Arborland Mall

Probably my first impression of Ann Arbor was a sign along US-23 with a large A. I don't think I was really paying attention to it at the time but I passed by this sign just before I was a freshman in high school. My dad and I were heading out to Pennsylvania and we decided to take US-23 to catch the Ohio and then Pennsylvania Turnpikes. Little did I know that roughly four years after that trip, I would be seeing this sign more often.
Arborland was originally opened as a strip mall in 1961. It was changed to an enclosed mall sometime after Briarwood Mall (on the south side of Ann Arbor) was opened in the 70's. It is now an open mall again.

My first trip to Arborland was when I was a freshman at Eastern Michigan. The main bus terminal was there and I think I was shopping for CD's or someting. This was before I discovered School Kids records and downtown Ann Arbor.

Now with the Borders and Circuit City stores close, I'm guessing that Arborland will undergo another transition.

Anyways, my original purpose for this was to tie it with another institution on Washtenaw that is going out of business...the Ypsi-Arbor Bowl but that sign wasn't lit, so I'll have to take a picture of it soon.