Capt...I live in NY as well...on long island. I've never had a problem getting to DTW or MSP for that matter. MEM has the most limited number of flight from NY than the other two hubs. Sometimes I even prefer to two-leg it on WN through MDW into DTW...JFK and LGA are a bit of a hassle for me at times. But if you get DTW, you'll be fine. NW isn't the only option...you have AA and DL as well.