Ann Arbor, Michigan

As the title might imply, Laura did not make the trip to AA. Her allergies morphed into a head cold somewhere around Sandusky and continued to bother her today. Sunday night and into Monday morning were terrible, without much sign of relief. The prospect of a day spent between the car and walking around in the sun was enough to confine her to bed. In sickness.

Despite the missing piece, seven of us (Mom, Dad, Bob, Eva, Dave, Steph, and me) spent a great afternoon getting (re)acquainted with Kerrytown/Ann Arbor. First things first: Zingerman's Deli. An AA institution that combines a deli, breadshop, creamery, coffee shop, all-things-foodie store into three stand-alone buildings on one city block. Friendly staff (the Boston fan; the hat-cocked olive oil/balsamic woman – who managed to convince several of us that a nice BV actually can be enjoyable; and the jovial delivery guy) and great big sandwiches made for a memorable lunch. The few crumbs of sample brownie Steph was able to scrounge up suggest that sweets there are probably pretty good too.

After lunch we drove to campus and took a quick tour. A walk with my mom across “The Diag,” through the arches of the old engineering building, and into the law library (with vaulted ceilings, long wooden tables, and a reverent silence that felt cathedral like) made me realize what kind of connection my family has to U of M. No idea until today that my great grandfather, grandmother, and mom all took classes within a block of one another, or that just after meeting each other my mom and dad (he visiting from Hawaii) spent afternoons working together in the law library. Makes the $5 “Allez-les Blues!” tees from the gift shop feel like more than an irony.