Ann Arbor Whimsy

There's a lot of deliberate whimsy in this town. For example, there are tiny little fairy doors located around downtown, and I often see families with young children spending an afternoon trying to find them all; it's a kind of treasure hunt that leads them to walk around and explore local businesses. I guess it's cute.

 I studied next to this fairy door this afternoon, and tried to be normal to the three families that stopped by.

But I found something yesterday that I think is funnier. Ann Arbor really revels in its historicity (never mind the fact that it's not exactly Boston, much less Rome). Just between my apartment and the bank, one can observe three types of didactic signs! There's the difficult-to-read transparent pictures on the sidewalk:

Solid signs on building:

And official-looking placards:

They're usually very boring and not very informative at all. Maybe that's why I've walked by this unassuming doorway (with placard to the left of it) hundreds of times without stopping to examine more closely.

 

Here's the close up: 

Haha! Who paid money to install this silly sign in public? I would like to be his or her friend.