http://arborweb.com/ Ann Arbor online: news and reference community resource, with the area's best events calendar, Ann Arbor Observer City Guide, comprehensive information on housing, restaurants, government, education, and more, and free classified ads. en-us 2010 Ann Arbor Observer. All Rights Reserved. http://arborweb.com/articles/the_spring_awakening_project.html Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening begins with a dress that the character Wendla's mother wants to lengthen to hide her daughter's emerging sexuality. In The Spring Awakening Project (TSAP), by Jason Sebacher in collaboration with director Keith Paul Medelis and a fine six-member cast, ... Davi Napoleon Culture http://arborweb.com/articles/good_bones.html Housecleaning can be tough on your knees, as a local homeowner was reminded when she overheard her cleaning woman on her cell phone, discussing an upcoming knee replacement procedure. "I wanted one of those feminine knees," the woman declared, "not some big honkin' masculine knee." Can you really c... Sally Mitani Community http://arborweb.com/articles/galleria_opens.html Another ethnicity has joined the united nations of Packard/Platt, which includes Bombay Grocery (Indian), Euro Market (Russian), and multiple Middle Eastern shops. Though the name Galleria doesn't give off much of an ethnic whiff, it's a Korean grocery. While most of the existing markets in t... Sally Mitani Marketplace http://arborweb.com/articles/ramping_up.html Last month, several homeowners on Arborview watched in amazement as heavy equipment pulled up in front of their houses and workers started jackhammering the sidewalk slabs that they had installed just two years ago during the city's sidewalk repair program. The re-demolition was collateral damage: ... Sally Mitani News http://arborweb.com/articles/changing_hands_and_lands.html The past couple of years at the Chocolate House of Ann Arbor haven't been all that sweet. For the first six years of its tenure, owner Vicky Ponitz juggled the business while holding down a series of day jobs. When that proved untenable, she sold the business last June to her nephew, Alex Mo... Tony McReynolds Marketplace http://arborweb.com/articles/it_s_the_budget__stupid.html The three Democratic council primaries on August 3 each have their own issues--core services, the Stadium bridges, and flooding among them. But beyond the incumbents' loyalty to current mayor John Hieftje and the challengers' support of his opponent, Pat Lesko, the big issue is the budget. First W... James Leonard News http://arborweb.com/articles/great_shanghai_opens.html The smiling face of continuity greeting the regular customers these days at Great Shanghai, previously New Garden Buffet, at Westgate isn't Chinese, it's Mexican. Raul Lopez, originally from Chiapas, has worked there for more than two years. "Let's say I'm a waiter," he says. He's neve... Sally Mitani Marketplace http://arborweb.com/articles/parking_lot_dirt.html Q. Where is all the dirt that's being removed for the new underground parking garage next to the library going? A. Most of the soil removed from the site is sand and gravel, so it's been in demand: 3,800 cubic yards went to a Scio Township gravel pit, 4,900 became backfill for a sewer job i... Tim Athan Community http://arborweb.com/articles/karl_s_cabin_reviewed.html AS GREAT AS ANN ARBOR'S restaurant landscape is, sometimes you crave a change of scenery. When summer comes and you feel the need to get out of town--to roll down the windows and cruise while listening to a few mood-enhancing tunes en route to dinner--roadhouses rule. This is the second of a pair... M.B. Lewis Marketplace http://arborweb.com/articles/aram_shelton.html Chicago is notorious for many things: stockyards, railroads, architecture, theater, rough politics, and old jazz. But during the last few decades, the great city has also become known all over the world for its vibrant and productive improvised music scene, drawing musicians from all over the countr... Piotr Michalowski Culture