25 Jul 2012
Michigan

Two Girls, a Pie, and an Art Fair Place

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You know what’s fun? Art fairs. Art fairs are fun . . . especially when they’re gigantic and located in really cool downtown areas. You know what else is cool? Ann Arbor. And Ann Arbor just happened to have four art fairs (combined into one huge event) last weekend.

I spent last Thursday afternoon at the Ann Arbor Art Fair with my friend, Renee, who apparently enjoys outdoor festivals as much as I do. After a slight interstate detour around the 12 Oaks/Farmington Hills area (neither of us happens to be very good with directions, and it just so happens that I was navigating), we finally made it to U-of-M town, where streets of drool-worthy arts and crafts were waiting for us and our wallets. Now, I can’t recall a time when I actually bought something from an arts and crafts show, but I was determined to take home a souvenir or two by the end of the day.

Well, the whole “buying something” thing didn’t happen. I suppose I’m way too good at reasoning with myself when it comes to whether I need something or not. Renee, however, got a few new gems and I got to window shop for a few hours. And, to be honest, some of the best pieces were completely impractical, anyway. Take this woman, for instance:

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She’s amazing, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have known where to put her once I got home. Oh, and she cost $25,000. Not exactly a candidate for a spontaneous, afternoon purchase.
Then, there was this little guy. Undoubtedly created to be loved by all of my heart and soul, of course.
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Hewwo? Helllwo??
Eventually, we wandered past a little alleyway, which I had seen a few times on separate trips to Ann Arbor. The alley is covered with artwork and graffiti of all kinds, and even has a little poetry to go along with it. I had never been by during the day, so I decided to take a minute to enjoy the view.
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The perfect backdrop for an art festival, don’tcha think?
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Ceiling inside the alley
Oh, and yes–I almost forgot. At some point, we ran across the Grand Traverse Pie Company, a sister bakery to one I wanted to visit while in Traverse City a couple months ago. Ann Arbor may not be cherry country, but that didn’t stop Renee and me from partaking in some delicious cherry pie. If you squint a little bit, you can pretend that that fork and plate are sitting in a beach town cafe up north. Good enough for me.
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I put that (unused) napkin in my purse when I was done. The recycle symbol and nice message made me feel temporary feelings of anger towards the trash can.
The moral of today’s story: Take time to appreciate the finer things in life. Whether that means scouting out artwork or gobbling up fruit-filled pastry, well . . . that’s totally up to you.
Michigan
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Hi! I'm Jennifer.

Southwest Virginia born and raised, I moved over 500 miles to Southeast Michigan with my husband in 2011. Since then, I’ve been recording my adventures here, bringing you stories as I explore the “mitten state,” the midwest, and beyond.

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