Dubbed the Rust Belt in the 1980s due to a decline in profitability of America’s industrial heartland, the Northeast region comprised of the Great Lakes and a select portion of Midwestern states no longer lives up to its moniker. A renaissance is currently under way in former manufacturing meccas, ushering in a new era of creatives opening design properties, culinary incubators, and galleries everywhere from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin and tiny towns in the middle. Here, five Rust Belt boomtowns making this American region shine again.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
Formerly dubbed Steel City and now affectionately known as the ‘Burgh by locals, it’s no surprise this Pennsylvania locale is quickly attracting the state’s best and brightest: As the birthplace of legendary pop icon Andy Warhol and the location where Andrew Carnegie grew to be one of the richest men in the world, Pittsburgh is the forefront for the next generation of creative connoisseurs in the Northeast. Google now calls the town’s old Nabisco factory home; Uber tested its first driverless cars here; and new, community-focused hotels like Ace Hotel Pittsburgh are collaboratively beckoning in a new meaning to black and yellow pride.
Where to Stay
Kimpton Hotel Monaco may have been the first big hotel name to hit downtown Pittsburgh, but Ace Hotel Pittsburgh broke through the clutter, fusing hospitality and community with culturally curated effortlessness, perfectly evoking all that it means to be a creative in the ‘Burgh. Housed in a formerly abandoned YMCA building, Ace enlisted the talents of the city’s best artists, like the stained-glass master Glenn Greene, who crafted an above-door installation for the vestibule. Brent Young, Pittsburgh native and cofounder of The Meat Hook in Brooklyn, heads the property’s culinary programming, and a local list of DJs curate the in-room vinyl selections.
Where to Eat and Drink
Visit The Abbey on Butler Street for juice by morning and live music by night, and stop at Espresso a Mano to ensure you’re fully caffeinated for the day. Head to Pizza Taglio in East Liberty for the best Rome-inspired, thin-crust pizza, followed by post-dinner drinks in downtown at Sienna Mercato, a trilevel Italian eatery complete with a retractable rooftop bar, Il Tetto, where 36 beers are always on draft. Visit Conflict Kitchen for an immersive cultural experience, as this eatery serves only food from countries in standing conflict with the U.S. For Spanish-style or Argentine eats, head to Morcilla or Gaucho Parrilla Argentina, respectively, and Whitfield by Ace Hotel Pittsburgh is the perfect brunch stop for blueberry buttermilk pancakes. For a final foray into Pittsburgh’s culinary culture, end with a bang at the Smallman Galley, an inner-city, chef-inspired incubator, where two bars and four restaurants merge for 200-seats of communal fusion fare.
What to Do
Start your exploration of Pittsburgh with a visit to the city’s best shops. Drop in Who New? Retro-Mod Decor for quirky vintage home accessories, and take a visit to Von Walter & Funk for an eclectic mix of the finer things, like liquor decanters and copper Moscow Mule mugs. Shift to the arts at the part-gallery, part-design shop Contemporary Craft, which will keep you curiously wandering the shelves of pottery and jewelry for hours on end. Visit Kelly Strayhorn Theater for dance, music and performance art, and a stop at Frick Art & Historical Center is a must, one of the best preserved Gilded Age mansions in America. See large art installations at the Mattress Factory (Yayoi Kusama has exhibited here), and visit The Andy Warhol Museum, the largest museum in the country dedicated to a single artist.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
If any city is at the forefront of the Rust Belt revival, it’s Chicago, an ever-popular Midwestern destination that’s only been gaining more traction in recent years. Today, new hotels and restaurant concepts are emerging at a fast clip throughout the city, spawning a new wave of creative talent in the Windy City.
Where to Stay
The newest addition to Chicago’s hotel scene is The Robey, a 69-room Art Deco masterpiece in the trendy Wicker Park neighborhood. If a downtown stay is more your vibe, opt for a dose of luxury at Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, Virgin Hotel Chicago, or Soho House Chicago, where you’ll have the perfect skyline and Lake Michigan views. If you want the culture and location without the price, stay at the convivial hostel-meets-hotel Freehand Chicago, home to The Broken Shaker, a nighttime hotspot for elixir- and syrup-infused cocktails.
Where to Eat and Drink
For the best food and drinks in Chicago, base yourself in the West Loop’s Fulton Market district. Book a reservation at top chef Sarah Grueneberg’s Italian hot spot Monteverde, chef Rick Bayless’s Leña Brava and Cruz Blanca, and the famous Swift & Sons steakhouse. For what may be the best burger in America, visit Au Cheval, and for family-style eats, craft brews, and cocktails, drop by Girl & the Goat. Cap the evening at Maude’s Liquor Bar, where you can order rounds of French gimlets and three-dollar whiskey shots. Venture to the tri-area of Wicker Park, Logan Square, and Bucktown for a proper hipster hangout. Have a Macanese brunch at Fat Rice, diner-style small plates at Dove’s Luncheonette, and barbecue-style pizza and handcrafted ales at Piece Brewery and Pizzeria. End an evening with tropical cocktails at Lost Lake or pre-prohibition style libations at The Violet Hour, home to a James Beard Award–winning bar program.
What to Do
Explore Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, where shopping rivals that of New York City’s Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. For the best boutiques, visit North Damen Avenue and the Bucktown and Wicker Park neighborhoods, where shops like Eskell curate apothecary staples and Renegade Craft Fair launched its first show in 2003. Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Hyde Park Art Center, but don’t miss out on the smaller galleries like the Monique Meloche Gallery, a center showcasing an impressive roster of emerging artists. Finally, take your art crawl outdoors to House Graffiti on Green, Soho House Chicago’s rotating street art display transforming the Green Street building’s facade into a concrete canvas.
CINCINNATI, OHIO & COVINGTON, KENTUCKY
Set only five minutes apart on the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers and joined by the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, the best of Kentucky and Ohio merge at the border of Covington and Cincinnati. At their industrial peaks, Covington touted the title as the world’s largest iron fence producer and Cincinnati became known as the largest manufacturer of carriages in the world, both histories that fuel the brimming art scene now on the uptick in these Rust Belt hubs.
Where to Stay
If basing yourself in Cincinnati, book a stay at 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati, a 156-room property and museum located adjacent to the Contemporary Arts Center and across the street from the Aronoff Center for the Arts. On the Covington side, stay at the newly opened Hotel Covington, a fashion-inspired property housed in a former Coppin’s Department Store, built in 1910, which once sold the most-sought-after industry trends as “the greatest store in Northern Kentucky.”
Where to Eat and Drink
Begin your food and drink crawl in Covington at Braxton Brewing Co.’s garage-style taproom, and then visit MainStrasse Village for a taste of Kentucky’s bourbon roots at Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar. Soak up your revelry with farm-to-table brisket at Bouquet or opt for braised beef tacos and Mezcal cocktails at Frida 602. In Cincinnati, book the The Nati in a Nutshell tour with Urban Adventures, where you’ll sample eats from Cincinnati staples like Eckerlin Meats in the Findlay Market and Graeter’s Ice Cream. Visit Taft’s Ale House, the new three-level microbrewery; feast on homemade pastas and cured meats at Salazar; or reserve a table at Boca for foie gras and oysters. Order tuna poke tostadas at Maplewood Kitchen and Bar and sip cocktails at Sundry and Vice, a turn-of-the-century, apothecary-themed bar.
What to Do
Explore Cincinnati’s revitalized Over-the-Rhine district, one of the largest intact urban historic areas in the country. Shop at MiCA 12/v gallery and boutique, and taste your way through Rhinegeist Brewery, housed in a former bottling facility. Stroll the neighborhood to view street art murals, brightly painted buildings, and, reportedly, America’s largest collection of 19th-century Italianate architecture. In Covington, shop Durham Dept. in the downtown district for trendy lifestyle garments, then hop to MainStrasse Village’s cobblestoned streets to explore eateries, shops, and bars, making sure to snap a photo of the iconic Goose Girl Fountain and Carroll Chimes Bell Tower before departing.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
Located on the western shores of Lake Michigan and often called the beer capital of the world, Milwaukee is much more than its Pabst and Miller roots. Discover how America’s Dairyland is playing host to an emerging culinary and microbrewery culture, rivaling even the largest of its city neighbors.
Where to Stay
Book a stay at The Iron Horse Hotel in Walker’s Point, housed in a 100-year-old mattress factory and warehouse. Inspired by a model of motorcycle, the name pays homage to Milwaukee’s Harley-Davidson roots, and the building’s historical design reflects notes of medieval blacksmithing, creating a raw yet polished aesthetic in the 100 loft-style rooms and the three dining concepts and bar. In the Historic Third Ward district, stay at the stylish Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, and if you’re really into the city’s beer culture, you can book a night at The Brewhouse Inn & Suites, a hotel in a renovated Pabst brewery building.
Where to Eat and Drink
As the home of numerous James Beard–nominated chefs, Milwaukee’s culinary scene is steady on the rise. Beginning in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, visit Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. for small batch, organic brews; Purple Door Ice Cream for an absinthe-infused scoop; and Braise, a rooftop-to-table restaurant helmed by James Beard–semifinalist Dave Swanson, known for serving the best bread and butchered meat in all of Milwaukee. Visit James Beard Award–winner Justin Aprahamian at Sanford, where he serves menu items like beef kimchi dumplings. Aprahamian is also a co-owner of Like Minds Brewing, which is one of many new craft breweries opening in the city. Go on a beer crawl at the city’s best, including Urban Harvest Brewing Company, Lost Valley Cider Co., Good City Brewing, Black Husky Brewing, MobCraft Beer, and Third Space Brewing. End with a nightcap at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, perhaps America’s first freestanding cocktail lounge, or Bugsy’s Back Alley Speakeasy, a live-music hot spot with cocktails inspired by the Roaring Twenties.
What to Do
Milwaukee may be a craft-beer icon, but its Harley-Davidson roots are evident, and you can explore the motorcycle company’s Milwaukee heritage at the Harley-Davidson Museum, a 20-acre waterfront campus housing more than 450 motorcycles and artifacts, including Serial Number One, the oldest known Harley-Davidson in existence. The city is home to many other museums, theaters, and cultural centers: Don’t miss the Milwaukee Art Museum, whose buildings were designed by Eero Saarinen, David Kahler, and Santiago Calatrava, the architect behind New York City’s train station outside of Ground Zero. Browse locally owned shops and art galleries in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward; and beer enthusiasts can opt to tour the Miller Caves or visit the Pabst Mansion.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Shedding its label as Motor City and quickly reimagining its entrepreneurial roots, Detroit is attracting new creative companies like Shinola, a brand that’s reinventing the art of craftsmanship by producing entirely American-built watches and bikes. During a visit, discover the restaurants, bars, and public art facilities shaping Detroit’s future.
Where to Stay
In the next year alone, a host of new hotels are set to open in downtown Detroit: From Foundation Hotel’s renovation planned to finish in early 2017 to The Shinola Hotel, scheduled
to open in 2018, there’s a reason big hospitality names are inking deals in the city. Basing yourself at the newly opened Trumbull & Porter hotel, enjoy a luxe stay in the city’s first boutique property, located in the historic Corktown neighborhood. Cycle the town using on-property rentals from Detroit Bikes, and visit the hotel’s art-inspired courtyard in the evenings for live music. For the art lovers, opt for a stay at Aloft Detroit, located in the historic David Whitney Building next to Grand Circus Park.
Where to Eat and Drink
Myriad eateries have opened in Detroit in the past three years, elevating the city’s culinary culture one outpost at a time. Book a table at the James Beard–nominated Mabel Gray, in Hazel Park, to eat chef James Rigato’s modern, seasonal cuisine. Visit another James Beard semifinalist at Selden Standard, where chef Andy Hollyday serves wood-fired-oven fare. Dine on Thai plates at cult favorite Katoi and gnocchi and cannoli at La Rondinella in Eastern Market. Order small plates at the convivial Wright & Company and sip frozen margaritas and down boilermakers at The Skip. End your culinary crawl with a nightcap at swanky outposts like Standby and Sugar House.
What to Do
Browse Midtown storefronts like the Detroit-based Shinola flagship selling American-made watches and bicycles. Shop Nest and City Bird for housewares and artisanal soaps and candles, and get your vinyl fix at Jack White’s Third Man Records. Park at the Z, a 10-story garage and mural museum showcasing work by 27 artists, before visiting The Belt, an alleyway between Broadway and Library Streets in downtown Detroit, home to murals and installations. Stop by Public Matter to view a rotating exhibition of framed paintings by leading contemporary artists.
Michaela Trimble, Vogue.
