If you took a bunch of Polish people, Bengalis, old-school Detroiters and hipsters and packed them tightly into a couple square miles, plus probably enough bars so that you could go to one every day for a few weeks without repeating, you'd have yourself Hamtramck. It's a lot to navigate, so that's where our insiders come in.
Melody Baetens has lived in Hamtramck since 2003. She's been a bartender, a writer, a guitar player for a trio of bands, and a lover of Hamtramck.
He has seen his fair share of bars. As frontman of two bands, he has played nearly everywhere in the Detroit area, plus Europe and all over the U.S. Some of his favorites are in Hamtramck.
Gina Reichert and her husband Mitch Cope run Hamtramck's Design 99, an art and design incubator, retail shop, and gallery, all rolled into one. In the time that Design 99 has been around, nearly two years now, Reichert has scoped out the best spots in the city.
Clem Heckman wasn't too happy with South Bend, Indiana's music scene. So, you know what he did? He up and moved to Hamtramck. He loves the bakeries, the Polish cuisine, and... well... so much more.
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After Dark
Cafes and Hangouts