When people ask me where I'm from I say Detroit but anyone 'from Detroit' will know that's a lie. I'm from a bougie little suburb of Detroit, a place that sees D-town as somewhere you go when you're looking for a bit of an edge. In my childhood, Detroit wasn't even seen as that, it was downright dangerous. For four years running, Forbes has listed it as the most dangerous in the USA. And with gang violence, years of local government corruption and the white flight of the 1950s, it's a city with an infamous past.
But Detroit also has a beautiful past. The automobile industry, although destructive to public transportation, also brought opulence and glamour. The Detroit Opera House, the Fox Theatre, The Fisher Building, The Masonic Temple, amongst others, are all world-class. Diego Rivera's murals adorn the walls of the DIA. And stalwart institutions like the DSO and Eastern Market continue to pedal their wares to Detroiters and those suburbanites who pass through the city.
Hipsters, love them or hate them, are bringing their entrepreneurial excitement to the area. New breweries, distilleries and even a local winery have popped up. The restaurant scene is having a revival. And a range of initiatives, from urban farming, to a goat grazing lawn service and urban beekeeping, are thriving. This city has a lot of heart.
And so I tapped into my childhood friends to show me the beauty of a city they know better than me. Since our reunion in London, Erin and Lauren have a renewed sense of wanderlust attached to our friendship. They took me out for a glorious afternoon to wander Eastern Market, a place I've never been before.
Eastern Market
The market was founded in the 1800s and is home to food, flowers, wholesaling and most recently, various holiday markets. At over 9 hectares, the market takes up considerable space. Their mission statement is all about supporting the local community, through food programmes, love for local businesses and even free community fitness classes. The first stop for us was pierogi:
Detroit and surrounding Hamtramck are home to a large Polish-American population. From pierogi to paczki, a fried doughnut eaten on Fat Tuesday, lots of Polish culture has been subsumed into metro Detroit's culture. We took to a plate of fried cheese pierogi with sour cream and sauerkraut.
The remainder of my indoor market pictures are a bit mundane; essentially, the Sunday market is a lovely indoor artisan and street food market. Outside, graffiti and other store fronts abound. Many of them were closed for the day so perhaps a not-Sunday visit would be better.
Eastern Market Brewery
Around the corner from the main market, Eastern Market Brewery was doing a swift trade. Founded in 2016, it's bought into the hype of craft beer. I can't say much about this; beer is beer to me. But my friends attested to the quality and so I'll trust them there.
Modelling the fun hat I bought in the market...
Campus Martius Park
From here, we hopped into the car and over to downtown proper. At the corner of Woodward and Michigan Avenue lies a pedestrianised area, home to an ice rink, Christmas tree and covered market in November and December. This part of the city is a bit sanitised and was full of people jostling their way around the market. We stayed for an hour before moving on to our final downtown stop.
Belle Isle
This little island in the middle of the Detroit River has also seen better days. It's home to an Aquarium, Conservatory and Nature Centre, as well as a golf course and beach. There is a beautiful stately home on the island too. Due to the city of Detroit's bankruptcy coupled with drug use and violence on the island, the state of Michigan took over management of the park in February 2014. Entrance by vehicle now incurs a fee and the park closes after dark. Fortunately, we got there just in time.
Detroit Curling Club
On a separate excursion, Lauren organised an outing to go curling. The adventure started at Erin's house with Detroit-style pizza, a square, crust heavy concoction that I didn't even realise was unique to my homeland. No picture, I was hungry. Back to the curling!
We had to book this weeks in advance; curling is a competitive sport in Michigan and amateur night only comes a couple of times per week. Much like other Detroit institutions such as the airport, the CC isn't actually in the city. It's in nearby Ferndale and walking in is like stepping into a 1970s time warp. In the best way possible.
The walls of the reception and waiting area off-ice were dressed in dark wood panelling. Various trophies and award from over the year were proudly on display. Each lane was appointed a table to drop their bags and coats on; free cookies accompanied the table. And there was a bar but for members only. Think old-school bowling alley and you've captured the spirit of the DCC.
Before we could start, we had to wait for the two other members of our 'team.' Teams of four play against one another and we were only six people. So when two 13-year-olds arrived with their dad in tow, I laughed. They were nerdy and quiet--I think we scared them.
Before any team can begin curling, you have to complete a curling induction. I think this is partially so you don't hurt yourself and partially so you don't break the ice or the equipment. Under the watchful eye of two lady curlers, we passed the requisite tests in order to begin a game.
The only thing we struggled with was the old school score board. And I couldn't tell you who won, or even who played on which team. What I do know is that we had such a good time that we're planning on making it an annual activity!
Ferndale: Urbanrest Brewing
Our final stop of the evening took us to Ferndale's Urbanrest Brewing, another community spot churning out delightful craft beers. Just outside, two food trucks also operate, although they were closed when we were there. In the post-Christmas daze, the brewery was quiet and we enjoyed a beer (and me a sparkling cider) before making our way back to the bougie suburbs once again.
With all the time in Detroit and its greater area, I was left with a profound sense of happiness. In fairness to the city, there's always been pockets of wonderful. So perhaps I'm grateful that I'm now in a place to experience this. And that people continue to believe in this little diamond in the rough.
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