America on the road to perdition

James Doran drives from Wall Street to Detroit to discover how the American Dream turned into a nightmare

Aroad trip across the United States is much like America itself. The idea of burning up the miles under big skies and over great mountains in an eight-cylinder behemoth is as alluring as the promise of Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness. Yet anyone who has taken such a trip will tell you there is not much romance in a day spent following an belching 18-wheeler along hundreds of miles of monotonous asphalt. Or in eating all three meals at truck stops stinking of Frialator grease and stale cigarette smoke. Or in wondering about the curious itch brought on by cheap motel sheets.

But still the great American road trip is an essential part of this nation’s split personality.

With that thought in mind my wife Alida, my dog Nogs and I decided last month to load up our Land Rover and drive 800 miles from New York City to Detroit, Michigan. The starting point of the trip, beneath the giant stars and stripes adorning the New York Stock Exchange at the corner of Wall Street and Broad Street, is ostensibly the wealthiest spot in America. At least it was a few months ago.

Our destination has, by contrast, long been a symbol of poverty and urban decay. Indeed, for much of this year Wayne County, Michigan, where Detroit is found, was America’s foreclosure capital.

So, we aimed to travel from America’s financial apex to its nadir, charting the economic climate in between and all the while trying to avoid heartburn and bedbugs. The economic crisis that started in America’s housing market, crippled the credit markets and took a huge bite out of the stock market has halted the ability of most Americans to pursue ordinary aspirations that, until recently, were considered a birthright. The ability to own a home, a car, to have a job, health insurance and a pension, the very building blocks of the American Dream, are slipping from the reach of many.