Boston Discovers A2
Ann Arbor underrated? “[T]here’s a lot of life in [A2] outside of football season,” The Boston Globe reports in a story that makes an attempt at clearing up some long-held misconceptions about A2. Among its virtues: a commitment to local businesses on State Street. “Ann Arborites stay true to their small-town roots; a Ben & Jerry’s franchise next door to the Stucchi’s State Street location sees little business.”
Ah, a day in the life of tree town. A trip to the museum, a stroll to Zingerman’s, stopping by the outdoor market, a walk through the arb, a cool beer at leopold’s, a cone at washtenaw dairy - my question is - has anyone ever had an idyllic day like this in the Elysian fields of Ann Arbor? I know I haven’t. Probably the most revealing aspect of this article is the tag line:
Bonnie Tsui is a freelance writer in California.
California - I’ve heard of that place…it’s warm there, right?
posted by DrMandrake on March 25th, 2005 at 11:51 amI’ve had days like that when I’ve had visitors in town and I’m showing them how ‘cool’ Ann Arbor is. The trouble comes in when you’ve done everything ‘cool’ all in one day and then there’s nothing to do the next…
posted by Laura F on March 25th, 2005 at 12:04 pmmandrake— wahhh wahhh wahhhh
posted by saa on March 25th, 2005 at 12:15 pmLots of people do, Mandrake. Ann Arbor’s not a bad place. It’s just overrated.
posted by RDS on March 25th, 2005 at 12:19 pmI had a number of days like that in Ann Arbor when I lived there. And I don’t just mean when I was eight years old.
I had a great time in my middle 20’s as well.
I also think it’s important to remember that Ann Arbor isn’t just State St., Main St. and the old west side.
posted by Colin J. on March 25th, 2005 at 12:31 pmColin - that’s just not what these people want to hear.
posted by Elizabeth on March 25th, 2005 at 1:41 pmOh, shush, Elizabeth. I’ve had good times here, and they are possible. I knew what this city was before I came here (Detroit suburbia alumni), and in fact, did and do enjoy it generally.
It isn’t that this isn’t a good city. It’s a fine city. However, this fervor about how amazingly wonderful and great it is = the “overrated” label. I don’t mind it here, and I’ll make the best of things. However, I’m not going to delude myself into the mindless cheering that so many others do.
Besides, the Ben and Jerry’s is independently operated, so that was a bad example in the first place, I’d say.
posted by Jen on March 25th, 2005 at 1:53 pmSomewhat off topic…
I’ll go ahead and say it — I don’t really like Stucchi’s. It’s OK, but I judge a place by its chocolate ice cream (or closest variant). And in my opinion, Stucchi’s pales in comparison to Washtenaw Dairy and Ben & Jerry’s.
posted by Evan on March 25th, 2005 at 2:04 pmYeah, I had a Stuccis cone a few months back and it tasted like dough. Since I ordered cherry, I thought it really sucked. Baskin Robbins is so much better. Not as sugary as Washtenaw Dairy. Last time I was at Ben and Jerry’s, my wife got a nasty long hair in her cone. Health code violation on the dreadlocks?
posted by Matt on March 25th, 2005 at 2:42 pmMaybe after Great Wraps! opens, Miss Tsui will write a follow-up story.
posted by Dave on March 25th, 2005 at 3:34 pmSaa = at least think of a verbal comeback, you pussy. Oh, that’s right - you’re head’s too far up your ass to actually move your lips. By the way, how’s studying for the LSAT? Have you moved from S to T words?
My problem with the article is that it is like this person took out the most banal guidebook and did all the most typical and boring things you could do in Ann Arbor. Walking to the arb and stucchi’s? Creative. That must have taken a lot of research.
posted by DrMandrake on March 25th, 2005 at 3:51 pmWhat are you talking about? Stucchi’s texas tea chocolate ice cream is fantastic.
Take the stick out of your ass Doc.
posted by E on March 25th, 2005 at 4:05 pmThis must be the type of propoganda aaio was exposed to as a child.
posted by Randy on March 25th, 2005 at 4:50 pmMandrake - I dunno, Ann Arbor is too insignificant to have its own guidebook. At least, I’ve never seen one, so to an outsider, trying to figure out the things to do outlined in Tsui’s article would be difficult. So if a visitor has never been to Ann Arbor or doesn’t know anyone who has been to Ann Arbor or lives in Ann Arbor, he would most likely show up in town, check out the diag and maybe Main St. and that would be it. An outsider would unlikely find their way to Leopold Bros. or Washtenaw Dairy or even think about checking out the Michigan Theater or the UMMA. Besides, in Ann Arbor there is nothing to do but the most banal and boring things so how would Tsui discover anything else? My gripe with Tsui’s article is that she highlighted just about every single thing that there really is to do in this town. And it’s a very short list. Thus confirming our collective view that Ann Arbor is indeed overrated. Tsui left little to be discovered. Not that there’s much to discover, but you get my drift.
Man, I do think Ann Arbor is overrated, but your kvetching is beginning to make me nauseous. You have made it abundantly clear you think this town sucks. And sometimes it does but your postings are beginning to read like a spoiled high school kid that can’t wait until he turns 18 so he can leave home. Everything sucks. Wahhhh. You suck. Wahhhh. This is the worst day. Ever. Wahhhh. Take a break. Sheesh.
posted by Eric on March 25th, 2005 at 5:09 pmFirst, there actually are several guidebooks. One I think is called the Blue Book, it looks like the Current. Another is the Ann Arbor Guide, I think published by the Ann Arbor News. The second one you can buy at Borders.
You write: “Besides, in Ann Arbor there is nothing to do but the most banal and boring things so how would Tsui discover anything else?” You’re beginning to sound a bit like me.
I often feel like that 18 year old who can’t wait to leave home.
More importantly, I want to congratulate AAiO, whoever you are, for being voted once again Washtenaw county’s best blog.
posted by DrMandrake on March 25th, 2005 at 5:41 pmFor a pretty funny read, check out the entries for Ann Arbor on epinions.com.
posted by Anna on March 25th, 2005 at 6:08 pmDr Mandrake, I have to give you your due propers for making me laugh time and again. You are definetly the funniest commentator on this blog…though AAiO comes in a close second
posted by Some Arab Guy on March 25th, 2005 at 6:10 pmDoc- Nope, both the BlueBook and the Annual Ann Arbor Guide are published by Current. The Ann Arbor City Guide is published by the Snooze.
posted by js on March 25th, 2005 at 6:28 pmSorry js - I don’t have it in front of me right now so I couldn’t look. Both are pretty exhaustive in any case, and very useful when I moved here.
I like AAiO better than I like myself, I have to admit. But my favorite people on this page are those that come on defending Ann Arbor - they make me laugh the hardest. I mean - what can you expect when you click on the url for a site called annarborisoverrated? Cute pictures of puppy dogs playing on the arb and I HEART Ann Arbor tee shirts for sale?
posted by DrMandrake on March 25th, 2005 at 6:38 pmaw, thanks, Mandrake. Josh, do I get another certificate?
posted by ann arbor is overrated on March 25th, 2005 at 7:19 pmStuff I would tell visitors to do:
Go to Kosmo for Bi Bim Bop and twigum
Go to Monahan’s for a few shucked oysters (bring your own bloody mary in an unmarked container–the perfect cure for a hangover)
Barton dam hike from Huron River Drive (and across the ice in the winter)
Watch the bats come out of the stacks at Commie High during the summer (twilight time). It’s surreal. There are thousands of them.
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 25th, 2005 at 7:42 pmoh, almost forgot…visit Zingerman’s Bakehouse and the Creamery (right next door to one another in the Airport Plaza south of 94 off State) for a tour. Make your own bread. Taste all the artisan cheese. Get fresh gelato at the Creamery right out of the machine. Fuck Stucchi’s.
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 25th, 2005 at 7:44 pmThings I would suggest:
Go to Burton Tower at noon on Thursdays, take the elevator to the 8th floor then walk to the top and ask the guy who plays the bells to play the most appropriate theme song for Ann Arbor: Sesame Street. He’ll do it, I swear to god. He’ll even play Happy Birthday for you if it’s your big day.
Go to the 9th floor of the library late at night, get one of those stools, place it in front of an occupied study carol, and moon the graduate students sitting in there, all while screaming, “GO! GO! G-E-O! P-H-Ds are hot for me!” I swear it will make you happy to be alive.
Stand on those concrete seats on the diag when the Campus Church is preaching. Bring a copy of Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Start screaming the text. Loudly!
Wear Ohio State sweatshirt shirt. Leave your pants at home.
Drive down State Street. Follow signs that say 94 West. Arrive in Chicago. Have a good time.
posted by DrMandrake on March 25th, 2005 at 7:58 pmCoffee at rendezvous, electro shows at the Planet. Fleetwood.
posted by Ben on March 25th, 2005 at 8:01 pm“For a pretty funny read, check out the entries for Ann Arbor on epinions.com.”
Man, that “Cradle of the Big Chill” review is all sorts of hilarity.
posted by HNG on March 25th, 2005 at 8:07 pmLearn to play the bells at Kerrytown. (Mondyas, I think.)
Actually, since I am within listening distance, I was dubious about this enterprise. Tunes I want to play on the chimes for laughs: “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (just have tow work out the sheet music for both…the chime is limited in its tonal accuracy.)
I’m fucking sick of “Hail to the Victors.”
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 25th, 2005 at 8:10 pmJS: the useful and informative annual Ann Arbor City Guide is published by the Ann Arbor Observer, for God’s sake, not the News!
posted by Shiny New Home on March 25th, 2005 at 9:30 pmDamnit. I forgot about that downside when I signed my Kerrytown lease.
So I guess I’ll have to take it upon myself to learn so I can fill the airwaves with good songs. If I do the chorus to “One Night in Bangkok”, think anyone will recognize it?
Not to say Hail to the Victors isn’t great - it’s a great college song. I sing it at hockey games. But c’mon, people, imagination!
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 25th, 2005 at 10:03 pmUm… that was from me, not OFWinsurgent. Problem with high speed internet, you can’t hit the “cancel” button fast enough…
posted by Jen on March 25th, 2005 at 10:04 pmIf I read one more post about artisanal cheese and carillons on here…
can someone please tell me if it’s overrated because it’s too yupscale or not yupscale enough? I’m constantly confused.
posted by Brandon on March 25th, 2005 at 10:45 pmit’s both brandon…don’t be so binary.
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 25th, 2005 at 11:08 pmI’ve never played the chimes, by the way…just thinking about it. Only if I can kick out some ridiculous tunes.
posted by OFWinsurgent on March 25th, 2005 at 11:11 pmWow - I feel so dialectic tonight.
What the hell are we doing at 11:00 PM on a Friday night reading AAiO - maybe we really ARE lame.
posted by DrMandrake on March 25th, 2005 at 11:17 pmFunny you should say that, Brandon, as I was planning on going to Whole Foods yesterday and picking up some Spanish Idiazabal on my way back from the March Mainfestival at the Dreamland Theater (Ypsi, so I s’pose that don’t count). I understand it’s got a buttery smoothness, unlike the Cabrales from Asturia, redolent of olives and native grasses and all the other crap the sheep eat over there. There’s nothing wrong with liking good food, as Mike Nelson says–it’s thinking that knowing about food makes one morally superior that gets one into trouble.
I finally tried Cafe Ambrosia this morning and liked it, mainly because it’s the kind of place you can find in just about every other large town/small city in America. I’m so sick of going into places like Sweetwater’s and having my head bashed in by how industrially quaint and darling (and overpriced) they are. Ambrosia reminded me of Highland Square in Akron, which is starting to become my highest praise (and the first Velvet Underground album was playing, not “Loveless”). I only had a bagel, but it was pretty good.
posted by Lazaro on March 26th, 2005 at 10:40 amAnd consider yourself lucky, Doc–you could have been at the Blind Pig watching the tumbleweeds blow while Otto Vector played. Well, I guess I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything…
posted by Lazaro on March 26th, 2005 at 10:41 amActually, I think I was being a little harsh–it was probably the size of the crowd and the relative desolation that turned me off.
I’ll shut up now.
posted by Lazaro on March 26th, 2005 at 11:29 amShiny- Ah. My bad. What’s the one put out by the Snooze then?
posted by js on March 26th, 2005 at 11:47 amAAIO- This semester I’ve been much less involved at Current, so I don’t know if you won best blog again.
I’d assume so…
I saw the new current and AAiO did in fact win. Goodspeed Update came in second. (Wait - isn’t goodspeed gone from ann arbor?) Liked your reviews, js. Sorry the show sucked Lazaro - it must have been more fun than reviewing the literature of social class influences on beliefs about interpersonal agency. Sometimes I wonder if my life would have been better had I taken that job as a fluffer in the porn industry.
posted by DrMandrake on March 26th, 2005 at 12:08 pmYeah, I don’t know how Goodspeed won 2nd… seeing as he doesnt live here anymore, and in fact doesn’t write much about Ann Arbor these days, either. So much for ArborUpdate riding on his coattails…
posted by Brandon on March 26th, 2005 at 12:56 pmI, for one, would recognize the chorus from “One Night in Bangkok.”
posted by Dave on March 26th, 2005 at 1:14 pmI get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine…
posted by Lazaro on March 26th, 2005 at 2:55 pmThis is unrelated to the thread, sorry for the distraction, but hey, we all need distractions.
It seems like people on here have a pretty good idea of whatever *is* good in A2, and I’m looking for a Chinese or Korean (dine-in) restaurant for tonight…any suggestions?
Apologies again for the off-topicness. Please don’t hate.
posted by Steve on March 26th, 2005 at 3:05 pmThe queens we use would not excite you.
posted by Jen on March 26th, 2005 at 4:05 pmSteve -
I like Sze-chuan… by Big George’s, on West Stadium, around the Liberty intersection.
It isn’t straight up authentic, but it’s quite good and only partially Americanized. It’s also got quite a quirky interior.
posted by Jen on March 26th, 2005 at 4:07 pmSteve- Chia Sheng is good. They have an assload of vegetarian options too (with a whole separate veg kitchen). I’ve heard that Middle Kingdom is good, but it’s too pricy for me. I like Champion House but know they’re kinda shitty…
posted by js on March 26th, 2005 at 4:32 pmTry Mongolian barbecue! LOL! That’s like, so popular, and Mongolia is near China, right? LOL! And, like, you get to cook your own food there or something.
Where is great eats on Ann Arbor Streets when you need her?
I say my favorite is the chinese place on Church and South U. The one with that picture of Chef Jan. It lacks ambiance, if that’s what you’re looking for, but if you’re just looking for good cheap chinese food before hitting on underage sorority girls at Rick’s - that’s the spot! HOLLA.
posted by Dr.Mandrake on March 26th, 2005 at 4:32 pmCheck yourself, Mandrake. I used to go to Mongolian way back when, in suburbia, the very first BD’s one. That used to be the cool place to hang out on half-days… although I must say the Ann Arbor version’s crowd (and the layout) are far more annoying.
Most people I see at China Gate don’t even wait to go to Rick’s, and just hit on the waitresses there. Food’s OK. Better than Lucky if you’re in that neighborhood, at any rate. … anything’s better than Lucky.
posted by Jen on March 26th, 2005 at 8:35 pmThey need a slogan:
BD’s Mongolian Barbecue: A Little Piece of Suburbia Right Here in Treetown
Not to be a snob, but that’s gotta be the most disgusting restaurant crowd in town hands-down. I’ve never seen so many loud people in bad sweatshirts with 5 kids each in one place. From the looks of ‘em, I’m guessing most didn’t get there on foot either, but they could sure stand to try out that mode, if you know what I mean. Blech. Go back to Scio and Pittsfield. Okay, so I’m a snob… Annarborites may often annoy me, but suburbanites annoy me more.
posted by Brandon on March 27th, 2005 at 1:16 amOh, suburbanites. You know, the first time I saw a good percentage of my neighbors was during the blackout, when the air conditioners failed and no one could spend gas driving unnecessary places.
Again, I’d claim that it’s the crowd at BD’s and not the place per se. If you go to the Royal Oak one - at least if you used to - you’d get all sorts of aging hipsters/punks who liked that they could get tofu and veggies readily. It might have changed over the years - I don’t think I’ve been there since 2001.
Course, they cater to the suburban, “it’s a dining experience!” crowd now, so maybe I should just preserve my nice high school memories and move on entirely. Eek. I have a long-standing agreement with my brother that we’re allowed to resort to physical harm if we ever find the other slipping into suburban-consumer life. At least, until the person wakes up and comes back to sanity. Country’s fine, city’s fine, but the suburbs… I’ve spent 18 years in ‘em and that’s quite enough.
posted by Jen on March 27th, 2005 at 1:45 amMongolian Barbecue - what a friggin’ joke. You pay top dollar to assemble your ingredients and schlep it to some disinterested jackass who beats the texture and nuance out of it on the grill. Don’t forget the deafening roar that one supposes must be the “atmosphere” that draws in the crowds.
posted by LF on March 27th, 2005 at 10:58 amThere are far better choices in town to get your faux stir-fry.
Is it possible for me to post without getting called out by Jen? I suggest you and me, mano a mano, under the bridge, by the Huron River.
Maybe in its day in Royal Oak Mongolian Barbecue was cool. And I will even admit to you that I used to enjoy the one in Chicago too. But then I awoke from my dogmatic slumber. The one in Ann Arbor = overrated. First, it is IN Ann Arbor, full of Ann Arborites and other Michigan riff-raff who you know I can’t stand. Second, it is full of families and children, and you know how much I hate children, especially babies. Third, the food is just not that good to warrant a 90 minute wait.
posted by Dr.Mandrake on March 27th, 2005 at 10:59 amHas anything in Royal Oak been cool for several years? That town’s like a poorly-rendered Ann Arbor knockoff.
posted by Brandon on March 27th, 2005 at 11:56 amMandrake,
You aren’t allowed to quote Hegel on AAIO. Especially when talking about Mongolian BBQ.
Please follow the rules.
posted by todd on March 27th, 2005 at 12:27 pmBring it on, Mandrake. One weapon each.
Just remember I have access to all sorts of neat engineering things.
(It’s also easier for me to reply in the defensive than to bring up my own points. But shhh, it’s a secret).
posted by Jen on March 27th, 2005 at 12:58 pmJen - Perhaps my handsome charm and witty rejoinders will suffice enough as weapons against whatever fancy nuclear e-school proton-shooting gadget you can muster. So long as west side story is playing in the background and questionably manly men are dancing around me in tights - you’re on.
Todd - A little Hegel never hurt anybody, unless you consider that Hegel influenced Marx who influenced Lenin who influenced Stalin who influenced a lot of dead Russians.
posted by Dr.Mandrake on March 27th, 2005 at 2:05 pmMandrake, maybe this impending rumble is actually an answer to your Craig’s List personal of a couple posts ago.
I walked into Mongolian BBQ a few weeks after moving here, not knowing what it was, looked around for about five seconds, glanced at my dinner companion who also was somewhere between horrified and stunned, and we both walked right back out without even a word.
posted by Anonymous on March 27th, 2005 at 2:59 pmThanks for the suggestions guys. Went to Chia Shiang which was close and pretty damn good. They get creative with how they arrange some of the dishes, but the almost entirely Asian clientele gives it credibility. Thanks again.
posted by Steve on March 27th, 2005 at 5:19 pmGood to hear you had a good time. In Ann Arbor no less.
Anon - No, I need someone who REALLY SINCERELY loves Ann Arbor to mock. Jen seems to share some of the sentiments - at least she posts here.
Incidentally I got something like 5 or 6 responses to that post from crazy women wanting to meet me. I thought this was rated “The Best Town in America for Single Women.” they might as well have added “who like men who sound like psychopathic maniacs” to the end there.
posted by Dr.Mandrake on March 27th, 2005 at 5:50 pmI’m just biding my time til I could take you out, Mandrake. It was all an elaborate farce until I infiltrated the blog long enough to get some identities to the pseudonyms. Next up: getting loyalty oaths passed at a city council meeting.
Although… can you post some of the replies to the Craigslist ad? I’m quite curious as to what a sincere reply to that ad would look like.
Brandon - Royal Oak used to be a rather interesting place to hang out, way back in the day. It was the only place after 11 at night in the suburbs where you could just walk around the streets and meet people, get in conversations, play a little hackey-sack (ah, the hackey-sack)… Hanging out there with my good friend on a fall night is one of the better memories I have of high school, and my boyfriend at the time lived close enough to downtown where (shock!) we could actually walk there from his house. Nice when you’re used to having to drive / take a long bike ride to anything interesting in suburbia.
Then the yuppies more or less kicked out all the kids who made it into an interesting place and set out to completely recreate Ann Arbor. …except they have a Barnes and Noble instead of a Borders. At one point they actually banned teenagers without parental supervision in some of the restaurants and coffeeshops, and the two decent record stores had closed… although by that point I had given up on the place.
posted by Jen on March 27th, 2005 at 8:08 pmJen - I will post them on my blog sometime this week. And you can “take me out” anytime, so long as you’re not a professional assasin working for the old cronies on the Historical District Commission and hired to off me.
posted by Dr.Mandrake on March 27th, 2005 at 8:53 pmWill you two get a room?
posted by Brandon on March 27th, 2005 at 10:47 pmWhy get a room when you can close your eyes and imagine walking along the Greenway?
posted by Dr.Mandrake on March 28th, 2005 at 10:40 am