World City Guide

Nightlife

Although Detroit’s blighted urban core may have a reputation for being dangerous after dark, its nightlife often surprises those new to the city. Musically, Detroit has long been an innovative presence, bringing both Motown and techno to popular audiences. Although it is true that Downtown is less populous at night than during the day, it is still home to a number of nightspots and more and more suburbanites are coming back to the area on Friday and Saturday nights. Rivertown is a good place to find jazz and blues bars, while the theatre district at the north end of Downtown has more upmarket eating and drinking establishments. The suburbs too are a good place to find clubs and bars. Younger crowds have plenty to choose from as far as dance clubs and bars in Ann Arbor and Pontiac. Royal Oak and Birmingham offer a more eclectic mix of entertainment. The free weekly Metro Times can help with listings.

Alcohol can legally be served in Detroit until 0200 to over-21-year-olds. Dress at most bars and clubs is casual. When a dress code is in effect, it usually has more to do with style and less to do with any explicit smart dress policy. Bars usually charge admission if a live band is playing and it is common to pay a fee at the door of nightclubs. Mixed drinks cost around US$4-5.

Bars: The Town Pump Tavern, 100 West Montcalm Street, offering 18 draft beers, tends to fill up after work and especially before and after baseball and hockey games. In the heart of Greektown, Athens Lounge, 517 Monroe Street, is known for its karaoke, but unlike most other bars of its kind, the talent is good, some say very good. For a full bar, billiards, great live international and national acts and a large dance floor, visit the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Avenue.

Casinos: Those wishing to gamble in Detroit have the option of travelling to Windsor, where the legal gambling and drinking age is 19 years, or staying right in Detroit, where the legal age is 21 years. The MGM Grand Detroit, 1300 John C Lodge (tel: (877) 888 2121), offers over 2400 slot machines and over 80 table games. Casino Windsor, 377 Riverside Drive East (tel: (800) 991 7777), offers more than 100 table games and 3000 slot machines. Neither casino enforces a dress code, although patrons must possess photo identification.

Clubs: As with all other forms of evening entertainment, nightclubs are spread throughout the Detroit area. Lush, 10241 Joseph Campau Street, is located in Hamtramck, just slightly north of Downtown, and offers leopard-pattern carpeting, velvet walls and everything from hip hop to techno DJs five nights a week. The Deck at Hocketown Café, 2301 Woodward Avenue, features a lively dance floor from Tuesday to Saturday, offering a mixture of DJs and live music right in the heart of Downtown.

Live music: The hottest spot in town for jazz, blues, rock and reggae is the Majestic Theatre, located in the heart of the city’s cultural centre at 4120 Woodward Avenue. Ferndale’s Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Avenue, is also a popular blues spot, featuring past acts like Bo Didley and Burning Spear and welcoming the grizzled blues veteran and the office worker alike. Closer to Downtown, Hamtramck’s Lili’s 21, 2930 Jacob Street, is the spot for original modern rock where bands have been playing their own music since the 1920s.