Downtown Detroit Visiting Guide

Here’s Model D’s look at what downtown has to offer visitors. Also check out our guides to opening a business in and moving to downtown Detroit.

Downtown Detroit is the region’s living room.

It’s where you go to hear music, and if you had the inclination you
could hear jazz, opera, R&B, Irish shanty songs, hip-hop or garage
rock, all on the same night.

It’s where you go to hear the roar and watch the fountains light up when the Tigers hit a homer, tailgate and cheer on the Lions
through thick and mostly thin, and chant “Let’s go Red Wings” from the
parking garage, through the tunnels and straight into the Joe.

It’s where you go to catch a big-name show, play in one of the
casinos, marvel at stunning architecture, dine on world-class cuisine
and global flavors, ice-skate in the winter or, after dark, dance to
underground hip-hop and booty-shaking techno.

During the Super Bowl, the city shined like never before; lights
beamed from skyscrapers, and people swarmed through the streets. The
game’s over, sure enough, but Detroit didn’t shut down. In fact, the
Downtown scene gets more vibrant all the time, giving people more
reasons to get out and explore this urban playground.

Pub crawls and club hops

If you seek a pleasant pub, look about you, says Downtown denizen
Jeanette Pierce. She has counted 100 places to pull up a stool and
enjoy a cold one — all within walking distance from her Downtown
apartment.

Pierce, owner of Inside Detroit, a
business that offers insider tours of the city’s hotspots, prefers to
hoof it to her favorite bars, but she says plenty of people
take the People Mover, the Downtown elevated train, to get around.

A pub crawl around Downtown should start somewhere classic like Jacoby’s
— an old German hangout on Larned that looks like not a thing has
changed in its 100-plus years, the perfect setting for a warm-up beer,
and possibly a bratwurst. Next up, something new: Buzz Bar
opened recently, mixing lethal combos of art and music, caffeine and
liquor (don’t miss the espresso martinis and Spanish coffees). Next,
slide over to Pulse,
a tiny spot across from the Compuware parking garage on Monroe where
old images of Detroit are projected on the wall of the sleek bar, and comfy couches await in this hip place to congregate.

From there, you could stumble back toward Jacoby’s and, if you want to lose yourself in the moment, check out the Shelter, the subterranean club beneath St. Andrew’s Hall on Congress. The club is known for, fittingly, its underground sounds.

Or you could head up toward Foxtown and check out the Town Pump, a beauty of a bar that looks and feels like a classic hangout. Across the street is the slick new Centaur, a multilevel, Parisian-inspired Art Deco bar that looks like it’s ripped from an Edward Hopper painting.

If dancing is your thing, you gotta check out the place where the elite meet to get up on their feet – the Elysium Lounge on Shelby, the VIP place to be during the Super Bowl. Club-hoppers should also check out Envy, nearby on Larned, a posh spot that oozes with modern swankiness.

Can I get an ‘opa’?

As easy as it is to satisfy Dionysus (the Greek god of wine) Downtown, you gotta eat. Around Monroe and Beaubien, Greek is the
cuisine. Over on Lafayette near Campus Martius, Coney dogs are de
rigueur. You can also, however, find great Italian, Indian, Thai, Cuban,
German, Japanese and a world of other flavors Downtown.

In Greektown, classic spots like Pegasus and Nikki’s
are Motor City favorites. Ordering the saganaki and hiding under a
parent’s coat while the flames fly and everyone cries “opa!” is a right
of passage for metro Detroiters. But Greektown’s got new flavors these
days. Places like trendy Mosaic
have hit the scene, bringing a fusion of international flavors and
contemporary design to the old neighborhood, and the late night crowds
flock there.

Another Motown rite is the Coney dog. Here you have to declare your
allegiance to your favorite Coney Island restaurant, and there are but
two choices. Everyone’s got their preferred neighborhood joint, but
when Downtown you are either a Lafayette or an Amercian fan, and you must pick a side.

In almost any direction from the epicenter of all things Coney, new flavors are arriving all the time. The new Karmic Café
in the Guardian Building is probably the polar opposite of Lafayette
Coney Island, but it is quickly becoming the epicenter of all things
vegetarian         .

On the other side of Campus Martius on Monroe, Sizz’l-n -Spice serves up Indian curries, while Bahn Thai spices things up across the street. In the Renaissance Center, people from all over metro Detroit flock to Seldom Blues
for some of the city’s finest dining (just ask any food critic) and
coolest jazz (just ask any music critic). There’s soul in the food at Sweet Georgia Brown near the Greektown Casino, as well as in jambalaya and etouffee at nearby Fishbone’s. And Latin flavors reign in the Cuban cuisine and on the dance floor at Vincente’s on Library Street. Or get your wasabi on at Oslo on Woodward, part sushi bar, part techno-friendly nightclub.

Downtown by day

As hopping as Downtown is at night, spending a quiet, sunny
afternoon with a coffee and good book sitting on a bench on the
riverfront near Hart Plaza
or on a chair in Campus Martius can be equally as satisfying. So can
spending an afternoon in the $8 Pepsi seats at Comerica Park, eating pizza
and hot dogs and waiting for the home-run fountain to spray.

For interior beauty, the cathedral-like Guardian Building atrium and
lobby are a must-stop for any Detroit visit. More than just a bank
lobby, the Guardian has become a place to sit in awe of Detroit’s grand
old architecture. It’s also become the spot for people watching,
schmoozing and networking over fancy coffee drinks. Business types and
art students sit elbow to elbow, gazing at the colorful murals, tiles
and windows at the Rowland Café (named for the building’s architect). Take time to browse the shops — including the Pure Detroit shop — for unique gifts, like Pewabic tiles, cool t-shirts and other Motor City-made fare.

As for shopping, Downtown’s not inundated with chain stores yet,
but that means nearly every shop is a unique experience. The
Renaissance Center’s offerings include designer Dominic Pangborn’s
unique ties and other items at the Pangborn Design Collection. Other shops specialize in chocolates, perfumes, books and jewelry. Fashionistas will want to check out Marc England de Mode — a fashion hot spot in Merchant’s Row — and Pure Detroit’s Design Lab — featuring unique work from up-and-coming local designers. Hot Sam’s in the Compuware Building is a classic for menswear, and Henry the Hatter
on Broadway is one of the city’s oldest retailers. Hipsters have
discovered it, thanks to a certain chapeau-happy member of the White
Stripes.

For families, Downtown makes for a cheap day out.
Take a couple 50-cent rides on the People Mover, bring a couple bucks
for ice cream at the Astoria bakery in Greektown, and a stroll along the RiverWalk
to watch the boats, stopping by the RenCen and Hart Plaza to play
around the fountains. Toss in a puppet show ($5 for kids, $7 for
adults) at the PuppetART Theatre on Grand River, a few Coneys and you’ve got yourself a daylong outing on the cheap.

One of the best events Downtown, the Detroit Jazz Fest
is another great way to spend a day in the city. Every Labor Day
weekend, thousands hit Hart Plaza on the riverfront for the festival,
which now spills down Woodward to Campus Martius. Vendors offer food
and goodies, and the music is top-notch — attracting national acts like
Dr. John and the Blind Boys of Alabama, as well as local favorites
like Thornetta Davis and Johnnie Bassett. You don’t have to be an
aficionado to appreciate that river views, sweet jazz music and big
city skylines are a perfect combo.

One of the best ways to appreciate Detroit is just to look up. Downtown architecture
is the subject of many a volume, including the recent “American City:
Detroit Architecture 1845-2005” (available at the Pure Detroit shop in
the Guardian Building). But you don’t need a degree or even a book to
marvel at the Art Deco skyscrapers like the Guardian and the Penobscot
and the Beaux-Arts beauties like the lesser-known Cornice & Slate
Building. Just take a stroll downtown, grab a coffee or a Coney dog and
take in the view that is uniquely Detroit.

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Photos:

Comerica Park

Dancing at Envy

Centaur

Mosaic

Oslo

Hart Plaza

Pangborn

Jazzfest at Campus Martius

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All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger