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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
ThirdCoast Digest: ‘Edible Ann Arbor’
In this ThirdCoast Digest write-up, travel writer Kevin Revolinski muses at the attitude of staff and the delicious burgers at Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger. He also gives kudos to the diversity of products available at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, the 'whimsical' atmophere of Frita Batidos, the farm-to-table experience at Grange Kitchen & Bar, the many beers on tap at Ashley's Pub, and of course Zingerman's (or 'Zingermanville, as he calls it). He mentions many other Ann Arbor institutions within the article as well: 'Everything is walking distance, it seems. From the campus art museum, to a farmer’s market, to a microbrewery, and off to dinner and a concert.' Whether you're from Ann Arbor - or looking to visit, this is a great article to read if you're wondering what you've missed - or where to start.
'...it’s not just all about food and drink in Ann Arbor. But it certainly could be. When in Ann Arbor, eat as the Ann Arborians do – very well.' ~Kevin Revolinski
Saturday, January 28, 2012
President Obama Visits Ann Arbor
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.
Here is his speech in its entirety:
*Photo courtesy of AnnArbor.com
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival: June 17 - July 10
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.
An evening at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival engages all the senses. Get more festival information here.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
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.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
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.
Mmmm, perfection.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.annarborsummerfestival.org.
Photo courtesy Myra Klarman.
Friday, April 23, 2010
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.
View Obama Lane Closures in a larger map
Monday, March 08, 2010
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.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Ann Arbor for Students and Parents
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.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
BTB Party Bus Runs on Churro Power
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.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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.
Read the rest of the story here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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."
Read the rest of the story here.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History
Visit Ann Arbor with your family and check out the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, featuring exhibits on dinosaurs and prehistoric life.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Forbes Names Ann Arbor “Top College Sports Town”
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.
Article by Matt Woolsey, from Forbes.com