Ann Arbor Epiphanies

Jake and I made our way to Ann Arbor last week to explore our for-the-next-two-years hometown, find a place to live, and check out nursery schools. I had the whole trip outlined on an Excel spreadsheet (what, you don't carry your schedule, apartment office phone numbers, and comparative rent prices on your person?), but I was thrilled to have experiences I couldn't quantify. Like:

1.

Zingerman's lives up to the hype. (That above is a Sherman's Sure Choice from the Deli, but we also visited the Roadhouse twice and had amazing dinner and breakfast foods. Zingerman's Roadhouse also offers refills on mashed potatoes and sweet potato fries. So.)

2. You can get from anywhere to anywhere in 4-10 minutes. The no-traffic thing is pretty great, though the roads are utter crap right now after their terrible winter.

3.

Midcentury modern advertising is alive and well and living in Michigan.

4. "It's hard to park in downtown" means something different to people who haven't lived in the DC area for 15 years. We had no problem finding parking in downtown Ann Arbor.

5.

Grocery stores sell wine and beer! And the one just around the corner from our apartment (by the way, we have an apartment!) has a "Build a Six-Pack" program, with a fantastic display of local beers! Also, both Flying Dog and Dogfish Head distribute in Michigan, which means we get two more years before moving to The Land of No MD/DE Beers, aka Missouri.

6. Ethnic foods abound in college towns! We ate sushi in a restaurant full of Japanese people, so you know it was good.

7.

Fairy Doors really are a Thing! I found two of them on our brief trip: we randomly passed by the one set in the front door of The Ark (pictured on the left), and I sought out the one at Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea (pictured on the right) while we were waiting to be seated at a brewpub across the street. They're awesome. Two down, five to go!

8. Marriage Equality passed while we were there! We immediately saw a car with tin cans attached to the bumper. In real life!

9.

There is no shortage of fantastic places to get fantastic drinks in Ann Arbor. Besides the three (?) brewpubs within spitting distance of each other, there are also great wine and cocktail lists. The above is an Ill Fashioned at The Ravens Club.

10. There are bookstores. Honest to god bookstores with books made out of paper. While walking up Main Street, Jake and I counted three used bookstores within two blocks of each other, as well as two stores for new books. I can.not.wait. to go to there.

While making these epiphanies, we also had time to find an apartment in an awesome location, and toured three nursery schools...which we've narrowed down to two. It's a hard decision, but I'm sure whichever choice we make will be the right one. I'm crazy-nervous to move, but also crazy-excited. This was a good visit.

Tipple Tuesday: Birthdays!

This week, I'm celebrating theatre birthdays! March 10: Jasmine Guy. March 11: Dorothy Gish and John Barrowman (Captain Jack!). March 12: Edward Albee. March 13: William H Macy. March 14: ME!

I love birthdays, especially birthday food. Our little family tradition, going back ten whole years, is that the celebrant gets to ask his/her partner to cook whatever s/he wants. I almost always ask Jake to make me three-cheese polenta, and it's usually accompanied by some sort of lamb something. Last year, Jake switched his choice from his usual request of mini-gyros with yogurt sauce (I'd made it five years in a row), but he still had chocolate ganache cupcakes.

Tonight, The Kid told me that he and Jake are going to make me a cake, which I'm super-excited about. I can't wait to see what comes out of the oven! Is it wrong that I kind of want to ask for Rainbow Brite decorations? (Is that a unanimous yes?)

I'm turning 34, so no fanfare. But! I thought I'd take the opportunity to make myself a decadent but un-fancy cocktail. So I mixed up a concoction I'm calling an Amaretto Phosphate. You should have one this week to celebrate. And if that includes celebrating me, I'm not going to argue with you!

Amaretto Phosphate

Ingredients
Amaretto (I made mine using Shutterbean's recipe, and it is fab)
Vanilla ice cream (I used Haagen-Dasz)
Cold soda water

Makes one drink

Put two ounces Amaretto in a tall drinking glass (or a highball glass if you have one). Add two scoops Vanilla ice cream. Top with soda water until the glass is full and foam just goes over the edge of the glass. Enjoy!

(Since I'm doing the birthday-week-thing, I enjoyed mine with a brownie The Kid and I made on Friday. It was made with whole wheat flour, so it was, like, totally good for me.)

Tipple Tuesday: It's Cold Out There, but It's Warm in Here

Man, it's cold out there! We had a beautiful snowy day yesterday, and as I type this, it's nine degrees outside. Maybe that's Mother Nature's way of preparing us for the move to Ann Arbor...'Cause the world and its weather totally revolves around me.

We spent a chunk of the afternoon yesterday playing Snow Plow: The Kid brought his snowplow, dump truck, and front loader outside and proceeded to plow our building's turnabout. Such is the life of a city kid, and he had a blast! Even though it was super-fun, I can't help but wait until we have a green space of our own to build snowmen, make angels, and throw snowballs.

We have a couple of parks within walking distance, but a few of the sidewalks are nearly impossible after a snowstorm, especially with a stroller. I don't know whose job it is to shovel, but whomever it is, they're not pulling their weight; after the last snow, I remarked that it was National Stay at Home if You Use a Stroller or Wheelchair Day. Urban living definitely has its upsides (I can see Gymboree from our window, and we have a choice of walking to restaurants of varying ethnicities and quality every night) but I want a garden--in which The Kid wants to plant broccoli, carrots, and mashed potatoes--and Jake wants nothing more than to grill.

But that's warm weather stuff, and I digress.

After The Kid's bedtime, it was time for a warming grownup drink! I'd been toying around with heated drinks for a while, and this one really hit the spot. I hope you enjoy it.

Recipe for The Apple Cheek after the jump!