Michigan Central Station

Mike used to drive into Detroit just to photograph this building. A decade ago that meant a hollowed-out hulk with every window punched out and graffiti climbing the walls — the most photographed ruin in America, and a pilgrimage for anyone trying to understand what had happened to the city. Standing in the Grand Hall now, under 54 feet of restored Guastavino tile, is genuinely disorienting if you carry those older pictures around in your head.

The turnaround is complete and then some. The gift shop is a real one — Detroit-made goods, books, and a vinyl section priced far more reasonably than the surroundings would suggest. Yellow Light Coffee & Donuts handles the caffeine, Neighbor x Folk covers the thoughtfully sourced retail side, and there was a bar pouring cocktails the afternoon we went. Best of all, the building works for a living again: a wedding was underway during our visit, which felt exactly right for a place that spent thirty years hosting nothing at all.

Come for the architecture, stay for the strangeness of watching a ruin turn back into a functioning building. It’s the best possible first stop for out-of-town guests in Corktown, and the most convincing thing on our Do list.