In any other city, March 13 is just another day. But here in the Motor City, we take any excuse to show our civic pride. To celebrate 3/13, here is a list of 13 iconic activities to prove your love for Detroit.
1. Eat a Coney Dog
Nothing says Detroit quite like a hot dog smeared in chili, sprinkled with onions, and drizzled with yellow mustard. All that’s left to decide is whether to get it from Lafayette Coney Island or American Coney Island. Don’t forget to wash it down a Vernor’s Ginger Ale.
2. Get pie and coffee for $3.13 at Sweet Potato Sensations
Among the Detroit businesses dishing out deals to celebrate the holiday is Sweet Potato Sensations. For the price of $3.13, you can get a 4-inch pie and a hot cup of Joe.
Find them at 17337 Lahser Rd., Detroit; 313-532-7996
3. Catch some live music at the Old Miami
Get lost in the sounds of P8tience, Big Herk, VStylez, and tons of other guests inside Old Miami — all for the low, low price of $13.
Old Miami 3930 Cass Ave, Detroit; 313-831-3830
4. Get that Old English D Tattoo you’ve always wanted
Bloodline Dynasty Tattoos in Farmington Hills is offering small Detroit D’s for $20 all day. Make the 313 part of your body so you can rep your city permanently.
Bloodline Dynasty Tattoos 29154 Grand River Ave., Farmington Hills; 248-881-8135
5. Watch the Tigers play the Yankees in spring training
The season doesn’t start until next month but Tigers fans can still tune in to watch our team take the field against the Yankees at 1:05 p.m. during spring training play.
6. Visit the Motown Museum
From The Temptations to The Supremes, Motown put Detroit on the musical map. Celebrate 313 Day by taking a walk down memory lane and witnessing the spots where history was written and records were broken.
Hitsville USA 2648 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-875-2264
7. Take the edge off with a brew from one of Detroit's many brewpubs
Detroit has been a key player in Michigan’s craft beer boom. Whether putting Michigan beers on tap or brewing them in-house, Detroit drink spots like Grand Trunk Pub, Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, Hopcat Detroit, or the new Founders location are great go-tos for a cold one.
8. Ride the QLine for the hell of it
Bask in the beauty that is Woodward Avenue and celebrate by spending the big bucks at some of our favorite restaurants lining the 3.3-mile route. From The Whitney to Townhouse, surely one of the 26 restaurants we compiled will satisfy your craving.
9. Bump fists with The Fist
Celebrate the holiday by fist bumping one of our most iconic legends: Joe Louis. Erected in Hart Plaza, the gigantic fist is a monument to the Detroit boxer and it makes for some great photo ops.
10. Take an iconic Detroit selfie
If you didn’t take a picture with the Spirit of Detroit, did you even go to Detroit? If an Eastern Market mural is more your aesthetic, there's always that option too. If you’re not sure which will fit the vibe of your Instagram feed, then check out our list of 17 iconic selfies that prove you’re a Detroiter.
11. Visit the DIA
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a right of passage for many Metro Detroiters and residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County get free, unlimited general museum admission. If you’ve never been, let 313 Day be your reason to finally visit.
Detroit Institute of Arts 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-7900
12. Sink your teeth in a Detroit-Style pizza
Now everybody in the 3-1-3, sink your teeth into some pizza that’s extra crisp-y! (See what we did there?) Visit Buddy’s, Original Buscemis, or Detroit Style Pizza Co. for our take on 'Zza. It can go toe-to-toe with any Brooklyn, Chicago, or California pie.
13. Listen to your favorite Detroit artists at an unreasonably high volume
Whether it’s Eminem, the MC5, Jack White, J Dilla, Smokey Robinson, Bob Seger, Danny Brown, ICP, or Moodymann, blast their songs on your record player or through your car’s aux cord. Celebrate the sounds that make this city so special.
Anthony Spak is an editorial intern with the Metro Times and a recent graduate of Oakland University’s journalism program.
Miriam Marini is an editorial intern with the Metro Times. She is a sophomore at Wayne State University studying journalism and women’s studies.
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