You party boys may go into a coma when you hear economic news, but by far the biggest American casualty of the Great Recession is Detroit. Thanks to a bunch of coma-inducing reasons, Motor City drove itself straight into the gravel in a spectacular Chapter 9 bankruptcy. But, lo! Just as what happened to New York in the 70’s and South Beach in the 80’s, Detroit is scrabbling its way back up, and finding a whole new identity in the process. And like NYC and SoBe, gays are an integral part of the reinvention.
To be sure, the city has a very deep hole to crawl out from and some zones should be avoided outright. But the kick to the teeth has actually show Detroit’s best side: New York, just assumes you would want to go there for no other reason than because it is New York, where as Detroit really, totally, and genuinely wants you visit for no other reason that you would be really, totally, and genuinely appreciated.
So, here are a few factoids: Ferndale, a suburb literally one street (the famed 8 Mile Road) across from the city limits, has the largest concentration of gay people per capita in the country. The good folks at Spartacus Guides just finished up a tour of Detroit (and Ferndale), in fact, and unlike a lot of city events that got axed to save $, Motor City Gay Pride and Detroit Black Gay Pride went ahead as planned.
So what’s to do? Aside from the Prides (they’re in June and July), “The D,” on the banks of the Detroit River and flanked by Lake St. Clair to the north, has some seriously world-class draws. As the birthplace of the musical genre, the Movement Techno Fest, held in October, is not to be missed. The Fox Theater and the Sound Board, venues as instrumental as the Apollo, not only regularly pack in the talent, but the crowds to go with it. And might I add that it is a very scenic city; the downtown is full of all sorts of picturesque photo-ops.
And as for us LGBTQs? The very forthrightly named gaybarsindetroit.com reads like a laundry list of establishments ranging from Menjo’s (where Madonna’s old stomping grounds are), Club Gold Coast and Necto (where the hotties are), Pandora’s Box (where the black lesbians are), to the Rainbow Room (where the history is, as Detroit’s oldest gay bar). There is even a recommended gay B&B: the Inn at 97 Winder.
So don’t count Detroit out just yet. Its engines are revving.
For more info, go to visitdetroit.com. Contact Steele Luxury Travel to assist you with all of your Philadelphia travel arrangements at 646-688-2274.