Leopold's Books 15 E. Kirby St., Detroit; 313-875-4677; leopoldsbooks.com: More of a book boutique than a traditional bookstore, Leopold's carries a small, somewhat quirky selection of publications. There's an emphasis on graphic novels, comic books, local authors, indie efforts and art mags. 

The Majestic Complex includes the Majestic Theatre, Majestic Café, Magic Stick, Garden Bowl and Sgt. Pepperoni's Pizza; 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-9700; majesticdetroit.com: Wayne State is fortunate to have a world-renowned rock venue that's a hop, skip and a jump from campus, and it houses three separate performance spaces, a pizzeria, café and a bowling alley.

Mantra 3401 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-657-0728: Selling items ranging from "tasteful to tacky, kitschy to wacky," this resale shop is like a "best of" compilation of a thousand garage sales.

Marwil Bookstore 4870 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-832-3078; marwilbookstore.com: In business since 1948, Marwil specializes in textbooks for students, but also has a very good magazine selection

Motor City Brewing Works 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-832-2700; motorcitybeer.com: This brewpub has a quirky interior decorated with tile, a concrete bar, popular Wednesday-night art shows, and a sturdy menu of pizzas and small plates. For less than $10, you can get a pizza made with ingredients as local as possible. The excellent beers include classics and a rotating cast of summer brews, meads and more.

Northern Lights 660 W. Baltimore St.; 313-873-1739: A stylish bar and performance venue with a snazzy interior and solid bar fare, from burgers to salads to calamari. Kitchen closed on weekends.

Old Miami 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-3830: Basically, it's your classic dive bar, but, given the Vietnam War memorabilia on the walls, the urban oasis out back, and the eclectic events, there's still much to recommend this joint.

Peoples Records 4100 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-831-0864: This neighborhood vinyl store's stellar stock draws in locals and out-of-town collectors alike. What's more, the staff of local music-heads has collectively logged about a million needle-miles.

The Potato Place 107 W. Warren, Detroit; 313-833-8948: For more than 20 years, the Potato Place has served stuffed baked potatoes, soups, salads, sandwiches, subs, ice cream, and baked goods such as brownies and cakes all made in-house.

Re:View Contemporary Gallery 444 W. Willis St., Detroit; 313-833-9000; reviewcontemporary.com: This Midtown art gallery houses one-person and group shows, along the same strip as Avalon and Spiral Collective.

Seva Detroit 66 E. Forest Ave.; 313-974-6661; sevarestaurant.com: Detroit outpost of the fabled Ann Arbor eatery that pioneered vegetarian and vegan food. Menu choices are perhaps more enticing to those new to vegetarian dining.

Shangri-La 4710-12 Cass Ave.; 313-974-7669; midtownshangri-la.com: Quirky interior, attentive servers and excellent dim sum, those small plates that are something like Chinese tapas. 

Showcase Collectibles 3409 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-6397: A quirky and charming resale shop.

Showtime Clothing 5708 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-875-9280; showtimedetroit.com: Accommodating tastes from punk to rock, funk to rap, or whatever other sound Motown shoppers seek, Showtime can outfit customers for daytime and nighttime escapades. Mounds of color, sparkle and texture beg you to paw through them.

Slows to Go 4107 Cass Ave.; 877-569-7246: Where you can get Slows' nationally famous low-and-slow barbecue without the two-hour wait.

Sole Sisters 87 E. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-831-9013: Whether it's riding boots you'll wear with skirts all winter, strappy colorful sandals for spring weddings or animal-print clogs to throw on with jeans, the Sole Sisters have them.

Spiral Collective 4201 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-832-1155: A collective housing three female-owned businesses, including the Source — a nonfiction bookseller specializing in wellness, spirituality, metaphysics and history — the Tulani Rose gift shop, and the Dell Pryor Art Gallery. On the corner down the street from Avalon and Goodwell's.

Temptations 5260 Anthony Wayne Dr.; 313-832-4449; mitempt.com: Both prices and spices are quite mild at Temptations, clearly targeting Wayne State University students who may be new to Indian fare.

Traffic Jam & Snug 511 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-831-9470; trafficjamdetroit.com: The menu at Traffic Jam is diverse, catering to big meat eaters, vegetarians, drinkers and local flavor seekers. They keep many processes in-house, making their own ice cream, brewing their own beer, baking their own bread.

Union Street 4145 Woodward Ave. Detroit; 313-831-3965; unionstreetdetroit.com: Union Street has been a favorite spot for Wayne State students and staff for years, but the bar-restaurant is more than just a hot college spot. The bar offers 100 different bottled beers from around the world and a collection of quality, affordable wines.

Wasabi 15 E. Kirby St., Detroit; 313-638-1272; wasabidetroit.com: This restaurant serves a mix of Japanese and Korean cuisine. Yes, there's sushi, but also Japanese noodle dishes and proteins, as well as Korean bibimbap.

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