The Vindication of Roger Newton
Roger Newton never claimed to be the smartest person in the room. “These guys are obviously...
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2020 April
Pittsfield’s Historian
“Macular degeneration was a terrible diagnosis for a librarian, writer, reader, publisher,...
Read MoreDream Deferred
The Holiday Inn Ann Arbor near the University of Michigan has been rebranded as the DoubleTree by Hilton Ann Arbor North. Guy Hollerin’s, the restaurant in the Holiday Inn for more than fifteen years, is now the Arbor Tree...
Read MoreThai Spoon Replaces Bangkok Cuisine
Bangkok Cuisine has reopened under new ownership as Thai Spoon. The extensive menu is largely unchanged, with many standard Thai favorites like curries, stir fries with sweet chile or brown sauce, noodles, soups, and half a...
Read MoreMr. Alan Shoes Is Now Snipes
The big sign at Mr. Alan’s Shoes, on Washtenaw Ave., came down in early December and was quickly replaced with a new sign–Snipes.Mr. Alan’s TV commercials were ubiquitous on Detroit TV in the 1980s and 1990s....
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What’s Happening at 2111 Packard?
The four-tenant shopping center at 2111 Packard is looking at big changes. Over the decades, the site has been home to Century House, a small department store; Hollywood Video, a downright large video rental store; Jack’s...
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Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff’s last two books have been short-listed for the National Book Award. Her 2015...
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Great Blue Herons
You have not seen our weedy river, you do not know the significance of its weedy bars, until you...
Read MoreResidential Fences?
Q. City regulations prohibit residential fences from being solid. Why must fences be see-through?A. Some fencing can be solid; the limitations apply only to the front parts of a property. City zoning coordinator Jon Barrett...
Read MoreJust Imagine Closes
After a decade downtown, Bill Harris will close Just Imagine–his book, toy, and musical instrument store on Chelsea’s W. Middle St.–at the end of March and retire. “My wife and I have plans to finally do...
Read MoreCoffee at the Corner
“It’s symbolic of my journey,” Russ Furrha says about the corner of Stadium and Main, where he is opening Drip House Coffee Co. He played football on two of the other corners–at Pioneer in high school,...
Read MoreCovid-19 Assistance
This list of resources responding to the Covid-19 pandemic was published in the April 2020 Ann Arbor Observer. Please add comments (button at end) to post updates and additional resources.– Help is available: If you face a...
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A Walk by the Mill Pond
Under threatening skies, dozens of wandering geese in Saline’s Mill Pond Park erupted into...
Read MorePrickly Pear Closes
Prickly Pear has been a Main St. institution since 1991, when Gary Pearce and his wife, Mary Miller, opened it as newlyweds. Pearce, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, was chef at the Campus Inn, but it was his...
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Back to the 1840s
“Gordon Hall is a house we all love. Many, many generous donors are helping to restore it...
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History’s Mysteries
Over the past year, Cobblestone Farm Association president George Taylor has marshalled an...
Read MoreComing to Chelsea
Jason Povlich–owner of Chelsea’s Jet’s Pizza and music venue the Rumpus Room–says he plans to open the Grateful Crow restaurant in the Clocktower Complex this spring. The restaurant, in the space Chelsea...
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Going Viral
The economic effects of Covid-19 have already battered nearly every category of workers in the...
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Delivery Bots
They aren’t very big–about the size of a child’s bike–and there...
Read MoreAll That Glitters
We don’t need the Farmer’s Almanac to tell us that we live in one of the top ten cloudiest states. Good news though! Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow, so maybe an early spring? In the meantime, what...
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