As the temperature is dropping and the winter holidays approach, it’s a perfect time to get more winter gear! You don’t need to trek out to a mall or superstore to get these goods either, as there’s a lot going on right here downtown.

What follows is a list of downtown merchants who sell cold weather gear, and what discounts apply for purchasing goodies:

Name: Acme Mercantile
Website: www.acmemercantile.com
Address: 111 W. Liberty
What type of winter gear they sell: hat & scarf sets, gloves
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Scarves, gloves, Leopard and zebra fezes

Name: 16 Hands
Website: www.16handsgallery.com
Address: 216 S. Main
What type of winter gear they sell: hats, scarves and gloves
go!pass or other discount? 15% off cards and books for go!pass users
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Local artists working with fleece and knitwear, Neat winter hats, Messenger bags

Name: Bivouac
Website: www.bivouacannarbor.com
Address: 336 S. State
What type of winter gear they sell: boots, jackets, hats and scarves, gloves and mittens, high visibility gear, fleece and long underwear, socks, grips you can wear on your shoes
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Balaclava-covers head and neck, Merino wool base layers for tops and bottoms, Yak Tracks (grips for shoes)

Name: Downtown Home and Garden
Website: www.downtownhomeandgarden.com
Address: 210 S. Ashley St
What type of winter gear they sell: grips for your shoes so you don’t slip on the ice, hot coffee and hot cocoa
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Stabilicers (shoe grips), Muck Co. water-proof flexible boots, Winter work gloves

Name: Elmo’s Mainstreet T-Shirts
Website: www.mainstreett-shirts.com
Address: 220 South Main St
go!pass or other discount? $5 off any A2 t-shirt until 12/25/08 for go!pass users
What type of winter year they sell: Hats and gloves

Name: Footprints on Main
Website: www.shopfootprints.com
Address: 217 S Main St
What type of winter gear they sell: boots
go!pass or other discount? 10% for go!pass users
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Merrill boots and Clogs, Encore Stitch boot (warm and stylish for women), Keen Newport Trail for Men, Baffin Winter Boots

Name: Footprints on South U
Website: www.shopfootprints.com
Address: 1200 S. University
What type of winter gear they sell: boots
go!pass or other discount? 10% for go!pass users
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Keen Boots

Name: Fourth Ave Birkenstocks
Website: www.birkenstock.com
Address: 209 N. Fourth
What type of winter gear they sell: boots
go!pass or other discount? 10% for go!pass users
Staff recommendations for items they sell: This is a good time to get summer shoes repaired, Smart Wool socks, Smart Wool full-zip sweater jacket (several colors), DigiWalker Pedometers, Sheepskin boots from Warmbat, Finn Comfort boots

Name: Kiwanis
Website: www.myannarbor.net/kiwanis/
Only open Saturdays from 9am-12pm
What type of winter gear they sell: a used clothing store with all sorts of winter weather gear from hats to jackets to boots

Name: Middle Earth
Website: www.middleearthgifts.com
Address: 1209 S. University
What type of winter gear they sell: See staff suggestion column.
go!pass or other discount? 10% off non-sale merch for go!pass users
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Hats and gloves and scarves, Smoking Mitten, (holes for a cigarette), Moxies (moccasin slipper), Coffee and tea mugs

Name: Moosejaw
Website: www.moosejaw.com
Address: 327 S. Main
What type of winter gear they sell: jackets, fleece, mittens and gloves, hats and scarves, warm socks
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Arc’teryx covert scarf, Marmot Randonnee gloves, Patagonia big mountain beanie, Wind proof and water resistant clothing, Water proof, gore-tex boots, Hard shell and a couple of layers

Name: Orchid Lane
Address: 419 E. Liberty
What type of winter gear they sell: hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters
Staff recommendations for items they sell: -hats, gloves-Mucklucs (slippers made by a co-op), winter jackets, wool sweaters, slippers.

Name: People’s Food Co-op
Website: www.peoplesfood.coop/
Address: 216 N. Fourth St
What type of winter gear they sell: tights, some scarfs and hats

Name: Red Shoes
Website: www.redshoeshomegoods.com
Address: 332 S. Ashley
What type of winter gear they sell: See Staff Suggestions.
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Winter wool scarves and gloves made out of recycled sweaters, Baby hats

Name: Running Fit
Website: www.runningfit.net
Address: 123 E. Liberty
What type of winter gear they sell: See staff suggestion column.
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Yak Tracks: helps to walk on ice, Hats and gloves, Wool socks

Name: Sam’s Store
Address: 207 E. Liberty
What type of winter gear they sell: boots, jackets, hats and scarves, gloves and mittens, fleece and long underwear, socks
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Waterproof and breathable rain jackets by Columbia, Duofold long underwear, Hats, face masks, and gloves of all prices.

Name: Sweetwater’s
Website: www.sweetwaterscafe.com
Address: 123 W. Washington
What type of winter gear they sell: Hot Coffee, Tea and Hot Cocoa
go!pass or other discount? 10% off your order with your go!pass

Name: Suwanee Springs
Address: 306 S. Main
What type of winter gear they sell: sweaters and more
go!pass or other discount? 10% off with your go!pass
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Rebecca Beeson tops, Level 99 Jeans, Hobo Handbags

Name: Tortoise and Hare
Website: www.tortoiseandhare.com
Address: 209 E. Liberty
What type of winter gear they sell: see suggestions.
go!pass or other discount? 10% for go!pass users
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Nike Sphere Dry Hoodie, Winter run mits, Smart Wool Socks

Name: Van Boven Shoes
Address: 17 Nickels Arcade
What type of winter gear they sell: boots , warm hats
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Boots, gloves, hats, Ugg Australia and Ecco Brands

Name: V2V
Address: 407 N. Fifth
What type of winter gear they sell: see staff suggestions
go!pass or other discount? 10% off home products after 4pm with go!pass
Staff recommendations for items they sell: Hats, gloves, scarves, and jackets (huge assortment)

Yes, I know it’s cold and snowy.  But with the right gear and the right attitude YOU CAN incorporate some active transportation into your weekly commute. Here’s how:

As we head into the season of office parties and holiday meals, chances are you’re thinking about how to keep off those extra pounds.

Well, a sure way to keep off the holiday weight gain is to stay active.  And what better way to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine than by walking and biking to work?

On average, walking just 1 mile burns 152 calories.  Biking burns 36 calories a mile.  So just walking or biking even one day a week in the winter can help offset all the extra goodies we eat this season.

5 ways to incorporate walking and biking into your daily commute:

□ If you take the bus, get off the bus early on your way home and walk or bike the rest of the way.

□ If you drive your car, park somewhere like the Pioneer Park and Ride Lot (where you can park for free with your getDowntown go!pass) and walk to work from there.

□ Bring exercise clothes with you on your way to work as well as a small backpack you can walk or run with.  Change at the end of the day, put your purse or wallet (and keys) in your small backpack and run home or to a Park and Ride Lot.

□ Park further away from work and walk to work.

□ Take a brisk walk during your lunch break.

For more resources on making winter commuting safe and fun, check out the “wintering” section of the getDowntown blog.

Zipcars, Segway sharing, and party buses, oh my!

If Ann Arbor is any indication, there is an interesting new trend in private-public transportation afoot in our country.  I discuss this idea at length in a recent Arbor Update Post.

Click here to read it: The rise of Public-Private Transportation in a2

A recent article in USA Today finds that even though gas prices are low, people are still driving less:

Unlike previous cycles, cheaper gas hasn’t inspired Americans to drive more. While some of their reluctance to return to their old ways may be due to the bad economy, some transportation experts say something bigger is happening.

What’s that something bigger?  Well, according to the article it’s a couple of things:

1. It’s the declining economy, stupid!
2. When people start to walk, bike, bus, carpool etc. they start to notice that hey, it’s kind of nice.

Click here to read the article: Americans driving less, unmoved by lower gas prices.

The City of Ann Arbor recently did an inventory of it’s bike lanes.

You can find the draft 2008 Bike Lane Inventory report here. It’s big so it may take awhile to load.

Overall, while there was more signage on the roads related to bike lanes, many of the lanes are in need of repair or restriping.  Of the 34 lanes inventoried, 15 showed a decrease in quality from 2007 and 7 showed and increase in quality from 2007.

I am not sure what the plan of action is to address some of the issues outlined in the report.

As always, if you have a comment, the best thing to do is to email your City Council member.

FYI:

Notice of Temporary Traffic Control Plan
South State Street from Mckinley ave. to granger ave.
7:00 AM Saturday November 22, through 6:00 AM Monday November 24, 2008
and
7:00 AM Saturday December 6, 2008 through 6:00 AM Monday December 8, 2008

Location and Limits of Affected Area:
S. State Street, from Stimson St to Packard St.

Description of Construction:
The UM contractor for the Indoor Football Practice Facility will install a new storm sewer lead from the building site to the existing storm sewer main on S. State St, and will restore the road pavement road after the completion of the underground utilities.

Temporary Construction Traffic Control Plan:
The local and southbound traffic will be maintained at all times. The through northbound traffic will be directed east on Stimson, north on S. Industrial, east on Stadium Blvd and north on Packard St and back to State Street.

Pedestrian Traffic
Pedestrian traffic will be maintained throughout the project on the East side of S.State Street. Access to all residences will be maintained at all times.

Project Contacts:
City of Ann Arbor
Troy Baughman, Project Engineer, (734) 997-1695
David Clemons, Technician Supervisor, (734) 323-7942
Chris Rachwal, Technician, (734) 323-7144

As the weather turns cold, you might be thinking of the rather snowy winter we had last year. Not only was there a lot of snow, but it always seemed to hit during rush hour. I clearly remember walking home on Liberty and seeing cars getting stuck in the snow trying to make it up that hill towards Stadium.

That’s why I wanted to point your attention to the wonderful world of telecommuting. Telecommuting lets you do work from home, which is helpful when the snow piles up outside.

We’ll be discussing telecommuting at an upcoming Commute Chat. There are also tons of resources on our website to help you create a telecommuting program at your organization.

But for all of the benefits telecommuting provides, it also brings with it all sorts of concerns.

If you want to learn more about the real benefits from telecommuting from an academic perspective, check out this article on the good, bad and unknown of telecommuting. This article examines 20 years of research on telecommuting and actually finds that there is much to like about telecommuting.

But for a more local perspective, I thought I’d interview a telecommuter in our own community. There are all kinds of telecommuters out there, from moms that telecommute in the evenings so they can watch their kids, to workers who want a day of quiet time away from the office.

Then are folks like Les Orchard (pictured here). Les lives in Michigan (Livonia to be exact) and telecommutes for Mozilla (located in California). He’s been doing this for 6 months now. I decided to interview Les to learn more about his (tele)commute:

getDowntown (gDt): Why did you decide to telecommute for Mozilla?

Les (L): My wife and I had moved out to Silicon Valley in the summer of 2006 so I could take a job at Yahoo! to work on del.icio.us. But, as it turned out, the distance from family and old friends—as well as the horrendous Bay Area house prices—all turned out to be too much. We decided to move back in the spring of 2008, and a search for work back in Michigan started from there.

Luckily, I knew a few people at Mozilla, who helped me find a good match there. Overall, it’s turned out to be a great opportunity that has synched up well with my career goals and our quality of life goals.

gDt: What is it like to work for a company that is in one state and you in another?

L: The time zone difference of 3 hours between MI and CA seems like it would be a problem, but it usually isn’t. Mozilla has people spread across the planet, so the time differences mostly amount to everyone being flexible about working hours and meeting schedules. Taxes and benefits mostly work out fine, which I think is a function of Mozilla’s experience at being so distributed.

The big upside for me is that I still really like visiting California and participating in the Silicon Valley hacker culture, and Mozilla gives me enough travel opportunities to do so. In the meantime, we get to live near our family and friends in Michigan, and can afford to buy a nice house with good neighbors without entirely breaking the bank.

gDt: How exactly do you telecommute for Mozilla? Did they set you up to do it, did you do it yourself, what’s the deal?

L: For the most part, I can telecommute from my laptop wherever there’s an internet connection. My team communicates largely through email, IM, and a constant presence in IRC chat rooms.

We’re also given extensions on an Asterisk-powered office phone system that works via VoIP, so my laptop also serves as my toll-free office phone. Meetings are held through the phone system, and it’s pretty easy to dial up whenever a chat is needed. Beyond group chats and calls, my manager also makes sure to get a hold of each of us in one-on-one chats on a weekly basis to make sure everything is running smoothly on an individual basis.

gDt: What do you like about telecommuting? What don’t you like?

L: I really like the flexibility afforded by Mozilla’s style of telecommuting. Since my only prerequisites are a laptop and an internet connection, I can work anywhere from my basement to coffee shops in Ann Arbor to the Corner Brewery in Ypsi. I can also duck out to attend lunch gatherings like Edward Vielmetti’s A2B3 whenever my schedule is otherwise clear.

What takes some getting used to, though, is that there’s no forced social interaction like there’d be in an office setting. It’s very easy to never leave the house and fall into being a hermit. I find that I need to develop habits that take me out of the house regularly to keep in contact with people locally.

gDt: What do you think is the biggest myth about telecommuting?

L: One concern I’ve heard from employers and others is that telecommuters can’t be productive without constant scrutiny.

But you know, most of us are adults, and we can even be responsible for our own efforts as professionals. That might not be true for everyone, and thus telecommuting isn’t right for everyone—but the rewards in flexibility and quality of life more than make up for the effort to develop the discipline, work ethic, and employer trust required to make it work. From the employer side, I’d assert there’s potential to get a higher quality of work from happy telecommuters who can control their own working conditions and have the flexibility to take care of family or other life concerns.

gDt: Now for the fun part. Please share any interesting info about yourself.

L: My wife Alex and I have just bought a house in the Old Rosedale Gardens neighborhood of Livonia, a few blocks from where she grew up.

I grew up an hour or so away on the water in the smaller town of Algonac. Our house is kind of a small zoo with two spotted Ocicats and two dwarf bunnies.

Alex works as a designer at JSTOR in downtown Ann Arbor. And beyond my work as a web developer for Mozilla, I have also written a few tech books and hope to write more. We both love video games and have a small collection of new and retro gaming consoles. And, now that we have a nice house with a nice kitchen, we’re hoping to make the most of it in the coming months.

gDt: Anything else you’d like to say about telecommuting or sustainable commuting in general?

I am of course biased, but I think knowledge work and telecommuting are the future for areas like Michigan, where manufacturing and other physical industries are in a downturn. With the availability of internet technologies that enable a wide range of communication and collaboration tools, geography and distance really can be minimized or removed as a blocker to work and employment.

There’s no shortage of great places to live in Michigan, and the quality of life here can be amazing. So, if you can get hooked into an industry where telecommuting is an option, it really is possible to have your cake and eat it too.

I’ve really been struggling this week about what and if I should say anything about the crisis in the auto industry right now.  I have several friends with jobs in this industry and I know whatever happens, there will be devistating effects for this state.

So instead of mapping out what gloom and doom lies ahead for Michigan, I’ll try to point out perhaps just a little bright spot.

And hey, as Monty Python sing in The Life of Brian: “Always look on the bright side of life.” Right?

So here’s the bright spot that I am seeing.  Oddly enough, it has to do with sustainable transportation.

I just finished reading a letter President-Elect Barack Obama recently wrote to Transportation for America.

In that letter, Pres-Elect Obama speaks directly to the need for us to repair our aging infrastructure (roads, bridges, and transit system), invest in green technology, and support the creation of high speed rail in this country.

Granted, it appears he wrote this letter before the extent of the economic crisis became apparent.  But still, there is some opportuntity in all of this ickiness.

In his letter, Obama says “Everyone benefits if we can leave our cars, walk, bicycle and access other transportation alternatives.”

What I think he is alluding to is something I’ve thought a lot about lately.  And that is that are lots of ways we can get around (not to mention getDowntown).  And all of them present an opportunity for job growth, a new green economy, and other environmental, health, and economic benefits.

Just as it’s important to have diversity in our communities and in the ecosystem, it’s important to have diversity in our transportation system.  And we all can benefit from using the type of transportation that is best for what we want to do.

Recently, I spoke to someone who divided transportation into two sectors: Private transportation (such as bikes, cars, Zipcars, and of course, our own two feet) and Public transportation (such as planes, trains, taxis and buses).  As a society that tends towards individualism, it makes sense that we will continue to embrace more private forms of transportation.  And there’s a lot of opportunity in the future to innovate and create even better forms of private transportation that are green, healthy, and good for our communities.

At the same time, I am seeing more and more young people and people in high-tech industries embracing more public forms of transportation.  Seeing the BTB Party bus, getmedowntown and UM students using the LINK and other AATA buses in our community point to this trend.

So as we move forward into a new Presidental Adminstration, and as we continue to address the changing landscape of the transportation industry, I hope we can see the opportunity admist the fear.  Because whatever happens, we will need to keep moving.  And if we can invent something as ingenious as a car, surely we can invent the sustainable transportation of the future.

From RAT pack organizer Frank:

The RAT! in November will be the latest date a second Friday can be.
It just works out that way!  As ever, the ride starts at 6 PM from Liberty Plaza Park, corner of Liberty and Division.  I think the weather will be, um, just perfect!

After our ride, we’ll gather at Arbor Brewing Company, the designated RAT! hole for the evening.

And now the sad news … Jeff Daniels won’t be able to join us.  Not this month.  He’s busy with a play and working pretty hard just now.

I’m not kidding … I e-mailed his local manager who is a friend of a friend of TeacherPatti.  It just didn’t work out.  I will work on inviting another celebrity in teh meantime.  Now with the election over I hear that Sarah Palin may have some free time!  Gosh darn it, wouldn’t that just be super?  Darn tootin’!

Remember to come prepared - lights and bright clothing manditory, even though we’ll ride as if we were invisible.

Not only does BtB Burrito offer tasty and inexpensive burritos (and some nice Sangria at their Cantina) they now offer a fun and functional party bus.  And the coolest part is, it runs on leftover oil from the frying pan.

Here’s an article about the bus from the Ann Arbor News.

I absolutely LOVE it!

One of the reasons I love this idea is that I hear a lot of young folks in their 20s and 30s complaining about not being able to use the bus to get to and from the bar on weekend nights.  Unlike earlier generations, the current one actually wants to use mass transportation.  Imagine that.

This also comes on the heels of the Night Ride Shuttle created by AATA for evening employees in downtown Ann Arbor.  That service is also increasing in demand.  Another great party bus is the getmedowntown bus (no relation).

I think this is a great idea that has come at just the right time.  Now if we can just get a connector to Ypsi.

And for all of you who wish that the AATA buses ran later, I know they hear you.  It’s all about how much it costs to beef up service.  But please, if you want more service, contact the AATA and tell them.  It never hurts to be a squeaky wheel.

Otherwise, I will defintely be following the evolution of the party bus.