Offers Valid from February 12 - 19, 2012, restrictions may apply* Package A: $119.00, includes 1 night accommodation in a Jacuzzi Suite, complimentary NY Strip Choice Steak Dinner for 2 with champagne, and complimentary hot breakfast. Package B: $89.99, includes 1 night accommodation in a King Suite with complimentary NY Strip Choice Steak dinner for 2 with champagne, and complimentary hot breakfast.
Valentine's packages rates starting at $139 on February 10, 2012, $169 on February 11, 2012 and $119 on February 12-14, 2012, some restrictions may apply* Valentine's packages include overnight accommodations, one bottle of Asti Spumanti with two souvenir glasses, six chocolate covered strawberries, and one long stem rose.
The Valentine's package rate is valid from February 10 - 19, 2012, some restrictions may apply* The Valentine's Day Package includes King Jacuzzi room accommodations, a bottle of wine (your choice: Merlot, Chardonnay, Champagne), chocolate covered strawberries, a $40.00 gift certificate to Cleary's Pub, and complimentary hot breakfast. Rate: $169.00 +tax.
The Romance Package at the Holiday Inn & Suites Starts at $199.00. Enjoy a night away from home with your sweetheart with one of their Romance Packages. The packages include Overnight accommodations $25.00 toward room service breakfast, $35.00 toward dinner at Mallets Creek Bar and Grille, chocolate covered strawberries delivered to your room, and an in room movie (up to $14.99).
President Barack Obama made a visit Ann Arbor on Friday, January 27th, where be spoke to a crowd totaling over 4000 at the Al Glick Field House on University of Michigan's campus. 'It is good to be back in Ann Arbor!' was the first statement he made upon taking the podium. After calling out U of M President Mary Sue Coleman, Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, he turned his attention to Denard Robinson and Michigan football, yelling 'Go Blue!' His speech centered around the importance of affordable higher education, as he outlined a series of overhauls to federal-based college aid.
Listen to an Interview with Chef Alex Young of Zingerman’s Roadhouse
Chef Alex Young, a managing partner at Zingerman's Roadhouse and James Beard Award recipient, was recently interviewed on a radio station in Kansas City. On 'LIVE From Jasper's Kitchen' (with Jasper Mirabile Jr. and Kimberly Stern), they talked to him about his early love of food, his farm to table process, and (of course) his famous Mac n' Cheese! Listen here (Chef Alex comes on at about 17:50):
El Nuevo Herald Features Ann Arbor: Culta, Libral, y Sabrosa
Alfredo Arango Franco, a writer that specializes in travel, food and wine, recently made his way to Ann Arbor, and back home to Miami, where he wrote a very exciting article for El Nuevo Herald. This publication is an award winning Spanish-language daily newspaper produced in Miami, Florida - which is the nation's third-largest Hispanic Market. The newspaper's website, ElNuevoHerald.com is the leading Spanish-language news website in the United States.
He writes that Ann Arbor is a city known for its 'liberal spirit, education and food.' He talks about dining at Frita Batidos, Cafe Habana, the Blue Nile, Zingerman's Roadhouse, Gratzi, and Conor O'Neill's Irish Pub. The article highlights his experiences in taking a beer tasting class at the Ann Arbor Brewing Company, a cheese making class at Zingerman's creamery, and a tile-making class at Motawi Tileworks. He also gave a nod to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room, Performance Network Theatre, and the Comedy Showcase.
We are very happy that Alfredo Arango Franco has helped us to spread the word about Ann Arbor to a new cultural audience, which is something that we continually strive to do here at the Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Thank you Alfredo!
An English version will be published on KeyPeopleCoolPlaces.com soon! We will keep you updated!
Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room is One of ‘6 Extraordinary Afternoon Teas’!
The Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room (located on Main Street in Ann Arbor) was mentioned as one of ' 6 Extraordinary Afternoon Teas' on The Daily Meal (thedailymeal.com). Not bad for a list that includes tea rooms in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London (England). Here is what they said:
'Situated above a New Age bookstore, this tearoom boasts more than 100 varieties of tea in a cozy, stuffed chair, and tin-ceilinged space that also offers vegetarian, vegan, and Fairy Tea menus. Fairy Teas are family-oriented complete with petits fours, costumes, magic, and real-life fairies. When fairy teas aren’t scheduled (they’re usually only once or twice a year), there are tarot card readers and other psychics that show up for $1 per minute readings, Witches’ Night Out events (with Witches Brew tea), and on weekends, the tearoom hosts acoustic concerts. Like many businesses in Ann Arbor, Mich., Crazy Wisdom has an adorable (and functional?) six-inch fairy door.'
Examiner.com - ‘Chelsea, Michigan - Elvis Costello Wants To Go Here’
Examiner.com recently featured Chelsea, Michigan in their 'road trip travel' section - a section that suggests great road trips from Chicago, IL. The article mentions the Jiffy Mix Factory, Jeff Daniels and his Purple Rose Theatre Company, and the Chelsea Teddy Bear Factory, among others. Thanks to writer, Daniel Higgins, for highlighing a great city in the Ann Arbor area!
Carol Lee Rutz from Grass Lake, Michigan won our 'Doing Life Different' sweepstakes earlier this year. She won a 2 night stay at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, a gift basket from 'Baskets & More,' breakfast for two at Angelo's Restaurant, lunch for two at Mediterrano Restaurant, Dinner for two at the Chef's Table at Vinology, a tour of the University of Michigan's 'Big House,' a walking tour of Ann Arbor from Savor Ann Arbor Tours, and a $250.00 American Express Gift Card. She checked in with the Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau following her recent stay to collect her sweepstakes package:
'We had a very nice meal at Angelo's, and having dinner at Vinology was beyond our wildest expectations. The food was phenomenal, the service was outstanding and Vinny Jonna, owner (as seen in picture), treated us like royalty. It is an evening my husband Steve and I will never forget. The gift basket came while we were there and it was wonderful. Full of so many goodies from local merchants. Thank you very much.' ~Carol Lee Rutz
‘The Wine Connection’ Features Ann Arbor Restaurants
Rob Hahn, founder and publisher of 'The Midwest Wine Connection,' was recently in Ann Arbor 'doing some research' for the December 2011 issue. He writes about Vinology Wine Bar and Restaurant'sunique 'wine on-tap' concept (page 3) and Pacific Rim by Kana'sunique drink, the Ginger Buster Brown (page 9). This monthly publication is distributed throughout the upper Midwest, mostly in liquor stores and through subscriptions, and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. They bring a 'unique, informative, humorous and irreverent take to the world of wine, food, cigars, and travel.'
"After all the wine I've consumed doing diligent research for this publication over ten years, I'm just glad I'm still alive and sipping," ~founder and publisher Rob Hahn.
Urban Times Online Magazine Features Ann Arbor: ‘Let’s Do Munch’
Robin Tierney is a bicycling, hiking, award-winning writer and photographer who covers active travel, plant-based cuisine and green, aware living. She recently came to Ann Arbor - with her bike in tow - in search of the best 'green' grub that Ann Arbor has to offer. By reading her article on the 'Urban Times Online Magazine,' it's safe to say that she was very pleased with her experience.
If you're vegan or vegetarian, you'll really appreaciate her recommendations - however, Robin does point out that most of these places also attract omnivores as well!
Frita Batidos Featured in ‘Nation’s Restaurant News’
Chef Eve Aronoff's Ann Arbor restaurant, Frita Batidos, was just featured on NRN.com (Nation's Restaurant News). Complete with a video interview and photo montage, the article mentions 'the fast-casual, order-at-the-counter service style,' the 'clean, modern decor' and the 'Latin-linked flavors.' She talks about the spirit of the restaurant, where she pulls her inspiration from, and what her future goals are. Here is the video that accompanies the story, written by Ron Ruggless, which you can READ BY CLICKING HERE.
Chef Alex from Zingerman’s Roadhouse Reveals His Mac n’ Cheese Recipe!
This article from MetroParent Magazine out of Detroit featured Chef Alex Young from Zingerman's Roadhouse. He not only answers some very interesting quesitons about his favorite meal to make, his biggest cooking mistake, and his favorite locally made Michigan product, but he shares his infamous Mac N' Cheese Recipe!
The city of Ann Arbor was buzzing on Wednesday, December 7th after @TheEllenShow sent out a tweet telling everyone in Ann Arbor to get ready for 'something big.' After a few twitter clues the following day, it was revealed that those who'd like to be on the Ellen DeGeneres Show were to meet at the Walgreen's on Jackson Road on Thursday night in their 'favorite holiday outfits bearing toys' (benefitting Toys For Tots). If you didn't already get to see the Ann Arbor footage that appeared on the Ellen Show, make sure to watch it here:
Congratulations to Kelly Windholz from Wesley Chapel, Florida! She is our 'Foodie Sweepstakes' Grand Prize winner.
She won a vacation to Ann Arbor, including a two night stay at the all new Sheraton Ann Arbor Hotel, with an opportunity for dining experiences at Gratzi Restaurant, Cafe Zola, and a dinner for two at the chefs table at the Grange Kitchen and Bar. She'll also get a special gift basket full of goodies that are exclusively 'Made-In-Ann Arbor', a gift certificate to the Cupcake Station, and a $250.00 American Express Gift Card.
Kelly, we can't wait for you to 'Visit Ann Arbor'!
Check out this recommended map for a scenic fall drive throughout the Ann Arbor area and beyond. It highlights not only a great driving route, but may attractions to check out along the way.
1). Waterloo Recreation Area, 2). Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center, 3). Chelsea Milling – Jiffy Mix HQ, 4). The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 5). Common Grill – Restaurant, 6). Matthaei Botanical Gardens - University of Michigan, 7). University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum, 8). Wiard's Orchards & Country Fair, 9). Wm. C. Sterling State Park, 10). Cabela's Outfitters Superstore, 11). Pentamere Winery, 12). Hidden Lake Gardens, 13). Cambridge Junction Historic State Park / Walker Tavern Historic Complex, 14). Walter J. Hayes State Park, 15). Cherry Creek Old Schoolhouse Winery & Fudgery, 16). Sandhill Crane Vineyards
For a dose of Michigan history with your fall color tour, take this 195-mile trip through southeast Lower Peninsula and follow old Indian trails and territorial roads, an early tavern, a battlefield, the hometown of an infamous general, and even a winery or two. The colors along the mostly two-lane highway route are usually best from mid-to-late October.
Best Enjoyed: Mid to Late October
Approximate Length: 195 miles
Begin your tour in the city named for President Andrew Jackson. A state historical marker at Second and Franklin streets in Jackson declares that on July 6, 1854, "Under the Oaks" the first Republican Convention was held and a new political party was born.
Take Business US-127/M-50 northwest out of Jackson to I-94/US-127 east a short distance to M-106/Cooper Road and then Bunkerhill Road. Follow M-106/Cooper Road northeasterly path to Territorial Road. Turn right and travel east to Parks Road, where you may decide to turn right for a visit to the largest park in the Lower Peninsula. Pass the seasonal Waterloo Farm Museum and continue on to the Waterloo State Recreation Area. The 20,000 acre site contains 11 lakes, varying terrain crisscrossed by 47 miles of hiking trails and mountain biking trails. It is also home of the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center, which offers nature programs and exhibits to do with the state's geologic history.
Continue on Territorial Road to M-52 and head south to charming Chelsea, which bakers will know as the home of the Jiffy Mix company (aka Chelsea Milling) and movie buffs and playgoers will recognize as the home of actor Jeff Daniels and his Purple Rose Theatre. Enjoy lunch at the Common Grill and browse the shops and art galleries before taking M-52, now Manchester Road, to Pleasant Lake Road. Travel eastwardly past Pleasant Lake, then jog north on Wagner Road briefly to the Ann Arbor-Saline Road. Cruise into Ann Arbor and stroll the University of Michigan campus. There's no charge to walk the trails of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and 123-acre Nichols Arboretum on Dixboro Road.
Continue the color tour by slipping briefly onto I-94 east toward Ypsilanti, home of Eastern Michigan University. At Exit #183 follow the signs to Merritt Road and Wiard's Orchards (since 1853) for fresh squeezed apple cider, or continue along Whittaker Road south to Bemis Road, then follow Bemis Road east to Sumpter Road south to Zink Road. Turn west to the tiny town of Maybee, named for an early 19th century settler and mill owner. Take Bluebush Road southeasterly to M-125/Monroe Road south to Monroe. If you'd like to see Michigan's Lake Erie shore, take a detour along Dixie Highway to Sterling State Park. Its located at the River Raisin and its marshes attract wildlife and many species of birds.
Monroe is one of the state's oldest settlements, thanks to Francois Navarre who left Detroit in 1780 and invited French families from Canada to join him along the banks of the River Raisin. Originally called Frenchtown, the city was named for President James Monroe in 1817. Visit the fine small museums and the battlefield to learn about the history of the hometown of General George Armstrong Custer, and the role that Monroe played in the War of 1812, including a bloody battle and massacre.
Follow M-50 west to Dundee and shop for outdoor supplies at Cabela's, a 225,000-square foot indoor playground for good sports. Continue westward to Tecumseh and visit the historical museum in a 1913 stone church, or pause along its main street shops and cozy places to stop for coffee or tea, tucked into historic buildings. Sample the local fruit of the vine at Pentamere Winery, then stay on M-50 westward to Hidden Lake Gardens. The 750-acre preserve, managed by Michigan State University, features a paved auto road and six miles of hiking trails through forests and open fields.
Continue west to Cambridge Junction, at the crossroads of M-50 and US-12, where Walker Tavern has stood since the early 19th century and was an important stopping point for stagecoaches traveling between Detroit and Chicago. The State Historic Park/Complex is open seasonally.
This area of gently rolling hills, dotted with more than 50 lakes, was called the Irish Hills by its early settlers and has long been a resort and vacation area. A popular destination is Walter J. Hayes State Park on Wamplers Lake, off US-12 just four miles east of Cambridge Junction.
Head west on US-12 and pause at the Cherry Creek Cellars' Old Schoolhouse Winery tasting room. Sample the wine from the vineyard located near Albion, and pick up gourmet foods and fudge.
Continue a couple of miles west to US-127/Meridian Road north to Jackson, and cap your tour with a visit to another local winery located just northeast of Jackson. To reach the vineyard and tasting room take US-127 to I-94 east to Exit 145. Follow Sargent Road north to Brills Lake Road, turn right and at Walz Road turn left.
Over a sampling of wines in the tasting room at Sandhill Crane Vineyards, named for the birds that find refuge at the nearby Audubon sanctuary, relax and salute autumn, the harvest season, and a colorful, Pure Michigan, experience.
New York Times travel writer Jennifer Conlin just published a “36 Hours” feature on Ann Arbor, in which she marvels at our town’s “urban sophistication…with its mix of restaurants, bars, boutiques, art-house movie theaters and world-class art museums.”
The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus just published a feature on how to create the perfect day trip in Ann Arbor. Get their advice on how to peruse Ann Arbor’s markets, museums, performing arts scene, outdoor activities and more. Read the full article here.
ESPN recently covered one legendary aspect of Michigan football: the tailgating scene outside the Big House! Learn the rules of the setup, the spot, the food, and the friends — and how it all adds up to a vibe worthy of the Wolverines. Click here for the full article.
A unique shopping experience in downtown Ann Arbor. The Kerrytown Market and Shops is an historic structure containing several ecclectic shops and restaurants. See website for complete list.
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival is an exhilarating celebration of performing arts, outdoor entertainment, and community spirit. Each year, this three-and-a-half-week cultural and social event offers dozens of performances, activities, screenings, eclectic music, dance, comedy, film, visual arts, and family fun. This year’s festival runs from June 17 through July 5.
Now celebrating its 28th season, the festival has invigorated the cultural life of the community for over two and a half decades. It brings the world to Ann Arbor: innovative artists, enthusiastic audiences, eager students, curious visitors, and anyone looking to be inspired and entertained.
Stop and Smell the Flowers: The Peony Garden in Nichols Arboretum
The Peony Garden in Nichols Arboretum is a national treasure and the largest collection of antique and heirloom peonies in North America. Currently there are just over 670 peonies in the garden. During peak bloom, a visitor to the Arb might see as many as 10,000 blooms in a wave of sunrise colors.
Depending on the weather, bloom begins mid- to late May and peaks early to mid-June. Stroll down the paths to admire the plants in full flower. Although a few peonies have no fragrance, the vast majority have a range of scents from delicate to bold. Take time to smell the flowers, and savor a favorite.
Some of us build whole vacations around food. Travel experts call it culinary tourism. We just call it eating well--restaurants with pancakes or prime rib so good you want second helpings on the way home.
Rarely has a city's culinary reputation been so intertwined with one restaurant as is Ann Arbor's with Zingerman's Deli. What began in 1982 as Michigan's best place to get a Reuben has grown into a mini-empire of deliciousness, with a bakery (Jewish rye), creamery (homemade cream cheese), coffee roaster (single-origin Brazilian peaberry), mail-order catalog (sour-cream coffee cake) and sit-down restaurant (smoked chicken mac 'n' cheese). Make no mistake. We love Zingerman's.
But we also love how Zingerman's has invigorated the larger food scene in Ann Arbor (population: 350,000). Bob Sparrow, owner of Sparrow Meat Markets and Produce, says that eliminating chemicals and using fewer, fresher ingredients means you can actually taste the cherries and duck meat in his gourmet sausage.
For years, University of Michigan students and faculty have sipped beers and lattes at downtown's sidewalk cafes. The city retains that college-town vibe, but the dining scene has grown up. You'll find fried local squash blossoms at Vinology, a ginger-glazed salmon burger at Logan and tender gnocchi at Gratzi.
Growing Hope is a non-profit organization that helps people cultivate urban land for agricultural use and is dedicated to improving lives through gardening. Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Courtesy of Ascalon Films.
There's no shortage of options for outdoor recreation in the Ann Arbor area. Outdoor enthusiasts will be impressed with our wide variety of parks, golf courses, bike trails, and more. When you visit Ann Arbor, you can hike in a State park, have a boating adventure on the Huron River, and hit the links at many impressive and unique courses - and do it all again the next day when you plan an overnight stay.
The City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County offer many options for parks and recreation - click here for a complete list. If golf is your game, be sure to check out Leslie Park Golf Course - named one of the country's best municipal golf courses by Golf Digest in 2009. Adventurers will also enjoy kayaking the "Urban Jungle:" start your paddle at Ann Arbor's Argo Park and get ready for a scenic adventure through natural and urban scenery.
Ann Arbor Restaurant Week will be held June 12-17, 2011. Presented by Ann Arbor's Main Street Area Association, Ann Arbor Restaurant week gives restaurant patrons one week of one price dining, with over twenty of Ann Arbor's best downtown restaurants participating. Ann Arbor was named a "Top Midwest Food Town" by Midwest Living magazine in 2009 and 2010, so don't miss the opportunity to experience great food at affordable prices!
Dinner is a three course menu for just $25, with some restaurants offering two-for-one pricing. Lunch is priced at $12 and is an open format; restaurants will be offering a menu of their choice, many offering two-for-one pricing. A complete list of participating restaurants is available at www.annarborrestaurantweek.com.
See how Ann Arbor does dining different during Ann Arbor Restaurant Week.
Wintertime in Ann Arbor, Michigan is the perfect celebration of everything wonderful the season brings with it. Uplifting activities, amazing comfort foods, and invitingly warm accommodations will have you fondly remembering the magic of winters past, while creating new memories to cherish.
Plan a Winter Getaway in Ann Arbor! Click here to view special Winter offers from Ann Arbor Area hotels, valid through January 31, 2011.
It’s cold. It’s windy. It’s snowing. It’s days before Christmas in Ann Arbor, Mich., and for shopkeepers, gallery directors, working artists and hordes of eager holiday shoppers, conditions couldn’t be better.
Start your gallery stroll at the lower end of South Main Street, in the heart of the downtown shopping district. There you’ll find Clay Gallery (335 S. Main St.), a co-operative space opened in 1984 by a group of local potters.
“We started in a small location near the campus,” says director Royce Disbrow. “And through two additional moves we’ve inched our way downtown.” The gallery is deceptively long on the inside, with lots of tables and built-ins to showcase work by guild members. Work is all handcrafted, all locally made.
Next stop: the Carol Roeda Studio (319 S. Main St.). It’s one of two Michigan retail stores (the other is in Grand Rapids) owned by artist Carol Roeda. The shop features Roeda’s own whimsical artwork, plus work by local artists, and the Sticks line of handpainted furniture and art objects.
At the corner is Selo/Shevel Gallery (301 S. Main St.), opened in 1982 by owners Elaine Selo and Cynthia Shevel. “We may be prejudiced, but we think our gallery is on the best corner in downtown Ann Arbor,” says Selo. Inside you’ll find an extensive selection of contemporary American crafts. Best sellers at holiday time include hand-blown glass ornaments, menorahs, wood jewelry boxes, jewelry, scarves and ties.
Cross the street and head for WSG Gallery (306 S. Main St.), owned by 16 artists, and a showcase for fine art at affordable prices by 22 local artists. WSG caters to a whole spectrum of art lovers, says member artist Michelle Hegyi: those who come to browse, those following how a particular artist evolves, and those looking for exceptional quality, affordable fine art.
Article by Hope Daniels from the Winter, 2010 issue of AmericanStyle magazine. Click here to read the rest!
Did you know Bob Seger’s song “Mainstreet” is about Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he grew up?
Ann Arbor is a blend of Midwestern rural and urban cosmopolitan. A college town — home to the University of Michigan — it has a concentration of cultural attractions, shopping and dining of all sorts.
Le Dog, 410 E. Liberty St., has been in a red, 10-by-10 foot building since 1979. Hot dogs, of course, are on the menu, but it is known for a repertoire of 284 soups. Each day, chef Jules Van Dyck-Dubos prepares eight soups from scratch, using the freshest, seasonal ingredients available. On my visit, options included Sicilian meatball, Tuscan bean and cheesy chicken tortilla soups. Mmm-mmm good they were. People come from 50 miles away to savor the lobster bisque, served only on Thursdays and Fridays. This is street food in a class by itself.
At Cake Nouveau, 1924 Packard St., owner and pastry chef Courtney Clark offers four flavors of cupcakes daily. Always standard are chocolate truffle and vanilla beany. Chocolate mint and carrot cake completed my tasting. Mexican hot chocolate, honey lavender and crème brulee caught my interest on a return visit. Courtney designs full-size cakes. She has appeared on 10 TV cake challenges.
Article by Stephen Fries originally published in The New Haven Register. Click here for the full story.
Make History This December at The Big Chill Outdoor Hockey Game
The Big Chill at the Big House will be played December 11, 2010 at Michigan Stadium. University of Michigan Officials hope to break the Guinness World Record for attendance at an outdoor hockey game as the Wolverines take on rival Michigan State.
After the game, attendees are invited to warm up in downtown Ann Arbor. Area restaurants will be serving special Big-Chill themed dishes and drinks.
Enter to win the Ultimate Ann Arbor Foodie Getaway! Nestled within the city of Ann Arbor is one of America's most concentrated and celebrated areas for diverse and unique dining. Among this true Foodie paradise you will find the traditional and eclectic cuisine of more than 250 restaurants that will awaken your senses and satisfy every craving. Here you'll experience the creative blends of fresh and locally-grown ingredients served at cafés, pubs and elegant dining venues. Click here to enter!
The Saline Celtic Festival will be held July 16 and 17 at Mill Pond Park in Saline, Michigan, just south of Ann Arbor.
Friday evening's events begin at 5:30 pm and include live music, dance, jousters and drinks. Admission for Friday is $5 per person, and children 12 and under are free. On Saturday, gates open at 9 a.m. and events will take place all day, including live music, living history performances, Celtic athletic demonstrations, and more. Admission is $15 per person at the gates, or $12 in advance. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information about the Saline Celtic Festival, click here.
Don’t Miss The Ann Arbor Summer Festival, June 18-July 11
Get ready to immerse yourself in the beauty, imagination, and pure spectacle that is the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Innovative and diverse, as well as engaging and entertaining, the festival offers dozens of performances, activities, exhibitions, screenings and more, with eclectic music, dance, comedy, film, street arts, and family fun.
Now celebrating its 27th season from June 18 through July 11, the festival creates a vibrant buzz in the city, providing the community and visitors alike with an opportunity to be inspired and entertained on a beautiful Michigan night.
An evening at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival engages all the senses. You can have a light supper and enjoy a beverage at Top of the Park, meet your friends at your favorite spot on Ingalls Mall, take in the outdoor performances or the night’s big indoor concert, and then watch a movie under the stars, all on one of the prettiest campuses anywhere.
Featuring Ypsilanti's automotive history and incorporating Miller Motors Hudson, the last Hudson dealer in the US, the Ypsilanti Auto Heritage Museum provides a fascinating and comprehensive insight into the area's auto legacy.
Ann Arbor is part of the award-winning Pure Michigan advertising campaign with radio and television advertisements airing in select markets. When you need a break from the ordinary, come spend a little time in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor does it up different. Ann Arbor does it Pure Michigan.
Ann Arbor Welcomes President Obama and Families of Graduates
The Ann Arbor Area welcomes President Barack Obama, who will deliver the spring 2010 commencement address at the University of Michigan where he will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree.
“President Obama has captured the imagination and enthusiasm of many students with his inspiring words of hope and change. We are honored to welcome a leader of his distinction and look forward to his message,” U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said in a written statement. “We could not be happier for the graduates who will celebrate their academic achievements with the president of the United States.”
The Ann Arbor Area also welcomes families and friends of University of Michigan Graduates. Please note that all lanes of a portion of South Main Street near Michigan Stadium will be closed during President Obama’s visit to Ann Arbor next week: South Main Street between Pauline and Stadium boulevards from midnight Friday, April 30 to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1.
For the Best Belgian Beer, Come to the Ann Arbor Area
When The New York Timespublished a ranking of Belgian-style beer -- based on a blind taste test -- the top spot went to a golden ale from a small brewery in Dexter, Michigan, just west of Ann Arbor. Oro de Calabaza, from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, beat out 19 other beers, several of them from -- you guessed it -- Belgium. The beer is the work of Ron Jeffries, who owns Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales.
During your visit to the Ann Arbor Area, you can check out the small brewery in Dexter, or head to the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery in downtown Ann Arbor.
The popular Ann Arbor Art Fair will be held in downtown Ann Arbor from July 20-23.
For more than 50 years, artists with amazing talents and unsurpassed skills have come to the streets of Ann Arbor in July to exhibit at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. The Fairs are an impressive sight to see: no matter what direction you take, no matter where you look, you’ll discover colors and sights that will energize and captivate.
Celebrate Independent and Experimental Film at the Ann Arbor Film Festival
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America. Founded in 1963 by University of Michigan professor George Manupelli, the AAFF started as a vital forum for filmmakers outside of the commercial film industry to share their art with audiences. Today the festival continues its founding spirit as a premier showcase for bold, visionary, experimental and high-caliber films. Pioneers in the world of film and art have shown early work at the AAFF, including Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Kenneth Anger, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, Devo and George Lucas, along with thousands of other influential filmmakers.
The 2011 Ann Arbor Film Festival will be held March 22-27 at The Michigan Theater. For more information, click here.
A hole-in-the-wall bar has poor signage. A lot of them smell kind of bad. When you mention a hole-in-the-wall bar to your friends, some stare at you blankly while others will make a face like you just brought gummy vitamins to a potluck. Hole-in-the-wall bars aren’t necessarily dives, but they can be one and the same. The bar stools are held together with duct tape, the bartenders are ornery, and a thin layer of God-knows-what clings to every surface. These are the bars that it probably took you a little while to find and when you did, took a little while to feel comfortable in. Every town's got them, and the regulars can spot a tourist from a mile away.
Here’s a quick primer to help you get started on finding and appreciating some of Ann Arbor's and Ypsilanti's best hole-in-the-wall bars. Let's just hope they never renovate these dumps.
The 8-Ball Saloon (208 South First, Ann Arbor) is Ann Arbor’s most infamous hole-in-the-wall. There are no special days of the week here, but enough variations from night to night to make it interesting. The 8-Ball is like the Blind Pig’s coatroom, but a coatroom where you wouldn’t want to leave your jacket. The Pig rests above the 8-Ball but because it doesn’t have any bathrooms, patrons descend into the 8-Ball to take care of business. This allows 8-Ballers to mingle with the Blind Piggies each night. If a shoe-gazing band is in town or Reggae Fest takes place, the 8-Ball will absorb the spillover and become unique for that night. It’s always an interesting social experiment.
That’s not to say the 8-Ball doesn’t have its own charms. It has cheap, cheap beer ($1 bottles of PBR on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday), complimentary popcorn, an internet jukebox, pool tables (free Sun-Tues.), dart boards, pinball, air hockey, board games, and dirty hipster eye candy, if that’s your thing. Sure, it smells like stale beer and decades of cigarette smoke, but they recently reupholstered the booths and you won’t get a better scowl from any bartender in Michigan than you will here.
Circus (210 South First Street, Ann Arbor) is one of four theme bars in the old Ann Arbor Central Roller Mills building. The theme is evident. A stuffed lion jumps through a blazing neon hoop behind the bar while the bartenders work under a makeshift big top. Behind the stage is a giant Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey mural painted on the wall. Funhouse mirrors and the (fake) heads of circus animals hang all over the place.
Circus is at its best on Bluegrass Wednesday. Live bluegrass bands play in front of the giant circus mural, as one of the most diverse crowds of any Ann Arbor establishment enjoys $1.25 cans of PBR and free popcorn. Old drunks from Old Town, white guys with dreadlocks, fellows wearing white hats and white sneakers, girls with orange skin, girls with translucent skin, tattoos, crosses, flannel shirts, puffy jackets, UGGs, Crocs, a guy in a suit, and a guy in coveralls - they mingle and dance together and everyone is in a great mood. There’s free pool, Big Buck Hunter, and Golden Tee.
By 11 p.m. the place is packed with pompadours, dreadlocks, shaved heads, weave, Yukon Jack hats, young executive haircuts, and bandanas bouncing unselfconsciously in front of the band.
The Elbow Room (6 South Washington, Ypsilanti) has a mix of great theme nights and live music unmatched in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. It also competes with the 8-Ball for the dirtiest bar in Washtenaw County. The architect of the Elbow Room is owner/bartender Andy Garris who has assembled an eclectic staff to work in downtown Ypsilanti. It has a magician as a doorman. Folk singer/songwriter and onetime Starbucks Pick of the Week Chris Bathgate works part-time as sound man and sometimes barback. Nina Cislaghi, front woman for the hardcore/metal band Bloodlined Calligraphy serves drinks during happy hour five days a week.
The Elbow Room offers a number of popular nights including Elbow Deep (Ypsi’s premier gay night), Tiki Tuesday, Thursday night MoFo Karaoke, as well as a wide range of live music and events. They’ve got one pool table that gets a lot of action and some video games and pinball, but it’s the personal connections you’ll come back for. It doesn’t take long to become a regular and before you know it, Andy will be handing you your favorite drink before your eyes even adjust to the low light. Happy hour is underrated and the Elbow Room is where I picture my dad feeling comfortable at 4 p.m. on a Monday.
The /Aut/ Bar in Ann Arbor has become a gathering place for the city's gay and lesbian community. However, it's also beloved by straight folk too, who come for great food and friendly atmosphere.
Executive Director Russ Collins talks about Ann Arbor's down town center for fine film and the performing arts, its history, programming and role in the wider community.
The Zingerman's brand is often synonomous with the Ann Arbor area. What began as a humble delicatessen in 1982 has since grown into a $30 million artisanal empire that includes a creamery, a bakery, a restaurant, a deli, a market, a coffee roasting outlet, a candy manufactory, as well as steady catering and mail order business. And along with its yummy foodstuffs Zingerman's also exports its philosophies and practices to other businesses for a fee. In a very expensive nutshell, the company has made a name for itself with its strict adherence to exceptional quality, subscribing to standards that most of its competitors don't even bother trying to aspire to.
The end result is often products that are outstanding examples of their particular variety of robust yet delicate coffees, tender pie crusts filled with pricey lard, cheese made from an antiquated recipe no other creamery in the world uses. Quality is emphasized and underscored so much that the resulting product can seem inaccessible, even intimidating, to the fledgling connoisseur.
It's okay: there's an app for that: a program at Zingerman's to educate the eager gourmand!
As Zingerman's has carefully cultivated a reputation for sourcing hand-selected products with the finest flavors its very learned experts can find, they have also fostered alongside it a culture of training and education. You see, it is not enough that you know (or at least, believe that you know) that the products they carry are some of the best anywhere in the world, you must understand why.
To wit, the company has created an environment for gourmet learning, whether it's hands-on classes where the curious can make their own Zingerman-like creations or at educational tastings, where amateurs and aficionados alike are taught to identify key characteristics in comestibles (along with the proper vernacular to describe them).
"An educated customer is really our best customer," says Allen Leibowitz, Managing Partner of Zingerman's Coffee Company. "The more people know what makes a product better the more they will appreciate the product."
The Coffee Company just moved to its first public outlet last November, taking a space in the same Ann Arbor industrial complex as Zingerman's Creamery and Bakehouse. It sources coffees from all over the world, roasts the beans, and sell them wholesale. Much like its neighbors, the Coffee Company's operations are open for viewing: customers can watch the coffee as it's roasted. "It's an education destination," Leibowitz says of the arrangement.
At the Coffee Company, Leibowitz offers classes and tastings to educate consumers on the finer points of fine grinds. In "Comparative Cupping" (a coffee enthusiast's term for coffee tasting), customers sample coffees from the four major growing regions, which helps them develop the technique and vocabulary for tasting. "Some people don't have a lot of experience describing the things they taste," explains Leibowitz. "We do a blind cupping of the four different coffee "food groups" [the growing regions] at the end of the class, and there's probably a 95% identify rate. Not only can people identify the region but they also develop the vocabulary to describe which is which and why, and which is their favorite and why."
Another tasting class called "Brewing Techniques" takes one identical roast and brews it 4-5 different ways. The reason they go to such lengths to educate their customers is simple: "You can get coffee at a lot of places, so why get coffee here? We want people to be able to say why they taste the difference."
His sentiments echo those of every member of the Zingerman's team, any of one of whom could be described as a food geek. There's an obvious excitement and enthusiasm in their voice as they share their knowledge with others.
"Our general take is that this is our life; we're doing this because it's our passion," Leibowitz says of the Zingerman's ethos. "It's crazy, it's fun, we all pretty much love what we do, that's why we're here."
Next door to the Coffee Company is the Creamery, lorded over by John Loomis, Managing Partner and cheesemaker extraordinaire. Almost every weekend through May he holds Mozzarella-Making Saturday.
"We chose Mozzarella because the problem with most cheeses is that they're 'Add this, wait four hours,' then 'add this, wait two hours," explains Loomis. "It's difficult to build a class around. But the principles for making mozzarella are the same as any cheese. This gives us an opportunity to teach people how cheese is made and have them give a hand in doing it without committing three days."
Even still, the typical process for making mozzarella takes about eight hours, so the classes use a slightly sped-up system. At the end of this two-hour class, participants will have learned how to go from raw milk to cheese and also how to texture three different kinds of mozzarella.
"People are fascinated by the process," Loomis says. "It's what got me into cheesemaking. You've got all these different cheeses with all these different tastes and they all start with the same ingredients."
Loomis talks in detail of the chemistry of cheesemaking, about fats and proteins and water retention, the seasonality of certain milks, the history of Camembert, and Zingerman's signature "Great Lakes Cheshire," made from a recipe that no other cheesemaker in the world currently uses. Think of it as Cheesemaking 101, with Loomis as the nutty, heesy professor.
Loomis has very specific intentions in his tastings and cheesemaking classes: "I want people to not be intimidated by cheese. We tend to put certain food way up on this pedestal as something people should be afraid of. How am I supposed to eat this?' If you want to put M&Ms on your cheese I don't care; it's up to you. I want people to get over the mystique with it."
Loomis encourages people to not be shy. "There are no stupid questions," he says, though he is also realistic about teaching the craft. "If they're cheese experts when they walk out of there, I've wasted 25 years of my life! But they're at least going to walk out with a basic understanding and they're going to have fun."
If you really want to get interactive, Zingerman's Bakehouse is probably the best place for you. BAKE! is the hands-on teaching bakery operated by the Bakehouse. It offers roughly five themed baking classes per week, ranging from pizza to pies to pastries. (In fact, the pizza, pie, baguette, and croissant classes are their most popular.)
Shelby Kibler is the Principal of BAKE!, and has held the position for the last two and half years. "Teaching is what I most enjoy to do," Kibler says. "I feel like we really have a positive impact on people's home baking and that's very satisfying, exposing people to baking in general."
Kibler has been a passionate baker since childhood, and worked in the Bakehouse for several years before bouncing around across the U.S.. Ultimately he was lured back to the Zingerman's realm. "I missed the system of values Zingerman's has," he explains. "At Zingerman's all of our objectives include education for other people as well as ourselves; to teach and to learn constantly. From the partners on down everyone's dedicated to both learning and teaching. It is exciting to work somewhere that has that in their values."
BAKE! not only offers small group classes, but also private classes, and BAKE-cations - intensive two and four-day "fantasy camps" for bakers taught by Kibler. "It enriches your life to teach something you're good at," he says. "It means you have to develop a wide set of skills, recognize what you're doing - the 'whys' of what you're doing instead of just the 'hows'. This school is a nice spot for the constant education of the public and ourselves."
Which is precisely why Kibler came back to Zingerman's after so much time and travel. "I am proud to be associated with Zingerman's. This is a company I can totally stand behind."
If you think the selection of micro-brews is starting to become bigger than that of macro brews, you're not too far from the truth, especially in Ann Arbor.
The college town is welcoming its sixth craft brewing establishment with the Wolverine State Brewing Co., (opening Spring, 2010), making it the municipality with the most microbrews or brewpubs in Michigan.
"Certainly the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area is a great place for Michigan craft beer," says Scott Graham, executive director of the Michigan Brewers Guild. "I think there is a lot of room for more growth still."
The four people behind Wolverine Brewing are in the process of turning a former appliance store on Stadium Boulevard into a microbrewry. Wolverine will introduce a new concept to the existing microbrewery scene: they'll be brewing only lagers, and will focus on trying to create the best microbrew lager in Michigan.
"We feel like we can complement all of the great ales you can get at Jolly Pumpkin, Ann Arbor Brewing Co and all of the great brewpubs," says E.T. Crowe, a co-owner of Wolverine Brewing.
That sentiment is one of the keys to Ann Arbor's success at foster craft brewing, according to Rene Greff. The co-owner of Ann Arbor's first microbreweryy, Arbor Brewing Co., says clustering businesses like this allows them to grow off each other. Plus, it helps that Ann Arbor's populace has many of the attributes common with microbrewery consumers, such as high levels of education, lots of disposable income and being well-traveled.
"Ann Arbor has the perfect demographics for microbreweries," Greff says.
Running on recycled cooking oil from local restaurants, the BTB Party Bus provides an affordable and effective means of getting around downtown Ann Arbor.
This Holiday season, ditch the mall and do your shopping in downtown Ann Arbor! Ranked one of the best walking cities in America by Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association, Ann Arbor's downtown is comprised of four distinct areas, all connected by a short walk. You'll find unique and affordable gifts for everyone on your list . . . and you won't have to circle the mall parking lot for hours trying to find a space.
Start your shopping in the South University area. Closest to the University of Michigan, the stores here cater to a younger demographic, but you'll also find plenty of University of Michigan apparal for the super fan in your life. Make sure to check out Middle Earth, a specialty gift shop carrying action figures, candles, toys, political items, bumper stickers, and more.
Cut throught the Diag at the University of Michigan an you'll be in the State Street area. Here you'll find Bivouac (with perfect gifts for the outdoor enthusiast on your list), Borders Books, Music, and Cafe (the original store that started it all), and Orchid Lane Warehouse, featuring fair trade clothing, knitwear, scarves, pashminas, and more - and nothing in the store costs more than $15.
A short walk down Liberty or Washington Street will take you to Ann Arbor's Main Street area, named one of America's Great Streets for 2009 by the American Planning Association. In addition to fabulous shopping, the Main Street Area boasts several unique restaurants and is the perfect place to take a lunch or dinner break.Visit Selo/Shevel Gallery and 16 Hands Gallery to find unique pieces. Check out Acme Mercantile for whimsical and bizarre items, and head to Vault of Midnight to find the perfect gift for the sci-fi geek in your life.
Pack Your Eating Pants for a Taste-Full Tour of Ann Arbor
Did you know there are over 200 restaurants in Ann Arbor's downtown area? Deciding where to eat can be daunting, but Savor Ann Arbor can help! Savor Ann Arbor provides custom walking and driving tours of the Ann Arbor area for groups of all sizes. Tours can be arranged around your schedule, and tailored to suit your needs.
Tours are led by Ann Arbor resident Marcie Greenfield, who has been eating her way through town since 1974. She'll feed you with interesting facts, history, and insight - and some of the best food Ann Arbor has to offer.
"Ann Arbor is a great foodie mecca," she says.
To schedule a tour or for more information, contact Marcie Greenfield at Savor Ann Arbor.
What makes the Ann Arbor Area a dining destination? For one, there's variety: from brew pubs to ethnic eateries to elegant restaurants and comfort foods, the area offers something to please any palate. So where do you start? That's for you to decide, but in case you need more direction, read on to find out how Chicago Tribune reporter Christopher Borelli spent three days gorging in Ann Arbor.
Day 1 8 a.m. I begin my gastronomic Ann Arbor weekend with a light breakfast at Zingerman's Delicatessen, a warm-up breakfast to my actual breakfast later that morning. A spacey young guy who talks extremely slowly and wears a tweed hat takes my order: a bowl of polenta with golden raisins and honey and a house-baked bagel covered in fennel seed with a light smear of the tangy cream cheese from Zingerman's Creamery. The deli has the crowded feel of a club that has welcomed too many into its fold; I am wedged between the artisan pretzels and the smoked-salmon case. I break free and read descriptions of sandwiches for a few minutes -- smoked Montreal meats, variations on New Orleans' muffuletta, Berkshire pork shoulder on an onion roll -- then head next-door to Zingerman's coffeehouse (an actual house) and read the newspaper and eat a golden mountain of polenta.
10 a.m. Having had my warm-up breakfast, I walk a few blocks to Cafe Zola for the real breakfast. On the way, I stop to look at an example of a local phenomenon, the Fairy Door -- miniature doors built into random buildings. At Zola, I ask about them. The rumor is that real fairies built them, my server says, her eyes wide. A 2-second Internet search on my iPhone reveals it's the work of a local artist named Jonathan. Still, the challah French toast at Zola is to be worshiped, made from Zingerman's braided challah, charred, eggy and sweet.
11:30 a.m. Students are huddled in the windows of every coffee shop. The day is overcast. I pick Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea and nuzzle into a mug of ginger lemon tea. It has a spicy burn, but the dab of honey mellows my harsh. There's a high school across the street. A woman stands outside the gates at lunchtime and puts down her bags and slips into a sandwich board. It reads, "Talk to me about socialism." Remarkably, when class breaks for lunch, a number of students stop and ask her about socialism.
2 p.m. In the Kerrytown Market, a block from Zingerman's, I have lunch. I begin with a Seoul Dog at Kosmo. It is a hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep fried, covered in mozzarella and grilled kimchi. I take a bite and put it down, sparing my aorta. Two feet away is Monahan's Seafood, a market within the market but with tables. Mike Monahan, one of the founders of Zingerman's (but no longer a partner), is behind the counter. His fish and chips are rich and crisp, but the oyster poor-boy -- on a baguette from a local Japanese bakery, with pickled veggies at the bottom -- is as delicately fried as a New England clam roll.
8 p.m. I head back to the deli for a Montreal Reuben, which is peppered, hot, on house-made rye. My cider is the color of squash. My pickle is big and perfect. I consider that it might be wax.
Day 2 11 a.m. After a morning walk through the farmers market -- organic everything, basically -- I head for Zingerman's Bakehouse and my afternoon Italian cookie class, which is in a non-descript office park. I learn a few things: They make better Boston Brown Bread than my grandmother; I'm incapable of using a pastry bag; and Gail, my cooking-class partner, has taken "more baking classes than anyone on Earth." Our instructor, his face frozen in a look of amusement, his jackboots covered in a Rorschach of flour and anise seed, walks us through biscotti and amaretti. Gail gets on my nerves.
5:30 p.m. Let me tell you about Dominick's. The restaurant's dark wooden-beamed porch and stained-glass windows and posters of old hippies past recall a time when Ann Arbor was the Berkeley of the Midwest. On days when the University of Michigan football stadium ("The Big House") is bursting, when its 100,000-plus attendees spill into the streets and snarl traffic for miles, you can hear the distant roar at Dominick's, which is miles away. I've been here a few times over the years, and each time a large man with beady eyes sits in front and sips beer and wipes sweat from his head. Beside him is a stack of books with titles like "The War of the Austrian Succession." I nod to him, then get in line. Built into the floor is a tiled sign reading "Wait Here." I wait, then order a Constant Buzz ($21.04). It is truth in advertising, a strawberry slush that includes tequila, triple sec, gin, rum and vodka.
7 p.m. For dinner, we drive a couple of miles out of downtown and find Zingerman's Roadhouse, whose chef, Alex Young, has become a multiple James Beard Award nominee. I spend 10 minutes examining the menu, which reads like a roll call of traditional American cooking, every corner of the country covered: oyster hash and deep-fried pork chop and Sprecher's root beer from Wisconsin and buttermilk-fried chicken and Texas cabrito (goat) and six kinds of macaroni and cheese. The hush puppies (in a nod to UM) use blue and yellow corn. Ari Weinzweig, the owner, in a black T-shirt, sleeves rolled, pours water.
Day 3 11:30 a.m. We head back to the Roadhouse. Ari is there again, pouring water, weirdly attentive for a guy worth a gazillion. I order Hangtown Fry, a variation on oyster hash, made with bacon. It's not on the menu; it's a northern California dish, a mining tradition. But they bring out something very close and full of smoke. The extent these people go to attend to your wishes is nuts. I am eating a bagel when the server comes over to give me a black napkin. The white one might flake on my black sweater. We joke and ask her if they will do anything. Yes, says the server, not joking. She explains that they once ran out and got beer and Red Bull at a supermarket for someone. My friend is allergic to potato, yet his plate has a potato. The server steps back in horror and grabs the plate, then asks him: Do you want to nibble on the part not touching the potato while you wait?
2:30 p.m. We drive to Zingerman's Creamery for a tour. It is as hot inside as Washington in July. The cheesemaker pops fresh mozzarella into his hand, squeezes it through his fingers until a ball forms, then snips it off and holds it aloft. Everyone sighs .
4 p.m. Nine miles away is the Dexter Cider Mill, which is 123 years old, the cider press made of a dark oak stained by hundreds of thousands of apples. Behind the wooden barn, a wheelbarrow holds the apple mash, squeezed of its juices. We grab a bag of hot sugared doughnuts and a couple of foam cups of hot cider and sit on a log, watching the Huron River hustle past.
9 p.m. We wrap up with a Zingerman's Roadhouse special dinner. Once a month, a theme is chosen, a guest chef selected. These dinners are fascinating, and huge -- a $45 dinner based on the history of Greek-Jewish food in America, a $45 dinner about the little-known story of black chefs in the White House. This night I attend a Vampires Ball. The food is Irish, every dish a play on a spooky Celtic legend, Chef Alex telling of sauces "churned with a dead man's hand," stepping from his kitchen to remind us that the butter on our Irish soda bread should be so thick that it "touches your gums before the food does."
At the end of the night, my stomach distended, I fall into a coma. Irish folklorist Kevin Danaher, large and smiling and bleary-eyed, sends the guests off with a proverb. It doubles as a nice reminder of the lure of Ann Arbor -- and of comfort food itself:
Ann Arbor’s South Main Street: One of the “Ten Great Streets for 2009”
The American Planning Association has named South Main Street in Ann Arbor "one of the 10 Great Streets for 2009." American Planning Association Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.
“Anyone who has visited South Main Street can tell you what a unique and energetic place it is to walk, shop or eat—it is the gathering place of the Ann Arbor community,” said Main Street Area Association Executive Director Maura Thomson.
The American Planning Association singled out South Main for its forward-looking planning and development aimed at helping lower the city’s carbon footprint. Among other things, the city is increasing housing density, preserving historic buildings and increasing transportation choices along South Main Street.
When you visit Ann Arbor, make sure to check out South Main Street, just one of the many great places in the area.
For more information accommodations in Ann Arbor, click here. To begin planning your trip, click here.
Last summer, the Ann Arbor area was full of stars: Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, and Jimmy Fallon, just to name a few. They came to make the movie Whip It, and they left with a lasting impression.
Says Barrymore, "I felt like it was a blessing we got to shoot there." She was particularly fond of the area's after hours scene.
"On Saturday nights, I would go to the 8 Ball in Ann Arbor and have a cold PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) and I loved that . . .We went to see rock bands or we'd go to bars or play pool or bowling."
Whip It''s star, Ellen Page (Juno), also gave the area glowing reviews: "I'd live there in a second," Page said. "I'd go shoot there in a second; I'd encourage a film to go shoot there."
Page was particularly impressed by the area's options for recreation.
"All over (the area), you drive 15-20 minutes and there's some awesome place to hike," she says. "From the bottom of my heart, I absolutely loved it, and I say this all the time."
Whip It, in theaters now, is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut. The film also stars Juliette Lewis, Saturday Night Live's Kristin Wiig, and hip-hop artist Eve.
News flash: Parents and students have different ideas on what constitutes a rockin’ weekend.
So while Johnny and Jenny “study,” hit an all-night kegger and scarf down fried veggies at Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger (whose motto is Cheaper Than Food), here are some extracurricular activities to keep the grownups busy in this quintessential college town:
Taste some ‘Top Chef’ cuisine
Eve Aronoff recently got bounced from Bravo’s “Top Chef” competition, but she’s still cooking at her intimate, upscale eatery, Eve.
“This is a really strong food community; people are passionate about things being local,” said Aronoff, 40. The Cordon Bleu-educated chef opened her eponymous restaurant six years ago in Ann Arbor’s historic Kerrytown district.
Many of Aronoff’s ingredients are local, but her flavors span the globe. One item her customers won’t let her take out of the constantly changing menu: “Inspired Nachos,” delicious fried wontons stacked with avocado, black beans and goat gouda.
Eve’s prices are out of reach for your typical ramen-eating college student, but on Thursday nights she offers complimentary appetizers at the restaurant’s wine bar.
“A DJ plays really interesting music, and it’s a fun chance for the cooks in the kitchen to experiment,” Aronoff said. “It’s ideal for a college budget.”
The Wright stuff
Spend a few memorable nights in Ann Arbor’s most architecturally significant home: the 2,000-square-foot Palmer House, designed in the early 1950s by Frank Lloyd Wright.
“It’s one of the half a dozen or so houses of his you can stay in,” said Jeff Schox, a University of Michigan graduate who, along with his wife, Kathryn, bought the home from its longtime owners in March. They began renting it to overnight guests this summer.
The home is classic Wright: no 90-degree corners, views of the natural surroundings from every room and furniture designed by the architect himself. Sleeping up to five people in three bedrooms, the home sits on two acres of a “beautiful wooded area, very serene, by Nichols Arboretum,” Schox said. “It’s a 20-minute walk to downtown or a five-minute car ride.”
Nightly rates range from $299 during the week to $499 on football weekends.
From "Big House, Big Times" by Lori Rackl, published in the Chicago Sun Times September, 2009.
In most places, green beer means St. Patrick's Day. In the foodie paradise of Ann Arbor, Mich., it means Earth-friendly microbrews.
Downtown, Arbor Brewing Co. has won awards for microbrews as well as environmental responsibility. Matt and René Greff's company opened in 1995 following Matt's "beer epiphany": All-natural brews had fuller flavors.
Though perfecting an organic beer, the Greffs say their current beers can't be labeled organic. Although the malt is organically grown, most of the hops aren't. Controversies about the label "organic" have mad recent headlines, but organic is not the only way to go green. "We try to make the brewing process as eco-friendly as possible," René Greff said. Instead of sending spent grain to a landfill, they give it to local farmers for use as livestock feed and compost. How much? "Over 3,000 pounds a week."
A water recovery system routes water used to cool beer after boiling to a holding tank. As it cools the beer, the water gets hot--ideal for cleaning equiptment and for making the next batch of beer.
Having gone "local, natural, and sustainable" at home long ago, the Greffs began applying that ethos in 2007 at their brew pub/restaurant.
The Ann Arbor Farmers' Market, located in vibrant, eclectic Kerrytown, is where the local chefs go for their produce. You’ll often see local culinary celebrities, such as chef Eve Aranoff, shopping there.
Ann Arbor has a farm-to-table tradition and one of the joys of summer is seeing the beautiful produce brought fresh to the market.
Chef Thad Gillies, his brother Ryan and Kevin Hobart, sommelier, own and operate this Ann Arbor-based bistro, offering exclusive wines and an eclectic menu, all with an American twist. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
Planet Rock in Ann Arbor is an indoor climbing gym with walls to challenge all ages and abilities, for those who want health and fitness up to the most competitive rock jocks. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
"What's going on in here?" is the question they get asked most often. Here's a brief glimpse into the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair store and 826 Michigan. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
Artisan-made tiles with early 20th century Arts and Crafts themes and images by Frank Lloyd Wright make it easy to bring fine art into any room in the home.
Brother and sister partners Karim and Nawal Motawi of Motawi Tileworks began making clay art tiles in their garage in the early 1990s. Karin is the trained ceramic artist and her brother is the operational guru who has also learned to develop glazes, make molds and fire kilns. Together they are creating what they call "New Arts and Crafts Pottery." Their names are Arabic, as their father is from Egypt.
Golf Digest Ranks Ann Arbor Golf Course Best in Michigan
The City of Ann Arbor’s Leslie Park Golf Course (LPGC) continues to earn high honors, most recently from Golf Digest magazine. The course was named the “Best Municipal Golf Course” in the state of Michigan. LPGC also earned four-and-a-half out of five stars on Golf Digest’s 2008-09 list of “Best Places to Play.”
“It’s a mark of distinction to be named ‘Best Municipal Golf Course’ in the state and to have earned four-and-a-half stars on Golf Digest’s list of ‘Best Places to Play’,” said Doug Kelly, City of Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Director of Golf. “This validates that we’re not only meeting, but exceeding our customers’ expectations of creating an excellent and memorable golf experience for everyone to enjoy.”
Originally designed by E. Lawrence Packard and opened in 1967, LPGC underwent a two-year renovation by Arthur Hills in 1994-95. It’s regarded as a championship course at 6,752 yards; a par 72 with a slope rating of 128.
For more about Leslie Park Golf Course and other courses in the Ann Arbor area, visit the Golf section.
Ann Arbor has its very own Top Chef! Chef Eve Aronoff -- chef and owner of Eve-the Restaurant in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown district -- will compete this fall on Bravo's "Top Chef: Las Vegas." Aronoff, 40, was classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, but her contemporary cooking style is known for its bold, exotic flavors and eclectic international influences that range from Cuba and Africa to Vietnam. Her intimate restaurant, opened in 2003, features a seasonally changing menu, an outstanding wine list and a casually sophisticated ambience. She is also the author of her own cookbook. To learn more about Eve-the Restaurant, click here.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The first time I heard that people lived in Orlando, I couldn't shake the idea: Where would such people sleep? The Magic Kingdom? There's a government? A mayor who doesn't wear a mouse head and pose for pictures?
This is an occupied territory. Not a city.
To that list, add Ann Arbor.
If you've ever lived in this bucolic college town (population 114,000), gone to school here (at the University of Michigan), worked here (home to Domino's Pizza and Borders world headquarters) or dreamed of living here (Ann Arbor routinely lands on those Best Places To Live lists), you might take umbrage -- but never has a nice Midwestern town been so dominated by a delicatessen.
This is Zingerman's Delicatessen, a red-brick wedge of a building on a cobblestone street. As I learned recently, with all the classes and special dinners and tours and gorging it offers, one can spend days at Zingerman's -- the way one might spend days at Disney World and barely see Orlando. Or rather, one can spend a weekend, going from Zingerman's to Zingerman's Roadhouse to Zingerman's Bakehouse to Zingerman's Creamery and also Durham's Tracklements, Kosmo's lunch stand -- to the many like-minded establishments here that emphasize quality comfort food. What I'm proposing, basically, is a food trip for those who can't afford a food trip to San Francisco. Here, the dream is reality, the makings of a va-HomerSimpson-cation, an entire trip around the eating of excessive amounts of corned beef, Guinness-based gelato, burgers coated in pimento cheese, and waffles made with grits.
Now it's time to get out of that infernal head of yours. Just go with it for a minute. Get far out of your head, then let it all go.
Imagine taking a roller coaster ride after a couple doses of NyQuil. Keep your hands inside the car at all times and feel the swirl, let the breeze just twist all up and down until your stomach drops and your head spins.
You're out of your head now, which is good. Sometimes you have to get out of your head if you want a really heady experience.
Welcome to Dreamland Theater in Ypsilanti. The signposts up ahead all point you toward that unfettered and whimsical part of your psyche. You know, the one you threw into storage when you decided to major in accounting rather than tour with your noise rock band.
Dreamland is here to bring it all back. It's sticky sweet childhood memories chased with a strong shot of grownup psychoanalytical panache.
Oh, and there are puppets. You probably need to know about the puppets. There are lots of them. Big ones, smaller cloth ones, downright freaky ones, an exquisite winged one made from metal utensils. They hang on the walls as art, animate onstage in avant-garde performances, delight little kids on Sunday afternoons and sometimes hang like parasitic twins from the necks of human actors.
Dreamland Theater, in its Washington Street abode since 2006, has been making puppetry a cutting-edge art since founder Naia Venturi started it in 2002. She makes all those puppets herself, a craft she learned after a childhood of watching her artist mother make hand puppets for her.
"It's been my dream to have a space like this," says Venturi, an Ann Arbor native who still attends to a day job as a bio-engineer. "I thought it would be really cool to have people do art without it being part of the art industry."
If one thing's clear about the enigmatic Dreamland Theater, it's not a part of any industry. Or linear structure. Or anything.
Partial article from Concentrate. To read more about Dreamland Theater, head to Concentrate.
The Tower Inn Cafe near Depot Town, Ypsilanti is known as one of the best Greek restaurants in the greater Detroit area. This video comes from Fox 2 Detroit's "Cheap Eats" series.
The Common Grill is one of the most popular restaurants in Chelsea! In this video, Craig Common executive chef, successful restauranteur, and cookbook author Craig Common reveals how he stays inspired and keeps customers coming back for more.
A family favorite for four generations, Ypsilanti-based Haab's is a destination of choice for great steaks, chicken in a basket and other comfort foods. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
Brad Sancho is a mechanical engineer-turned-brewer who's betting that his little brewery, Original Gravity, will draw home-brew aficionados as well as Joe Six-Packs from near and far.
Housed in a 4,400-square-foot building at 440 County St. in Milan, the business features a network of stainless steel tanks, piping and boilers designed to turn grain, hops, yeast and water into heady palate-pleasers.
Despite a struggling economy, high prices for grains and hops, and fierce competition among behemoth brewers, Mr. Sancho, 33, hopes to tap part of a craft beer market that generated $5.7 billion last year - a year in which the microbrewery segment grew by 21 percent.
Just inside the Monroe County line, his little business will be able to brew about 217 barrels a year, or about 7,000 gallons of whatever kind of beer he or his customers fancy.
An Ypsilanti resident and 1993 graduate of Ypsilanti Lincoln High School, Mr. Sancho earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan and most recently worked for about nine years for a diesel emissions technology center. About six years ago, his brother-in-law proposed they try to make a home brew. "I like beer, but I never thought about making it," Mr. Sancho said.
He started with beer-making kits and brewing on the kitchen stove. That evolved into a 10-gallon propane fueled system, which now stands among the much larger shiny tanks of his new microbrewery as both a reminder of his beginnings and a means for experimental and small-batch brewing.
As he developed more of a taste for brewing, he found his regular job less fulfilling.
"I didn't use any of my skills. It was mundane and monotonous and kind of robotic," he says. "There was no real creativity involved."
He researched the microbrewery concept, developed a business plan, found a willing lender and chose Milan to settle in because it's centrally located to other areas, such as Ann Arbor, Saline, Dundee and Monroe.
Party buses in Ann Arbor are are turning to clean fuels --like used vegetable oils-- to transport revellers.
Excerpt:
BTB Burrito is already Ann Arbor's go-to spot for bar-goers who crave a late-night snack after last call.
Now, BTB wants to give them a ride home, too - on a shuttle bus fueled by the waste oil that their churros were fried in.
The BTB Party Bus - a bright-red, 14-seat, former airport shuttle - is powered by a diesel engine modified to run on used vegetable oil. It's indistinguishable from a normal diesel shuttle, except for the 20-gallon tank of grease that sits behind the driver and the tortilla-like aroma that lingers near the tank and emanates from the exhaust pipes.
The homegrown mini-chain has been known best for fast, inexpensive Mexican food and a decidedly Ann Arbor attitude, from its funky interior design to its line of Hash Bash-themed merchandise. The turn toward eco-friendly transportation stems from the owners' interest in green innovation.
Read the rest of the story here and a story on Ann Arbor's two electric cars here.
Praise Flows as Visitors Flock to New University of Michigan Museum of Art
The University of Michigan's newly refurbished Museum of Art has reopened to rave reviews in Ann Arbor this weekend.
It was no quiet "Sunday Afternoon" by Seurat, nor a chaotic "Night Watch" by Rembrandt. Instead, the painting Saturday night at the newly remodeled University of Michigan Museum of Art was of a happy crowd celebrating a community institution and its long-awaited reopening.
When the front doors flung wide at 6 p.m. sharp Saturday evening to the peal of bells throughout campus and Ann Arbor, a crowd of several hundred cheered and began pouring inside. The initial throng of visitors kept coming for a solid quarter-hour, welcomed with the soft applause of museum staffers and volunteers standing just inside the entrance.
It was first time the public has been able to step inside the museum since it closed for the $41.9 million renovation in mid-2006.
U-M fans Huddle for Look Inside Refurbished Michigan Stadium
Rich Rodriguez realized his mistake almost immediately on Saturday.
After being stopped by a parking attendant and asked if he had a reserved space outside Michigan Stadium's tunnel, Rodriguez showed his special parking pass and was able to slide into a spot, steps from the Junge Champions Center, where recruits waited.
But getting from his car to the Junge door, a distance of about 30 yards, was difficult as he was mobbed by the fans waiting in line for the free locker room tour. Rodriguez patiently posed for photos, signed autographs as he tried to walk, only getting through once a police officer helped clear a path. He insisted he didn't want to be rude but had business inside.
While he didn't expect that reception, it showed how loyal the Michigan fans are, as the line for the tour wrapped three-fourths of the way around the building for most of the 2 1/2 hour availability, with thousands being turned away simply because of time.
"This is why I wanted to bring my son," said Ty Coleman, an Ann Arbor resident, who had seen the old locker room 30 years ago when his cousin, Ron Simpkins, played. "It's an opportunity to see what Michigan football is all about, especially in an up-close view of the stadium."
Planning an event in Ann Arbor? Let us help! The Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau can assist you in planning the optimum instructional and/or recreational experience for attendees of your event and their families. Our professional meeting planning staff is at your service, at no cost. We cover all the bases — from preliminary planning to post-event evaluation.
We offer these services:
Submit a lead (Request for Proposal) to area hotels in all of Washtenaw County specifying planner’s meeting needs. This saves time in calling the appropriate hotels, checking availability/rates, phone tag and repeated explanation of requirements, (One Stop Shopping).
Obtain written proposals from area hotel properties, coordinate and present bids to meeting planner and/or site committee or have hotels respond directly to the meeting planner.
Arrange citywide site tour/inspections including hotel properties and meeting facilities.
Provide assistance with spouse tours, group activities and excursions. Supply contact information for local event planning organizations that specialize in these activities.
Registration assistance on-site at conventions and meetings (up to 4 hours free).
Arrange for an information table at an event, conference or meeting for guests to receive information on dining, directions, recreation or pleasure (up to 4 hours free).
Provide printed promotional materials on city events, visitor attractions, and accommodations, including visitor guides and maps.
Arrange for VIP letters of welcome from state and local dignitaries, mayoral welcome at opening ceremonies (upon availability), and local media coverage.
Provide a conference wrap-up critique based on the number of rooms utilized per hotel.
Ann Arbor is known for its Summer Art Fairs held every July, but have you heard of the Shadow Art Fair? It's a juried event that allows local artists to exhibit and sell their works in a comfortable, friendly, and supportive setting. This one-day, 12–hour event is held two times a year at The Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Local music, featured brews, and other special activities add a distinct flavor and sense of community to this creative showcase. The next Shadow Art Fair will be held Saturday, July 18 from noon-midnight.
The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) has re-opened--with a $41.9 million upgrade that includes a complete renovation and a new wing. In this video, museum director James Steward and architect Brad Cloepfil talk about the project. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
Ann Arbor Accommodations: Your Home Away From Home
The Ann Arbor Area boasts all kinds of accommodations. We offer luxury hotels, economy hotels, and unique bed and breakfasts. Click here to view a complete listing of accommodations in and around Ann Arbor. If you're unfamiliar with the area, read on to learn more about where our hotels are located.
Downtown Ann Arbor: Downtown Ann Arbor is an ecclectic mix of restaurants, galleries, shops, and nightlife. The area is also very walkable.
University of Michigan Campus: Staying on or near the University of Michigan Campus puts you near hospitals, research facilities, performing arts buildings, dormitories, and more.
Ann Arbor's East Side: Accommodations on Ann Arbor's east side are close to U.S. Highway 23 and a short drive to Michigan Stadium.
Ann Arbor's North Side: Ann Arbor's north side is also near U.S. Highway 23 and is close to the University of Michigan's North Campus.
Ann Arbor's South Side: Accommodations on Ann Arbor's south side are near I-94 and easily accessable from Detroit Metro Airport.
Ann Arbor's West Side: Ann Arbor's west side accommodations are also near I-94 and a short drive from downtown Ann Arbor.
Chelsea: Chelsea is located about 16 miles from Ann Arbor's city center. The area features Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theater and the Chelsea Teddy Bear Company. Chelsea is also close to Waterloo Recreation Area.
Milan: Located 16 miles south of Ann Arbor, Milan is a short drive from the Michigan International Speedway, the Milan Dragway, and Detroit Metro Airport.
Saline: Saline is located 10 miles southwest of Ann Arbor and is considered a friendly, family-oriented town with a city center featuring upscale shops and restaurants.
Ypsilanti: About seven miles east of Ann Arbor lies Ypsilanti, home of Eastern Michigan University. Festivals are held year-round at Ypsilanti's Riverside Park (most notably the Orphan Car Show and Michigan Elvis Fest). Ypsilanti's Downtown and Depot Town both feature excellent dining, galleries, and shops.
Michigan has been called "the great beer state," and Jolly Pumpkin Brewery is one of the many places in the area where you can experience brewing at its finest. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
The Cupcake is making a comeback! Stop by Cake Nouveau in downtown Ann Arbor for a sweet treat. You may recognize owner Courtney Clark from her several appearances on Food Network Challenges! Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
Your inner comic book geek (and your kids) will love Vault of Midnight on Main Street in Downtown Ann Arbor. From comics to gaming rooms, they serve the nerd in all of us. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
If you love folk music, make sure to visit The Ark on Main Street. The Ark is Ann Arbor's premier venue for acoustic music, drawing local, regional, and national acts on a nightly basis. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
Puffer Reds is a specialty store in downtown Ypsilanti, featuring men and women's clothing, unique, hard-to-find athletic shoes, and cds. It's a one-stop shop for all things hip-hop!
Excitement in the nearby stadium is likely, but a great quality of life outside it is a sure thing.
The University of Michigan is most famous for its football team, the Wolverines, who play in the packed confines of the Big House, a stadium that holds 106,201 fans. Of course, with the way the Wolverines played this past season (their record was 3-9), it's surprising that many people flocked to the stadium every Saturday.
Loyalty might explain it, though maybe it's just fans' motivation to visit Ann Arbor before and after the football game. Who can blame them? The small city of 114,000 boasts top-flight restaurants and bars, a symphony and ballet, as well as museums and concert halls hosting national-level entertainment.
And what full-time residents also know: Ann Arbor has great public schools, low crime and affordable housing. Not surprisingly, it all adds up to the highest rank on our list of best college towns. It beats out Palo Alto, Calif., home to Stanford, and Madison, Wis., home to the University of Wisconsin.
Whether for quality of life, business development or investment, it's easy to understand the draw of college towns. The cities have a reputation for their wealth of arts and cultural events that spoke out from the university. Even though a college town like State College, Pa., or Charlottesville, Va., may not have the population of New York or Los Angeles, the strength of the university attracts top-flight entertainment options.
"Oftentimes people think you need a bigger city to support the arts, but it really depends on who is there," says Andrew Schiller, president of NeighborhoodScout, a Rhode Island-based demographics and real-estate research firm. "My mom and step dad retired from Long Island to Ithaca, a quintessential college town. They get to see the Russian ballet and symphonies; they get big-city amenities without the crowd or the stress."
Behind the Numbers
To create our list of the best college towns, we started with the top 50 finishers in the Director's Cup, an award issued through the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to schools based on their performance in every sport. Football and basketball are important, but for the sports fan, part of the college-town experience is access to top teams in track, water polo, soccer, baseball, tennis and other non-marquee sports.
From there, we looked at quality of life measures, since wins and losses aren't everything. Using Coldwell Banker's Home Price Comparison Index, we looked at the price of a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,200-square-foot home in each market and compared it to the median income.
The Sidetrack Bar and Grill in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town
Huge beers, deep fried pickles, and one of the best burgers in the country, according to GQ magazine. Check out how this restaurant (which has recently been chosen as a set for the upcoming movie Betty Anne Waters, starring Hillary Swank) makes it all come together. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
The Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti: Multicultural Hospitality
Staff at the newly renovated Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest explain how they've translated hospitality for their Japanese visitors. Video courtesy of Ascalon Films.
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