6611), a huge old movie palace that is the city's top concert and drama venue, and the grand Italian Renaissance State Theatre nearby (tel 313/961-5450). This area is at the center of the city's massive Columbia Street redevelopment project, with the new baseball and football stadia, alongside microbreweries, coffee houses and the inevitable themed restaurants, including a Hard Rock Café .

Three miles east of the RenCen, Belle Isle Park is a quiet inner-city island retreat with twenty miles of walkways, sports facilities, a marina and free attractions including an aquarium, a Great Lakes Museum and elaborate gardens. It's also home to the annual Detroit Grand Prix for Indy cars. Diamond Jack's River Tours (June-Sept; $12; tel 313/843-7676, ) depart from Hart Plaza downtown, last two hours and loop round Belle Isle; alternatively, take DOT bus #25 and transfer to #12 at MacArthur Bridge.

Downtown

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