Three days discovering the new image of the city
detroit is resurfacing. And he's doing it with unstoppable force. Gone are the decadent years as a result of a bankruptcy that made history (it was the first city in the history of the United States to declare bankruptcy) and plunged it into the darkest chapters of his biography.
The one that was the ' Motor City' is reinventing itself and its new image is that of a city that flaunts its motown roots, who flags the urban art as one of his hallmarks and that gives off creativity in each project he undertakes. Hotels, shops, bars, restaurants; the list is growing fast. We discovered Detroit in three days.
DAY 1: FRIDAY
10:00 a.m. – Morning of music and art
We begin our route by investigating one of the most outstanding and unusual corners of Detroit: Lincoln Art Park (5926 Lincoln St.).
Built on a former industrial site, this outdoor art space is riddled with colorful murals and large-scale sculptures built with recycled elements: from tire wheels to car plates, through wires, glass and bricks. A park in constant evolution that confirms that urban art is one of the characteristics of this city.
But for feature, our next visit. Because **saying Detroit is saying Motown** (2648 W Grand Blvd.) . The label that launched figures like Michael Jackson, Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye It is very close to Lincoln Park.
During the autumn and winter months it is closed on weekends, so it is better to take advantage of today to inquire the place where songs like My Girl or Mr. Postman came from and find out why rhythm & blues is so catchy.
The Detroit Motown Museum
Since we are next door, we couldn't stop visiting the Fisher Building (3011 W Grand Blvd.) ; because "Detroit's greatest art object," as it has been cataloged, is one of the most relevant examples of art deco in the city.
Thirty floors built entirely of granite and marble, with sculptures and bronze lamps in each corner of each floor, and with a spectacular main arch decorated with gold, ocher, blue, green, orange, sienna mosaics.
The lobby (whose underground passageways connect to the General Motors headquarters) is full of shops and businesses, such as the coffee shop Stella Good Coffee. Nothing like a good coffee to accompany us on our stroll through this architectural marvel.
2:00 p.m. – Lunch in the Historic District
With the morning kick and those Motown dances that we have marked ourselves, we have entered a ravenous hunger. We're off to the **Dime Store** (719, Griswold St.), in the heart of the Historic District. Located inside the building chryslerhouse, formerly Dime Bank Building, this sophisticated diner is becoming one of the most haunted places in Detroit.
Your strong point? Their sandwiches (such as duck confit or chicken with mozzarella and pesto) and their burgers (the salmon one is brutal!) that you can turn into a salad without effort or additional cost. There are also vegetarian options.
The Fisher Building, one of the most relevant examples of art deco in the city
3:00 p.m. – Historic skyscrapers
chrysler house e is part of a set of art deco buildings that shows that there was a time when this city was at the forefront of architecture and was one of the most powerful business engines in the United States.
The Guardian Building (500 Griswold St.), with its vaulted ceilings decorated with hand-painted Aztec designs; the Ford Building (615 Griswold St.), the second oldest skyscraper in Detroit, designed by Daniel Burnham, the same one that projected the Flatiron in New York; and the Penobscot Building (645 Griswold St.), which when it opened in 1928 became the eighth tallest in the world.
Following by the griswold Street, we turn right towards Campus Martius and we crossed the square until we appeared in the Woodward Ave.
Walking along this road we came across the store ** John Varvatos , native of Detroit or the modern Hotel Shinola (which will open its doors in 2019), irrefutable proof of the investment of this city in urban and real estate development. ** Foundation Hotel, a former fire station also in the Historic District, is another example.
Arriving at the square Grand Circus, we retrace our steps through the washington boulevard, that in the 1920s saw how its most emblematic buildings were built ( Book-Cadillac Hotel, Book Tower, Industrial-Stevens Apartments ) in an attempt to emulate Fifth Avenue in New York.
Eastern Market: where street art rules
5:30 p.m. – Literary oddities
Impossible to be in Detroit and not try their famous Coney Island hot dogs, the ones with beans and cheese on top. The best place to do it is, without a doubt, the mythical Lafayette Coney Island (118 Lafayette Blvd.) ; but not the big one on the corner, but the one next door: that tiny, authentic and genuine establishment that is the origin of everything. And by trying them we understand why they are so famous.
After this great snack classic, we are going to have another binge; this time of books. **John K. King Books** (901 W Lafayette Blvd.) is the largest, oldest and most famous bookstore in Detroit. four floors of an old glove factory with more than a million used books and "rare editions" where you can find works signed by Ernest Hemingway, copies with own photographs Mark Twain kept inside or even political pamphlets signed by John F. Kennedy when he was a Senator from Massachusetts.
21.00 – To the rhythm of jazz
Dining at **Grey Ghost** (47 Watson St.) is dive headfirst into the new gastronomic dynamics of the city. Small and casual, this place (whose name comes from those characters who dealt in rum during the prohibition era) is located in a neighborhood of vintage apartment buildings that is becoming the most sought-after residential area.
The menu, short but powerful, is based on local foods and focuses on meat; although as they are well aware of the variety of tastes of their customers, they also have fish dishes (the smoked white fish starter is colossal) and vegetarian options. Booking is recommended.
This dinner has recharged our batteries and lifted our spirits, and we have had a tremendous desire to go to a jazz Concert, another of the great plans that this city offers. We love **Cliff Bell’s**, (2030 Park Ave.) because it has that characteristic and charismatic atmosphere of the 20s and because it has been the setting for a movie, such as The ides of March. Baker's Keyboard Lounge (20510 Livernois Ave.) is another option, but you have to go by taxi.
The interior of the John K. King Books store
DAY 2: SATURDAY
10:00 a.m. – Ford Universe
We start the day exploring the world of Henry Ford in its Piquette Plant (461 Piquette St.), the place where it was invented in 1908 the legendary Model T that transformed the motor world forever. Because this vehicle, simple and affordable, was the first with which the use of the car in the United States was marketed en masse.
Although cars are not your thing, go this factory that tells the evolution of cars (from the most rustic to the most modern of the end of the 20th century) and recreates both Ford's office Like the studio where the Model T was designed, it's quite an experience.
11:30 a.m. – Market time
How we longed for the time to go to Eastern Market, a truly lively area on Saturday mornings. we move by bike and wandering on the way here we are surprised by the number of murals that decorate the facades of houses, factories and establishments. In general, Detroit is a city full of urban murals, some of which are true works of art. **The mural dedicated to jazz stars at Bert's Marketplace ** (2727 Russell St.), across from the market, is an icon of the city.
In addition to countless flower stalls, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese and endless other things, the surroundings are full of shops second hand decoration where there are authentic relics.
On one of the parallel streets we discover **Henry the Hatter** (2472 Ripoelle St.), America's oldest hat shop erected in 1893. And on that same street, a little further down, we ran into Detroit City Distillery (2462 Riopelle St), a joint with a lot of vibes where they make their own whiskey. So why give up a snack while you're away from home?
The history of the automobile keeps here one of its most important chapters
2:30 p.m. – Easy lunch
Since we are in the area and there is so much atmosphere, we decided to stay and eat here. We love **Eastern Market Brewing Co.** (2515 Riopelle St.), as well as for its craft beers, because you can bring food from outside and eat it accompanied by a very cold beer. Isn't that the most? Without thinking twice we bring a thin, crispy and delicious pizza from Sapino (2457 Russell St.) accompanied by a delicious salad. We can't think of a plan that can top it.
4:00 p.m. – Pedaling along paths of art
The market is next to Lafayette Park. An architect from Detroit has told us that here, at the corner of Rivard and Nicolette, are the famous houses that the German architect Mies van der Rohe built between 1958 and 1960. We cannot avoid getting closer to see this set of 186 houses and three apartment towers that today stands as a Historic District in the middle of a park of more than 50,000 square meters.
It is very close Dequindre Cut Greenway, an urban trail opened to the public in 2009 reminiscent of the High Line in New York. We pedal its little more than 3 kilometers that They used to be a railway line and today they are a super nice path where modern architecture, street art and graffiti merge.
The Dequindre Cut Greenway Trail
9:00 p.m. – Party night
After all that we have pedaled today, we have earned a cocktail before dinner, why not? standby (225 Gratiot Ave.) We like it because of its great atmosphere and where it is located: TheBelt, an alley that draws attention for the number of bars and restaurants that it concentrates in just a few meters. How could it be otherwise in this city, its walls are decorated with impressive murals and lights that go from one window to another, giving it an attractive and appetizing touch.
For dinner we have booked at **Wright & Co.** (1500 Woodward Ave.). Despite what the address indicates, You enter through the back door of the alley. For this alone, we like it.
When we climbed the fire escapes to the second floor and met that room with high ceilings, windows and such a lively atmosphere, He ends up conquering us. Its seasonal menu changes frequently and its variety of dishes invites you to order several to share.
Tonight the topic is alleys. We say goodbye to the evening in a joint whose main entrance is in another alley, even more remote. Bad Luck Bar (1218 Griswold St.) is a speakeasy that has managed to more than recall the clandestine atmosphere of the 1920s. Its cocktails and intimate atmosphere end up seducing us.
Standby, in The Belt alley, is one of the best places to have a cocktail
DAY 3: SUNDAY
11:30 a.m. – Unmissable brunch
After last night's party, today it's time to slow down a bit. And, what better for that than starting with a good brunch? We are going to ** Lady of the House ** (1426 Bagley St.) to give us a tribute as she deserves. Lying in the booming neighborhood of Corktown, this restaurant is making its way among the best in the city.
We are passionate not only its decoration and lighting, but the philosophy that inspires its menu: an ode to local producers. If you arrive on time, be sure to try the round rolls of cinnamon and homemade foie gras; a sublime combination that we would never have thought of before. Booking essential.
1:30 p.m. – Museum afternoon
What a great plan to get lost in a good art gallery after having enjoyed an unparalleled brunch! If we also choose the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward Ave.) where they are located frescoes by Diego Rivera, the proposal is unbeatable. These are the murals that Henry Ford ordered the Mexican painter to do with the aim of reflecting the spirit of the Motor City. And he nailed it.
But in addition to these frescoes that occupy the four walls of the entrance courtyard (and whose history can be heard in some free audios that we recommend), this museum houses a wide collection of modern art that goes from Kandisky to Wharhol, through Rothko, Bacon, Picasso, van Gogh and many more. We cannot leave without having a coffee in its impressive cafeteria in the covered interior patio on the ground floor. Its light, its decoration and its artistic atmosphere make it irresistible.
Detroit Institute of Arts
4:00 p.m. – A street with a lot of vibes
We love streets with style and personality, like Cass Ave. We cover it by bike (the fastest and most pleasant way to get from one point to another, although you can also move easily through the center on foot) from one end to the other, starting at the ** Carhart ** store (5800 Cass Ave.), original brand of this city. We keep going down and we can't avoid a quick stop at the public library (5210 Woodward Ave.) which has two entrances, one of them on this street, to see the stained glass windows and frescoes that decorate the ceilings and walls of the main staircase.
We pedal a little more until we reach the intersection with Canfield Street, known by the locals as the Cass Corridor. In this tiny piece of street are concentrated Jack White's record label, the one who was the leader of the White Stripes, Third Man Records (441 W Canfield St.) ; the **Shinola** store, original from Detroit (441 W Canfield St.); the **Filson** brand (411 W Canfield St.), known above all for its bags and watches; and **local homeware stores Nest and City Bird** (460 W Canfield St.).
Next door is the ** Motor City Brewing Works ** (470 W Canfiels St.), which invites us to have a craft beer to regain strength before continuing to the Masonic Temple, at the corner of Temple Street (500 Temple St.), the largest and oldest in the world. For this alone it is worth taking a look at it from the outside.
Third Man Records, Jack White's record label
8:00 p.m. – Three kings dinner
Since it's the last night and we've pedaled a lot, an early dinner seems like the best option. To close this getaway like kings, nothing better than ** Taquería El Rey ** (4730 W Vernor St.), in Mexicantown. It is a place that goes unnoticed, where they cook authentic mexican food.
When we tried those tacos and those quesadillas we transport ourselves to Mexico and understand why it has become such a demanded place.
We return to rest at our hotel, ** The Inn on Ferry Street **, a historic Bed & Breakfast made up of four victorian mansions that we love for its huge and well-equipped rooms, its amazing breakfast in the dining room of the main building, and its free chauffeur and bike service (Shinola brand).
Reserve at Lady of the House to savor the best of local food