Sustainability in Detroit?

September 20, 2012 10:33 AM

Going to Detroit. I need recommendations on the cool places to see regeneration, sustainable initiatives, parks, art, urban agriculture, etc. (the innovative stuff that makes Detroit awesome!)

I have the Heidelberg Project on my list so far. But I know that Detroit has got to be a hotbed for innovative sustainability/ag/markets/arts/etc.

I'm going to be there this Sunday afternoon, will be with my friend who has a car (he doesn't bike unfortunately so no biking through the city for us). I may go back again on Tuesday, but we're going to be based out of Ann Arbor.

Bonus question: awesome, cheap places to eat? (has anyone tracked down and eaten stuff from the Peaches & Greens food truck?)

Thanks!

posted by bluelight to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

I did spend the summer of 2009 there with my ex-, living in mid-town. Can't remember many places, apart from Motor City brewery company for good pizza and jugs of beer, the Bronx Bar nearby for astonishingly good burgers, and the Avalon bakery (this was three years, though). Also a good bowling alley a few blocks away.

Kudos for going to Detroit for the good and positive things. More than a few locals get (justifiably) annoyed or upset at "decay porn" tourism or similar words i.e. people who turn up just to look at the abandoned parts of Detroit, take pictures or film, then leave the city ignoring the good things.

I miss Detroit, more than any other city in the USA. There was something - positive - that I find difficult to articulate, about the place.
posted by Wordshore at 10:44 AM on September 20, 2012

Don't know if this is your speed, but I would say it's at least tangential: Trumbullplex [wiki], "Detroit's sexiest anarchist collective".
posted by mean square error at 11:05 AM on September 20, 2012

Layfayette Greens is neat. Campus Martius (probably less on Sunday), Eastern Market, Green Garage, Greening of Detroit, the Dequindre Cut, Earthworks Urban Farm.

For other things, check out Sustainabledetroit.org


If you are into graffiti, google the detroit beautification project.
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:23 AM on September 20, 2012

Go to City Bird, ask if the Linns are there (Andy or Emily the brother and sister team who founded it) and ask them what's awesome to do there. Once you're done doing all those things head over to The Sugar House have a cocktail and ask the bartender, John, what else is good to do around town.
posted by FatRabbit at 11:38 AM on September 20, 2012

seconding Sugar House. It's awesome; John is awesome. Just don't ask them for vodka.
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:51 AM on September 20, 2012

Well, if you're in Ann Arbor, go to Zingerman's....

And, also in Ann Arbor, for locally sourced food, is Arbor Brewing.
posted by HuronBob at 12:07 PM on September 20, 2012

First off, much love to the A2 townies, but Ann Arbor shouldn't be the focus of this question.

The Motor City Brewing rec is a good one; I'd add going to the Harmonie Cafe and getting a Flobby Joe (falafel sloppy joe) because they're crazy. If you eat meat, you should have at least one Coney Dog in Detroit — ask some people, and they'll have their own neighborhood recommendation. The DIA is gorgeous, especially after the renovations.

You should also take a little trip through Hamtramck, if only to see how the Poles live. A lot of it's been coming back lately.
posted by klangklangston at 12:30 PM on September 20, 2012

Harmonie Garden is the home of the Flobby Joe-- harmonie cafe is good too but i cannot recommend it as hardcore.
posted by holyrood at 1:15 PM on September 20, 2012

I know this is not exactly what you're looking for but I found the Motown Museum to be awesome and a piece of Detroit heritage and American history you're not going to find elsewhere.

Here's a similar but less specific "visiting Detroit" question I asked a few years ago:
What's the Most Detroity thing to do in Detroit?
posted by dahliachewswell at 3:36 PM on September 20, 2012

get breakfast or lunch at Johnny's ham king
posted by brujita at 7:36 PM on September 20, 2012

There is this awesome piece of street art on i-75. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/detroitharmonie/detroit-chimera-graffiti-mural-project
posted by tweedle at 11:15 PM on September 20, 2012

Detroit Design Festival is this weekend. Some events there might fit with what you are looking for. Detroit on Sunday afternoon is pretty quiet, though.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 3:55 PM on September 21, 2012