What to do/see in Detroit for Six Weeks?

August 6, 2006 8:33 AM

In Detroit for six weeks... what should I do? I'll be working for downtown, at the HSBC building, and probably staying downtown as well. I'm a young single guy who enjoys partying and cultural stuff. I'm looking for: Detroit eats, Detroit outs, Windsor suggestions. I figure I'll catch some MLB leading Tigers games, blackjack at casinos. I won't have a car, but I think taxis will be easy to get.
posted by sandmanwv to travel & transportation (19 comments total)

definitely go to the dally in the alley if you're around then.
I'm trying to think of other good stuff, but detroit's an insider's town.
posted by alkupe at 8:36 AM on August 6, 2006

hang out in that area, the cass corridor.
posted by alkupe at 8:37 AM on August 6, 2006

Go to Ann Arbor!
posted by echo0720 at 8:42 AM on August 6, 2006

Be sure to hit the downtown American Coney Island, founded in 1917, and also have some Buddy's deep-dish pizza.
posted by kindall at 8:49 AM on August 6, 2006

The Metro Times is the local arts weekly, check that out for stuff to do.
posted by k8t at 9:11 AM on August 6, 2006

If you make it to Ann Arbor, do not miss Zingerman's.

Boy, do I miss Ann Arbor and Zingerman's.
posted by kcm at 9:14 AM on August 6, 2006

Definately check out the Metro Times.

There are plenty of good little resaurants around the Wayne State area to check out. Offhand, there's Twingos and the Cass Cafe. For bars there's always The Majestic, and next door there's the Garden Bowl/Magic Stick.

As for Windsor? Just head over the bridge, go to the main "drag", and you'll find plently. I was always partial to the Loop (if i remember the name correctly).
posted by Windigo at 9:30 AM on August 6, 2006

Rent a car if you can. Taxis/public transit will not be easy or convenient.

The Royal Oak/Ferndale area has lots of bars for the post-college crowd.

Get yourself some Middle Eastern food; that's actually the one thing I miss the most about living in SE Michigan. La Shish is a safe bet, but there are tons of good places in the area.
posted by snickerdoodle at 10:20 AM on August 6, 2006

Yeah, spend at least a couple of nights in Windsor. Ouelette St. is the main drag that Windigo refers to. Take the tunnel over from Detroit and you'll be right in the heart of Windsor's downtown. There is a cross border tunnel bus that will take you between downtown Detroit and Windsor for a couple of bucks.

As far as bars go, there are a zillion of them in downtown Windsor. $2 drinks can be had every night, if you're into that type of partying. I can recommend different places depending on what type of music/scene you are interested in. Email me if you have any specific questions.
posted by taang at 10:25 AM on August 6, 2006

Henry Ford Museum and Dearfield Village. It's an all day event. When I was there for four weeks I rented a car for the weekend for $29 dollars or less from the car renting place that starts with an "E" and ends in "prise".

Take a day trip to Ann Arbor and go to Zimmerman's for lunch or dinner.

Take your passport for easier passage to and from Windsor. BTW on Sunday, Windsor just has nothing open.
posted by 6:1 at 11:14 AM on August 6, 2006

Greenfield Village..
posted by kcm at 12:20 PM on August 6, 2006

Heh. Cabs? Yeah. Why don't you take the People Mover everywhere instead. (When you get there you'll see why this is a punchline).

OK. The first question is "Where will you be staying?" because if you ain't got a car, it's important not to get told to just hang out in Ann Arbor (we're lovely in Ann Arbor, but a bit of a hike). The HSBC Building is actually in Windsor, so far as I can google.

Things to do? First, pick up your friendly, neighborhood Metrotimes. If you are out in Ann Arbor, hit up Current Magazine (I work there, though I got nothing in August's issue). That'll have a fair amount of good stuff in it.
If you like rock, check out The Lager House down near Corktown, and the Majestic (not to be confused with the Magic Stick).
Detroit also has one of the finer public art museums, especially their Diego Rivera murals and THE best collection of German Expressionism. The architecture's nice too. Go to the Detroit Beer Company when you go to the Tigers games.
You can check out Motorcityrocks.com for more shows, and Whatevs.org for your endless Detroit-centric celebrity gossip.

Um... I'll think about more stuff (including Hamtramck!) and my email's in my profile.
posted by klangklangston at 12:21 PM on August 6, 2006

I stand corrected, Greenfield Village. Thanks kcm.
posted by 6:1 at 12:59 PM on August 6, 2006

Go see a Detroit Lions game. Or two. Chances are, they're gonna suck again this season, but in Detroit (and Michigan in general), football is king. No matter how sucky the Lions are, Lionfan is going nuts. Think of it as a cultural event.
posted by NoMich at 4:32 PM on August 6, 2006

My wife and I just moved to Hamtramck from Ann Arbor (which is only about a 30 - 40 minute drive), so we've been spending a lot of time getting to know the finer metro-area restaurants, etc. Feel free to email me (see profile) if you have any specific questions. Check the Metro Times, as klangklangston said - there should be lots of decent stuff happening as the summer winds down. In Hamtramck, you will find lots and lots of bars (music at the Belmont, Small's, and many more), and insanely good polish food. September 1 - 4 is the Hamtramck Festival, with bands and lots of craziness.

There's also Mexican Town (right next to the Ambassador bridge), where you can enjoy fresh tortillas, good restaurants, and plenty of margaritas...
posted by sluggo at 3:46 AM on August 7, 2006

Hey Sluggo, you're still listed as in Ann Arbor on your profile. Amy and I tried to get you to come to the beer meetup! Do you know Steve Cherry (seat.defcode.com)? He's been trying to get us to go out to some Indian restaurants in Hamtown for a while.

If you end up going to Mexican Town (which you should), your first stop should be Xochimilco's (/zo-shee's/). Unfortunately, I've been going there so long that I've lost track of the other places in Mexican Town.

Oh, and as you go to Windsor, make sure to hit the duty free. Last time I was there they had great deals on scotch and gin.
posted by klangklangston at 6:45 AM on August 7, 2006

You will need a car for almost all of this stuff, but I think it's worth it:

Art museum, grounds, mansions and sculptures at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills. One of the most beautifully landscaped / architected places I've been (Eliel Saarinen).

If you are a 50s history or architecture geek you can also check out the younger Saarinen's GM Technical Center.

An hour away, Toledo, OH, has a nice museum as well and some beautiful neighborhoods.

This website looks like it might have more in-city Detroit sights and info for you.

Michigan national parks are also worth a trip, especially the Pictured Rocks up in the UP. There are lots of other lakeshore things to do in closer places like Muskegon and Traverse City, too.
posted by Marnie at 8:29 AM on August 7, 2006

What are you interested in? It is difficult to make suggestions without knowing.

Hamtramck has wonderful Polish food. The lobby of the Fischer building is incredible, and I don't even like art deco. Fort Malden, south of Windsor, is an often overlooked local history gem. Warrendale has incredible Lebanese food (LaShish is ok, but not what it was) and bakeries. Boston Edison, Indian Village and Palmer Park have lovely homes and mansions. Jacobi's downtown has great German food in a historic building (and has been there for over 100 years). Sinbad's has good fish, and is a fascinating place to people-watch. Belle Isle is an interesting place to hang out or to walk, and the fountain there is just...too much.

The Metro Times is laughable, although I suppose if you want to pretend to be young and hip, it is a start.

You just can't go to the GM Tech Centre. It is restricted. And, frankly, pretty boring (I used to work there), although the tunnels would be a great place for a live version of Doom.
posted by QIbHom at 12:19 PM on August 7, 2006

Thanks for everyone for giving me things to see... I'll be doing alot of them. I'm in Detroit now.. staying across the street from the Rennaisance Center. They don't give us a rental, so cabbing is required.

For going out, I'm sure I can take up a $20 cab around (but not much more) to go out. For restaurants, I think a $5-$7 cab (2 miles or so from downtown) is my restriction.

If one were to pick the highest concentration of bars/restaurants, would you say:
1. Royal Oak
2. Ferndale
3. Birmingham
4. Hamtramck
5. Greektown
6. Downtown (where in Detroit)
What would be best for two guys to go out on a weeknd night?
posted by sandmanwv at 9:32 PM on August 15, 2006