I’m taking a break from blogging about baked goods and Irish Car Bomb Pie recipes. I’m writing this from the road. Not literally from the road, of course. I’m sitting in my sister’s apartment in Chicago, where I will be for the rest of the week. I’m currently taking some indefinite time off from working to drive around the country, visit some friends, work in some new kitchens, and ultimately find a new city to conquer. I left Cleveland almost a week ago, but it doesn’t feel like my big adventure has begun quite yet because I’ve been in cities that I’ve spent time in before. I’m going to take this blog to talk a little bit about my first stop, Detroit.
When I told people that I was going to travel around the country, the general response was something like, “Oh wow, SO COOL!!” Then when I would tell them that my first stop was Detroit (a mere 2.5 hours from home) the response was one of two things: [cringe] “Ugh, WHY?” or [laughter and sarcasm] “Ooooh, wow! Sounds exciting!” Both of these responses really irked me. Yes, I understand that Detroit has a pretty bad reputation. And I get that Ohioans seem to believe that the only cool places between here and the Pacific Ocean are Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, and LA, but I visited a good friend in Detroit back in September, and had such a great time. So why not go again? This visit was really no different. I had so much fun, ate some really delicious food, and met some really nice, cool people.
Another big reason that these responses to my traveling to Detroit really bothered me is that they are not at all different than the responses I received when I told my East Coast friends that I was moving to Cleveland three years ago. Yes, I admit that I have done a fair amount of Cleveland bashing, but I grew up in the area, so I felt that I earned that right. Since moving back to the area, I have had only a handful of friends come visit (and they’ve had fun. Seriously!). Everyone else is just like, “Why the HELL would we come to CLEVELAND??” Hurtful. But really, I want to talk about Detroit, and why you should go check it out instead of laughing and/or cringing at how seemingly awful it is.
One thing that really amazes me about Detroit is the food/drink. Both of my visits to the city were jammed with some super delicious meals, coffee, and (of course) alcoholic beverages. Some of the places that Sarah introduced me to include Slow’s BAR-B-Q (delicious BBQ), Supino’s Pizzeria (super tasty pizza), El Barzon (weird Mexican/Italian combo menu, but soo good!), Sugar House (fancy cocktails), Vivio’s (great bloody marys!), Astro (coffee/pastries), Pinwheel (more coffee/pastries), plus a bunch of others. The availability of really delicious coffee really impressed me, because I feel like there are so few great coffee places back home. And Sugar House was such a great bar, I know that if I lived in the city it would DEFINITELY be my go-to spot. There’s also the Eastern Market (similar to Cleveland’s West Side Market), which I didn’t go to during this visit, but checked out back in September.
Another thing that seriously impresses me about Detroit is how positive and excited the people who live there are. All of the young people that I met are just so excited about all of the super cool things that are happening in the city. These are the people that are making things happen, trying to improve the city, trying to make Detroit a place that people want to live again. They all told me that they love living there, that if you’re going to live in Michigan, Detroit is the place to be. Many of them grew up in the suburbs, and a bunch of them moved away for a time, but they have all come back to Detroit because they see it as this great place with so much potential to be even greater. They are so passionate about it, and about what they are doing. They have come to create, and to build, and to live, and I really love and respect what they are all doing. I don’t see that in Cleveland as much, not even from the people who live there. In my experience, Clevelanders have a tendency to be down on their very own city, which is sad, because I believe that Cleveland is great/can be greater, if only people would give it a chance.
During my stay I also checked out the Motown Museum, which was smaller yet more impressive than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (sorry CLE, I wanna love it, but I don’t), and drove out to Ann Arbor, which was really beautiful (don’t hate, Buckeyes). Anyway, Detroit was definitely a great way to start off my journey, and I really encourage you all to visit if you get the chance. I’ll be in Chicago for the rest of the week, then maybe Wisconsin for a few days. After that, St. Louis, Kansas City, Jackson Hole, and down the West Coast! Guys, please let me know if you think there are places that I absolutely HAVE to check out (and if you guys have a spare couch or bed for me to crash on, I can make a mean omelette and the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever have!). Cheers!
