Emily Linn

Emily Linn is one half of a sibling super duo. The artist and urbanista is a Detroiter, born and raised on the East Side with her four siblings. She went to U-M for undergrad, but went to Wayne for grad school, and has put down roots in the Midtown area around the university.

Emily is big on the handmade/urban craft scene in Detroit. Her eye for design and passion for the city plays out in her business, too. She and brother Andy are the force behind City Bird, and they sell their super cool Detroit-themed soaps, buttons, decorations and stationery at shops all over the metro region and on the Internet.

Her day job is at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she works with education projects, including all those cool crafts set out for the kiddies in the museum.

She's a city bird alright, but every now and then she's gets lured to the 'burbs for shopping or to hang out with friends.

She says she prefers the first-ring 'burbs like Ferndale, which has a downtown that can still appeal to a city kid who likes to walk, or part and walk as is more likely in these parts.

For entertainment and drinks, she really likes Club Bart. "It's a great place to see shows or to have a drink. I've been to a few there. It's a very intimate, small space with folk and independent music shows. It's a tiny stage."

The well-attended Monday nights at the Woodward Avenue Brewery area also on her Ferndale will-do list. Food is 1/2 off, and there's always a crowd. Plus, she says, "they have a photo booth – it's always a plus."

When she shops or travels, she tends to avoid the mainstream places and instead finds shops with good design or unique, handmade items.

For shopping, she likes Naka – funky boutique. "She sells a lot of handmade things. It's less designy but more handmade," she says. "There's a lot of good gifts and jewelry, cards bags and shirts and things." She also likes to walk a couple doors down, too, and visit the Natural Food Patch, which is a health food store that she says is quite good.

For food, Emily likes to find restaurants with good vegetarian options, but she's fine with places that don't cater exclusively to vegetarians. "I like to go to the Fly Trap – the offer good vegetarian stuff and put together interesting combinations," she says of the diner with an eclectic menu beyond the usual burgers/fries/shakes diner fare. The Fly Trap offers goodies like scrambles with a melange of veggies, plus salads and tofu and tempeh dishes