The rebound of the Motor City continues unabated. The once downtrodden area has transformed itself. A vibrant downtown, a stunning new bridge to Canada, a new food hall in Midtown Detroit, a new hotel in Cork Town, and fun suburbs like Ferndale, Clawson, and Royal Oak are full of things to do.

WHAT TO DO

•        Run or walk with Frontrunners on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. They meet in front of Prontos in Royal Oak.
•        Explore the gayish village, Ferndale. You will find the Affirmation’s Community Center at 205 W. Nine Mile.
•        Enjoy the refurbished Michigan Central train station in Corktown and explore the historic Detroit neighborhood.
•        Walk along the Detroit River and take in the Campus Martius campus.
•        Ride the new Q Line Street car and enjoy the museums in mid-town including the iconic Detroit Institute of Arts.
•        Explore Clawson and its new hipster downtown. We liked the Whiskey Taco Foxtrot (28 Main Street in Clawson). Try the Mini Beef Nachos. Strohs (a local beer) is just $2.
•        The Royal Oak Farmers Market on Saturdays is a must.

GETTING THERE

Amtrak has great service including to Detroit, Royal Oak, and Birmingham from Chicago. Trains run three times a day and go 100 mph.

Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus features a new express bus to downtown.

The new SMART Fast Bus moves you around town.

Otherwise, you will need a car. You are in the Motor City.

WHERE TO STAY

I stayed at the Hampton Inn Madison Heights and then the Baymont Madison Heights. Walk to nearby restaurants and the Powerhouse Gym plus the Value Center Marketplace grocery store. Right off I-75 at 14 Mile Road. The Hyatt Place in downtown Royal Oak is another favorite.

The new Godfrey Hotel in Corktown in Detroit has a great rooftop bar ( The I/O Rooftop Lounge) on the 7th floor. Nice and extremely high end. Stunning views of downtown and the Ambassador Bridge. You will find them at 1401 Michigan Avenue complete with brick streets. This is Detroit’s oldest neighborhood.

WHERE TO EAT

The new food hall in Midtown, Detroit Shipping Company (474 Peterboro, DetroitShippingCompany.com) features two bars and around ten carry outs set in containers with seating in the middle and upstairs, the fun scene features Thai Food (Bangkok 96 Street Food), Mediterranean (Halal Street) and more. Try the crispy fried chicken bowl at Bangkok 96. The spring rolls were excellent.

Enjoy the Lebanese (Middle Eastern cuisine) which features great fresh juices like raw carrot juice. There are over 400 restaurants in the metro area. I liked the Royal Grill in Madison Heights (1467 W. 14 Mile in Madison Heights). Try the Gallayah Sandwich which features vegetables and meat). Even the gas stations have Lebanese food to go!

NIGHTLIFE 
Pronto is a fun bar and restaurant in Royal Oak with a drag bingo bar next door (the Five 15) which is quite popular. Prontos has a great dance floor and outdoor patio too.

SOHO is the Ferndale staple on 9th Mile and the best bar in Detroit. Surrounded by shops and restaurants, explore Ferndale while you are there. Next door in the 215 West which features special events and is owned by SOHO. Nearby is the Ferndale Elks Lodge which my friends like. Live bands, music bingo, trivia nights, and karaoke happen at this welcoming venue. Also in Ferndale is Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center.

See Metra Magazine for a list of all the bars.

FUN FACTS

Bring your passport and take the tunnel or Bridge to Windsor, Ontario Canada. Great shopping. Pick up some British candies (made in Britain, not the U.S.), and more. Listen to the French language radio stations (AM 1550 and on the FM dial). Detroit is right on the border, and you go south into Canada. Go figure. The new Gordie Howie Bridge is a stunner and opens later in 2025.

Detroit is a very historic city first settled by the French (hence the many French street names downtown).

Detroit has an excellent freeway system. You can be anywhere in 20 minutes going 70 mph on the freeway although the area is very spread out.

Michigan has four campgrounds for LGBTQ people with something for everyone.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Between the Lines is every other week publication. Metra Magazine is your bar guide. METRO Weekly is the alternative weekly full of ideas.

Bill Malcolm is a former resident of Royal Oak, Michigan. His syndicated travel column has been carried in LGBTQ publications throughout North America and on the travel blog of the IGLTA website.