DETROIT, MICH.-There’s a saying, “It’s the people that make the place.” Hostel Detroit’s co-director Zach Fairchild would probably agree.
“We’re just trying to give a home base that is like a real Detroit experience,” he says of Hostel Detroit. “The people here are pretty resilient, they’ve been through a lot, there’s been a lot of culture that’s come out of this city, and I don’t think you really grasp that if you go stay at a chain hotel and don’t actually try and connect with anyone who’s actually living here.”
Connecting is a big part of Hostel Detroit’s vision.
Emily Doerr founded the non-profit hostel in 2011, when she could no longer handle the steady stream of couch surfers showing up at her condo every weekend. She saw a growing influx of travellers looking to connect and see Detroit from a local’s perspective.
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Doerr found a building to lease in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of North Corktown, and with volunteer labour transformed it into a cosy traveller’s haven. “You can see it’s pretty DIY here,” says Fairchild.
The hostel offers both private rooms and shared dorms, depending on a traveller’s budget. Every room is a different colour, with kitschy furniture and Detroit-themed art throughout. There’s even a den with an extensively quirky VHS collection.
Arriving in North Corktown, things do reflect some of the urban blight that has plagued Detroit; the streets are dotted with vacant lots and homes that look rundown.
“At first glance you might think, ‘Oh, this neighbourhood is slightly abandoned, is it safe?’ Then when you stay here for a while you realize most of these open fields are urban farms,” says Fairchild. “There’s people on the ground who are just trying to live intentionally, along with people that have been here forever.”
When you see the way Detroiters are innovating, the city takes on a whole new light. Getting to visit this firsthand is one of the best things about the hostel’s ambassador tours, which are offered every Saturday. A volunteer will drive you around to some of his or her favourite local businesses and cultural happenings.
In another city, getting into a car to ride around with a stranger would seem like a risky idea, but after staying a night at Hostel Detroit, it somehow seems natural. “It’s not really supposed to feel like a tour, it’s supposed to feel like you’re checking out the city with someone you’re friends with,” says Fairchild.
Driving around with Kevin Ward, who says he has been conducting ambassador tours almost every Saturday for the last five years and was kind enough to take me out on a Sunday, opened up a huge swathe of the city for exploration.
This is Motor City after all, and having a vehicle makes it easy to stop in different neighbourhoods. We drive to the West Village to get a coffee and a snack at Sister Pie (try the peanut butter paprika cookies) to the North End to tour a vacant lot that’s been transformed into a massive vegetable garden by the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative. The Heidelberg Project, Detroit’s art site that transformed parts of an entire city block into a colourful combatant of blight, is another must-see. Dinner is at Motor City Wine, where a delicious Filipino pop-up serves casual noodle dishes.
To an outsider, Detroit can feel overwhelming with its massive sprawl and the intimidation that comes with traversing a city filled with empty roads and vacant buildings. Yet there is a lot happening here — you just need to know where to find it. “That’s what makes it fun for us, I can break a misconception, and I can change a view point, and I don’t even really have to do anything except just show people or tell them about it,” says Fairchild. “Then they come back and they’re like, ‘holy crap I would never have expected that to be here!’”
Grace Lisa Scott was hosted by Hostel Detroit, which didn’t review or approve this story.
Grace Lisa Scott was hosted by Hostel Detroit, which didn’t review or approve this story.
When you go
Rooms at Hostel Detroit range from $30 to $64 (U.S.) and include access to laundry, three kitchens and free Wi-Fi. There are private rooms and shared dorms. You must book in advance as Hostel Detroit does not accept walk-ins.
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