While much of Michigan struggles in a failing economy and faltering job market, it seems as if a crystal bubble protects Ann Arbor<\/a>, population 113,934. To believe that, however, would be an insult to the city\u2019s people. Everyone in this clean, accessible town seems to put Ann Arbor\u2019s future first. Their drive is evident in their attention to environment and focus on the local economy. If you have ever wondered what America could be at its best, spend a day wandering the streets of Ann Arbor and chatting with locals along the way.<\/p>\n Whether you consider yourself a country mouse yearning for an exciting weekend or a city mouse trying to relax, Ann Arbor is an ideal destination. Surrounded by towering trees and home to the University of Michigan, the city boasts exceptional cuisine, art and history. It is a friendly, conscientious and walkable city\u2014the perfect mix of small-town casual and big-city flair. Spend a quiet afternoon at the park, or shop the stores along Main Street packed with local goods. There are live music venues and a constant rotation of university events, enabling you to be as exploratory or reclusive as you want.<\/p>\n First, though, you have to get here. Located directly off I-94 at the eastern edge of Michigan, Ann Arbor is about an hour southwest of Detroit. Positive<\/em> visited some of the city\u2019s sights; here\u2019s a roundup of favorites.<\/p>\n Taste of Michigan: Breakfast at the Farmers Market<\/strong> \u201cThanks for stopping by,\u201d says Jeff Carpenter of Carpenter\u2019s Organic Produce, as he fills a bag full of red and yellow tomatoes. Carpenter tells me that he started coming to the market as a child with his father Dwight and grandfather George, who are standing on either side of him helping customers.<\/p>\n Now in his 20s, a green baseball hat covers Carpenter\u2019s head and a pair of headphones wraps around his neck. The three generations of his family continue to make the 75-mile drive from Allen, MI, every week to sell the goods from their farm.<\/p>\n In a state where one in 10 people struggles with food poverty, farmers markets and the farmers who supply them offer a valuable\u2014and health-conscious\u2014resource. This includes the Ann Arbor market, now in its 92nd year. \u201cNo farmers, no food, right?\u201d Carpenter says, pointing to a bumper sticker of the same quote posted behind him. \u201cThis is not only an opportunity for us to put bread and butter on the table. We feed the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Enlightened shopping: Robot Supply & Repair and the Cherry Republic<\/strong> Here, there are all the cogs, gears, and springs you could need, as well as humanoid parts. Author and publisher Dave Eggers (known for his first book, \u201cA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,\u201d and his publishing company, operating under the name McSweeney\u2019s), has set up the Michigan branch of his national writing and tutoring center behind the robot storefront. 826 Michigan offers after-school tutoring and writing workshops to the children of Ann Arbor, from grade school through high school. Like all eight of the 826 programs across the country, Michigan\u2019s is fronted by a unique, volunteer-run store where you can also get inside the minds of the program\u2019s participants by reading (and purchasing) compilations produced by the children, with all proceeds going to fund the 826 tutoring program.<\/p>\n Around the corner at 223 Main St., the smell of cherries wafts from the door of Cherry Republic. From barbecue rubs and sodas to salsas and sweets, the shop features more than 170 cherry products derived from Michigan cherries. Walking the rows is an educational experience too, with facts about Michigan\u2019s cherry crop hanging in frames. For example, the United States produces 650 million pounds of cherries each year, most of which grow in Michigan and the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n Store manager Keri Hardy tells me that in order to protect that cherry crop, \u201cWe take a one percent donation from every purchase in Ann Arbor and give it to local farmers who need help.\u201d Those donations protect the store\u2019s future, too, helping to ensure plenty of delicious samples for every visitor.<\/p>\n A tiny hunt: spotting the wee fairy doors<\/strong> The idea for the doors came from the mind of illustrator Jonathan Wright, who added a fairy door to his own house in 1993. It seemed fitting for the preschool his wife ran out of their home. Now the doors have spread to businesses throughout Ann Arbor\u2014including inside the library and Google\u2019s regional offices.<\/p>\n
\nIn Ann Arbor\u2019s historic Kerrytown District a few blocks from downtown, farmers from throughout the state fill the weekly Ann Arbor Farmers Market with the freshest fruits and vegetables, herbs and flowers in an array of colors. By 8am on Saturday, dozens of people fill the aisles, perusing the organic, locally grown produce. A quick breakfast of fresh berries and bread still hot from the oven enables you to support the local economy and get a true taste of Michigan.<\/p>\n
\nThe Farmers Market isn\u2019t the only way you can get a true taste of Ann Arbor, however. After breakfast, walk the half-mile over to one of the most unique shops in town: Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair, 115 E. Liberty St.<\/p>\n
\nFrom inside Cherry Republic, you may have glimpsed one of Ann Arbor\u2019s most intriguing quirks: a fairy door. Most of these tiny, painted doors are less than six inches high and sit at street level so that they reach to just above your ankle. Yet despite their small height, the doors have hijacked an entire city\u2019s imagination. Many appear on the outsides of buildings, including one visible through Cherry Republic\u2019s windows overlooking Liberty Street. The morning I was there, a mother had brought her two young daughters to see the door. Dressed in tutus and holding wands, the girls posed for a photo in front of the door, and then spun around to leave gifts for the fairies\u2014miniature drawings and rings on the front stoop.<\/p>\n