For as long as I can remember, The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair was something to be avoided. Every year, my parents would schlep the twenty miles from Milan, six hot and cranky kids complaining about the long walk from the $5 parking. We squeezed through crowds, spending alternate hours sweating in the sun and running to take shelter from the rain, begging for my parents to get their fill quickly so we could return to the car and put our tired feet up on the seats. Now that I'm a resident of Ann Arbor, I didn't expect to see the event as be anything other than a colossal, traffic-knotting pain.

So it was something of a shock to me that I spent a combined sixteen hours at this year's Fair.

On Friday morning, I tried to maintain my cynicism--the art would be overpriced, the crowds would impassable--but the moment I stepped off the bus, I couldn't shake my good mood. The weather stayed steadily beautiful, I had a cup of coffee, and I had the day off. It was 11 AM and I smelled curry. I bought a handmade glazed mug, pet a rescued greyhound, and drank a pint of cider on a patio.

Wandering through the King's Courtyard, I found the steal of the day: five photos of Ann Arbor street scenes dating back to the early 20th century. I make a note to tour the streets as soon as possible, taking these photos with me as I take updated shots, matching the buildings that haven't been torn down.

I still have friends that went to UM who gripe about the Fair; this booth owner was pretentious, that one's "art" was laughable, and the heat and the money and the food and the people...

Is it overrated? Maybe. But I was downtown after sunset three days in a row, long after the tents had closed--so it wasn't just the sales that kept me coming back.

Photo: Paper lanterns outside Occasionally gift shop (corner of Main and Liberty)