Ah, Depot Town, Riverside Park, Eastern Michigan University. Ypsilanti is all about the perfect summer festival. Its walkable neighborhoods boast vintage housing to die for and its downtown historic district is the third largest in Michigan -- only Detroit and Grand Rapids have larger ones. Its independent music and art scenes are thriving, and it boasts a diversity and community spirit very few other Metro Detroit cities can touch.
Grab a sandwich at Cafe Luwak. Catch an
outre performance at the
Dreamland Puppet Theatre. Down a Michigan brew at Frog Island or
Corner Brewery. Check out the latest art show at Riverside Gallery or lust after an antique architectural find at
Materials Unlimited.
At nearly 200 years old, this storied community's history has yet to be written. After all, name another city in Michigan that holds an annual summer festival dedicated to
Elvis and the biannual DIY fest, the
Shadow Art Fair?
By: Jeff Meyers, 10/21/2009
What is the value of fringe arts? Editor Jeff Meyers discusses how seeding the ground for a new generation of arts and culture means providing more accessible creative third places. He also weighs in on this week's eclectic entertainment opportunities.
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By: Concentrate, 10/14/2009
The clock is counting down on the I Love Ypsi Video Contest. Local film auteurs who can translate their community crush into a two minute YouTube masterpiece stand to earn cash and prizes. Details inside!
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By: Julianne Mattera, 9/30/2009
Michigan has the fifth highest number of microbreweries in the nation, and the Ann Arbor area is doing more than its fair share to keep those numbers up. From Ypsi to Dexter to Milan, locally brewed ales, lagers and stouts are not only becoming the beverage of choice, but also bringing community together in unexpected ways.
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By: Nicole Rupersburg, 9/16/2009
Want to go native but don't know how? Concentrate offers you an inside guide to eating and drinking local. It shrinks your carbon footprint, supports the local economy and tastes a heckuva lot better than produce from half way around the world. Come on, all the cool kids are going locavore.
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By: Terry Parris Jr., 8/26/2009
As Brooklyn is to Manhattan. Or Oakland is to San Francisco. Or just plain Ypsitucky. Over the years Ypsilanti has been endlessly compared to Ann Arbor. But now, with the elbow grease of its growing creative class, the former factory town is creating an identity all its own. Terry Parris looks at the community's emerging DIY arts identity and how it squares with Ann Arbor's more established institutions.
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