Initial forays.

So we went into Kalamazoo proper two or three days ago to see what's going on there, and it's actually a fairly cool town.  Pictures and descriptions thereof ensue:

This is a barn that we pass every day on the way to work.  Very pretty.  

The Big Burrito!  This is right in front of our apartment complex, in between a pizza place and a 711.  I keep meaning to go there, but I always forget.  Ah well, plenty of time to investigate.  Any place called the "Big Burrito" must be most excellent.

The exact opposite side of the complex features a weird-looking church.  See?  Weird-looking.  It's actually stranger from the other side, but one must make do.

This is the road (W. Main St) from here to K'zoo proper.  You can see it's getting more city-like: fewer trees, more booze stores.

Inside K'zoo, there are signs like this everywhere, pointing to attractions such as the Institute of Art, the Festival Zone, etc. Very helpful, really, but they'd be more helpful if they actually gave you a sign saying when you arrived, too.

It's a really artsy city - there are bits of art everywhere, abstract and otherwise.  I think this one is in front of the Institute of Art, but I'm not 100% sure.

The library is in a really cool building.  It has purple pillars!  I need to go get a library card soon.

More weird art.  We passed this one three times before I finally decided that it was a message from Colin to photograph the damn thing.

I have no idea what a "Chemical Bank" is.

Cool building.  Looks like a spaceship dock.  Or, you know, an office building or something.

On the other edge of K'zoo (the opposite edge from where we live), it's very hilly, and all the banks are lined with these rocks.  Very attractive, no?

Even the people here are artsy, or at least weird.  This was sitting out in front of someone's house, between the irises and daffodils.

The Kalamazoo 10, a movie theater about a mile and a half from our apartment.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is all neon lights and employees in red suits and bowties.  Tickets are $3.  We saw Spiderman 3 and PotC3 here on consecutive days.  


So, to summarize, it's an interesting city, with a really eclectic mix of buildings and street art (there are murals everywhere), and quite a bit to do, once I get settled. Ooh, and there's a Little Caesar's, from which I keep meaning to order pizza. Yum.

It's actually really strange here - everyone is...nice. Seriously. At the DMV (which they call the "Secretary of State") and the post office, all the government employees were competent, efficient, and friendly. Friendly, I tell you! At work, customers are pleasant. Managers are helpful and nice. Really, it's throwing me off. I daresay I'll get used to it, but it's weird, very different from the standard Williamsportites.