Detroit’s Eastern Market is one of the country’s oldest farmer’s markets, in operation on the six-block stretch of Russell St. since 1891, and home to some of the city’s best-loved eateries, including Supino Pizzaria and Russell St. Deli. If the old news weren’t exciting enough, there’s new action all over the place during the market’s extended summer season, which includes the kick-off of Tuesday market days, running 9 a.m.-3 pm through October 29th.

More market to take advantage of the booming summer agriculture.

Also on display is the model lobby of the forthcoming “shipping container hotel” by Collision Works (see video above), a proposed 36-room hotel made from repurposed shipping containers, which achieved funding for the lobby prototype through a successful kickstarter campaign in April of this year. Visitors are invited to hang out in the model lobby, where among other things, they can page through the plan released by Detroit Future City, whose headquarters are right across Russell Street from the shipping container.

One of many detailed infographics from the Detroit Future City plan.

Detroit Future City  is a comprehensive and detailed city plan created by an independent entity, formerly known as Detroit Works. The plan collects and breaks down massive amounts of data collected from census, surveys, and interviews, and features the combined input of dozens of organizations. The result is a plan broken into four phases over the next 50 years, including suggestions for stabilization, growth, and maintenance, which touches on city systems, economic issues, land use, and a multitude of other subjects. The offices are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursdays), with a devoted set of DFC staff on hand to engage with visitors and provide free copies of the plan to all interested parties.

Photos courtesy of Eastern Market Corporation

Check out Grown In Detroit, a collective of dozens of safe, pesticide-free growers from all over the city.

Finally, if you can’t satisfy all your shopping needs by buying locally sourced produce grown right in the city at the Grown in Detroit table, you can check out the Midsummer Market this weekend, hosted by the Detroit Mercantile Co and featuring 20+ Detroit area vendors.

This weekend only, at the Detroit Mercantile Co.

Eastern Market; as if you needed more reasons!