cnordstrom

Nice shot, Tamias. I live about a mile from the stadium, and even without the TV or radio on, I can always tell how the team's doing just by the volume of the yells. When the "Go BLUE!!!" chants get going, you can hear it clear as day I can't wait to see how the construction on the stadium turns out. It looks great from Main right now, and the view from the parking lot side is really imposing. I think it's just going to make opposing teams that much more nervous when they first come in!

I'm honestly not sure when I took that, but early 90s sounds about right. I was still in college and I think that shot (and the one of Bridgewater place in the Riverhouse thread) was in my freshman or sophomore year... maybe 1988 or so? Think of it... no arena, only one real skyscraper, and the only team in town was the Hoops. Things have changed, huh?

OK, technically this isn't "du jour", but it still might give some of you a new appreciation for how much GR has changed recently.

daniboi81, GREAT shot! You should try heading up to that spot once a month or so and take a similar picture so you can compare the growth of Riverhouse and some of the other buildings!

Speaking of lights, the only time I get to see downtown any more is when I'm driving through on my way up north, and that's usually later at night. I noticed a lot of neon (or at least blue colored lights) up around the Medical Hill area. Which buildings have the lights? Is that going to be a permanent thing? I'm not generally a fan of Dallas-style building highlights, but I have to admit it added a nice touch to the area in this case.

Heck GRDad, I'm moving to Ann Arbor in a few weeks, and our yard there is all clay... maybe we can do a substrate swap? LOL

Wow, I had no idea the substrate was so sandy downtown! Makes sense, I suppose, but for some reason I had thought it was all clay throughout the interior of the state??

You know, the river's shallowness is actually somewhat of an asset. Because it's too shallow (at least through downtown) to allow easy boat traffic, planners could easily implement a riverwalk that is wide enough to allow seating, temporary shops/restaurants, and entertainment. On a deeper river, the encroachment of a boardwalk like that would be unacceptable because it would impinge on river traffic, but in GR, that's not a problem. Incorporate some wetland plantings as part of the boardwalk (for example, have an "empty" space between the boardwalk and the retaining wall that is filled with native plantings), and you could have an attraction that few cities could match. It also seems like that kind of a setup would have to be concentrated on the west side of the river for now. It's been a while since I've been downtown, but I seem to recall that the east side has a decent, if not perfect, walkway already. A riverwalk that traverses at least the immediate downtown area would be a huge improvement over what's there now!

Has anyone taken a stab at Photoshopping the skyline as it will appear after this big boom is finished? I'm really curious what effect the Children's Hospital will have, especially the spire from the bridge!

15 years after graduating from LSA, I'm comin' back to Ann Arbor for grad school. I can't wait! It's great looking at all the shots on here of the area. I've been able to give my wife a virtual tour via this site, and we're planning on coming out in the next couple of weeks to do a little house hunting. It feels a little funny to be reversing the flow (most of the students go from Ann Arbor to Chicago, and now I'm coming back from Chicago to Ann Arbor). I just hope that my memory of the town is accurate because if it is, I know this is going to be a wonderful three years!