Sorry, don't be alarmed. Just another Quest! This time zee Germans are coming. Or rather, they came. There's a lot to learn about Ann Arbor's German past, and this Quest will get you started. If you look around town, you'll see German stuff all over the place. A few of the names in this Quest you'll recognize, a few you won't. Some of the words might trip you up, too, but don't let the German expressionism stop you. We're getting closer to the end of Streets Quest, and few people have kept up, falling to a Glass Gazing here, an Old Newsmaker there. Let the Germans shepherd you on to Quest victory:

From Swabia came one groß migration;
So much came to our town from one nation!
Find one German last name
That brought Ann Arbor fame
With his musical organ-ization.


Viel Glück mit deiner Suche!

Springtime! A time to take care of all those things you've been putting off over the long winter holidays. Like getting that old junker tuned up, getting some crops in the ground, and GETTING QUESTING! Now that the snow has melted (at least, as of this writing, who knows what's on the ground when you actually read this), it's the perfect weather to trek out to some panels and do some Glass Gazing. Online Onlooking and Old Newsmakering are a bit more appropriate for winter, so a lot of you have kept up with those. We're venturing a little further afield this time, so put on your galoshes and prepare to go as far as a few blocks away:

Climb up the courthouse and look out northeast,
See there's nothing this town is short of;
Get some marble, some gas, an Italian feast,
Even tools in what's circled above.


A time to Quest, a time to, uh, Quest. Go get 'em!

This time around, Questers, your favorite game is all about money. It's still free to play, of course, but you're headed to a part of town that was once (and on some corners still is) devoted to moolah! I don't think you'll have any trouble with this one, though a few of the clues might trip you up a bit. And we're pretty heavy on the Glass Gazers this time around, so you're going to have to face the cold, hard snow and ice to learn about the cold, hard cash. At least there's a big reward in it for you: the satisfaction of a Quest well done. But no money. Sorry. Anyway:

Money, money, money, it makes the world go 'round,
They say that's the (other) golden rule.
Lots of banks and lots of shops on this panel are found,
And even a business-y school.
Go for the gold!

Well, Questers, it was bound to happen sometime. Downtown Ann Arbor is only so big, and this time we find ourselves headed back to someplace we've already been. Well, sort of. It's a whole new quest on a whole new panel, but this one is only steps away from one you may remember before. I'm sure you won't have too much trouble finding it. Of course, finding the right panel is never really the hard part, is it? We can see that by looking at the number of people who started the last Quest and comparing it to the number of people who finished it. But don't despair of them, you more experienced Questers! Look to our very first Quest, which 44 people have now finished. I admire those of you so hardcore as to brave the snow and cold to bring home the badges. Speaking of which, you probably came here for the newest Quest:

In a place that you’ve quested before,
Turn around to go questing once more:
This time begins
With the oldest of inns;
Name the place you’d stay in days of yore.
Go Quest, Young Man!

Happy New Year, Questers! While we're ringing in the new year, we'll let Streets Quest help us ring out the old, though much older than just 2012. This time our quest doesn't just concern a bunch of things that aren't there any longer, it concerns some things which have left almost no trace. Not even buildings stand where most of this quest's subjects once were, with one very big exception. We'll have to see how many Questers complete this month's challenge; the last one stumped most of you, with only a quarter of those who started it making it to the finish line. I have confidence that you'll be able to power through this one. For those of you deterred by snowy downtown streets, I want to remind you that codes and badges for Streets Quest are worth the same number of points no matter when you get them, so feel free to save them up for a springtime trip. If you are okay with falling down the leaderboard, that is. On to the clue:

Go to where you could get light bulbs (or most things that plugged into the wall),
And the name on the sign was the same as the man we can thank for those light bulbs at all.
Quest away!

It's that time of year when the world looks to Quest! Now that the weather's getting cold, Streets Quest is picking up steam with over 100 Questers hunting down panels and getting weird looks on the street from passersby. Except for those of you who manage (somehow) to complete the quests without leaving the warm glow of your screen. I suspect that will be pretty tough this time around, but I've been proven wrong before. Still, you'd do well to find your mittens. And back at home, you'll need to find your magnifying glass and look at the biggest version of the photo you can find to solve a lot of this month's clues (try clicking on the images and looking to see if there is an icon to make it bigger down in the corner for the closest look). Good luck hunting down those clues! Let's start it up:

If the folks in this panel had travelled through time,
They’d find themselves in this arcade:
But it doesn’t take quarters (or pennies or dimes),
And though different in structure, the name itself stayed.
Merry Questing!

Hey Questers! You've survived Halloween (I'm assuming) and, your bloodlust and candylust satisfied, you've come back for more Streets Quest to satisfy your...historylust, I guess. Anyway, this time around we have a Halloween edition of Streets Quest. Sort of. We couldn't find anything too terrifying in the Streets Exhibits, unless you find embezzlement and the betrayal of the public trust terrifying--and you probably should! What makes this the Halloween Edition is that the panel you are using to complete the quest is a ghost: it no longer exists in corporeal form. You can still see on the street where it once stood, and of course it lives on at the Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit website, but until we get some Dr. Frankenstein action, it is no longer with us. The only other thing Halloweeny about Streets Quest #3 is that it isn't too tricky, so I guess that's a treat! Is that a stretch? Yes it is! Oh, and there is one kinda gross code. I guess we should appreciate that Ann Arbor's history isn't too full of horror, despite our dear departed panel. On to your clue:

Don’t be afraid to go banking, or do business of various sorts,
Though imposing the place you must go to, I guess the ball’s in your court!

Happy Questing!

Greetings, Questers! The first Streets Quest was a success with 84 people beginning but only 36 making it to the end. Some people couldn't handle the oblique clues, the lack of meaningful hints, or the actually coming downtown; only the tough ones remain. Now that you've got the hang of it, things are a little tougher this time around with no codes handily pulled out to assist you. And good luck using Google Street View when Glass Gazing this time: it might still work, but I kind of doubt it (sinister laugh of your choice here). Better get down to it! Once again, find the panel from the Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit that the riddle describes for your first code and badge. With that badge, your Quest is unlocked! The three parts of your quest will require you to look closely at the photographs in the online exhibit, stand where the panel does on the street and look around, and navigate through Old News to find articles and photos related to the panel. By doing all of this, you will complete your Quest! Your first clue for Streets Quest #2:

Long ago, Main became the commercial stop for both townie and country hick,
And women worried less about mud on their skirts--after Main Street was _____ ____ _____.

Get Questing!

Summer is over, and it took the Summer Game with it. But don't fret! We've got a whole new game to play: Streets Quest! Each month, you'll have a quest to complete that will start with a riddle. Find the panel from the Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit that the riddle describes for your first code and badge. With that badge, your Quest is unlocked! The three parts of your quest will require you to look closely at the photographs in the online exhibit, stand where the panel does on the street and look around, and navigate through Old News to find articles and photos related to the panel. By doing all of this, you will complete your Quest! And you'll get amazing Streets Quest points which you can use for something eventually, I'm sure! I'm sick of telling you about it. Find the answer to this riddle to start on your first Quest:

Your code is the number of years,
The Old City Hall sat ‘cross from here.
No chutes, lots of ladders,
A siren-song clatter’s
The soundtrack to Streets Quest’s premiere.


Good luck, Questers!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Summer is over! When did that happen? Well, it happened while you were madly earning badges, tagging items, making lists, earning tokens, attending events, and just having a TOTALLY AMAZING TIME all Summer long! And now we're at an end. Yes, Summer Game 2012 will end tonight, Friday August 31st, at Midnight. After that you can earn no more Summer Game 2012 points, other than through codes that come with items in the shop. The Summer Game Shop will close for the season on Monday, September 17th, so get your final orders in! Any points or tokens you have left will be spendable when the Summer Game Shop reopens next July! However, any shop orders not picked up by Monday, October 8th will be canceled and returned to inventory. But, we've still got ONE LAST GASP of Summer Game 2012 goodness here in the waning hours of summer, and it starts with a JAM-PACKED SECRET SHOP, with over 45 amazing items for you Secret Shop Token Holders! Here's a clue to help you find the secret shop hidden in the AADL Catalog:

What you're looking for today is different and unique.
There's lots of others waiting just to take a starry peek.
It's not a book, it's not a map, it's not a DVD;
The hunter with his 3-star belt is here to help you see.

If you know what's going on at the Library, this should be a quick find! But that's not all our shop news; thanks to some last-minute haggling, we were able to restock some super-popular items one last time, including Umbrellas, Backpacks, both coffee sets, flashlights and more! But this time we really mean it; there will be no more restocking until the Summer Game Shop reopens next July! So act fast, these items won't last long! And finally, we are happy to offer the Summer's final BADGE DROP:

Now note that none of these final Summer Game Badges are new quests; these are all based on things you've either achieved so far, or you haven't; if you want to earn 'em, you've got a few hours left to do it before all the codes expire at Midnight tonight! (note: shop codes, or codes that come with items, don't expire until October 31st, so you've got plenty of time on those.)

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! You know we wouldn't ramp you up all Summer and then leave you hanging until next June! No way! In addition to ongoing Points-o-matic modes and more feature to come, a TOTALLY NEW GAME in the vein of last year's Treasure Quest will launch, right here, sometime on Tuesday 9/4! So keep your eyes glued to http://play.aadl.org FOREVER so you'll be sure not to miss anything awesome, including our detailed SUMMER GAME STATS WRAPUP, your opportunity to influence the course of next Summer's Game, and much more! Summer Game: it's not just for Summer anymore! Except it sorta is. Anyway, we all had a blast putting together SUMMER GAME 2012 for you guys, and we hope you had fun playing! Stick around until the next game starts next week, and as always....

THANKS FOR PLAYING!