Inside top US revival cities
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}<b>Detroit, Mich.</b> <a href="about:blankdetroiteasternmarket.com">Eastern Market</a> is the place to buy fresh produce, including apples, blueberries and roses from farmers who have driven here from across the Midwest. It also has delightful gourmet goodies and even better people watching. (AP)
<b>Detroit, Mich.</b> Detroit's artful decay is the turning into a rebirth focused on cool, affordable housing, flourishing art and sports tourism. (iStock )
<b>Detroit, Mich.</b> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thehenryford.org/museum/index.aspx">The Henry Ford Museum</a> is a must-go stop while visiting Motor City. It has an amazing collection of artifacts dedicated to the automobile, its impact on America and the workers that made it happen. (Shira Levine)
<b>Detroit, Mich.</b> Michigan Central Station in Detroit is often pointed to as an example of the city's urban decay. But renovations, estimated as much as $300 million, are underway to try to preserve this historic building. (Reuters)
<b>Detroit, Mich.</b> Detroit's graffiti artist Antonio “Shades” Agee in his studio. Agee ,42, has regular corporate commissions and several pieces archived at the Detroit Institute of Arts. His nickname "Shades," comes from his teen years when we used to wear sunglasses day and night. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> Culture attractions and great eats have helped make this post-industrial city a budget-friendly destination. Pittsburgh is home to three scenic rivers, 22 miles of riverfront walking and biking trails and 89 neighborhoods. (iStock )
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> Dinosaurs on display at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ppgplace.com/">PPG Place</a>. The dinosaur statues, which are leftover from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s <a href="http://www.carnegiemnh.org/online/dinomite/index.htm">Dinomite Days</a> event, can be found throughout the city. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> Located in Pittsburgh’s Strip district, Black and Gold Forever is the place to go for anything Steelers-related. “There's nothing more passionate to fans in Pittsburgh than their Steelers," owner John Vazquez <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/nfls-lockout-may-throw-economy-for-big-loss-292814/?p=1">told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last April</a>. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> Absinthe at Pittsburgh gastropub <a href="http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/">Meat & Potatoes</a>. This sleek restaurant is one of the many places to eat and drink in the Steel City. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> Sandwich from Primanti Bros., a famous Pittsburgh chain. <a href="http://primantibros.com/home.html">Primanti Bros.</a> has 19 restaurants in the Pittsburgh area as well as three in Florida. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> <a href="http://www.mattress.org/index.cfm?event=ShowArtist&eid=105&id=534&c=">The Mattress Factory</a> is a contemporary art museum as well as a research and development lab for artists. Than Htay Maung’s politically-charged “My Offering” installation ran from October 2011 through May 2012. The artist said he could not shake the image of the hands reaching for food and safety in the aftermath of the Nagis cyclone that devastated Burma in 2008. Hundred of plaster hands reached out from the wall, each holding a donated by Breadworks, a local bakery. The hands were sold individually for $100, with the entirety of the proceeds going directly to Northside Common Ministries food pantry.<br> (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> Greer Lankton’s <a href="http://www.mattress.org/index.cfm?event=ShowArtist&eid=45&id=462&c=permanent">“It's all about ME, Not You”</a> is on permanent display at the Mattress Factory. The exhibit, which is filled with chilling dolls and figures, is said to reflect Lankton’s life as an artist, transsexual and drug addict. Over the years, the Mattress Factory has purchased and renovated nine inner city properties in Pittsburgh, converting them into different spaces. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> The Andy Warhol Museum has a vast collection of paintings, papers, prints and photographs by the pop art icon. It is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and a must-see destination for visitors. (Shira Levine)
<b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b> The Pittsburgh Banjo Club practices at the Elks Lodge. On Wednesdays, old folk and hipsters alike come out for cheap beer and banjo jams. (Shira Levine)
<b>Buffalo, N.Y.</b> Buffalo boasts of amazing Victorian homes and mansions designed by such architectural greats as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan and H.H. Richardson. Small galleries and artist-run spaces abound in the Sugar City and Allentown districts, and the strong farm-to-table movement has helped produce a number of excellent restaurants. (iStock )
<b>Buffalo, N.Y.</b> The Allentown district of Buffalo has become an artsy neighborhood, with numerous small galleries and artist-run spaces. (Visit Buffalo Niagara and John Paget)
<b>Buffalo, N.Y.</b> Allentown promises a vibrant atmosphere full of interesting art galleries by day and a unique assortment of restaurants by night. (Visit Buffalo Niagara and John Paget)
<b>Buffalo, N.Y.</b> The surrounding fertile farmlands supply Buffalo’s successful farm-to-table movement. To date, there are 400 independently-owned restaurants from Polish to Mexican, Burmese to Iraqi. (Visit Buffalo Niagara and John Paget)
<b>Buffalo, N.Y. </b> Fresh produce from markets such as the Elmwood Farmers Market are what make the unique-style restaurants in Buffalo so delicious. (Visit Buffalo Niagara and KC Kratt)
<b>Buffalo, N.Y.</b> The Lafayette Hotel in Buffalo is a mixed-use project designed by America’s first female architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune. (Visit Buffalo Niagara and Peter Burakowski)
Buffalo, N.Y. The<a target="_blank" href="http://wnybookarts.org/"> Western New York Book Arts Center</a> offers letterpressing, screen-printing, papermaking and bookbinding classes.<br><br> (Visit Buffalo Niagara and Western New York Book Arts Center)
<b>Minneapolis, Minn.</b> Minneapolis and St. Paul have cold winters and hot summers. The warm months are a chance to to step outside and soak in the myriad of sites and activities—and there’s no better way to do that than on two wheels. Bicycling magazine twice named the city "Best Bike City," ahead of Portland, Ore. (Meet Minneapolis)
<b>Minneapolis, Minn.</b> Minneapolis and St. Paul combined have 84 miles of designated bike paths and 44 miles of bike lanes with another 40 miles of dedicated bike lines underway. (Meet Minneapolis)
<b>Minneapolis, Mich.</b> Bikers can take advantage of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.niceridemn.org/">Minneapolis' Nice Ride</a> bike sharing program, where you can grab a bike and catch free music in Mears Park, explore the Walker Art Center or ride along the Mississippi River. (Meet Minneapolis)
<b>Minneapolis, Minn.</b> The historic W Minneapolis hotel, The Foshay. The Forshay Tower was the first skyscraper built west of the Mississippi. (Meet Minneapolis)