This is the item where you can note things that have changed around town.
For example, today I noticed that the L. Ron Hubbard people have moved out
of their storefront next to the Mayer-Scherer Office Supply store on 
Main St.

What have you noticed that new or different in Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti?

81 responses total.

The middle of campus is dug up to deuglify the UGLi.

I found a parking place the last 2 times I was in the city.  That's
different!

Parking in Ann Arbor is not that hard, as long as you don't mind paying for it.
Surface parking might be hard to find in some neighborhoods, but I've never 
had a problem in the garages.

The Condom Sense store is no more:)

When did that happen?

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Yes, and I hear it's going to be the biggest bookstore in the area, and
high-tech, too -- computer terminals that customers can use to locate
selections.

I like that idea.  If the library can do it, a bookstore should be able
to do it.

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Condom Sense changes it's name to Condoms 101 when the original Condom
Sense people decided that they wanted large amounts of money to franchise.
The local folks decided to change the name and use the extra money thae
saved that way to provide public service info brochures in a back corner.

I've also heard that the New B&N is supposed to contain a Coffee Shop
as Well.

Coffee has a higher profit margin than timber products?

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Espresso Royale is opening yet another shop at Packard & State.  I frequent
these places, but when will ER start suffering consumer backlash on the 
grounds (no pun intended) that it's the McDonalds of espresso?

re #13, yep, as of a couiple of weeks ago I was in Condoms 101.  I had never
managed to make it to Condom Sense...but what I saw pretty much fit what I
had heard about as Condom Sense.  They also had a sign on the door explaining
the name change.

Cafe Marie (that great cholesteral palace) is opening near North Campus on
Plymouth Road, so its pretty sure that I wont be making breakfasts any more
on the weekend.

What happend at the Boardwalk Buffet/Cafe Marie that has
caused it to be closed for repair ?

re #16. What does Cafe Marie have that's good? And where exactly
is it on Plymouth?

Cafe Marie specializes in breakfast.  I went to it when it was
near Briarwood, but don't really know where the Plymouth Rd.
location is.

Cafe Marie will (or, perhaps already is) on Plymouth Road, across from the
Shell station and in the mall that contains a Wendys and a Video Watch.  It is
near the NC Rec Center.  What is offers that is good is breakfast. .eggs, more
eggs and even more eggs, some wonderful granola pancakes, and some of the best
oven "fried" potatoes (with cheese and onions) that go along with any of your
egg dishes.  The dishes also come along with English Muffins. They do serve egg
substitutes in may of their dishes.

Re: #4  -  Were you pleased when you thought Condom Sense was gone?  Why is
that?  That store, along with E. Lansing branch (which from the beginning was
named Condoms 101), is run by a friend of mine.  I'm not offended mixed
feelings about this store, but I wonder if it's a misunderstanding...  This
store provides a *valuable* service to Ann Arbor.  I think it's a great
addition to our town...   Please feel free to mail me if you want to discuss
it further.
Back to the topic, has anyone witnessed the changes at Vet's Pool?  Looks fun.

Uh, think about that first sentence. I mean in light of the fact that 
obviously the store *isn't* gone, and I'm the one who entered the response.
Do I think it makes a difference? No.

Ohhhhhhh.  I see.  More literally, you meant "Condom Sense *name* is no more"
I get it now.  You just lost a few of us on that one...

They are tearing up the old sidewalks downtown and replacing them with
mall-type brick walks.  Besides the obvious mistake of making downtown
emulate Briarwood, has anyone thought about the fact that the bricks will
crack and turn to dust after a few winters because there isn't any
expansion space between them?

Why prettify downtown.  One of the most interesting things about it is
the ancient date-stamps embedded in the concrete that tell you that
your parents must have seen the same thing when they walked by 30 years ago.

Maude's has gotten a facelift. They took over the space next to the
old restaurant some time ago, and now they have a new neon sign
that spans the entire building.

No offense, Dan, but I really detest the word "facelift" when applied
to buildings.

Isn't a facelift when the Fascade Easement has been purloined?

re #26: What's the matter with the term "facelift?"

There's finally some activity at the site of the future (at least
I hope it's still in our future) Grizzly Peak Brewery.  Workmen
looked liked they were actually doing something to the insides of
the place.

The Grizzly Peak guy weas going to send me a certificate for a free beer
on opening day because I bought some coffee cups from him when he was 
selling the contents of the old Cracked Crab soon after he bought it.  At
that time he was expecting to open last April.  Glad to find he's taking the
time to restore it properly.  Too bad about the name, though.

ummm, yeh, what is the better term?

What is happing with that brewery that was to open in the space
previously occupied by either the Cracked Crab or the Roundtable
restaurant?  Is the project still viable?  Seems like years since
they started work on it.

I noticed today that they were grading the lot next to Meijer on
Ann Arbor-Saline Road.  Looks like they're going to tear down the 
radio station and tower that's there now.

Yeah, I know there'll be a McDonalds and Meijer will finally open a gas
station.  I don't know what else is going up.

Thank God, another McDonald's! Will prosperity never cease? (please?)

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Yippee, I'm a yuppie? 

The weekly used-book sale sponsored by the Friends of the AA Public Library
has once again reopened.  Paperbacks are only 50 cents, hardcovers only a
buck. The sale is held in the basement of the downtown library and is open
Saturdays from 10:30 till 4 (I think) and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00.  It's
the best deal in town.

Yeah, but to get full value, you actually have to *read* the books that you
buy.

Are they selling bookshelves too? That's what I need now, more than books.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss