Kentuckians guide to Detroit pt. 10
This is the motor city, if you hint that you have somehow forgotten that, you will be quickly reminded. But the notion that a vehicle is the only way of getting around Detroit is slowly, and steadily becoming dismantled.
In the Spring of 2017 bike rental service, called MOGO, started up in this fair city. And while these red bikes look like something your grandmother rides around her timeshare in Florida between games of shuffleboard, they are ultimately effective, economical and practical.
I have created a list of places you could bike to from the heart of Downtown Detroit, the Campus Martius area, within 20 minutes. These estimates are based off of exhaustive Google research I have compiled (which was about 15 min. of looking things up).
Two James Distillery-
A variety of tasting flights are available in this booming area of Corktown. Walls murals, creative shops and clueless tourists abound- it’s a cool area. There’s also great food around those parts, but I’ll leave you to look at your hipster phone apps for that. You’ll also go by the old fabled Michigan Central train station. Remember- you didn’t go to Detroit if you don’t Instagram a picture of the train station. Built in the wee hours of the 1900’s, it’s a fantastic building and always a sight to behold.
Detroit Institute of Arts-
An absolutely stunning collection of every style and period of art a person could want. You could walk around and wander for hours. Be sure to check out the Diego River Court, which he painted in a matter of months. Don’t bring an umbrella inside though. For some reason they are mighty impassioned about umbrellas and throw an absolute tantrum.
Detroit Riverwalk-
This isn’t so much of a place as more of a possible route throughout the city. There are certainly places of destination along the way, but don’t feel as though you can’t simply wander. Marinas, restaurants, parks, fishing, the Ren Cen, the Detroit Princess paddlewheel ship, and the smallest state park in the US (shout out to Milliken State Park) and other such curiosities are along the Riverwalk. Also, when you look across the water, yup, that’s Canada. Which is, y’know, pretty neat.
Batch Brewery-
They have a tremendous amount of tremendous beers. Also some mighty fine foodstuffs. An abundance of outdoor seating in big’ol picnic tables invites large parties to sit around and laze about in the sun.
Taqueria Lupitas-
Southwest Detroit is known for many things. Fantastic Mexican food is one of them. If you want a great (authentic) taco, homemade (authentic) salsa, and a cold beer, this (authentic) place is your destination. Cruise around Southwest, as well, there are some great local markets and bakeries.
Garden Bowl-
One of the oldest bowling alleys in the country. This staple is a classic example of Detroiter culture through and through (at least in my Kentucky eyes. Don’t yell at me Kelsey.) Full bar with a pizza shop attached off to one side and great selection of party-popping playlists.
Bucharest Grill-
A Middle-Eastern grill spot which will serve you up an amazing shawarma so fast it’ll make your head spin. And for $4 apiece, it simply cannot be beat. They also have a really solid selection of individually themed coney dogs. Not just greasy sloppy things— they actually have character and personality.
Eastern Market-
Go on the weekend and stroll around snacking on all sorts of foods that have words like ‘home grown’, ‘artisanal’, ‘fair-trade’ and ‘organic’ attached to them. There is a great pizza place (Supinos), a three story antique market, a fish market with amazing sausage sandwiches (ironic, I know), the Eastern Market Distillery. Take the Dequindre cut bikeway up from the Riverwalk and enjoy some tremendous street art along the way.
A few fun facts to help you prepare for your MOGO bike rental experience.
There are 430 total bikes at 43 different stations throughout the city’s neighborhood.
Download the available apps to help determine the closest stations and how many bikes are available at each.
Passes-
Daily – $8
Monthly- $18
Annually- $80
Ability to make Q-line riders jealous of how efficiently you’re able to get around- Priceless
This is just a small, personally preferenced, taste of places to visit via bike. For every one of my ideas, there are dozens more. I encourage you to explore. Go get lost on side-streets. This city is nothing if not randomly eclectic with curious surprises all over these pot-hole filled streets.
Cheers y’all,