in sight — although, considering the rate of
regeneration in the area, this might not be the
case for much longer.
As the sun sets, Downtown heats up. The
plaza of Campus Martius Park is full of
trendy urbanites drinking cocktails, and the
bars in The Belt — a nondescript alleyway
reimagined as a muraled corridor of eclectic
watering holes — are starting to get busy.
A number of far-sighted hoteliers and
restaurateurs have helped lesh out a
renaissance in these parts, kick-started
by Detroit-born investor Dan Gilbert. His
company, Bedrock, has bought, renovated
and reopened over 100 historical buildings
at the city’s heart. Largely down to him,
Downtown is lourishing, handsome and
safe for travellers to wander about in, day
or night. One of Bedrock’s most high-
proile successes has been Shinola, a luxury
goods brand that set up shop in the then-
crumbling capital of Michigan back in
2011 and confounded business experts by
turning a proit. This January, the 129-room
boutique Shinola Hotel followed. Billing
itself as ‘Detroit’s new living room’, most of
the staf grew up locally and the interior’s
artworks and lourishes are predominantly
sourced from Michigan. The global buzzthat accompanied the opening seems solid
evidence the city is truly set for a comeback.
Some locals, however, remain sceptical. Ater
all, over the decades there have been many
false dawns.
My last stop of the trip is Bad Luck Bar
— an establishment whose name belies the
admiration it’s stirred up among mixology
geeks in the three years since it opened. No
sign hangs outside the alleyway entrance
— a serpent, painted in black on the door
is the only hint at what lies within. Inside,
a heavy curtain is drawn aside by a hostess
and I’m ushered into an intimate, low-lit bar.
I select ‘Metamorphosis’ from a drinks list
styled like a deck of tarot cards. ‘Progression’
and ‘change’, it promises, will be my reward
for imbibing the mix of banana-infused
blackstrap rum, white rum, milk, masala
syrup, lemon juice and bitters.
I think it’s a itting salute to the city as it
enters a new phase. Dan Kwiatkowski, the
owner, demurs. “‘Renaissance’ is a bit of
a dirty word round here. It’s been thrown
around, on and of, for years. But maybe,
when you look around at everything that’s
happening...” He pauses, as if scared to jinx
it. “It is hard to deny.” I’ll be the one to say it
out loud: Detroit? You can call it a comeback.INSIDER TIPS
What started as a casual meet up
between two bike-enthusiasts has
grown into Slow Roll, a bike ride
that attracts thousands of cyclists
every Monday night from May to
October. The leisurely route oten
heads through suburbia, so it’s a
great way to see local life in The D.
slowroll.bike
True North is an experimental
live-work community centred
on 10 corrugated-steel prefabs
in Core City. It hosts Facebook-
advertised events, including
campire gatherings, yoga classes
and ecstatic dance sessions.
truenorthdetroit.com
Winemaker Blake Kownacki has
been encouraging Detroiters to
grow vines in the city’s empty
lots, and the results can be
sampled at a tasting in his new
winery-cum-hip hop club, based
in a former ice cream factory.
detroitvineyards.com
FROM LEFT:
Detroit Vineyards;
Motown Museum144 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
DETROIT