Royal Oak

Heading north from Detroit on Woodward, Royal Oak is one of the first suburbs you’ll encounter after you cross 8 Mile Road. It’s the only suburb in the Detroit [1] area where you’ll find green hair, unusual pierced body parts, and whips and chains in the window at a boutique called Noir Leather (124 W. 4th St., 248/541-3979, www.noirleather.com [2], 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat., noon–7 p.m. Sun.). Nowhere else in Michigan will you find a store sign that reads “Absolutely no return on bondage items for sanitary reasons.”

Royal Oak was a sleepy (some said dying) suburb in the 1970s, known only by its nickname—Royal Joke—and as the site of the respected 125-acre Detroit Zoo (8450 W. 10 Mile Rd., 248/541-5717, www.detroitzoo.org [3], 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Apr.–Memorial Day and Labor Day–Oct., 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. in summer, $11 adults, $7 children 2–12). The zoo, long a popular city attraction, is home to more than 1,300 animals, including the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery, site of a popular hummingbird/butterfly garden, and the Arctic Ring of Fire, which features Arctic species.

In the mid-1980s, the city’s gay population was concentrated in Royal Oak, filling the two main commercial streets with vintage clothing and record shops, antique emporiums, and funky coffeehouses. While a few of the original boutiques remain, others have been replaced by high-rent glitzy home furnishings shops and restaurants that now characterize much of the area.

Despite this, Royal Oak is still a lively place, where the streets are filled with a pleasing variety of families and punks, gays and straights. Main Street and Washington Avenue, the two main drags, are great spots for window-shopping and people-watching. And it seems as if a new eatery opens almost every day here, giving it one of the best and most extensive restaurant scenes in metro Detroit [1].

Worthwhile stops include the sinful Gayle’s Chocolates (417 S. Washington, 248/398-0001, www.gayleschocolates.com [4], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Tues., 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Wed.–Sat., noon–5 p.m. Sun.), the first in the city to offer cappuccino and espresso (now found on just about every corner). Another feature is the popular juice bar (try the carrot-apple-ginger), but Gayle’s heart remains in the chocolate-making facility located upstairs, which churns out some of the best truffles in the country.

Also worth a peek are Lotus Imports (419 S. Washington, www.lotusimportco.com [5], 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily), which stocks ethnic jewelry, clothing, and accessories from all over the world; Vertu (514 S. Washington Ave., 248/545-6050, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat.), known for its 20th-century designs, including furniture by Eames, Nelson, and Herman Miller from the 1930–50s; Dos Manos (210 W. 6th St., 800/572-4957, www.dosmanos.com [6], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily), for Latin American handicrafts; and Chosen Books (120 W. 4th St., www.chosenbooks.net [7], 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Sat., noon–6 p.m. Sun.), metro Detroit’s only gay bookstore.

When it’s time to eat, you’ll be hard-pressed to choose. In the mood for seafood? Tom’s Oyster Bar (318 S. Main St., 248/541-1186, www.tomsoysterbar.com [8], noon–midnight Sun.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Fri., noon–1 a.m. Sat., $7–30) is a branch of the popular East Side eatery that has the area’s most extensive selection of—surprise!—oysters, as well as always innovative fresh seafood.

BD’s Mongolian Barbecue 430 S. Main St., 248/398-7755, www.gomongo.com [9], 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–11:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Sun., $7–12) lets you watch as chefs whip up your stir-fry creation on a huge, central grill. It’s been so popular, it’s opened outposts in other metro Detroit [1] suburbs.