Fun Stuff
Barton Dam
It’s remarkable that some of Ann Arbor’s best scenery doubles as hardworking infrastructure.
This content is for subscribers only.
Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now
Already a member? Log in here
Liberty Plaza Mural
July’s I Spy “depicts a segment of the Liberty Plaza mural at the corner of E. Liberty and S. Division,” says Ivana Tullett.
Read More
Art Fair Bingo Board
Want to play along, and maybe win some cool Observer swag? Follow us on socials...
Read More
Good to the Last Crumb
“This is the Good to the Last Crumb mural by Jesse Kassel,” says Cathy Chow. The mural graces “the west-facing wall of the historic Pretzel Bell Building at 120 E. Liberty St.,” says David Frye, citing the A2 Art Center Murals website. “The full mural includes (among other things) a pretzel and a bell.”
Read More
The 8 Ball Saloon
Let’s celebrate National Dive Bar Day—a real thing! July 7—and toast Ann Arbor’s only remaining true dive,* the 8 Ball Saloon. Tucked beneath the Blind Pig, it’s the place where musicians, pool sharks, students, townies, punks, and insomniacs slide in for cheap drinks, pool, darts, and free popcorn while the rest of town worries about its LinkedIn profile.
Read More
Bespoke K9 Tayloring
We received 160 entries correctly identifying the Fake Ad for Bespoke K9 Tayloring on page 61 of the June issue.
Read More
Knight Steakhouse’s Horse Head Sign
April’s vicious winds claimed an Ann Arbor original: the distinctive horse head sign outside Knight’s Steakhouse on Dexter Ave. For more than forty-two years, that looming wooden steed told you exactly where you were—no other signage needed. But Mother Nature tore the face clean off that storied chess piece, bringing an end to one of A2’s great roadside icons. A replacement is coming soon, reportedly a brand-new version of the classic.
Read More
Mich Again Great Lakes Water
Last month’s Fake Ad, for Mich Again Great Lakes water, was supposed to include a line at the top of the photo that said, “Summer’s hot.” Together with the line at the bottom, “We’ll keep you cool,” the words spelled out the last name of last month’s winner, “Shotwell.”
Read More
Ode to Huron by Tatum Lorway
“Those are the water lilies from Ode to Huron by Tatum Lorway,” writes Dave Bicknell—the “mural made up of backlit metal panels” inside the Barton-Bandemer Tunnel. Completed in November 2025, the tunnel runs beneath the railroad tracks, connecting Bandemer Park to Barton Nature Area. “I’m so glad that for the first time in my life, bikers and walkers can access … Huron River Dr. upstream from town safely and legally,” writes Dan Ezekiel, who has biked through it several times already. For Trevor Denton, “a U-M cross-country and track alum trying to keep up with running,” the tunnel is “a game changer (however some days I do miss the thrill of jumping the train tracks).”
Read More
The University of Michigan Museum of Poetry’s “Frost Slept Here” exhibit
The Fake Ad in the April issue was for the University of Michigan Museum of Poetry’s “Frost Slept Here” exhibit. It gave the Fake Ad Czar an opportunity to try his hand at some Robert Frost fan poetry by hiding the previous month’s winner’s name in some original verse.
Read More
Girl with Rabbits & Birds
April’s I Spy “features a detail on the U-M Literature, Science, & the Arts (LSA) building, 500 S. State,” writes Ivana Tullett.
Read More
Champion American Elm on Crest Ave.
Meet Ann Arbor’s Champion American Elm on Crest Ave. between Lutz and Elder. 120+ years old, 170 inches around, and 105 feet skyward. They don’t call us Tree Town for nothin’.
Read More