Detroit Downtown on The People Mover

(10 reviews)

Detroit, Michigan audio tour: Detroit Downtown on The People Mover

This is a 2.9mi walking tour

It takes an average of 20 mins to complete.

Detroit, Michigan

The United States

$4.99

Access all 17 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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Reviews

About the Tour

Detroit is a massive city. It covers over 139 square miles, but only two of these count as the downtown. This makes our rarely enjoyed, super cheap and mostly useless People Mover a great way to learn about the rich history of Detroit.

The People Mover is a driverless, fully-automated, rapid transit system that travels a 2.9-mile, one-way loop through the heart of the city. The total round trip journey is only 14 minutes long – so let's be honest, you’re not going that far. But the ride will only cost you 75 cents a person.

There are 13 stations on the loop. If something at one of them catches your fancy, feel free to hop off and explore the area, and then get back on the People Mover when you’re ready. If you leave this audio tour running while you explore, it'll pick back up when you board the People Mover again, or you can end the tour and then restart it, selecting the Resume button instead of Start when you do.

Please note: before purchasing this tour confirm the People Mover hours of operation, scheduled closings, and Covid related closures by visiting www.detroitpeoplemover.com

Tour Producer

Bailey Sisoy Isgro

1 tour

Bailey Sisoy Isgro is the owner of Detroit History Tours and the proprietress of the Detroit History Club. She is an author, humorist, workaholic, and Faygo-loving tour guide from the great City of Detroit. A lover of city ephemera her most prized possessions include her antique books about Detroit penned by Clarence M. Burton himself, her Library of Congress readers card, her collection of vintage jewelry, and signed pay stubs of Edsel Fords. She works as an automotive sculptor by day, and by night she writes and lectures on the history of the American working woman, prostitution, and Detroit between the World Wars. When she isn’t tramping around Detroit giving tours, drinking at century-old bars, and talking history with anyone who’ll join her, she can be found at her home in Highland Park, Detroit. She is meticulous in her research and passionate about historical accuracy, yet she takes great joy in presenting history in the most exciting, playful, and accessible way possible. A passionate connoisseur of all things delicious, she adamantly argues the health benefits of coney dogs and Vernors floats.

Preview Location

Location 1

Start

Welcome to this tour along The Detroit People Mover, our mostly useless, rarely enjoyed, and affordably cheap public transit system. My name's Bailey, and I'll be your guide.

First, let's make sure you're in the right place. You should be standing in front of the Astoria Pa... Welcome to this tour along The Detroit People Mover, our mostly useless, rarely enjoyed, and affordably cheap public transit system. My name's Bailey, and I'll be your guide.

First, let's make sure you're in the right place. You should be standing in front of the Astoria Pastry Shop, on Monroe Avenue. Astoria is beloved for their coveted baklava. It’s a Mediterranean dessert made of delicate layers of phyllo dough that are filled with chopped pistachios or walnuts and dipped in honey. The shop boasts over 100 varieties of classic Greek desserts, and is excellent for a morning muffin or a late night sweet tooth. They also serve coffee and tea, so you can stop in for a cuppa before we head off. Since the Teftsis family opened its doors in 1971, it’s proudly held a spot on the list of Detroit’s best bakeries.

[2 SECOND PAUSE]

The People Mover is a driverless rapid transit system that travels a 2.9 mile one-way loop through the heart of the City on a fully-automated track. The total round trip time is only 14 minutes - so let's be honest, you’re not going that far. There are 13 stations included on the loop and this tour will take you to each of them and return back here. Your ride will cost you just 75 cents a person, and whether you’re a local or visitor, it’s a great way to learn about the rich history of Detroit’s downtown. The People Mover provided 2,413,414, rides in 2015. That number is expected to grow as the Detroit light rail, called the Q-line, enters into service connecting the People Mover uptown in the summer of 2017.

Growing up in Detroit we didn’t use the People Mover very often. It really doesn't go to enough places to warrant the ride. But every now and then my mom would get us tickets to a play at Orchestra Hall, or a hockey game at Joe Louis arena, and we’d hop on and cruise above the city, away from our family car and towards the night's big adventure. As an adult I have happy memories of running after my sister to catch the car before it left the station, her pulling the ever-present ride tokens out of her wallet to pay our fare, on our way to some concert or another.

[1.5 SECOND PAUSE]

Okay, let's get moving. Turn so that Astoria is on your left-hand side and start making your way up the street.

VoiceMap uses GPS to pinpoint your location and trigger the relevant audio. This means you can put your phone away now and relax. I will tell you where to go. Read More

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Major Landmarks

TCF Center
The Detroit Opera House
Hart Plaza Detroit
The Spirit of Detroit

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
500-560 Monroe St, Detroit, MI 48226, USA
Total distance

5km
Final location
Detroit, MI 48226, USA
Distance back to start location

76.32m

Directions to Starting Point

Your tour begins at the Greektown People Mover station. You can park via on-street parking and pay the meter fee monday to Saturday, free on Sundays

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

You can hop off at any of the stations to look around. You won't have to buy another ticket unless you exit the station and come back in.

Best time of day

Before purchasing this tour confirm the People Mover hours of operation, scheduled closings, and Covid related closures by visiting www.detroitpeoplemover.com. The Detroit People Mover operates Monday-Thursday 6:30 a.m.-midnight, Friday. 6:30 a.m.-2 a.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-2 a.m., and Sunday noon-midnight. It is closed on all federal holidays.

Precautions

Keep an eye out for Detroit Transit Police. They ride the People Mover ensuring the cars and stations are safe. They are treasure troves of Detroit knowledge and generally are very kind in pointing you in the right direction or suggesting a good restaurant near each station.

Be aware of the emergency buttons located at each station. If for any reason you need emergency help in the case of medical, safety, or criminal concerns simply hit that blue button and help will be to you very quickly.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

3.5 / 5

10 Ratings

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