DESTINATIONS — THE US
Sister Pie Eastern Market
you can bet it didn’t always sell green juices, and wasn’t flanked by delis, restaurants and stores selling vintage clothes, letterpress prints or shea butter cosmetics. Food trucks flank the market stalls, the waft of barbecue is in the air, and local bands play live. Start the weekend here and you won’t wonder why residents are keen to move back into central Detroit. New businesses are also popping up in the ’burbs. Huge houses are set back from the street in leafy Indian Village, and now gentrified shops are opening to match – such as Parker Street Market, where law graduate David Kirby sells locally sourced produce, just across the road from Sister Pie, where Lisa Ludwinski bakes fresh goods. Another 10 businesses have signed leases in the area. One of the best ways to tap into
Detroit’s community spirit – and explore a corner of the city you probably wouldn’t otherwise – is to tag along on the Monday
night Slow Roll. Started in 2010 by Detroit native Jason Hall as a hobby, this bike ride has grown from 10 people to 5,000. It’s been such an inspiring success that Apple chose Jason to star in an advert.
Riders convene at 6pm for a
7pm start, with the ride lasting 90 minutes. The route is different every time and is announced on the day on website
slowroll.bike, but the idea is to get people exploring different areas of Detroit. The city is huge – Boston, San Francisco and Manhattan would all fit inside it – but mostly flat, so the ride could involve an easy roll along the newly renovated riverside walkway, or even around the Grand Prix track in Belle Isle Park. Bikes can be hired from Wheelhouse Detroit from $15 for two hours. Riders will see a new corner of Detroit, make some new friends, and who knows? They might fall a little bit in love with Detroit the way Virgin Atlantic has. TW
TRIED & TESTED: Aloft Detroit at the David Whitney
Opened last December, this 136-room hotel from the Starwood behemoth is part and parcel of the regeneration of Downtown Detroit. Built in 1914, the classical proportions of the 19-storey David Whitney building made it prime development potential, and it’s now split between the hotel and high-end apartments. The marble lobby, crowned by a soaring atrium, retains its historic charms, but the
rooms fit Aloft’s more modern template. They’re comfortable and bright, rather than luxurious, but offer all guests need in terms of a city-break bolthole. With a snack shop to grab something on the go and a lively lobby bar, the hotel suits clients who like to set their own agenda more than those seeking a full-service experience. Book it: From $179 a night.
aloftdetroit.com
Slow Roll
56 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 2 July 2015
PICTURE: JOE GALL
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