Wandering Around Downtown Ann Arbor

I had to go down to Ann Arbor tonight to pick up an award on behalf of my company. While I was waiting for that event, I decided to wander around Downtown Ann Arbor for a bit. I don't usually wander around this part of Ann Arbor often since I spend most of my time around campus. There are some pretty neat buildings downtown.This is one of the restaurants along main street. I'm not sure what they serve here but I kind of liked the picture.

I always try the odd angle with the Michigan Theater sign. I think it works here to.

This is the First National Bank Building. It is a blend of Art Deco and Art Moderne styles and as such it kind of reminds me of a Kahn building but it is not. It was built in 1929 and was the tallest building in Ann Arbor at the time of its construction (it has since been replaced in that regard). It currently houses a Bank of America.

Making another appearance on this blog is the Fleetwood Diner. I really need to go eat here one of these days. It has been a while.

Last time I was wandering around this part of Ann Arbor, I saw this building but didn't bother to take a picture of it. It stuck in my mind for a while as a place to revisit because it looked like a train depot. It turns out that it was the train depot for the earlier iteration of the Ann Arbor Railroad.

While the Michigan Central serviced the east-west routes of Michigan, the Ann Arbor Railroad serviced south to Toledo and north to Frankfort, Michigan. At some point, it needed routes further west so it operated a couple ferry routes as well.

In the day, Ann Arborites would ride the train to spend time on Whitmore Lake. It was also used quite a bit by U-M students. The last passenger train for the Ann Arbor Railroad was used in 1950. The Ann Arbor Railroad itself went out of business in the 1970's. The name continues today but is a shell of its former glory.

I kind of thought this car was pretty cool looking. It is a type of Lotus car (not sure what model though).

One of Ann Arbor's many street performers.

I kind of like the classic Midwest Downtown Building look. It's amazing how many downtowns in Michigan look roughly the same.

This is the Ravens Nightclub.

Looking up at the First National Building. I really liked the carving work in the arch. I kind of wish I had my telephoto so that I could get some close-up shots of the lion heads at the top.

Looking at the side of that building.

Another group of restaurants.

A shield at the Heidelberg Restaurant which is a German restaurant and a pretty good one at that.

One of the windows of the Heidelberg.

The Heidelberg sign all lit up.