Town Pump Tavern   

Part Ivy League pub, part hipster hangout; the Town Pump Tavern is the theater district's most popular chill-out spot. And why not? Located on the strip with Hockeytown Cafe, Fox Theatre, Second City and Comerica Park, owner Sean Harrington is as colorful as the customers who fill the bar. Inside, the hottest live and recorded music fuels the hoppin' scene at the Pump nearly every night. Reconstructed in the precise design and decor of its original days, the bar built on the first floor of the towering Park Place Hotel abounds with wooden accents, custom-made antiqued lighting and leather smoking-chairs; you'd swear you were on the set of a film. Reserve the weekend when the Pump crew throws the block party of the year, Pumpstock. Each summer this festival pushes the limit, drawing hundreds of people to the weekend showcase of live music. -- Jessica J. Shaw