Little known fact....well maybe it's not so little known, Bob Seger is apparently from Ann Arbor. Another little known fact is that the song Main Street is actually about Ann Street. Somewhere I heard that the record label wanted it changed so that it would have a wider appeal or something like that. Anyway, enough about Bob Seger.
It was a nice enough night tonight that I decided to take a little walk. I was hoping to catch dinner at this restaurant I've heard about but there was a bit of a wait so I ate somewhere else instead. I did however catch some of the pictures that I wanted. So how about those?
This is actually a part of Ann Arbor that I don't venture to all that often. I should though because the buildings have that Midwestern character to them. This is the block of buildings that has the Heidelberg which is a German restaurant. Pretty good one too.
Amazingly, there is a place that still repairs shoes.
The Embassy Hotel is probably one of the oldest hotels in Ann Arbor. It was built in the late 1800's or early 1900's. It is not related to the Embassy Suites.
Spring is starting to make an appearance which is just as well because I'm getting tired of snow.
Some detail of the Hands on Museum. This used to be an old firestation. If you have kids, I hear that it is a pretty neat place to visit.
One of Ann Arbor's firetrucks.
I have no idea what this sculpture is called but it stands outside of the Ann Arbor City Hall. To me it looks like some sort of alien piece that will kill red shirts. What was wierder was the wildebeest skeleton nearby. For some reason, I wanted to take a piece of it and smash the skull in. I'd wear I hard Also Sprech Zarathrusa in the background. Okay, I've beat that joke to death....
This is the former Ann Arbor News building. It is currently owned by the University of Michigan Credit Union. It was completed in 1936 and designed by Albert Kahn.
I'm not sure of the origins of this building.
Looking down State Street. I am not usually on this part of State Street, so I wanted to show a different vantage point.
The statue of Jesus on the First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor. This church was constructed in 1867 and it is a pretty impressive looking structure. I may have to try to get more pictures of this in the near future.
The cross above the Jesus statue.
The top of the entrance of the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor. I didn't catch when this church was built but it also is pretty nice.
Ann Arbor City Hall. Before they added the monstrosity to the right, this building was in the running for ugliest City Hall. With that addition, they cemented that title. For all the historic buildings in Ann Arbor, you would think they would have figured out a way to keep their old city hall. I mean compare this one to Bay City's City Hall.
A more pulled out shot of the Hands On Museum. Personally, I think this building would have been more suited for a City Hall. It certain reminds me more of the Bay City one.
Looking up at the tower.
The front of the fire truck from scene 21. I do think fire trucks are pretty cool.
This is the addition to City Hall. Apparently it is Ann Arbor's Justice Center. For some reason, one of the dystopian police stations in a sci fi movie comes to mind. I almost expected jackbooted thugs to come out. If there is one postitive thing to say about this building...it is LEED certified which allegedly means that some consideration of energy efficiency went into its design. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with modern architecture...but modern doesn't have to translate into ugly.
Speaking of ugly...now we can move onto ugly cars. This is the Nissan Leaf. It definately supplants the Nissan Cube as their ugliest car and moves into Scion iQ territory. Speaking of iQ, what is the idea with the small i before stuff?
The Amadeus Restaurant. I ate there once but it was a long time ago. It was still pretty good. Was almost tempted to eat there again tonight.
Back on Main Street.
The First National Building in Ann Arbor. It is a blend of Art Deco and Art Moderne and was built in 1927. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest building in Ann Arbor. For the most part, Ann Arbor doesn't have that many tall buildings.
An alley. It's funny, for the most part, I don't consider Ann Arbor as urban. Normally you don't have scenes like this.
Another angle of the First National Building.
Looking down from the Mongolian Barbecue.
If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know that one of my favorite artists is Richard Estes. He does paintings of urban scenes with transparent reflectives. Every so often, I try to capture that effect with my photography.
Another store front.
Then I got a chance to see a fire truck in action.
This building used to house Rider's Hobby. The Hobby Store I grew up with in Bay City was decent but this one blew it away. They used to have a really good selection of games and some knowledgeable employees. When they moved from this store to the store at the corner of Carpenter and Ellsworth, they lost some of that. Now they are out of business.
This is the block with that building on it.
The Fleetwood Diner is pretty much an Ann Arbor instution. I seem to remember the food being decent but I only ate there once. I think this is up there with Zingerman's as places you have to eat at.
Another alley. I kind of like this one a little better because of the fire escapes. Makes me think of a New York scene.
Back on Main Street.
Looking down Main Street.
Nothing special about this building, I just liked the shot.
A sign advertising the Raven.
The sun was starting to set on me, but I liked this street scene with the orange glow to it.
The stand of buildings with the Arbor Brewing Company. I was going to try to take a picture of the building in the background but I couldn't get a good angle of it.
The Bus Terminal. I just liked the looks of it.
Looking down one of the Ann Arbor Streets.
One more shot of Main Street.
I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Ann Arbor. Like I said, I don't usually venture over this section. I tend to stay closer to the University portion.
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