Take Five

Ken Meyers
Chief Curator and Curator of American Art, Detroit Institute of Art

"As someone who is deeply invested in our reinstallation of the gallery, I spend much of the day at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Since I'm curator of American Art, I find myself in the American wing showing off our great collection.

When it's lunchtime, sometimes I take people to Slows, where I usually have the baby back ribs with the North Carolina sauce. Other times, it's Russell Street Deli in Eastern Market for soup, a sandwich and a sense of how wonderful the market is on a Saturday.

If it's a little more formal, I might suggest the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC), and make sure we go into the drawing room where the DAC has some great paintings on display."

Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, 48202 DD
(313) 833-7900
www.dia.org

Slows Bar BQ
2138 Michigan Ave.
Detroit, 48216 DD
(313) 962-9828
www.slowsbarbq.com

Russell Street Deli
2465 Russell St.
Detroit, 48207 DD
(313) 567-2900
www.russellstreetdeli.com

Eastern Market
Russell St. and Gratiot
Detroit, 48207 DD
(313) 833-9300
www.detroiteasternmarket.com

Detroit Athletic Club
241 Madison Ave.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 963-9200
www.thedac.com

Nick Haddad
(aka Captn20), DJ, MGM Grand Detroit Casino

"I am kind of partial to the MGM Grand. You can take out-of-town guests to a restaurant like Bourbon Steak, walk right over to V Nightclub and stay overnight at the hotel. You get the whole Vegas experience in one place. There are a ton of other great places and towns in metro Detroit that I like, too: downtown Birmingham during the day and Crave restaurant in Dearborn.

For a classic Detroit underground experience, there are a lot of hidden places downtown depending on what you're looking for. The Baltimore is a hole in the wall, but it has that awesome Detroit vibe about it. St. Andrew's Hall with battling and people standing around in a circle — that's what Detroit is about. Or there's the Bosco in Ferndale, where there might be a random party with a set of turntables in the middle of the room, and everyone is standing on the tables and chairs going crazy.

What's great about this year is the Detroit Lions were obviously on an upswing. We had some guests in from out of town, and they were amazed at the energy and vibe Detroit fans had compared to fans in their own city."

MGM Grand Detroit Casino
(Bourbon Steak, V Nightclub)
1777 Third St.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 465-1777
www.mgmgranddetroit.com

Crave Lounge
22075 Michigan Ave.
Dearborn, 48124 DW
(313) 277-7283
www.cravelounge.com

The Baltimore
1234 Randolph St.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 964-2728

St. Andrew's Hall
431 E. Congress St.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 961-8961
www.saintandrewsdetroit.com

The Bosco
22930 Woodward Ave.
Ferndale, 48220 O
(248) 541-8818

Julian Pavone
The World's Youngest Drummer® (so says Guinness World Records)

"I like the Motown Historical Museum where music all began. It's like a second home to me. I think it's a really cool place because music touches your heart and soul. I like to dance like Michael Jackson. It's really fun. I love Michael Jackson so much.

I played at the North American International Auto Show Charity Preview and ABC Detroit Family Day. It was so cool and I was so excited. I have also performed at the Masonic Temple.

When the Guinness crew came from London, we went to Umi Sushi in Shelby Township and Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit. I also like Blufin Sushi on Mack Avenue. It's really good and I love the food there, especially the chicken teriyaki and cucumber rolls."

Motown Historical Museum
2648 W. Grand Blvd.
Detroit, 48208 DD
(313) 875-2264
www.motownmuseum.com

The Masonic of Detroit
500 Temple St.
Detroit, 48201 DD
(313) 832-7100
www.themasonic.com

Umi Sushi
12137 23 Mile Road
Shelby Twp., 48315 M
(586) 726-8360
www.helloumisushi.com

Hard Rock Cafe Detroit
45 Monroe St.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 964-7625
www.hardrock.com

Blufin Sushi
18584 Mack Ave.
Grosse Pointe Farms, 48236 DW
(313) 332-0050
www.blufinsushi.com

Karyn Watson
(aka "Deborah Hitz'em"), blocker, Bath City Roller Girls

"We do derby out of Gibraltar Trade Center in Mount Clemens. Even though it's a public market, I think people like it for the bouts because it has an industrial feel. After practice, we sometimes hit local bars like Johnny G's for the atmosphere and music.

For dinner, I frequent Xochimilco in Mexicantown — the chicken flautas and margaritas are the best around. And when downtown, I like to take in a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park or Red Wings hockey at Joe Louis Arena.

When it comes to shopping, I love The Mall at Partridge Creek because of its open-air atmosphere and the restaurants. It's great to be able to walk around outside.

When I'm with my daughter, we like to visit the Detroit Zoo. The giraffes are her favorite.

Since my family grew up in Hamtramck, we're big on Polish heritage stuff. My daughter is even a Polish dancer. She performs during the Michigan Polish Festival at the American Polish Century Club and marches in the Polish Day Parade in Hamtramck."

Gibraltar Trade Center
237 N. River Road
Mount Clemens, 48043 M
(586) 465-6440
www.gibraltartrade.com

Johnny G's
27 N. Walnut St.
Mount Clemens, 48043 M
(586) 469-8388

Xochimilco Restaurant
3409 Bagley St.
Detroit, 48216 DD
(313) 843-0179

The Mall at Partridge Creek
17420 Hall Road
Clinton Twp., 48038 M
(586) 226-0330
www.shoppartridgecreek.com

Detroit Zoo
8450 W. 10 Mile Road
Royal Oak, 48067 O
(248) 541-5717
www.detroitzoo.org

Camilo Pardo
Artist and Vehicle Designer, The Bankle Building

"I like to bring guests right to my studio on Woodward Avenue in the Bankle Building. We usually chill out there a bit and walk around. It's visually entertaining — there's so much going on with lots of artwork and cars. Then, I'll take them for a spin around the city in my Ford GT. What I like to do is get on I-75, take that north to I-94 and take that west to the Lodge. Then, I get off on Jefferson and shoot back to I-75 north. You can keep doing that lap around the city. You get a really good look at downtown and some good acceleration. It's like my own little track.

After that, we usually hit a network of bars like the Bronx Bar, the Old Miami and Northern Lights. I also like Union Street. When people come from out of town, I don't take them to any big places or clubs. I take them to what I call the 'little nasty bars.'

I used to take everybody for a spin on my boat, a '77 Bonzi. We'd hop on, shoot out into Lake St. Clair, kick on some tunes and have a few beers."

Bankle Building
2944 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, 48201 DD

Bronx Bar
4476 Second Ave.
Detroit, 48201 DD
(313) 832-8464

The Old Miami
3930 Cass Ave.
Detroit, 48201 DD
(313) 831-3830

Northern Lights Lounge
660 W. Baltimore St.
Detroit, 48202 DD
(313) 873-1739

Union Street Saloon
4145 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, 48226 DD
(313) 831-3965
www.unionstreetdetroit.com

Getting There

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