Birmingham Magazine April 2018 Issue

• LIVING |
Take Off
THIS
the tapas, so choose from a variety of the small
plates including Croquetas De Manchego
(cheese croquettes), Dàtiles Rellenos (baconwrapped
dates), and Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp
in garlic chili-oil). Be sure also to order one
of the restaurant’s six versions of paella for
the table.
To cap off your evenings, Ann Arbor has
plenty of bars to choose from. The Ravens
Club, with a seasonal cocktail menu, is
popular for its list of more than 150 American
whiskeys. The Last Word, a speakeasy-type
bar, gets its name from a famous cocktail
called “The Last Word,” popular in Detroit
in the 1920s but then forgotten until it was
reintroduced in Seattle in 2004. The cocktail
is comprised of equal parts gin, lime juice,
Chartreuse, and maraschino liqueur. It’s a
must-try at the downtown bar.
There are several breweries in and around
the city, but one of the most-well known
is Arbor Brewing Company, owned by
husband-and-wife team Matt and Rene
Greff, two pioneers of craft beer in the state.
The brewery opened in Ann Arbor in 1995
and eventually was the first brewery to go
solar. Using hybrid panels that generate solar
electricity and hot water, the Greffs brew yearround
staples (like the Strawberry Blonde),
seasonals, and sours. Fun fact: The Brewery
has an international location—in Bangalore,
India. Opened in 2012 by a former employee
of the brewery, it was India’s first American
craft brewery.
OTHER RESTAURANTS NOT TO MISS:
Frita Batidos: Cuban inspired street food.
Try a batido (a tropical milkshake) in flavors
of coconut cream, hibiscus, or fresh lime. The
“Fritas” are Cuban sandwiches served on soft
egg buns.
Mikette: Serves Southern French food with
an emphasis on fresh seafood. The French
Onion Soup with sherried onions is to die for.
Fred’s: A health-focused café serving all the
latest food trends including juices, acai bowls,
and all kinds of toast, including avocado,
ricotta, and nova toasts.
GET YOUR ART FIX
With the University of Michigan at city
center, Ann Arbor benefits as a hub for
cultural attractions, such as performing arts,
public art, museums, galleries, and more.
In fact, the University alone has nearly 60
cultural attractions in its network.
“The University of Michigan is a major
player in the arts and culture scene here in
Ann Arbor,” Wyzlic says. “It’s also influenced
the rest of the area’s offerings. Alumni, faculty,
staff, prospective students, and arts lovers in
general flock to the Ann Arbor area to open
galleries, perform in community theatre, and
participate in local film competitions.”
One of the most well-known attractions is
the University of Michigan Museum of Art
(UMMA), open to students and visitors alike.
The 53,000-square-foot museum at the center
of campus houses a permanent collection of
more than 18,000 works of art, as well as
rotating exhibits.
Since Ann Arbor is such a walkable city,
a walking art tour is one of the best ways to
explore the city—and its art. After you visit
the UMMA, there are several galleries to
check out downtown. Most can be found just
by wandering the streets, but two highlights
include the WSG Gallery and the Ann Arbor
Art Center.
WSG Gallery showcases and sells
affordable work by 16 artist members, in a
variety of mediums. You’ll likely find at least
one of the artists hanging out at the gallery,
who can tell you about the art. The gallery,
which has repeatedly been voted as the best
fine arts gallery in Ann Arbor, also shows
work from 8-10 visiting artists, chosen by the
16 members. Visiting artwork is rotated every
six months.
The Ann Arbor Art Center has been
promoting the arts in the city for 109 years.
With four main pillars, the center serves
the community through retail, exhibition,
education, and community engagement. The
center offers a number of classes, including
ceramics, metalsmithing, drawing, and
painting. A gallery space on the second floor
of the center hosts exhibitions and shows,
typically rotated each month. A retail shop
on the main floor of the center sells goods by
local artisans, including Motawi Tileworks'
famous tiles.
If you’re visiting Ann Arbor this month,
you can celebrate FoolMoon and FestiFools,
two of the city’s most fun weekend events. The
weekend kicks off with FoolMoon on Friday,
April 6, where everyone is invited to gather
in the streets and shake off the long winter
with luminaries, interactive installations,
laser shows, a beer tent, DJs, live dance
performances, and more. FestiFools is a paradestyle
event on the following Sunday afternoon
that features huge paper-maiche-style puppets
made by members of the community and
university students. It's an event that
showcases the lively city and the people who
have a passion for it.
PAGE: Top to bottom: The famous
Zingerman's Delicatessen. A batido (Cuban
milkshake) from Frita Batidos.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Clockwise from top: Taps at
Arbor Brewing Company. A public art piece
outside of the University of Michigan Museum of
Art. FoolMoon and FestiFools are celebrated in
the downtown streets.
Photos courtesy of DESTINATION ANN ARBOR
Michigan
DETROIT
ANN ARBOR
DON’T FORGET
DETROIT
Make it a double and spend some time
exploring Detroit on your way to or from
Ann Arbor.
Granted, Detroit’s image in recent decades
hasn’t gleamed like, say, a Cadillac fresh
off an assembly line. There’s no reason
to cite its many woes, especially as a
turnaround is happening. In fact, Lonely
Planet ranked Detroit second on its 2018
rundown of top cities in the world.
Downtown is hopping. Investors are
rehabbing classic buildings (a fire station
converted into a hotel) and erecting new
ones, people are moving in, sports and
cultural venues are magnets, and it doesn’t
sound crazy to book a weekend here.
Use the new QLine light rail as your
transporter. Toward one end are the elegant
Fox Theatre and the homes of the Lions,
Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. Hockey and
basketball pull 20,000 people to a justopened
$863 million arena that anchors a
$2.1 billion sports/entertainment district.
Just blocks away are Shinola (maker of
everything from classy watches to classic
bicycles), the Detroit Institute of Art (with
its amazing Diego Rivera murals), and
the Wright Museum of African American
History. Ride a bit farther to the Motown
Museum, one of the funkiest, most
entertaining attractions anywhere.
Detroit’s food scene delights. The Grey
Ghost (named for a Prohibition-era rum
runner) is a great example. Visit if only
for a classic cocktail and the gem of the
appetizer menu—an octopus corndog.
– TOM ADKINSON
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