Ann Arbor, Michigan

Since we were so far west in Ohio, we decided we should remedy the fact I had never been to Michigan, despite having grown up in Ohio.

We looked for a farmer’s market, but found that 1) it was closed and 2) there were a ton of things to do downtown that I hadn’t expected!

Sometimes when Matt & I travel, we have a plan we try to follow, but this time we just walked around to discover what we would discover.  One of the first stops we made was at a sweet paperie with very Michagany gifts (smitten with the mitten was my favorite phrase), lots of notebooks, and a series of maps that we identified by their layouts and landmarks before looking at the actual title of the map.  

Matt’s favorite find was a vintage poster of the national parks!

We’ve started a mug collection with different locations on them, so we meandered toward the Starbucks on the corner to pick up a Michigan mug.  

When we were inside Starbucks, a shop with vintage bikes and leather caught Matt’s eye.  We got inside to be greeted by the intense, rich smell of leather bags and watches. On the lefthand side of the shop, there was an exposed brick wall with a staircase leading to the basement.  The neon “cafe” sign didn’t have to beckon too hard, as Matt was already walking down the stairs!

The lower level was dark and reminded me of where one might have a clandestine meeting.  It seemed to be better suited to be a bar, but when the coffee came out we forgave the vibe. 😉

We finished our mini trip with an al fresco lunch at a French cafe (avocado toast and chicken and waffles) and a jaunt to a cherry shop.  It was a little touristy, but we didn’t care too much!  I’m all about those free samples. 😉 . I liked the cherry jams/jellies and the mustard; Matt liked the cherry spread and chocolate covered cherries.  

Even though our time there was short, I so appreciated the quaint welcoming nature of Ann Arbor!  I’m looking forward to our next visit. 🙂