What comes to mind when you think of Detroit? A bankrupt city, abandoned factories, high crime rates. Honestly, I felt the same way before visiting.

However, experiencing it firsthand changes everything. The automotive industry, music, and professional sports are all concentrated in one city.

It doesn't have the image of a tourist city. But the density of its history and culture is on par with any city in America.

Let's start with the art museum. The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is among the top in the United States. Diego Rivera's "Detroit Industry Murals," painted between 1932 and 1933, is a masterpiece depicting Ford factory workers by the Mexican muralist.

The admission fee is $14. Seeing this collection for that price is an incredible value. The identity of the automotive city is captured on one wall.

If you're a music fan, Motown is a must-visit. The Motown Records building, established by Berry Gordy, is the famous Hitsville U.S.A. The actual recording studio is preserved as it was. The admission fee is $15. Just thinking that the Motown sound we know came from this small room is honestly chilling.

The most impressive site for me was the Michigan Central Station. Built in 1913 in the Beaux-Arts style, this train station was left abandoned for 30 years, becoming an eyesore.

Ford has acquired it and is currently undergoing extensive restoration. The fact that a private company is reviving a city symbol, rather than relying on government subsidies, is, in my opinion, the core of Detroit's revival story.

We can't overlook its identity as a sports city. Just walking downtown, you find Ford Field for the NFL Lions, Comerica Park for the MLB Tigers, and Little Caesars Arena for the NHL Red Wings and NBA Pistons all clustered in the city center. If you visit during the sports season, the atmosphere of the city changes entirely. Such density is rare even in the U.S.

If you love automotive history, make sure to check out two more places. The GM Renaissance Center (RenCen) is a 73-story tower that symbolizes the Detroit skyline from the riverfront, and the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is the very place where the Model T was born. For car enthusiasts, this is a pilgrimage site.

Here's a local tip. Detroit is a city best navigated by car. The attractions are scattered between downtown and midtown, so having a rental car makes it much easier to get around.

If you're concerned about safety, sticking to the tourist routes in downtown and midtown is generally safe.

The best time to visit is between May and October, rather than the harsh winter. If you overlap with baseball and football season, it's truly a full experience.

So, my thought is this: Detroit is not a failed city but a city that is rising again. If you expect a flashy tourist destination like Disney World, you might be disappointed.

However, if you want to see with your own eyes how industry and culture build, destroy, and revive a city, there is no better textbook than this.