Why, a correspondent wonders, does
Why, a correspondent wonders, does Ann Arbor Sucks have a website for the purpose of bashing “a town which is commonly listed in ‘best places to live…usa’”?
As Picasso once said to a woman who wondered why he painted all those strange things when he could draw so beautifully, “That’s why.”
Actually, when you think about it, this comeback makes marginally more sense in this context than Picasso’s, or maybe it’s just more obvious. But at any rate, the question made me realize what’s wrong with A2.
Ann Arbor is basically central casting for a “college town.” It’s exactly what families with kids and middle-aged empty-nesters want in such a place. It’s cute and safe. It has good public schools, local organic produce and better restaurants than DeKalb. And it has students to provide a hip, quirky backdrop - we can think of ourselves as movie extras, if it helps us get through the day, that is.
In The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida argued that cities that didn’t provide artists, technology workers and other “creative” types with cultural opportunities and nightlife would suffer economically. He put together a “best places to live” index of his own. Madison, Wisconsin did pretty well. Ann Arbor didn’t even make the list.
Ann Arbor Sucks’ parents summed up the non-student perspective on a recent visit. “This is such a nice town. Except for a few slightly rundown properties.”