Inside The Ann Arbor Art Center

Beer Delivery at Old Town

A beer delivery guy from Rave Associates uses what appears to be an old coal vault, a relic from the 1800s, under the sidewalk along Ashley Street in downtown Ann Arbor to deliver kegs of beer to the Old Town Tavern on Jan. 25, 2017. Steve Pawlicki, co-owner of the tavern, said the kegs stay in the basement and the beer is fed up to the taps on the first floor. The row of Italianate brick buildings from 112-122 W. Liberty St. date back to the 1860s, and where the Old Town Tavern (122 W. Liberty) and West End Grill (120 W. Liberty) are now located, there used to be a flour and feed store, and the upper floors were residences. In 1898, a saloon named The Bismark opened in what is known today as the Old Town Tavern, and in 1935, under different ownership, it became known as The Union Bar. It was later known as Merkel’s Friendly Corner. It became the Old Town Tavern in 1972 when Jerry Pawlicki bought Merkel’s Friendly Corner from George Merkel and renamed it the Old Town Tavern. Pawlicki built the bar, bar cabinets, tables and booths, and he laid the hardwood floor and preserved the original tin ceiling. “In the early days of Old Town, it was a blue-collar bar, opening at 6 a.m. to accommodate the third-shift workers from area factories,” the company wrote on its website in 2012. “For 40 years, the Old Town has welcomed the Old West Side residents and all of Ann Arbor, as well as University of Michigan students, faculty and staff. In 1998, the business was passed to sons Chris and Steve. The Old Town is the last survivor of the of the ‘Townie’ bars. Gone is the Del Rio, Mr. Flood’s Party, the Second Chance, and the Full Moon.”

Obvious Bicycle

City Hall At Night

Signs Of The Times

Spotted on Fifth Avenue in front of the Bethlehem United Church of Christ in Ann Arbor. Signs of love and inclusion.

City On Down

An iPhone view of Ann Arbor from way on high at the Cedar Bend Nature Area on Nov. 27, 2016.

Proud To Be An American

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says the most important thing that ever happened to her was becoming an American. "I'm an immigrant. I'm a refugee," Albright told a crowd of several dozen mostly women at a women's organizing event for Hillary Clinton in Ann Arbor on Friday, Oct. 14, inside the home of Gil Omenn and Martha Darling. Read the story.

Down On Main Street

The H Is O

This Old Tree

Face In The Crowd

Laws Of The Universe

Finnigan The Pig

This is Finnigan, a 1-year-old pig on a leash. This is his favorite pee spot in Ann Arbor's Old West Side neighborhood.

Climber Of The Trees

A black squirrel climbs down a black walnut tree, waiting for his turn at the bird feeder in my yard. I've always been impressed with the climbing abilities of squirrels, especially their upside-down game.

I'll Fly Away

The Ragbirds, a beloved local band in Ann Arbor featuring Erin Zindle on lead vocals and brother TJ Zindle on guitar, might not have ever existed if it weren’t for a third Zindle — their older brother, Eddie.

“He was the one who taught TJ how to play the guitar and he’s the one who really paved the way for TJ and I both to be doing what we’re doing,” Erin said between songs as the band performed during Sonic Lunch in Liberty Plaza in downtown Ann Arbor on Aug. 11, 2016. “And the Ragbirds wouldn’t exist without Eddie. He was a fearless pioneer. And being the oldest of three, he was the one we admired most, especially as children growing up. We followed him everywhere, and he was a musician first and he played guitar and sang.”

Sadly, Eddie died last week from a heart attack at the age of 40. The Ragbirds paid tribute to him by performing the song “I’ll Fly Away" during their Sonic Lunch set. Erin has created a webpage to raise funds for Eddie’s wife and five children at www.gofundme.com/zindle.

Always Going To Be Here

Michigan-based songwriter Joshua Davis and company rocked Liberty Plaza in downtown Ann Arbor during another installment of the Sonic Lunch concert series on Aug. 4, 2016. He'll be back to play at The Ark in October.