People ask me what’s been the most surprising part of living downtown. Once I warm up to the individual, I tell them how pleasantly surprised I am by the endless menu of events happening in Detroit. Just about every evening there is a great event being thrown by a local non-profit, theater, hipster, museum, company, etc. To illustrate, let me re-cap my Friday night from a couple of weeks ago.
5:30pm: Right after work there is a happy hour mixer for various fellowship programs in the city. It was a terrific opportunity to hear how other young professionals are making an impact in the city. The event was held at D: Hive and had a good assortment of drinks and food, including a delicious mushroom pastry about which I still have dreams (I am a mushroom fanatic).
7:15pm: I walked two blocks to the Downtown Synagogue on Griswold to catch Friday night services. There was a spirited group of about 50 people that participated in a boisterous and melodic service.
8:45pm After services I invited my friends from New York City to the community Friday night meal at the synagogue. This is a weekly tradition open to anyone (it’s vegetarian friendly).
10:30pm: I head over to a shoe design competition at the Red Bull Art Gallery. The gallery is in an inconspicuous warehouse in the Eastern Market.
Saturday morning 12:30am: I get invited to a party in Hamtramck, but decline because I am exhausted.
Saturday, 1:30pm At lunch at a downtown restaurant, I run into some friends, who tell me that they were partying until 3am, and proceed to make fun of me for having gone to sleep at 1am the night before.