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

[runr.livejournal.com]

1. discount records
2. schoolkids records not in exile
2. cat's meow
3. big ten party store--not whatever pretentious york & morgan shit is there now.
4. ann arbor 1 & 2
5. natural wonders at briarwood
6. the party store that used to be where some cell phone store is now next to the state theater.
7. cava java
8. pre-club hip hop rick's... they used to have bands in there.

thankful it's still there:
1. peaceable kingdom
2. back room

[http://users.livejournal.com/_earthshine_/]

With you on most of these! (When Rick's had bands... yes, a gone and Golden Age...)

Re #3: I know Big 10 was a big part of local history. In Morgan & York's defense, tho, i think they're actually really good people -- just have a different kind of store is all. They kept the sign out front for the sake of local history, i think, which is pretty respectable. (...and if what i heard is true about some of the problems they inherited from Big 10 when they bought the place, they seriously did the past owner a favor...) *shrug* FWIW.