Ann Arbor is such a cute college town!

I recently visited my best friend, Megan, in Ann Arbor Michigan and decided to bring my camera along for the ride! It was fresh on the heels of my New York trip and I was jazzed to vlog the experience!  (The vlog is embedded at the bottom of this blog post!)

I took the Amtrak train from Glenview to Chicago’s Union Station and then I made my way for the next few hours to lovely Ann Arbor! The late autumn/early winter sky was a bit gray, but the trees were still beautiful colors.

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I think a train ride is the perfect way to travel to a nearby state! You don’t have to bother with TSA security checks like at the airport and the seats are much more comfortable and spacious than an airplane. Plus, it’s not as noisy!  I got a whole bunch of video editing done on the train!

Here I am intensely editing a vlog on the Amtrak train (Check out my YouTube NextUp post to see what I did when YouTube flew me to New York for their NextUp program at the YouTube Space New York!):

vlogging-on-the-amtrak-train-to-ann-arborWhen I arrived in Ann Arbor, my best friend picked me up from the train station and took me over to her place! I got my own blow up mattress on the floor to sleep on – and the best bedtime companion: her dog, JJ!  It was the perfect accommodation for a traveler!

Here we are being all cute together 🙂

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kerrytown is where it’s at!

The shops at Kerrytown in Ann Arbor are all so cute! We checked out a delightful little paper shop, a wine store, and artisanal groceries! Then we chowed down at an amazing vegan restaurant called The Lunch Room! According to Megan, Kerrytown is an area in Ann Arbor where a lot of grad students stay/ hang out! We certainly enjoyed ourselves there!

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The Lunch Room is the best vegan restaurant in Ann Arbor!

Okay, admittedly, The Lunch Room was the ONLY vegan restaurant I went to in Ann Arbor, but it was AMAZING nonetheless! It was well deserving of the tile of “best vegan restaurant in Ann Arbor”!

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I got a vegan taco salad that was too die for – the perfect amount of crunch, kick, and spice! It was all the flavors and texture I was craving for lunch. Check out the lusciousness of this lunch:

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Meanwhile, Megan got a bowl of deliciousness, which I should have gotten a close up picture of, but I was overcome with hunger and didn’t think to take a shot!

If you’re in Ann Arbor and like bookstore cafes, check out the Literati Bookstore!

After our delicious lunch, Megan and I wandered around Ann Arbor and browsed the shops! We ended up in a delightful, little bookstore and cafe called Literati Bookstore. It was FULL of students from Michigan University working on projects and I felt right at home, like I was back in college myself!

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I got a wonderful Americano with a little steamed soy milk on top! Here’s our table in disarray and my phone set to Gary Vaynerchuk as per the usual.

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If You like chocolate, Kilwins chocolate shoppe is for you!

Although they only had a select few vegan options, Megan LOVES Kilwins Chocolate Shoppe, so we had to stop in!

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They had all sorts of treats and they all seemed perfect for holiday gifting and entertaining! Megan grabbed quite a number of chocolates for a gathering she was hosting later that week!

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My favorite shop was cherry republic

Megan and I wandered into the store Cherry Republic and I was in heaven. Most of what they carry is made of – you guessed it – cherries!!!

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Cherry jams, chocolate covered cherries, cherry cider, and CHERRY WINE! The best part of the shop was they have wine tasting in the back! Megan and I had our share of everything on the menu 🙂

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I highly recommend that place for cute, tasty gifts and souvenirs!

Hola, Tapas!

For dinner, Megan and I were joined by her husband, Andrew and we all went out for tapas at Aventura!

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Aventura  was DELICIOUS! I am a huge tapas fan! I love it when waiters can also easily tell me what options are vegan and what options they can make vegan! This place definitely fit the bill!

Check out this white bean pâté I got!  (I couldn’t resist using fancy accent marks on that one)

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Everything at the restaurant was scrumptious and the sangria was AMAZING. If you like tapas, I highly recommend this place!

Here’s my vlog of the trip!

It’s short and sweet! I highly recommend you check it out! Join me as I discover PURE MICHIGAN in Ann Arbor!

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