Changes in the city of trees.

[netmouse]

In a response to Mrissa from an earlier thread I go on a bit about ways that Ann Arbor has changed that makes it less fun these days for me to show people around town. I grew up here, and find it much less the comfortable, casual, ideosynchratic and hippy college town it was when I was a kid. Borders has changed from a deep and interestingly unique store to a chain clone. I didn't even go into how the Art Fair has gotten less artsy and fun and more commercial. Even Zingerman's sandwiches are not as good as they once were, since they shrunk them a few years back to keep competitive in the face of Amers and other sandwich cafes.

Would you agree that Ann Arbor is changing for the worse?

What changes do you like? (having Trader Joe's and Whole Foods come in could be counted as positives, for instance).

What do you miss?

Comments

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

I feel like my perceptions of change in Ann Arbor have less to do with Ann Arbor changing and more to do with me changing. I used to think Ann Arbor had lots of really amazing restaurants. Now that I've had the opportunity to do a lot more eating out in a lot more places, I recognize that while we have some strengths, and some good places, we're not the foodie paradise that I used to think we were.

I've never thought Zingerman's sandwiches were all that. I love many things about Zing, but the sandwiches were never one of them.

I'll have to think about other changes. Certainly agree that the town has gotten a little less funky and a little more corporate, but that's probably true of just about anyplace these days - the whole world is getting more corporate.

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

I've never thought Zingerman's sandwiches were all that. I love many things about Zing, but the sandwiches were never one of them.

I think maybe you moved here after the change. It happened in the mid-to-late '90s. They used to also have more sandwiches. I think when my boyfriend worked there he had to memorize at least twice as much as they have now. They printed sandwich menus that were at the front of the line so you had time to read them. And the list changed more often, with all the employees making up variations. This was when it was more just a Deli, and they didn't have the bakery section in the middle there, or the deserts next door.

A number of places in Ann Arbor don't have the food they once had. The Real Seafood Co. started out really good - I was just talking to my mom about it the other day. And Zanzibar was really neat and tasty for a few years, then went downhill. The food at the Gandy Dancer also used to be better. I guess as Chefs shift these things happen. But it's sad.

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

I do remember Zanibar when it was good. They had a steak salad I adored, but it's long gone. And I agree re. the food at Real Seafood and Gandy. But while those places are waning, we've got great places like Eve and Cafe Zola (for dinner) that are taking those places.