Dowtown Meet Up this Thursday, February 25th
February 22, 2010 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
Do you work in Greater Downtown? Do you go to the same few restaurants for lunch all the time? Do you always go right home after work? Well Inside Detroit and the Downtown Detroit Partnership want to make sure you know about all that Greater Downtown has to offer, as well as get you connected to others just like you who work downtown.
It’s time to get out of the office and see the city in a new light with its over 125 bars and restaurants, 13,000 theater seats and numerous free parks and activities.
Join downtown co-workers and Inside Detroit for monthly Meet-Ups at some of Detroit’s favored locations. We’ll be bringing everyone together for free appetizers, special drink pricing, introductions to new and interesting people and great conversations.
February Downtown Meet Up at Pulse Lounge
Thursday, February 25
4:30 p.m – 7:30 p.m.
RSVP Recommended
Click HERE to RSVP.
Inside Detroit’s Jeanette Pierce dares you: Fall in love with Detroit (yes, Detroit)
January 26, 2010 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
by LISA SINGH on JANUARY 16, 2010
She’s got a thing for Detroit: Inside Detroit’s Jeanette Pierce. Photo: Lisa Singh Jeanette Pierce was feeling a little tired the other morning. Then she got to talking. About Detroit.
Watch out!
“I get really excited,” said Pierce, by phone. “Detroit’s kind of my drug of choice … I’m not allowed to have caffeine and talk about Detroit at the same time.”
Before we go any further, let’s get a few things off the table. Yes, Pierce lives in Detroit, and yes, she “loves” it. But, no, she’s not stuck here.
“People think we must be here because we can’t sell our homes,” says Pierce. “That is not the case. If you gave me a million dollars I wouldn’t live anywhere else. The more I travel, the more I love Detroit.”
TIME’s Detroit House. Photo: Steven Gray No matter what the critics say. This past fall, TIME bought a house (right) near downtown Detroit. There, a bevy of journalists camp out in between reporting on the city. So, why the media fixation? The country’s economic and innovative potential — its middle class — largely started here. Then, came the decline. The 1967 riots. The foreign automakers. And the jokes that keep on coming. Like the other night on Conan O’Brien.
None of which shakes Pierce’s belief in the city — or her passion for sharing its story. She’s a third-generation Detroiter (her great-grandparents settled in the area, from Poland.) Along with fellow Detroit native Maureen Kearns, Pierce started a tour guide company, Inside Detroit, four years ago and, get this, 2009 was the company’s best year yet — yes, the same year that brought us more news of the Big Three Auto bailout and a terror attack on a US flight to Detroit.
“If all you do is watch the news, it’s depressing,” says Pierce. “But the life I live is not depressing … every day, when I wake up, I’m happy to be in Detroit.”
Detroit: From the ashes
Detroit’s motto since 1806: “We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes.” Part small town, part big city, Detroit’s where community and entrepreneurial spirit meet, and where the latest rebirth is underway, says Pierce. It’s been that way from the start. Back in 1805, the city burned completely to the ground but was soon rebuilt, earning it the state motto, “Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus” — Latin for, “We hope for better things; it shall rise again.”
Pierce isn’t just hoping for better things; she’s helping make it happen. With the North American Auto Show underway, Inside Detroit is offering tours of the city that take on the question: “Is Detroit Really Dying?”
American Detours: What gave you the idea to start Inside Detroit?
Jeanette Pierce: In 2001, I studied abroad in Malaga, Spain. Living in a downtown community where you have access to people and culture showed me the possibilities of walking all over a city. So, when I came back to Detroit, my love for the city — and my desire to live downtown — made me fall in love with the city all over again … the history, the architecture, the small businesses thriving downtown. There wasn’t a great venue for other people to learn those types of things, though. Then I met my business partner, Maureen Kearns. She had realized something similar.
American Detours: What are some surprising finds in Detroit?
Jeanette Pierce: Our architecture. Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center, was in Detroit early in his career; he did a skyscraper here that is similar to the World Trade Center. The Guardian Building, one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire country, is here. Campus Martius Park was voted fourth best public square in North America.
American Detours: What are some misconceptions about Detroit?
Jeanette Pierce: That if you come to Detroit you’ll get shot. Downtown Detroit actually has 37 percent less crime than the national average. There are more businesses opening up than I keep up with. In the last year, we’ve had several projects including Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, a $200 million restoration of a historic hotel and the opening of Iron Chef Michael Symon’sRoast Restaurant.
American Detours: What lessons does Detroit hold for the nation?
Jeanette Pierce: One lesson is to reverse sprawl. Detroit is booming. We have people moving here to build urban farms, anyone can come here and live their dreams. That’s only because people ignored it for so long. There’s 125 bars and restaurants in the one-square mile of downtown Detroit. We have only one national chain, Hard Rock, and even there my best friend from high school is head of sales. So, what’s making Detroit thrive is that we have the strongest sense of community.
American Detours: What’s next for Inside Detroit?
Jeanette Pierce: 2009 was our best year, and 2010 has already started with a bang. We’re about to hire six to eight people. We’re also a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We recently got our first grant through the Hudson Webber Foundation. They have an initiative: 15,000 new residents of greater downtown Detroit by 2015. We’re working with them on that.
American Detours: You’re offering tours throughout the North American Auto Show.
Jeanette Pierce: Yes, we’re offering tours to any journalist. We’ll personalize the tours, and show them the “dying city” they so desperately want to find. But we know, when they’re done, they’re going to have a whole new perspective on Detroit. We’re also doing a public bus tour and a pub crawl. But we warn you: Be prepared to fall in love and want to move here, because that happens a lot.
Tagged as: Conan O’Brien, Detroit, Inside Detroit, Jeanette Pierce, North American Auto Show, TIME
New Years Eve Speakeasy Tour – 4 Insider Places, 1 Fabulous New Years!
December 19, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
NYE Speakeasy Tour
Are you tired of the same old options for New Years Eve? Do you really want to pay a bunch of money to stay in one place all night? Instead, join us on our New Year’s Eve Speakeasy Tour. We’ll take you to 3 of the most insider places in town. They’re all a bit swanky if you want to dress up and a tad divey if you don’t really feel like it!
We’ll gather at the Welcome Center, enjoying free drinks and snacks before heading out to the infamous D’mongo’s Speakeasy. Then we’ll walk to the very underground, swanky-dive bar Studio 54 before ending the night with great music and a midnight toast at the yet-to-open Motor City Wine Bar.
December 31, 8:00PM – 1:00AM
$35 in advance $45 after 12/21
Includes one hour of free beer/wine/specialty drinks and snacks, all cover charges, free shots and other surprises throughout the night.
Click HERE or on the Public Tours link to buy tickets.
Inside Detroit Looking for Paid Part-Time Tour Guide/Detroit Ambassador!
December 1, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
Energetic, enthusiastic Tour Guide/ Detroit Ambassador wanted for part-time position with growing non profit. Must have a passion for the city of Detroit, public speaking experience and strong interpersonal skills. Applicants must be able to retain historical facts, dates and anecdotes and be able to relate that information to visitors in an interesting, informative way. A flexible schedule is a plus. Detroit resident preferred.
Job Tasks
- Lead walking, bus and Segway tours
- Give presentations about Detroit to large groups
- Be a spokesperson for Inside Detroit throughout the community
Please email info@insidedetroit.org with your resume and why you think you would be an outstanding Detroit Tour Guide and Ambassador.
Pre-Lighting Bar Tour, Shop Detroit and the Inside Detroit Holiday Party!
November 17, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
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Shop @ The Local 1253 inside Inside Detroit
July 27, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
Say hello to The Local 1253: Detroit | A Collection of Arts, Crafts & Goods! Our boutique showcases locally designed and handcrafted items produced by Detroit area artists, craftspeople, and merchants. Items include Detroit-themed products, as well as non-themed products. For those of us who like to wear our Detroit love on our sleeves (well, chests or backs, really) we have plenty of cool shirts (including some youth and baby). We also have jewelry, home goods, candles, specialty soaps, bags and totes, photography, note cards, and post cards.
Our featured vendors, so far, include:
City Bird (Detroit themed home & paper goods)
Sarah Lapinski (of Wound Menswear & Motor City Sewing: tees, jewelry)
Detroit Shirt Company (t-shirts)
Detroit Manufacturing Company (t-shirts)
Bettula (birch-bark jewelry)
Motor City Candleworks
Jennifer Quigley (handbags, pillows)
Photography by: Stephen McGee, Christian Spencer, Nicole Cummings
Why Detroit? Check out this video!
July 26, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
Last fall I spent a few hours with Tom Hendrickson and his Model D video camera. Here’s an awesome video overview of why I love my city and my neighborhood so much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG21CWIWyIo
Channel 4 Comes on a Segway Tour…and Loves It!
July 26, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
Channel 4 Steve Garagiola had a great time on the Segway Tour…check out the article and watch the video below!
Detroit Launches Motorized Tour
Tour Down Riverwalk On Segway Scooter
POSTED: Friday, July 24, 2009
Participants can zoom along the Riverwalk at 12.5 mph on a Segway scooter, get up close and personal with the stadiums, the Fox Theatre and even stop into the Guardian Building.
Watch: 
Tour Down Riverwalk On Segway Scooter
Below are some fun facts that you will learn on the tour:
Inside Detroit is nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote Detroit as a preferred destination to live, work and play by educating the public about Detroit’s history, culture, community and livability.
Segway Tours Come to Detroit!
July 24, 2009 by Maureen Kearns
Filed under Uncategorized
Yes…they’re finally here! Segway Tours of Detroit! It’s our Highlights Tour on steroids!
This Segway Tour will show you what makes Detroit shine, including major landmarks, new developments and historical gems. You’ll zoom along the beautiful Riverwalk, get up close and personal with the Stadiums and Fox Theater and even stop and go into the gorgeous Guardian Building, all while enjoying the amazing speed and mobility of the revolutionary Segway!
When: Saturday, July 25, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (and every Saturday)
Where: Tour starts at the Inside Detroit Welcome Center located at 1253 Woodward
Cost: $55.00 per person (Must be 16 years old or older)
For more information, to purchase tickets or to schedule a personalized tour, visit www.insidedetroit.org, call 313-268-6562 or stop into Inside Detroit’s Downtown Welcome Center located at 1253 Woodward Avenue between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
We can also schedule private tours for groups of 5 or 6 people.
Patio Bar Tour This Saturday…and Thursday July 30th too!
July 9, 2009 by Jeanette Pierce
Filed under Uncategorized
Summer is here and the livin’ is easy! We’ll be keeping it cool on some of our favorite patios with special pricing, introductions, the occasional free shot and tons of fun!
Meet @ Enoteca, 660 Woodward Ave.
Saturday, July 11, 2009 8PM – midnight
$15 in advance/$20 day of event 21+ only
and/or
Thursday, July 30, 2009 5:30PM – 8:30PM
$10 in advance/$15 day of event 21+ only
