Posted on Fri, Apr 16, 2010 : 12:53 p.m.
"Pure Michigan" radio ads tout Ann Arbor
By AnnArbor.com Staff
Hey, this Ann Arbor place sounds pretty special.
The statewide "Pure Michigan" tourism promotion campaign isn't just about the state as a whole; certain elements focus on specific areas. And a couple of radio ads touting Ann Arbor are available online:
Listen to the "Being Original" ad:
Listen to the "Vanilla" ad:
The Pure Michigan website for Ann Arbor contains a slideshow of images from the area, including a couple from Ypsilanti, along with a number of links for more information.
Comments
KJMClark
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 8:15 a.m.
Scole - yeah, I mostly agree with you about the UP. That's why I included it in the list of places with an original Michigan feel to them. I have a few pretty simple "tests" for what seems "real Michigan" to me. First, can I bike in the downtown and not feel like a pariah? Can I walk across the street safely? Do they protect their historic buildings or turn them into parking lots? Do the people of the place celebrate their history? Are the main downtown business district streets four-lane with narrow sidewalks? I'd say about one-third the hundreds of places I've visited in Michigan have kept some of their distinctive character. And I agree, the farther away from SE Michigan you get, the less car-oriented it gets. That's part of what I love about Ann Arbor - it "feels" like it's on the west side of the state, even though it's pretty close to Wayne County. And just to be clear, the auto industry *is* part of our history, and we should celebrate it. But we shouldn't have destroyed our downtowns to nurture it, should never have lost sight of the other terrific things about Michigan (like our former rail system), and shouldn't condone the roads-are-only-for-cars mentality that seems to have come with the auto industry.
walker101
Sun, Apr 18, 2010 : 7:05 a.m.
You got to be kidding?
CynicA2
Sat, Apr 17, 2010 : 5:21 p.m.
Pure Baloney! Who are we trying to kid?? A shopworn college town with bad weather, lousy roads, high taxes, pretentious, overpriced restaurants, and shabby old houses... sounds like "pure Michigan" to me, yesiree.
scole
Sat, Apr 17, 2010 : 3:07 p.m.
@KJM, Having lived in several areas of this fine state, including several towns in the Upper Peninsula, let me assure you that Ann Arbor is not the only part of Michigan that cares about or even appreciates its history. There are museums and events across the state that celebrate the Native cultures, French exploration, mining and lumber booms and busts, all of which have formed the rest of the state far more than the auto industry ever did (and remain part of the economy). Each part of the state is appreciated by many. I personally enjoy most places in the state, with the exception of those paved and corrupted. Only here in Southeast Michigan, which seems to think that it is the center of the state, is the auto industry the only overwhelming industry.
flintcitylimit
Sat, Apr 17, 2010 : 11:02 a.m.
KJMClark, when you're sitting at a table at the Parthenon, choking down exhaust fumes with your lamb and rice, it is hard to swallow the idea that Ann Arbor "tried to hold the automobile at a bit of a distance." On the other hand, you can sit out on Saginaw Street in here in Flint on a Saturday afternoon and the air is fine... : ). I lived in Ann Arbor for 24 years, raised my kids there, love it, and know how to avoid the obvious places to go. It is rather full of itself however. Old burned out motor cities are fascinating too. History in the raw, without all the placards.
KJMClark
Sat, Apr 17, 2010 : 7:02 a.m.
It's a little frustrating. The whole state of Michigan is full of history and rich diversity, but Ann Arbor seems to be about the only place that cares. It's a beautiful state, but we got so caught up in the "motor capital" nonsense that we let most of it wither away. Ann Arbor is one of the few places that tried to hold the automobile at a bit of a distance. Really, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, the UP, and a few other places can give you a taste of what Michigan used to be before we sold our souls for automobiles, and rolled up the windows to tune out the rest of the world.
Larry Eiler
Sat, Apr 17, 2010 : 6:31 a.m.
Some terrific upbeat messages that people state all the time: Ann Arbor really is different in good ways.
logo
Fri, Apr 16, 2010 : 8:51 p.m.
Homeland, you should ask if they mention the 27 bridges the state plans on shutting down this year. The Stadium Bridges isn't one of them. There is no money to fix any bridges in the state. I don't know why, other than politics and being ornery people would think a bridge in A2 is any different than any other aging bridge in Michigan.
Homeland Conspiracy
Fri, Apr 16, 2010 : 5:14 p.m.
Do they happen to mention the ever crumbling Stadium bridge?
ann_arbor_guy
Fri, Apr 16, 2010 : 1:49 p.m.
very nice.....I like it a lot....captures the essence of Ann Arbor very well.