Asmaa Walton’s guide to Detroit

I was born and raised in Detroit. My mom started working at the Detroit Institute of Arts when I was four years old, so I kind of grew up in that museum. I found my interest in art later – at the time I wanted to be a chef – but now I realise being there was a real privilege. 

Summers were fun as a kid. We went to Belle Isle, an island and state park off Detroit that’s known for its huge slide. It went viral a few years ago because they used too much wax and the slide was too fast, so people were bouncing around. As kids we went down the slide and it was kind of painful – but fun. There is an aquarium on Belle Isle, the oldest in the US, and beautiful botanical gardens. 

I left Detroit in 2012 to go to culinary school in Chicago but hated it: there wasn’t enough freedom to be creative, which took all of the fun out of cooking. Instead, I went to Michigan State University to study art education, then to New York for grad school and an arts fellowship in St Louis, where I started the Black Art Library. I didn’t learn about Black artists in any of my courses; I had to look up everything for myself. So I decided to create a collection of books and other art history ephemera to make it easier for people. Outside of looking at art in person, looking at it in a book is the next best thing. When I moved home in 2020, I exhibited the Black Art Library – now made up of more than 600 texts – at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) and downtown’s Detroit Foundation Hotel, an old firehouse with a really nice restaurant. 

Downtown Detroit has had a revitalisation over the past 10 years. The city is creating more green spaces and walking trails – a popular route is the Dequindre Cut, which connects to Eastern Market, our big farmers’ market. There’s also the Gratiot Central Meat Market in that area, as well as Trinosophes, a café that hosts the Detroit Art Book Fair in autumn. They have awesome vegan tacos and house-made buttermilk biscuits with a spiced blackberry jam. Nearby there’s also a sneaker boutique I love called Two 18.

You either live on the east or west side – which is the better is an ongoing dispute

Until recently my husband and I lived on the street I grew up on in midtown, where the cultural district is. The Detroit Institute of Art, the MOCAD and the Motown Museum are all close by. Because Wayne State University is in this area, it’s like a college town in the middle of a city. For a good Detroit-style pizza (known for its thick, fluffy crust) – try Michigan & Trumbull; it’s one of our favourite places. 

In Detroit you either live on the east or west side. Which side is the better is an ongoing dispute; growing up in midtown meant I was never part of that conversation. But now we’ve moved east, near to the Shepherd, a beautiful old Catholic church that has been completely renovated with two gallery spaces and a stage area for performances – Detroit’s Urban Art Orchestra premiered a new symphony at the opening last month. It also houses the Little Village Library, an accessible collection of art books and zines for the local community that I’m curating, and a pâtisserie run by award-winning chef Warda Bouguettaya.   

The bakery Sister Pie in east Detroit is also worth a visit; the salted maple pie gets rave reviews. And a good brunch recommendation is Ivy Kitchen + Cocktails, where I had an impromptu bridal shower last year. They do really good French toast, and my friend loves their salmon, shrimp and grits. I don’t like shrimp but she swears by it – and she’s lived in New Orleans, so she knows what she’s talking about. 

With the Little Village Library I want to highlight artists with a connection to Michigan, like Sonya Clark and Nick Cave, who both studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, a suburb 20 miles north-west of the city. In downtown Detroit we have the People Mover, a train that goes towards the tops of the buildings, which was always really exciting growing up. What’s interesting about it is that all of the stations have murals or mosaics; I just got a book about it called Art in the Stations for the collection. 

For a night out, you have to go to Deluxx Fluxx at least once: everything is neon and reflective, the floor is lit by multicoloured tiles, and they usually have good DJs such as Detroit native Sky Jetta. In the summertime, there’s an alleyway called The Belt where they throw parties, and an outside bar called The Skip that does frozen margaritas. For the past three summers, there’s also been a rollerskating rink downtown – I’m hoping it comes back. 

Detroit is a gem of a city. People don’t think we have a lot going on here, but you can really have a good time. I feel like it breeds very creative people. That’s the energy that I love.