81. Things to do in Ann Arbor: Barton Recreation Area and Zingerman's Delicatessen

WEBVTT

1
00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:06.240
I'm Johnny mc and travel is back
this week part two of ann Arbor,

2
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:10.199
where the family and I made our
way to the Barton Nature Area, a

3
00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:14.439
ninety eight acre park located along the
Huron River on Huron River Drive, a

4
00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:18.000
few miles north of downtown. I
did the drive myself pretty easy. Barton

5
00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:22.120
Nature Area provides access to Barton Pond
if you walk up on top of Barton

6
00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:25.640
Dam, where you can walk along
the earthen embankment on the city side to

7
00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.600
find a path, green space and
benches. That's what you're about to hear.

8
00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:32.439
Popular for sunsets, photography, fishing, birding, a scenic stroll,

9
00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:35.479
or to get a big dose of
nature. The Huron River is quite wide

10
00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:38.200
as it pools before the dam.
There are also a bunch of trails.

11
00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:42.320
The half mile main trail connects two
bridges with additional side trails to explore for

12
00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.119
longer hiking. My family and I
did that as well. Let's take a

13
00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:50.880
listen. Oh and the damn Okay, this is great. Look at the

14
00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:56.439
fish. Oh wow, that's giant. Especially have done as I can fishing.

15
00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:00.200
How those people who imagine you're now
after the fishing over, No,

16
00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.600
I bet you are fishing with the
yellow shirts. He just pulled one in.

17
00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:07.760
I don't see anymore fish a Wendy's
jumped right. That's exactly what we're

18
00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:11.439
looking for. That was a big
fish. This is great, this big

19
00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:14.640
reservoir. I'm gonna walk out on
the dam. This is great. I'm

20
00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:18.359
walking a metal great bridge out over
the dam and a stream river to the

21
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.480
right. I spig reservoir lake to
the left. Fantastic, this super awesome.

22
00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:26.799
She looks straight down. Let's see
right down to the water through the

23
00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:32.280
grates. Don't drop your shone if
you're according to podcast there swimming or diving

24
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:36.680
dangerous undertow that area was like super
cool. So that's up by the pond.

25
00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:40.560
We wandered around the waterfall. Was
pretty cool, and then we headed

26
00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:46.640
off to the Mathaia Botanical Gardens,
which was absolutely beautiful outdoor garden spaces featuring

27
00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:51.359
Bonsai native plants and perennials, a
garden created just for kids, nearly three

28
00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:55.719
miles of trails, and an indoor
conservatory field with plants from across the world.

29
00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:59.239
We particularly loved the Bonsai gardens,
as you will hear. In fact,

30
00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:01.239
when I got home, I bought
a Bonsaide tree. Bonsai lives year

31
00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:05.599
around in the conservatory from May to
October. A major displays are within the

32
00:02:05.640 --> 00:02:08.240
walled garden with its working studio.
The Bonsai garden is walled so that it

33
00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:14.599
becomes a separate space as you approach. Only one specimen that is stunning on

34
00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:17.080
the particular day has the honor to
welcome you throughout the garden, the bonsai

35
00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:22.919
or stage that you could appreciate each
one separately. The entire collection is not

36
00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:25.599
on display, but can be seen
through the studio. Plants are mostly native

37
00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:30.000
to Michigan, and we're selected for
their foliage, size and composition. This

38
00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:32.439
is in the spirit of a Japanese
bonsai garden, a harmony of green from

39
00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:37.960
native plants and neutral backdrops interpreted locally. Bonsai garden. Oh, this is

40
00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:42.520
cool and seventeen only and it just
looks so healthy, doesn't it. This

41
00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:46.360
is great. I think that's as
trained since nineteen seventeen. Yeah, I

42
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:53.280
thinks are great. Sixty seven trees
and stud There are three routes for hikers,

43
00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.560
the Red, Blue, and Yellow
trails. You take the pedestrian bridge

44
00:02:55.560 --> 00:03:00.080
across the creek, which will connect
you to the blue and yellow trails and

45
00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:01.360
I want to do a lot more
of that. But it was time for

46
00:03:01.479 --> 00:03:13.439
lunch. I was so excited to
share you my lunch. But my recording

47
00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.800
field, I can even see that
there's a time stamp of one nineteen pm

48
00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:22.520
and there's no audio. Pretty annoying. Where was I Zingerman's Delicatessen last week?

49
00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:24.960
I told you about my old boss
who's like mister Michigan, and he

50
00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.960
told me where to go, and
Zingerman's was the first thing he said,

51
00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:31.719
and he was correct. I got
one sandwich I'll tell you about, and

52
00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:37.039
I brought a second sandwich home.
Delicious. The bread, oh my goodness.

53
00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.400
Zingerman's Delicatessent opened in nineteen eighty two
in a historic building near the ann

54
00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:46.039
Arbor Farmer's Market, still serving as
the front door and looking deceptively small and

55
00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:49.319
homie from the outside. The original
corner space was tiny, just over eight

56
00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:52.719
hundred square feet. Now that front
room is all counters for meats, cheeses,

57
00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:55.159
and delicacy, slice to order,
a gourmet market of sorts. Some

58
00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:59.400
call it a mini version of New
York's Z Bars, and on one wall

59
00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:02.719
as a bread counter. Zingerman's has
its own bakery and famously makes its own

60
00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:08.360
breads for sale, restaurant use,
and for its multimillion dollar catalog mail order

61
00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:12.039
business. So if you wanna believe
me about the bread order some they've expanded.

62
00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.360
They blew out the back. Sandwich
eaters continue up a ramp into the

63
00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.199
heart of the Delhi, which is
an ordering counter surrounded by four large aerial

64
00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:23.199
menu boards and flanked by an array
of size and salads, behind which is

65
00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:26.040
an open kitchen. Now the line, it's worth it, but are you

66
00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:30.360
ready? You felt like you're at
Disney. The line averages thirty minutes.

67
00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:32.399
It can stretch as long as ninety
minutes, two hundred and twenty minutes.

68
00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:35.600
I think for us the line wasn't
bad at all. I think we had

69
00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:40.279
our food within say, twenty five
minutes of getting there. You ordered on

70
00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.920
screens, which made it pretty easy. The goal is for food to be

71
00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.639
served within five to ten minutes after
ordering. You had to a separate checkout

72
00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.319
room, grab a drink and pay
it one of the registers. You tell

73
00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:53.560
them if you'll be sitting inside or
outside. I sat outside. They gave

74
00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.360
us one of those buzzer things.
So when the food was ready and you

75
00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:59.319
go get it no problem. Should
we look at the menu. Let's look

76
00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:03.959
at the menu from Zingerman's own website. They're top ten. They have listed

77
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:10.000
the Ruben Zingerman's corned beef, Swiss
emmental cheese, rhinery, sauerkraut in their

78
00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:14.199
own Russian dressing, all on hand
sliced grilled Jewish rye bread from Zingerman's bake

79
00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:17.879
Housey Yummy Sandwich Number forty eight is
a Binny's Brooklyn Ruben switch up the bread

80
00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:23.519
for Pumpernickel number eighty one point five
on the menu Rick's fifty fifty mix of

81
00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:27.920
Zingerman's corn beef and for Strami.
There are other choices number eighteen at Georgia

82
00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:32.160
Ruben Number seventy three Tarb's Tenacious Tenure. You're curious, Omi, that's an

83
00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:38.360
all natural, preservative free turkey breast, fresh avocado spread, Wisconsin munster cheese,

84
00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:42.879
tomato and plenty of Russian dressing on
grilled farm bread. Number seventy four

85
00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:46.279
is at Dave's Open Road Grilled Amash
chicken breast, bacon, munster cheese,

86
00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:53.439
ranch lettuce. Number eighty four Benno's
Birdie Amash chicken breast, pasteo tomatoes,

87
00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:58.360
mozzarella on a grilled rustic Italian bread. Number thirteen, Sherman's Sure Choice,

88
00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:04.120
corned beef, Swiss coleslaw, Russian
rye number double zero, D dollar signs,

89
00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:10.160
Cuban Conundrum, Cuban style pulled pork, Arkansas peppered ham, Swiss cheese,

90
00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.439
Old Deal pickles. Oh yeah,
they had great pickles too. I

91
00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:17.160
forgot about that mayo hot mustard on
a grilled Paisano roll. This one is

92
00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:20.560
spicy all caps. I didn't notice
that one when I was there. I

93
00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:23.800
might have gotten it. What did
you get, Johnny Mac? I just

94
00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:27.560
went down the middle. Corned beef
was fantastic. One more number fifty five

95
00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:30.920
Gemini Rocks, the house fresh homemade
mozzarella, tomatoes, and a housemade pesto

96
00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:34.160
on grilled farm bread. I also
want to talk about the soda. They

97
00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:40.040
had fountain drinks. There were thirteen
different fountain drinks, and there was cola,

98
00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:44.920
but there was also like black cherry
cream, like all the retro flavors

99
00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:46.480
that, if you're my age,
we used to have as kids. I

100
00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.720
really wish I had the recording.
There was root beer, black, cherry,

101
00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:55.800
diet black, and something called cel
Ray. USA Today profiled the place

102
00:06:55.879 --> 00:06:59.360
back at twenty fifteen, they said
at Zingerman's it all starts with the bread

103
00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:02.120
and meat. The company's bakeries among
the most acclaimed in the country. The

104
00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:06.279
bread is really good, it really
is, and their mail order bread Club,

105
00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:11.240
even frozen and shipped, puts most
artisanal bakeries to shame. The breads

106
00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:15.600
are mostly twice baked for extra crisp
crusts. Say that three times fast I

107
00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:17.720
did you missed, the edits I
took out the two times I stumbled,

108
00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:21.120
and the rye is intentionally a bit
salty to pair better with corned beef and

109
00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.319
pastrami. In short, they make
killer bread. USA Today wrote, the

110
00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:30.439
ingredients and consistency cannot be beat.
The fillings are perfectly paired using the precisely

111
00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:33.759
right cheeses and condiments. With one
hundred and thirteen choices, all numbered and

112
00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:38.480
named, plus seasonal specials, it's
daunting to choose, but Zingerman's is best

113
00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:42.040
love for its grilled sandwiches, and
some seventy percent of all solder made this

114
00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:46.040
way. The top four sellers are
the Signature Reuben number two, the Brooklyn

115
00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:49.000
Ruben forty eight, the Cuban Double
zero, and Pat and Dis Honeymooner number

116
00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:54.279
twenty seven. That's smoked turkey,
munster and cream mustard on a grilled challa.

117
00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.439
What's the least popular sandwich, Johnny
Mack, Well, it's Davy's Deep

118
00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:03.560
Purple number two twelve. That's Cajun
tasso ham with a mix of pickled cabbage,

119
00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:07.000
beets and ginger root with Swiss and
mayo and a grilled roll. Yeah,

120
00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:09.680
I can see whether that's number two
twelve. Sandwiches are big, excellent

121
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:15.519
and expensive. Yeah, it was
like somewhere between fifteen and twenty dollars of

122
00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:18.439
sandwich. That said, I thought
it was well worth it. I absolutely

123
00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:20.879
loved it. I brought one home
too. What did I bring home?

124
00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:22.800
Some sort of chicken sandwich I brought
home, but I had the corn beef

125
00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:26.000
when I was there. Was fantastic. Anyway, check it out Zingerman's Deli

126
00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:31.399
dot com slash menus if you're curious
about it, if you find your way

127
00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:33.600
in Michigan or the University of Michigan, maybe there for a football game,

128
00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:37.919
your kids going to college there,
and you're hungry on Zingerman's. That was

129
00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:41.840
a great recommendation by my old boss, mister Michigan. While I was on

130
00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:45.919
this trip, I popped into Chicago
again and I hit the aquarium and that

131
00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:48.799
is the plan for next week.
Follow the show for free on Apple,

132
00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:52.799
podcast, Spotify, YouTube, wherever
you get your shows. Travel is back