I was up on the roof of my apartment building today getting some shots when I decided to walk around town for some more.  This thread will feature pictures of Ann Arbor's 4th Ward as well as the State & Liberty Commercial Districts that adjoin the University of Michigan.  I'll post U of M and downtown Ann Arbor pictures in a separate thread. 

 

These photos are cold and somewhat depressing so I've mixed in some from late September to heat it back up

 

Looking South Toward the University over Cornwell Place neighborhood

 

 

Looking Northwest over the Huron River Valley.  In the center of the photo you can see a train pulling into town from Chicago.  It's been really convenient having the Amtrak Station a couple blocks form my house as well as cheap daily trips to Chicago.

 

 

The east end of the 4th ward is flanked by ugly parking structures and research buildings.  Permanent residents have feared the specter of highrise development invading their neighborhood from almost every direction.  Proposed buildings from 5 to 45 stories have all been shot down one by one.  Based on the architecture of some of these buildings that rose in the 60's, you'll understand why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uh oh.

 

 

I'd be less concerned about height of buildings and more about these paint schemes.  I thought this was a "historic district."

 

 

 

University of Michigan's North Quad student housing rising.

 

 

 

 

It's an R AM Stern building, so I trust it will be done right.

 

 

Getting too cold?  Let's move back to September

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nickel's Arcade.  Ann Arbor's earliest "shopping mall."

 

 

Switch back to the holidays

 

 

 

I'm happy to say this remains a successful retail arcade to this day. 

 

 

 

Looking toward campus.  More of this in a thread to come.

 

 

Ann Arbor's tallest, and not exactly the most attractive.  This city has a really odd skyline, and most of the taller buildings remain close to campus as opposed to downtown.

 

 

Looking back down State Street.

 

Burton Memorial Bell Tower and Hill Auditorium.  The acoustics are so good that apparently you can hear someone speak without a microphone on stage all the way up on the third level due to the auditorium's spherical shape.  During my undergraduate years, a group of us went backstage of a Ludacris concert via underground tunnels from a neighboring building.

 

 

The edge of campus looking toward town.

 

 

Now from above

 

 

 

 

Borders Store #1, the first Borders Book Store started here...actually in a neighboring building.  This particular location was formerly a department store.  After Borders outgrew their first location they moved down the block, and a well known American retail chain was born.

 

 

 

Interesting story about this alley.  Murals used to cover the walls, but over time they became covered with graffiti.  It was tolerated both by authorities and even the artist, so the paint has changed over time.  However, a couple months ago someone paint rolled all the walls white (not the owners).  The police were called and are seeking out who covered up all the graffiti with white paint.  If found, they could face vandalism charges.  However, the problem has recently begun to go away, and graffiti has returned covering up the roller vandal's white rectangle.

 

 

That is bubble gum on that wall.

 

Our newest private student housing project.  Another 18 story one is to rise on the low brown building on the right.  If you are wondering what rents are in this area, a resident in this new building will pay about $1000/month I believe.  Apartments around my neighborhood range from $750-$1200/month for a one bedroom.  So it's a relatively attractive housing option being so close to the business areas and campus.  South of campus in the "student ghetto" rents  are much lower.

 

 

 

 

Later this week....Downtown

 

Wow, Cool neighborhood! Ann Arbor seems like a great city!

Hehe Michigan...State ;).

AA is a great little town. Thanks for these.

I LOVE this picture.

 

Ann Arbor seems like a very nice city.

Wow looks great! Anyone want to do a thread like this for the area around OSU in Columbus?

...I've done it...many times...before...( www.urbanohio.com )

I know...I meant an updated, comprehensive tour.  I hope to get to Columbus this summer to see it in person, but there won't be any students there.

I know...I meant an updated, comprehensive tour. I hope to get to Columbus this summer to see it in person, but there won't be any students there.

 

When you come, PM me for the tour.

love Ann Arbor, one of my favorite cities in America, right up there with Madison.

 

 

 

AA is better than Wisconsin-Madison. Ann Arbor feels more like a town. Madison feels like a smaller scale mini Toronto but with more white people  :-D

Ann Arbor looks gorgeous.  That last pic really has me wanting more.  Way to be a tease.

I got a decent tour of the town, I was really impressed. Really, the absolute only thing I would complain about is the fact that you have streets going through a campus that should be reserved for pedestrians but other than that, its perfect. The layout of downtown is so convenient if you're a college student. Also, it seems like AA has quite a few people that aren't students that use the same downtown amenities by the university (unless they're just older grad students, I don't know) but it's a very livable place for anybody thats for sure.

Ann Arbor is a whore

^ Whores.  There were two

Looks pretty nice! I've never been to Ann Arbor nor looked at too many photos, but having spent my time in Madison I'm of course interested to compare the two places.  (Let's face it, though: even with more Ann Arbor exposure I'll probably still be biased toward the one that was home for a while.)

nice job. cool to finally see some new stuff going up in aa!