23 Nov Touring America’s Motor City: Detroit, Michigan
Touring America’s Motor City: Detroit, Michigan
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I’ve always been a little intrigued by Detroit and I love the vibe that Detroiters share with each other. Like, “Yeah, we’ve weathered this shit. You can’t throw anything at us that we haven’t seen.”
Cities that are a little rough around the edges, that know who they are and don’t try to appeal to everyone, are my kind of places. I won’t say that I was pleasantly surprised by Detroit, because I knew all along that Detroit and I were kindred spirits.
Enough has been written about Detroit’s rise and fall—and rise, so I won’t write any about that here. But I will tell you that what Detroit is making of itself now is not to be missed. I love that the city is celebrating its past while looking forward to its new future. Its culture is vibrant and alive. It’s youthful while being rooted in its history. It’s a place where entrepreneurial spirit and creativity thrive.
Here are some of the things we enjoyed while visiting Detroit, Michigan.
“I feel anger seeing the extent to which it has been allowed to crumble. I feel hopeful. And I feel a tremendous appreciation that people have stuck it out and are proud of their city.“
The Top Things to Explore in Detroit, Michigan
THE CONEY CHALLENGE
We’d heard that there was a big Coney Island hot dog rivalry in Detroit between American and Lafayette. Both places claim to have the best Coneys and, conveniently, they’re located right next door to each other. If you want to do a hot dog tasting competition—called the Coney Challenge—head here. (Ameican and Lafayette are actually owned by dueling brothers — read the story here).
If you want what locals believe to be the best Coney Island hot dogs, then head to Duly’s Place (Anthony Bourdain was a fan and ate here on his Detroit episode of Parts Unknown).
Duly’s is a no-frills diner and is perfect in its timelessness. Find a place at the counter, and get it with everything: chili (or coney sauce for those in the know), raw onion, and mustard—all served on a super steamed bun.
Duly’s Place Coney Island
5458 West Vernor Highway
Open 24 hours
American Coney Island
114 W. Lafayette Blvd.
Lafayette Coney Island
118 W Lafayette Blvd.
“Laymen may be tempted to dismiss the Coney dog as simply a regular old chili dog, but the dish has a couple of very important distinctions: The hot dog, which should have a natural casing, is grilled and the chili is a loose, almost soupy concoction.“
CATCH A GAME
Detroit is a sports town! It’s home to four professional sports teams: the Detroit Red Wings (NHL), the Detroit Lions (NFL), the Detroit Pistons (NBA), and the Detroit Tigers (MLB). So no matter what time of the year you visit Detroit, you should be able to catch a game. Bonus: All of the sports complexes (Little Caesars Arena, Comerica Park, and Ford Field) are located in the downtown corridor and easily accessed by visitors.
We were absolutely wowed by Little Caesars Arena. It’s a gorgeous facility! I definitely got a little arena envy which doesn’t happen—well, ever—because T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is super nice!
Little Caesars Arena: 2645 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
GREEKTOWN, DETROIT
Greektown, which was home to Detroit’s Greek immigrants throughout much of the 20th century, is a cute area in the downtown corridor with lights strung across the street. Apparently, the casinos, bars, and restaurants get crowded after Red Wings and Lions games, but we were lucky to find the Golden Fleece, the longest standing restaurant in Greektown, with relatively few other diners.
Our Golden Knights lost their game against the Red Wings, so we nursed our sadness with an order of Saganaki (flaming cheese) for a starter followed by pastitsio and a gyro plate. If you go here and don’t get the saganaki you are truly missing out (yell “Opa!” when it arrives, and the pita and the gyro were excellent.
Golden Fleece: 525 Monroe St, Detroit, MI 48226
STREET ART & MARKETS
Eastern Market wasn’t open while we were in Detroit and I’m really sad about missing it. I love walking through local markets when we travel; it helps me get a better sense of the culture of a place, of the way things work there.
With six sheds featuring delicious local restaurants and shops, Eastern Market is one of the oldest and largest public markets in the U.S. Shop here for fresh produce, cool art, plant life, and antiques.
I wish we’d been around just a little later in November because Eastern Market has a holiday market starting November 26. Christmas trees, festive carolers, and locally sourced gifts will be at their Sunday and Thursday markets.
Even though the Market was closed I wanted to capture pictures of the beautiful and inspiring street art in the area. Over the past five years, Murals in the Market has curated and produced over 100 murals in Eastern Market alone, and over 200 murals throughout Detroit.
To get my market fix we headed to Royal Oak‘s Market where, on Sundays, the farmer’s market turns into an antique and collectibles market. There wasn’t much there to pique my interest; in fact, it seemed like a bunch of discarded junk. But it is worth a stop if you’re in the area. While you’re there, don’t miss Atomic Coffee where you can get some tasty food and beverages (like a lavender latte).
Eastern Market: 1445 Adelaide, Detroit, MI 48207
Royal Oak Market: 316 E Eleven Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Atomic Coffee: 401 S Main Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067
DETROIT MUSEUMS
The Henry Ford Museum
On what we thought was our last day in Detroit, we bundled up and drove to Dearborn to spend a few hours at the Henry Ford Museum before our flight. This is easily one of the best museums I’ve ever visited. It’s simply spectacular.
The museum houses everything “America.” From furniture to agricultural equipment, dollhouses, presidential memorabilia and planes, trains, and automobiles (duh!). There’s such a variety in the exhibits that anyone would love spending a few hours here.
One of my favorite exhibits was the Rosa Parks’ bus from Montgomery, Alabama.
The actual bus.
That you get to board and sit in the seat that Mrs. Parks made history in.
It’s absolutely humbling.
Other exhibits Drew and I enjoyed:
Kennedy’s Limousine. The limousine that Kennedy was assassinated in, which strangely the government cleaned up and kept using.
Dymaxion House. A full-scale model of an architect’s 1946 vision of what a house of the future would look like.
Lincoln’s Chair. The chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated in the Ford Theatre.
After somewhat rushing through the museum (and not being able to do the Ford factory tour), we learned that our flight back to Las Vegas was delayed (then canceled) due to snow. I was disappointed that we didn’t have more time in the Henry Ford (and that we weren’t going home to our dogs) but happy to spend one more day in “The D.”
With time now on our side, we (quite literally due to the snow) slid into Buddy’s Pizza, Detroit’s original square-sliced, deep-dish, brick-oven pizza. Drew and I split a delicious Detroiter specialty pizza which has a tomato basil sauce and is topped with slices of pepperoni, shaved parmesan cheese, and Buddy’s special Sicilian spice blend.
The Henry Ford Museum & Ford Rouge Factory Tour: 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 48124
Tickets are $33 for adults touring the museum and the factory or $24 for the museum only.
Buddy’s Pizza: 22148 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48124
Hitsville USA
Detroit might be Motor City, but it’s also the home of Motown.
In a house just a few minutes from the city center, Berry Gordy Jr. built a powerful roster of artists including Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knights and the Pips, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson 5.
Since the Motown Museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays we weren’t going to be able to visit it while we were in Detroit. But, I guess good things come out of bad weather and flight cancellations!
Before we hit the museum, we headed to Sister Pie, a cute restaurant that serves delicious pies and cookies with nontraditional flavor combinations. We loaded up on carbs with the buckwheat chocolate chip cookies, salted maple pie, buttermilk pumpkin pie, pistachio rose cookie, and a Brussels sprouts & sweet potato hand pie.
At the Motown Museum, a docent led us and 8 other people through the museum. She was super engaging and told (and sung) lots of behind-the-scenes stories. The tour ended after we saw Motown’s first recording studio, known as Studio A. I was really hoping that we could go back through on our own and look at all of the memorabilia (there are so many cool pictures not to mention Michael Jackson’s hats and a rhinestone glove), but taking pictures–and wandering around on your own–are not allowed.
I loved hearing how Berry turned an $800 loan into an iconic business that shaped not just music, but racial relations in America. Barry didn’t just sign these artists, he found them, nurtured them with artist development, and turned them into household names. He had a saying, “I wanted to have a kid off the street walk in one door unknown and come out another door a star, like an assembly line.”
Someone I wish they had talked about more was Barry’s VP of Artist Development, Maxine Powell. She taught the label’s young musicians (some were as young as 13!) how to present themselves in public. Her work was instrumental in desegregating the radio and so much more.
Click here to read more about Maxine.
Less than a mile down the road from the Motown Museum is Carhartt’s flagship store. The building itself features a beautiful mural that depicts Carhartt’s history in Detroit (the company was founded in Detroit in 1889). The wood used throughout the store is reclaimed lumber from the city’s torn down houses and each piece is stamped with the address that it came from. While you’re there cruise around the Carhartt store. I love their clothes! They always feel so well made and they last forever.
Motown Museum 2648 West Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48208
Tickets are $15 for adults.
Open Tuesday – Saturday
Sister Pie 8066 Kercheval Ave, Detroit, MI 48214
Carhartt Flagship Store 5800 Cass Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
ARCHITECTURE
Detroit has plenty of beautiful Art Deco buildings for architecture buffs. Notable sites include the Guardian, the Fisher Building, the GM Ren Cen, the Penobscot, a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Palmer Woods, and the Michigan Central Station.
The Fisher Building was built in 1928 and is one of Detroit’s architectural gems. When it was originally designed, it was supposed to have a second tower but that pesky Great Depression got in the way. At the time, newspapers described it as rivaling the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Look up in the lobby to see the beautiful ornate ceiling.
By the 1970s, the Michigan Central Station, built in 1913 as the gateway to the Midwest, had fallen into disrepair. The long-abandoned station has become Detroit’s premier revitalization project. Ford bought the property almost 2 years ago and major renovations and salvaging efforts are underway. Read about the renovation work here. The Station has been featured in movies like Transformers, The Island, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, and 8 Mile.
VISIT HAMTRAMCK, DETROIT’S POLISH NEIGHBORHOOD
Hamtramck boasts that it is the most diverse city in the state of Michigan. Street signs throughout the small neighborhood read “The World in Two Square Miles.” While the area used to be distinctively Polish, that has decreased some over the years. Today many Bangladeshi, Yemeni and Southeastern Europe immigrants call this area of Detroit home.
Head to Hamtramck’s main street where you’ll find a plethora of pawn shops and thrift stores. Hamtramck Pawn, The 3 Ring Traveling Apothecary, Tekla Vintage, and Rat Queen Vintage are all good places to try for one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, jewelry, and oddities.
With the snow piling up, we needed some warm Polish pierogi in our bellies before heading home to Las Vegas. Drew and I skated through the icy sidewalks and then down into the basement of an old hotel to dine at the Polish Village Cafe.
We ordered the dill and potato soup which was fantastic (now I have to learn to make it at home!), an assortment of pierogis, and the Polish Plate which came with stuffed cabbage, a potato & cheese pierogi, a chunk of kielbasa, kraut and mashed potatoes.
Polish Village Cafe 2990 Yemans Street, Detroit, MI 48212
WHERE WE’LL GO NEXT TIME WE VISIT DETROIT:
Detroit is a happening place and you should definitely stop in for a visit. I know we’ll be back because there’s still so much more we want to see! Here’s what’s on our list for next time:
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Belle Isle & the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
- Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills
- Eastern Market (on a market day)
- Take a tour of Edsel & Eleanor Ford’s House
- Dutch Girl Donuts
- Slows Bar BQ
What recommendations do you have for our next visit to Detroit?
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