When I moved to Detroit from Los Angeles in the summer of 1999, there were three things I wanted to experience: Barry Sanders playing at the Silverdome, the Red Wings playing at Joe Louis Arena and the fairly mild winters I was promised.
Two of those things never happened. Barry stiffed me and retired, and my girlfriend flat out lied to me about winter in Michigan. I bought a snowblower and married her anyway, and I ended up covering the Lions, so it all worked out.
But the Red Wings and Joe Louis Arena more than made up for my cold, Barry-less winters.