Eastern Market

Signal Return Press specializes in gorgeous letterpress, doing their part to preserve the increasingly obscure art by offering workshops and open studio programs, and hosting visiting artists. If you're not in town during one of their events, it's still fun to stop by their shop, which has great cards, posters, and prints. It's a great place for picking up souvenirs.

If you’re looking for the best pizza in Detroit, this beloved Eastern Market spot is where you want to be. Chef Dave Mancini—who also owns the laid-back La Rondinella next door—offers 13 different kinds of pizza, ranging from tried-and-true favorites like margherita, pepperoni, and cheese to his "City Wing Thing": a thin-crust pie topped with smoked turkey, cherry peppers, smoked Gouda, and mozzarella. And, if you’re feeling choosy, Supino’s has a build-your-own option. Also to note: the pizzas here are wonderfully huge.

The Eastern Market sits just east of Midtown and is home to Detroit's well known, sprawling farmers market scene. There is always a reason to visit but the Saturday market is the largest, with more than 200 vendors, year round. June through September, there is also a crafts-focused Sunday market, and a smaller grocery market on Tuesdays. Outside of the market sheds, people also come to Eastern Market to see the surrounding murals; many are new although some original street art remains in the area. (More can be found in Southwest Detroit.) Other beloved Eastern Market spots include Trinosophes cafe and gallery, Red Bull House of Art, Detroit Distillery, and Italian eatery La Rondinella.

Next door to Trinosophes café is People's Records, one of the most notable record stores in the country. Run by longtime bassist and soul DJ, Brad Hales, Peoples specializes in soul (the collection of random, second-hand soul 45s here is extraordinary), but also carries rare jazz, R&B, and rock. Peoples has been around for more than a dozen years, surviving a fire, moving locations multiple times (they have a shop closer to Ferndale, too), meaning that Hales has amassed more than records in his time. The store is home to posters and old photographs, but he also opened a music archive museum attached to the other side of Trinosophes that draws from his deeper collection of artifacts and highlights musicians from Detroit's/Michigan's history. MAHS (Michigan Audio Heritage Society) can be thought of in juxtaposition to the Motown Museum—the exhibitions at MAHS bring to light less well known music contemporary to Motown, whereas at the Motown Museum you'll of course see some of the most commercially successful artists.

This Eastern Market café is much more than a coffee shop—although locals do love the food here (a mix of breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, and salads), and Trinosophes does make an all-star almond chai latte. The owners previously ran the esteemed Bohemian National Home programming, which went underground for a few years before finding a permanent home at Trinosophes, which functions as both a performance venue and art gallery. Trinosophes is responsible, for example, for the first solo exhibition in fifteen years of prominent Detroit artist Jim Crawford from the Cass Corridor movement, which includes some of his sculpture, mixed media, and photography. Still, you don't need a particular exhibition or show to bring you here. The long communal wood tables are a good excuse for an Eastern Market pit stop; plus Peoples Records is right next door.