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Published: August 31st 2007
Thanks to Luisa, we finally broke away from our regular Saturday routine of going to the mall - going to church - going to the grocery store - then going home. She took us to Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County) which is an hour away from Detroit (Wayne County). Unknown to us, we were about to see the other side of Michigan.
Laid back Town
Going to Ann Arbor, we took the 696 Freeway and saw more barnyards as we get nearer and nearer. Not that we see cattle by the roadside, we saw acres of corn fields and wheat. Spring is yet to come next week so the scenery was all brown and bare. I bet this place is pretty during spring and summer.
In
Dexter, there were lots of trees by the roadside. There are a couple of dirt roads too. It is a simple, quiet and beautiful town.
Artists and Craftsmen Abound
Luisa took us to a Craft Show held in a local High School. There were the usual metal works, wood craft, and woven items like those back home in the Philippines. I was amazed with the intricate details
Domino's Petting Farm
The birthplace of Domino's Pizza of miniature furniture and miniature ceramic. The ladies on the show were also clad in old-fashioned American clothing with bulky skirts and laced collars.
One booth featured
bobbin lace which intimidates me. The lady was showing us how to make a lace patterned after a flower that takes days to finish. She was using more than a dozen bobbins, a lot of very thin pins, and a magnifying lense. She showed us a 12 by 1 inch strip of lace that took more than 24 hours to finish!
Downtown Ann Arbor
Larry took us Downtown that afternoon after staying for a couple of hours at the Craft Show. He took us to lunch at an Indian Buffet called the
Madras Masala. My friend wasn't much into spicy food but I tried to win her with the Naan. No luck. Naan with Goat Curry was still too spicy for her.
We walked along State Street and saw local shops, cinemas, and bookstore. We passed by the first store of
Borders which is popular in this part of the US.
University Town
I am not sure from whom I first heard this from,
Barn House
Domino's Petting Farm but Ann Arbor is often referred to as a
University Town. It houses the
University of Michigan which is one of the top 10 universities in United States. We drove around its three campuses for almost an hour, I guess.
The Central Campus is the one closest to Downtown. It had most of the administrative and art buildings. It was also Saint Patrick's day so college students were walking around in green shirts with Irish beer ornaments worn as sun glasses or hairbands. In a few hours, these kids would be walking around drunk, hehe!
The North Campus is where the science and engineering students go to for class. I am impressed with how the buildings has been kept up to date despite the fact that it's been here since 1837. Larry, being an alumni of this prestigious university, told us about the various facilities he enjoyed while he was still studying here. There were buildings on Meteorology, Space Science, Nuclear Science, name it...
We saw the largest college football-only stadium in the world at the South Campus. It has an official capacity of more than 100,000. It had a huge "M" on it, too bad I missed to
Another Barn House in Dexter
Farming is a major industry in Ann Arbor take a good shot of that landmark.
I like it here in Ann Arbor. It's laid-back and I like its college-town atmosphere. I won't mind getting assigned here.
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Ralph
non-member comment
Michigan countryside
It's nice you're seeing another side of Michigan... away from the hustle 'n' bustle of Detroit! I'm sure the wide open spaces and rustic farmlands make a welcome change to your usual routine. You made some good observations about Ann Arbor, University Town and the traditional aspects of life there... keep exploring and keep us posted!