Quick Post
Last Saturday, I was in the outer reaches of our coverage area and thought I’d swing by Waycaster Tiki on my way home. I’ve wanted to visit since it opened back in December, and I finally got the chance to go to South Lyon.
From the outside, only the sign and a few tiki decorations hint at what's inside the nondescript building.
The interior tells a different story.
Stepping in the door, you’ll need a few seconds for your eyes to adjust. The lighting is very low and designed to give chill and intimate vibes.
Once I could see... I was blown away!
The well-decorated interior seats 40 people, divided into several cozy sections designed for small groups rather than centered around a main area.
Each unique seating area offers something different – one separated by vine curtains, another featuring a bar counter with paired stools.
As I was alone, I chose one of the four stools at the bar.
Behind the bar was the usual array of backlit bottles, but crowning the back bar were two shelves that held a variety tiki mugs in various shapes.
The tiki mugs on display at Waycaster Tiki
The menu was small, but on point.
Each page held an image and a description of a single drink — some with the expected rum, some with gin, and some with tequila. There was even a giant shareable cocktail on the menu. Beer was available, as were nonalcoholic drinks.
I sampled three cocktails: a Tradewinds, Singapore Sling and Jungle Bird. Each drink was delicious and very different from each other.
There is also a “Rations” section of the menu that has dried fruits and nuts, cheeses, and cured meats.
My Palm Plate included mango ginger cheese, brie, honey, dried fruit and pita crisps. It was a great snack to pair with my drinks.
When I got there in the late afternoon, the bar had a sparse crowd and the friendly staff were happy to chat with me.
As day turned into night, things started to pick up as reservation holders arrived. The tiki music that plays all the time could still be heard, but various conversations blended together to make the place sound lively.
I definitely plan to return to Waycaster Tiki! Next time, with friends.
You will find it at 228 S Lafayette Street in South Lyon.
Check out their website at https://www.waycastertiki.com for hours and to make a reservation.
"Cozy' and "neighborly" are two words that popped into my head when I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new café and plant shop in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood today.
Having had the idea for a couple years, co-owners Alan Alexander and Adam Cichy opened last November but waited until warmer weather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Key in making this happen was a $70,000 Motor City Match grant to help with construction, equipment, and furniture.
I enjoyed light snacks made by Alan, and I sipped a warm, honey vanilla latte.
With training at the Culinary Institute of America and an eye for design, the owners created a space that made me want to return.
On the menu you'll find coffee and tea, plus lunch items like chicken salad sandwiches, and smoke salmon carpaccio.
Plus, there's unique home goods, and you will be given care guidance if you purchase a plant.
Alcohol may be in the future as Alan and Adam are working on obtaining a liquor license.
dose. detroit is located at 3706 4th Street. It is open every day except for Monday.
I was headed down Oakland Avenue over the weekend and saw some big construction work happening on what will become a mixed-use building with retail spaces, apartments and a parking lot out back.
Built in 1925, the commercial block was on the city's demo list until the non-profit Stafford House put the project forward.
It'll have four ground-floor commercial spaces at about 1,000 square foot each. Last I could find, there'd be a coffee shop, training center, retail and offices for an engineering company.
The second floor will have 10 affordable apartments.
The project aims to be complete by the end of this year.
Detroit is getting ready for a pivotal election! Residents will choose the next mayor in 2025. This is important because the mayor leads the city and helps solve problems for the next four years.
Daily Detroit wants to help you learn about the people who want to be mayor. There are 10 people running, and we are talking to them one by one. So far, we've shared talks with 3 of them.
In these talks, you can hear about who the candidates are and what they plan to do for Detroit. It's a good way to understand their ideas before you vote.
Here are links to the three conversations we have so far:
Fred Durhal III
Jer Staes
Saunteel Jenkins
Jer Staes
Mary Sheffield
Jer Staes
We plan on talking to more people running for mayor soon, so keep listening to Daily Detroit!
Remember these important dates for the election:
- Primary on August 5, 2025: A vote to pick fewer people to run.
- General on November 4, 2025: The final vote to choose the mayor.
If you're a candidate and would like to join us (for mayor or city council), get in touch.
The free festival this year is the weekend of May 3rd and 4th. It's been running since 1966.
You can get all the details here but I'm looking forward to the traditional Polish food and the strawberry pies. Since I can eat there or take it home, I'll grab an extra pie for the road.
I'm Polish, but you don't need to be to attend.
Both days. there will be live music from local bands like the Polish Muslims, Kamerton, and the Kielbasa Kings. And don't miss the folk dances Sunday.
If you didn't know, St. Florian is the patron saint of firefighters. To honor that, on Saturday there's a firefighters march at 3:30p from the Hamtramck fire station to the church — followed by a mass at 4p.
St. Florian is at 2026 Poland Street in Hamtramck.
The 5% overall increase in service (starting today) means 13 routes will see more frequent buses, and 17 routes are to see expanded service hours on weekends, says press materials from the Detroit Department of Transportation.
This is in large part thanks to a $20 million increase in DDOT's budget, with money for additional maintenance, mechanics and bus stop staff. Another $2.7m is for more shelters and benches across the city.
45 new buses are joining the fleet, which will become nearly a quarter hybrid coaches.
Weekday Frequency Improvements
- 2-Michigan, 5-Van Dyke/Lafayette, 31-Mack: Improve daytime peak frequency to 20 minutes (up from 30 minutes)
- 3-Grand River, 7-Seven Mile, 10-Greenfield : Improve midday base to every 15 minutes (up from 20 minutes)
- 17-Eight Mile: Improve midday base service to every 20 minutes (up from 30 minutes)
- 18-Fenkell: Improve daytime frequency to every 40 minutes on weekdays (up from 45-50 minutes)
Weekend Frequency Improvements
- 1-Vernor, 5-Van Dyke/Lafayette : 45 minute daytime frequency on Sundays (up from 60 minutes)
- 3-Grand River, 6-Gratiot, 7-Seven Mile : Improve Saturday daytime service to every 20 minutes (up from 30 minutes)
- 8-Warren: 30 minute daytime frequency on Saturdays and 45 minute daytime frequency on Sundays (both up 15 minutes each)
29-Linwood: 50 minute daytime seven days/week (up from 60 minutes)
23-Hamilton/John R: 45 minute peak weekday service (up from 60 minutes)
Saturday and Sunday span improvements
17 routes will run from 7a to 9p. Previous hours had started later and ended earlier, be sure to check your schedules.
My pro tip: For now, I'm using the Transit app. I'm a regular bus rider, and having real-time tracking is quite helpful because although progress, there's still a long way to go.
According to press materials, it'll open on April 24, 2025 and will be in the old Andiamo spot on Main Street in downtown Royal Oak.
This will be the 71st location for the chain that was founded in 2010. They offer broths simmered for 20 hours, traditional Japanese rice bowls, handcrafted noodles, craft cocktails, craft beer, and more.
They also have what they call "premium" toppings like tender pork chashu, shrimp wonton and seasoned eggs.
The Royal Oak location will be open Sunday through Wednesday from 11a to 10p and Thursday through Saturday from 11a to 11p.
As Opening Day faded into the night, I noticed a vacant commercial space in Downtown Detroit come back alive as the new High Spirits bar soft opened.
Located in the old Garden Pub space (also known as St. Brigid's Bathtub Pub) between Lafayette Gardens and Lafayette Coney Island, the interior of the space has chic vibes without being overly dapper.
Owner Nick Kefallinos told me the grand opening is aimed for the middle of April.
Because of the limitations of the building — High Spirits will be drinks only, and might partner with others for food.
Located at 125 Michigan Avenue in Detroit, they have an Instagram you can follow.
A partnership between Ste. Anne's and the newly-formed The Catholic Initiative is paying for a $30 million rehabilitation of the Basilica of Ste. Anne, aiming to guarantee its future for the next couple hundred years.
Built in 1886, Ste. Anne's is one of 89 churches in the U.S. to have the "minor basilica" distinction. It is the eighth structure in the parish's history. Ste. Anne's dates back to July 26, 1701, two days after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and a group of French people traveled from Quebec and settled in Detroit.
The parish's history is linked to the whole state. One of its early pastors Fr. Gabriel Richard printed the first newspaper in Michigan, co-founded the University of Michigan, and was a delegate to Congress from the Michigan territory.
The Vatican approved this partnership. Part of the agreement transfers ownership of the building and campus to a non-profit to preserve the basilica and property.
The Catholic Initiative assumes all responsibility for maintenance and renovation, while the Ste. Anne's parish retains exclusive and permanent rights to use the property as a Catholic church and basilica through a 200 year renewable lease.
The Catholic Initiative is supported by the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, paying for $111 million in projects to guarantee long-term perpetuity for community institutions and programs.
Coffee Down Under, an Aussie-inspired basement coffeeshop at Shelby and Congress in Detroit's Financial District, will be done on March 15. They had been open for four years.
For some time now, a one-person operation has been all we can justify, but that has come with a bit too much unpredictability for the kind of reliable experience we strive to offer our guests.
While this chapter is coming to an end, we’re already working on ideas for what’s next—whether it’s a new concept in our space or the right partner to better suit the space and the evolving downtown landscape. If you have thoughts, we’d love to hear them!
The closure will not impact The Shelby, the bar next door.
I interviewed Coffee Down Under owner Tarun Kajeepeta for PBS Detroit at the start of 2023. He raised concerns then about the decline in office workers.
Of the three businesses I talked to for this piece, two are now gone from downtown. One left their retail space and consolidated at a building they own in Hamtramck, and the other restaurant is open — but has more limited hours and days than before COVID.
In a number of follow-up conversations, I've been told that the area seems to now have more foot traffic on weekends and evenings than during the day as more regional tourists spend time in downtown Detroit.