I remember during the blackout of 2003, being struck at night first by how dark it was (no mercury vapor glow on the horizon) and then by how quiet it was–no cars on the roads, but especially no air conditioners.

The bridge I have seen for sure, it’s even more striking though from M-14 & Sheldon, which is only about half the distance.

If you don’t want to strain yourself, go to Hunt Park and look for the Arborland sign, unless somebody put up a building since the last time I looked, it’s always been easy to see.

Taking an average number for the diameter of the earth of 7,900 miles and a separation of Detroit from Chicago of approximates 235 miles as the crow flies. There is a roughly 1¾ mile high bump (9,000 feet) between the two cities due to the curvature of the earth. The Sears / Willis viewing deck is just under 1,500 feet so there is still about 8,000 feet of earth blocking the view. In this case Battle Creek seems to sit at the high point.

Now maybe there is a depression in the earth’s sphere through this region but I do not know.

That said I have little doubt that the glow of a city’s lights could make the atmosphere a few thousand feet up glow. Maybe that can be discerned from Chicago.

It is not only noise that is ubiquitous but also artificial light.

Another treat is to go there at the same time of the early morning on a very cold clear winter night, when it’s zero or below and all of the moisture has been sucked out of the atmosphere, you can clearly see the drape of the lights on the Ambassador Bridge, and other Detroit landmarks—I’ve heard it said you can even see Detroit under those conditions from as far away as the Sears/Willis Tower in Chicago, thanks to the elevation.