A nightlife guide for detroit

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

Picture yourself out for a fabulous night on the town. Breathe in the fantasy! Exquisite. Delightful. Cultural. Delicious. Musical. Magical.

Detroit, Michigan.

That's right. Detroit, the Motor City, birthplace of Motown and the venerable assembly line that revolutionized American factories, is now a Renaissance City extraordinaire. Up from the ashes, Detroit has completed a phoenix-like comeback from its nitty-gritty factory-town decline of decades ago.

And the nightlife, anchored by three high-energy casinos compressed brilliantly in the heart of the city's rebounding techno-commercial-industrial district, is nothing short of astonishing.

Craving Vegas-style entertainment and glitzy private casino rooms? A snug Irish pub where the Guinness flows as freely as the Gaelic curses, and low-stakes darts are the game-of-choice?

Does your nightlife fantasy include elegant dining high above big-city lights and a glistening river below? Cast a glance out of floor-to-ceiling windows: are your fellow Beautiful People cruising a lively waterfront in yachts and luxury tour boats before stepping out to a piano-shaped bar and late-late-night jazz?

Is your idea of fun a brilliant blue neon portal crowded with high-energy dance addicts just craving to shake their boo-tays on a fabulous imported Brazilian Heartwood dance floor? Club Bleu's your destination venue!

Perhaps you'd choose a quieter setting? Take in a concert at Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall, or enjoy a night of Verdi's Rigoletto or the Joffrey Ballet in the lush, historic Detroit Opera House.

Longing for a quiet bite in a private corner with a string quartet providing mood music? Don't miss the exquisite Whitney, gourmet dining in a 100-year-old waterfront mansion.

Here's just a brief overview of what you'll find under the stars in beautiful, new Detroit.

Casinos

MotorCity Casino

More than 30 gigantic murals splashed on the walls in this former bread factory characterize the ambience of the MotorCity Casino: a stylish, retro page ripped from Detroit's industrial and automotive past. The digital art doesn't distract visitors from the real action: more than 2,000 slot machines.

MGM Grand Detroit Casino

The MGM Grand mimics its Las Vegas cousins with its spacious design, bright decor and staff costuming. Although there's no hotel on-site, the famed People Mover -- Detroit's cross-city monorail -- will zip you directly to any of 1,500 hotel rooms in the district. There are no fewer than four different restaurants located in the casino, and a VIP area for special guests.

Greektown Casino

In fabulous Greektown, close to legendary bars, restaurants and belly-dancing, this casino is home to Rapture, the only casino nightclub in town, open Thursdays and Fridays.

The casino itself boasts some 75,000 square feet of gambling heaven: more than 2,400 slots and 80-plus gambling tables.

Theaters

The Fox Theatre

Natives here know the spectacular, opulent Fox is synonymous with Detroit. Since its opening as a city-center palace for live performances nearly 90 years ago, the Fox has been Detroit's pride and joy, home to incredible entertainment and dinner theater. Don't miss a glimpse of the original and priceless grand pipe organ, one of only a handful left in the country.

The Gem

Here's another don't-miss for off-Broadway dramatic and comedic productions in Detroit's theater scene. The Gem, built in 1927, has a rich and varied history that nearly came to an end in 1997, when construction of Comerica Stadium threatened its existence. Late that year, the fabulously ornate Gem and its sister, the 1903-vintage Century Club, took a five-block trip on wheels to a new site. That move captivated the entire city, and set a new record in the Guinness Book of World's Records for the heaviest building wheeled to a new home!

The Detroit Repertory Theatre

For alternative, professional theatrical productions, spend an evening at the Detroit Rep, the state's oldest such venue. Six days a week, 32 weeks a years, this intimate, 190-seat theatre presents thoughtful, clever works, entertaining some 60,000 theater-goers in its past two seasons.

Bars and Clubs

For sheer diversity of experience, crowd and entertainment options, Detroit's bar and club scene runs the gamut. Check out the MetroTimes, the city's alternative weekly, for a complete run-down of events. But whatever you choose, try to squeeze in time to visit these two favorites:

Old Shillelagh Pub

Detroit's crowded, jostling, once-jam-packed Corktown has all but vanished to the suburbs now, but the Old Shillelagh is still Irish to the core. Traditional Irish music, foods and darts -- it's downtown's gathering place for the Celtic crowd, even those who aren't card-carrying members of the Gaelic League, the private Irish club a few blocks away.

Baker's Keyboard Lounge

No other jazz club anywhere in the world can claim have run continuously since 1934 ... no one but Baker's. A west-side Detroit institution, Baker's Keyboard Lounge is legendary across the country for its stellar jazz and its piano-shaped bar.

Restaurants

Carl's Chop House

Through all of Detroit's ups and downs, Carl's has stood unwavering for more than six decades. The food -- top-notch chops, steaks, lobster and prime rib -- is fabulous in this, THE place for Detroiter VIPs to see and be seen. Don't miss the lounge's 64-foot bar. Need to walk off your meal? The MotorCity Casino is right across the street!

Joey's Meat Cutter Inn

Nothing fancy, just the best meat in the Midwest. Nestled unpretentiously on Orleans, in the heart of Detroit's old Eastern Market District, Joey's is beloved of and patronized by the guys who know the trade: the meat packers and processors in the district. Also a hang-out for Detroit's men and women in blue.

The Roostertail

Another venerable Detroit institution, the Roostertail on the Detroit River can't be beat for its appeal to the city's native and visiting boaters. If nautical nights are your passion-of-choice, do not miss Detroit's big Gold Cup races each year, and the non-stop partying at the Roostertail that spans the entire weekend.

Mexican Village

If you've never visited, you might be distracted by your first sight of the Ambassador Bridge looming high above Mexican Village. While the official name "Mexican Village" refers to the landmark eatery -- the oldest Mexican restaurant in the state -- with the legendary murals and genuinely Mexican cuisine, the neighborhood in the shadow of the Big Bridge is a sight to see.

Sports

Detroit's got it all, and more, including professional sports teams and three world-class sports arenas ... downtown. See the hometown Detroit Tigers in their new state-of-the-art Comerica Stadium. They open the season April 4, with their first night game April 8.

If planning ahead's your style, book now for the biggest nightlife party of them all, when Detroit, home of the new Ford Field and Detroit Lions, hosts the Superbowl in January 2006!

Whatever your nightlife pleasure, you'll find plenty of what you're after in renewed, rebounding, revitalized Detroit.