ann arbor is overrated. » Blog Archive » My Building Has Every Inconvenience

My Building Has Every Inconvenience

The Daily’s second installment in their series about the appalling condition of A2 rental housing is even more alarming than the first. A description of one “decent middle-class” house: “Visitors have to step over doors that have rotted off their hinges, and they have to avoid insects that enter the house through holes in the ceiling where broken ceiling panels have not been replaced. Duct tape holds the doors closed and prevents air from drafting through the poorly insulated windows.” We’ve been dealing with our own landlord issues as of late; last week, the pipes connecting our house to the street backed up, dumping sewage all over our basement and the first floor bathroom. Our landlord did have it fixed, but we’ve asked him to clean the place with bleach to eliminate mold and bacteria, and he hasn’t responded to our calls. We’re not optimistic that any of our belongings ruined by the sewage will be replaced, either.

Unfortunately, the Daily’s journalism doesn’t fare as well with their scolding report on “study drugs” like Ritalin and Adderall, which fails to quote even one student who has ADHD and is taking the drugs with a prescription.

73 Responses to “My Building Has Every Inconvenience”

Have they ever heard of paragraph breaks? My eyes hurt now.
posted by mulligatawny on April 19th, 2005 at 11:00 am
I love the picture on the ritalin story - is that girl trying to study for a psych 111 exam or kill herself with a mug full of pills? Dear god - she needs some kind of intervention.
posted by DrMandrake on April 19th, 2005 at 11:30 am
My prescription for success:

3 parts whisky, 1 part sweet vermouth, splash of bitters.

Sit back, sip, watch the checks roll in.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
I’m having a truly bizarre experience — I *think* I wrote that first comment in the entry you linked to (middle-class housing), but I can’t remember why I signed it “R” and I actually don’t remember writing the bit about safety deposit boxes, but I do remember looking up the spelling for “Plantagent” . I must be going completely insane.
posted by Anna on April 19th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
I just ran across your web-site from google search for another purpose. I have to say, Ann Arbor might not be your cup of tea, but it’s a hell of lot better than many other college towns. Try living in East Lansing or State College, PA and you’ll appreciate Ann Arbor a little more.
posted by Chad on April 19th, 2005 at 3:09 pm
Chad - Ann Arbor is better than East Lansing, a common defense. People come to Ann Arbor from the sundry bumpkinvilles of Michigan and think they’ve reached a cultural nirvana. Yes, Ann Arbor is better than

Try living in San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Austin, or even Pittsburgh, move to Ann Arbor, and you’ll put your hand on a hot stove to feel something besides boredom.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 4:40 pm
Oops! Yes, Ann Arbor is better than East Lansing. And East Lansing is better than what? A burning case of herpes? I don’t think so.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 4:41 pm
East Lansing is better than East St. Louis.
posted by Annie on April 19th, 2005 at 5:17 pm
Yeah, yeah. Ann Arbor is a less attractive …ah.. “urban” setting to live than New orleans, Boston, Pittsburgh, New York, Chigago, San Francisco…. et cetera. But aren’t we, Alan, dealing with the very same ‘population density’ issues as with an art scene? What about other cities/towns of AA’s size? how does she rank there? because, well, as much as i hate to admit it, maybe it just isn’t fair to compare a city less than 1/8 of the size of the cities mentioned, which we tend to compare AA to.

Get another couple hundred thousand people in here, and we might have a conversation. Then again, given the rabid interest in urban living in AA, maybe we’d have hundreds of thousands of people living in loosely-defined ’suburbs’ like, say, Detroit.
posted by Heidi on April 19th, 2005 at 5:40 pm
That’s easy, Heidi.

Madison > Ann Arbor

You can’t get much closer in city type and size comparison.
posted by Jen on April 19th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
Did we ever deal with the population density issues of the art scene? Near as I can tell, no one bit.

Chad was attempting to say that we should be thankful to be here rather than East Lansing. I’m saying that’s cold comfort.

You’re telling me that it’s not fair to compare Ann Arbor to bigger cities. As if cities were in leagues. Can’t compare Ann Arbor to the smart cities in the honors program, they have the unfair advantage of large dynamic populations, Ann Arbor is special in it’s own special way.

I’m not sure what the point is. I’m supposed to not want to be in Chicago, because that’s unfair to Ann Arbor?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 8:17 pm
What’s a decent bar for a Tuesday?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 8:24 pm
Actually, Jen, Madison’s pop. in 2000 was 208,054, making it nearly twice the size of Ann Arbor. It’s also the state capital… I don’t think it’s exactly a fair comparison.

Alan: The Eight Ball. I wish I had the time/money to drink as much as you do.
posted by Brandon on April 19th, 2005 at 8:33 pm
Brandon - It’s been easy for me since I reworked my priorities, removing the obligations that cut into free time, like those tedious, time consuming AA meetings.

8 Ball, sounds good, we were thinking Bab’s. So, thanks.

Is anyone else going out tonight? Dave? Dave? Dave? OFW? Dave?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 8:49 pm
Brandon - do you know offhand how much is encompassed by Madison that isn’t in the city directly… i.e. do they have suburbs annexed?

I’ve been there three times now, and while the fact that the capital is located there has some impact, the overwhelming presence was from U-W Madison. At least from my POV. So I might not be able to compare the two exactly… but in general, Madison was much more enjoyable (even the time I was there for an academic conference) and has awesome thrift stores (y’know… because it’s important…). And it wasn’t simply due to a larger population and more money to work with… the equivalent record stores, bars, restaurants, etc., were more enjoyable. And I could be horribly wrong on this, but the only chains there that I really remember were Pizarria Uno’s and Coldstone.

I guess you could compare Ithaca, but there’s a distance (and a gorge) inbetween the Cornell-downtown and the downtown-proper. Although they are similar in that the large supermarkets and chain stores are a 10 minute drive away from either downtown area.

I’m not sure if I prefer Ithaca or Ann Arbor, though - I was in Ithaca during a summer, and like Ann Arbor, the population and the things-to-do declines pretty rapidly for those few months.
posted by Jen on April 19th, 2005 at 8:51 pm
Hooray for more David Byrne related post titles.
posted by a ben on April 19th, 2005 at 10:05 pm
Alan, Bab’s tomorrow.
posted by OFWinsurgent on April 19th, 2005 at 10:12 pm
I’m not saying that I fault you for wanting to be elsewhere - Chicago or Madison. I’m just saying, that if we are going to get all comparative on AA’s ass, shouldn’t all the cards be out on the table? Like the big one that reads “Chicago: seventh largest city in the western hemisphere”? or, as Brandon pointed out, “Madison: state capitol/pop 200k”? There are reasons she’s in the slow class. That’s all.
posted by Heidi on April 19th, 2005 at 10:31 pm
OFW. Loud and clear.

Hey, you and I need to start playing around with this medium, which is, I think easier than Podcasting.

What would it take to get Mandrake to to show up?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 19th, 2005 at 10:53 pm
I’m mostly of the opinion that Ann Arbor could be a lot better than it is — not that it’s as grotesque as some make it out to be. It seems that the most valid comparison that gets made here is to Madison.

And when it comes down to it, it’s just a matter of preference. I know several people who have moved to A2 from Madison (grad school, jobs, whatever) and like it better. And conversely, I know people from A2, Detroit, and the east coast who swear by Madison left and right, though I’ve never been. Most of them speak of both favorably and compare them frequently.

To me, the most frustrating thing about Ann Arbor is the untapped potential. It’s got a top, huge university, some good beer, etc (you can tell my priorities)… but everything is just an irksome hair off of what it should be…restaurants that don’t ever change their menus, rent that should be high but not THAT high, undergrads that are often smart and nice but who treat their campus and off-campus housing like shit, et cetera.

It’s not a BAD place from my perspective. It just could be so much better. It’s frustrating.
posted by Evan on April 19th, 2005 at 11:50 pm
What’s the difference between a drunk and an alcoholic?

Drunks don’t have to go to all those stupid meetings.
posted by yd on April 20th, 2005 at 9:05 am
It wouldn’t take much convincing if it involves alcohol and mocking Ann Arbor.
posted by DrMandrake on April 20th, 2005 at 9:55 am
I can’t make it to Babs’ tonight as I’ll be featherbowling at the Cadieux Cafe in Detroit. Otherwise I’d love to. Maybe we can do a repeat next Wednesday as well?
posted by Dave on April 20th, 2005 at 10:43 am
Dave - I’m generally there on Wednesday’s hanging out with the old friends.

Mandrake - Drinking, they have a DJ on Wednesdays, and, of course, mocking Ann Arbor from ringside.

Evan - Frustrating. Stand-offish. Isolated. Smug. Tedious. Thin-skinned. Spineless. Sterile. Xenophobic.

Hiedi - Tonight, while I’m out, I’ll give Ann Arbor a big hug and a gold star. I don’t want to damage her self-esteem. Ann Arbor is special in her own frustrating, stand-offish, isolated, etc. way.

Also, how do you know that Ann Arbor is a she? Did you lift her up?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 20th, 2005 at 11:13 am
For people who find this by googling, it may be helpful to realize that Ann Arbor is over-rated, but that doesn’t mean Ann Arbor is bad. The point is to compare the city as it appears up close and personal to what is claimed for it by loft dEvElopeRs and so on. Now I will duck before the beer and spirit bottles start aflying. Cause I just said Ann Arbor isn’t bad! I’m spamming with happy thoughts! KRACK! OOF! UNGH!
posted by DoughKnutKing on April 20th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
Dave, eat some mussels with the featherbowling at Cadieux for me.
posted by OFWinsurgent on April 20th, 2005 at 12:47 pm
OFW - you better believe I will.

I started to comment on the overrated vs. sucks thing here, but it turned into a big “What I Like and Don’t Like About Ann Arbor” essay and so I posted it on my blog instead. All y’all feel free to shower agreement, disagreement, or outright contempt on it. One interesting thing about Ann Arbor is it doesn’t seem to engender much in the way of actual indifference.
posted by Dave on April 20th, 2005 at 1:51 pm
I moved here from Madison for grad school. A family friend lived in Madison for a while and then moved here with her kids years ago. When I told her I was thinking about moving here, I said “so, it’s a lot like Madison, right?” She hesitated, and said “uh…it’s a great place to raise a family.” That should have been a tip off that I should have done more research before blindly moving.

When I mentioned to a classmate here that I was from Madison and went to school there, he said that he was considering it for undergrad, but his uncle from Boston who went there in the ’60s told him it there was nothing to do in Madison. He ended up going to Cornell.

Moral? Everything’s relative, and I think everything else being equal, the number of things to do in a city goes up exponentially with its population. So it really depends on where you came from when you moved here. If you are an in-stater, you’re going to think Ann Arbor is the greatest thing since sliced bread. But I’m glad to be getting out this summer.
posted by Anonymous on April 20th, 2005 at 3:34 pm
> Moral? Everything’s relative.

That’s one of my favorite things to hate about Ann Arbor, moral relativism.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 20th, 2005 at 3:56 pm
Madison is an excellent town.
posted by OFWinsurgent on April 20th, 2005 at 4:29 pm
I peeked under Ann Arbor’s skirt. She’s a girl all right.
posted by Heidi on April 20th, 2005 at 5:44 pm
One of my favorite things to hate is people freaking out about moral relativism when they don’t even know what it really means.
posted by Anonymous on April 20th, 2005 at 6:17 pm
April - Enlighten me. I think Ann Arbor is flowing with apologias. The first thing someone can offer as a defense is that it’s better than East Lansing. It’s all relative is the refrain of a lazy intellect, is all. I love when someone says, you’ll meet, well, insert explicative, where ever you go. The faintest of praise.

Read Dave’s soliloquy. It good, by the way.

Heidi - Have you looked under Detroit’s skirt? (Not pretty.)

If anyone wants to meed up with me and OFW at Bab’s tonight, you might want to know what to look for what to look for.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 20th, 2005 at 6:30 pm
Hey, I’m back and man, did I eat a ton of mussels tonight. Hope to catch you guys next Wednesday.
posted by Dave on April 21st, 2005 at 1:29 am
“One of my favorite things to hate is people freaking out about moral relativism when they don’t even know what it really means.”

I agree, although more to the point, I abhor moral relativism — it’s just plain wrong — but I can see why it’s okay for memmbers of disenfranchised populations.
posted by DoughKnutKing on April 21st, 2005 at 9:20 am
Okay, I thought “everything’s relative” was stupid, vague and cliched after I wrote it, but didn’t think it’d get harped upon to this degree. I’ll have to remember to proofread any future posts.

And yes, I do think that “it’s better than [Michigan city]” is a weak argument. But I think it’s the best explanation as to why Ann Arbor is overrated.
posted by Anonymous on April 21st, 2005 at 11:29 am
I’m not really sure why it’s okay to compare Ann Arbor to places like Boston and New York (with which it can’t compete) when talking about why it sucks, but it’s a “weak argument” to compare it to more reasonable (and far suckier) locales when talking about its better points. That just seems logically inconsistent.

But anyway, we should probably get back to mocking things that require mocking. I see the ol’ Liberty Lofts construction (well, destruction at this point) is proceeding apace…
posted by Dave on April 21st, 2005 at 12:06 pm
Hey dude, theat’s LoFTs to you…
posted by OFWinsurgent on April 21st, 2005 at 12:56 pm
It’s a weak argument because Ann Arbor prices are a lot closer to the big cities in many areas, and A2’s reputation is built on the idea that it has just about everything that those cities have to offer.

No Weekend Magazine today…what is there to blog about now?
posted by ann arbor is overrated on April 21st, 2005 at 1:03 pm
A good and fair clarification. But I still think you’re just bitter because you’re stuck in decent, middle-class housing instead of a nice new urban-hip LoFT.
posted by Dave on April 21st, 2005 at 1:23 pm
Hey, I live in the Old Fourth Ward Historic District. Doesn’t get any hipper.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on April 21st, 2005 at 1:42 pm
Amen
posted by OFW insurgent on April 21st, 2005 at 2:03 pm
Hipper than thou. Old West Side, worker row house. For a little proletariat cred.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 21st, 2005 at 2:53 pm
I don’t know… I never heard Ann Arbor advertised as “just like [chicago, boston, new york, SF, etc.] only in the middle of Michigan!” before I got here. Maybe I am just not suffering from the false hopes (shattered dreams?) that AA *should* be like those places.

And viva le Old West Side!
posted by Heidi on April 21st, 2005 at 4:51 pm
OWS spring meeting tonight 7:30 at Bach School. They’re talking about Ann Arbor’s Flood Mitigation Plan, with Jerry Hancock speaking. Gee, I wonder what this will turn into a discussion of.
posted by Dale on April 21st, 2005 at 5:21 pm
I’d rather poke my eye out with a stick. But instead, I think I’ll go to Arbor Brewing for the rollout of their hefeweizen.
posted by Dave on April 21st, 2005 at 5:30 pm
When are you going Dave?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 21st, 2005 at 6:06 pm
Setting down my Manhattan, for a second, to scrutinize my posting history.

No. Wait, yes. Yes. Yes, I was addressing a woman by the name of April.

Someone please deduct points for this.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 21st, 2005 at 6:10 pm
Mmm… Manhattans… yum. Now there’s a drink I can get behind.
posted by Heidi on April 21st, 2005 at 7:23 pm
Shall I throw a cocktail party?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 21st, 2005 at 8:31 pm
If it involves throwing another cocktail down the back of my shirt, no.
posted by OFWinsurgent on April 21st, 2005 at 9:15 pm
This is my first year in grad school, after being an undergrad in Champaign. Ann Arbor is way better than Champaign. I think it is fair to compare the two. The weather is better in Champaign though.
posted by CRS on April 21st, 2005 at 9:45 pm
If you want another to compare it to try Green Bay it has comparable populations and hey this could be Grand Rapids or something, just feel lucky we are living in the only sane part of Michigan
posted by J on April 21st, 2005 at 10:31 pm
Well, c’mon, Ann Arbor can equal any of those big cities in terms of what it’s got. Just not in terms of the quality of what it’s got…
posted by js on April 22nd, 2005 at 12:53 am
Why are all my f-ing roommates all over this blog?

Dale, did you go to the OWS meeting? What’s the word?
posted by Brandon on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:32 am
Sorry, I aborted; academic labors.
posted by Dale on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:35 am
Clearly, Brandon, because other than work (”academic labors” …hah!), the most fun thing to do is procrastinate by carrying on meandering conversations about the gender of cities and alcoholic beverages. If you were writing what I’m writing, as much as i’m writing it, you’d do it, too.

(P.S. - in the future, do remember that *you* were the one who outed us as housemates. I will take no responsibility for the association. *wink, wink*)
posted by Heidi on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:41 am
What’s all that winking about? Apparently the three of us are the only people awake in this town, too.
posted by Brandon on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:52 am
I’d like to throw a cocktail down OFW’s shirt. But only a cheap one.
posted by Dave on April 22nd, 2005 at 2:59 am
wow, I look away from the comments section for a week and it explodes in a constant stream of inane drivel. Is AAIO now overrated????

Nothing gold can stay…
posted by Alex(andra) on April 22nd, 2005 at 7:59 am
“If you want another to compare it to try Green Bay it has comparable populations and hey this could be Grand Rapids or something, just feel lucky we are living in the only sane part of Michigan”

Grand Rapids is actually a lot more sane in many ways, and almost 2X as large as Ann Arbor. GE actually embraces its identity as a city rather than trying to pretend it is has “small town charm.” Many walkable neighborhood business districts (often with real grocery stores!), amazing rents, cheap arts districts w/ live/work and gallery space, great record and vintage stores and the Division Ave. Arts Cooperative, perhaps the most progressive urban planning policies in MI… Grand Rapids gets a bad rap it doesn’t deserve (mainly due to its suburbs– but would you use Oakland County to judge Detroit? I don’t think so).
posted by Brandon on April 22nd, 2005 at 8:15 am
Not when you can use Detroit to judge Detroit.
posted by Dave on April 22nd, 2005 at 9:30 am
“inane drivel. Is AAIO now overrated????”

Pot to kettle. Pot to kettle. kkrrr. You’re black.

Get an original insult.
posted by Dale on April 22nd, 2005 at 9:42 am
Alex(andra),
Once again, like the chode I am, I’ve misplaced your email address. Email me please. I haven’t seen you or talked to you in some time and that is a ridiculous shame.
The Original Greg of Love:
gdm@greatlakesmythsociety.com
posted by Greg on April 22nd, 2005 at 11:05 am
I like Detroit. It’s a hell of a lot better than the suburbs, at least (unless we count Hamtramck).
posted by Brandon on April 22nd, 2005 at 11:29 am
Detroit makes me sad. It’s nice to see places like Woodbridge get reconstructed, a house at a time, but I still mourn all the historic housing lost to Devil’s Night.

No AAiO is not overrated, since nobody is running around making it out to be something it is not. It does act as an effective forum still. The signal to noise ratio is well above average. People here are generally well behaved.

So, last night, three of you where in the same house, in separate rooms, posting at each other on the internet? Might I suggest a board game next time. They bring people together.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 22nd, 2005 at 12:00 pm
We were all over the area, as grad school sometimes requires. Since I dominate SCRABBLE at my house so thoroughly, no one wants to play board games with me any more. Plus, we’ve been through all the Trivial Pursuit cards multiple times. Thus, we play blog-you’re-it in cyberspace.

Viva Washtenaw Dairy!
posted by Dale on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:08 pm
AAIO blog is totally overrated. First, it’s rather a clique. Then, there’s the preening intellectualism. The constant attempt at the witty retort. The condescentation of those complaining about feeling condescended to. The need to float one’s creds in public.

What redeems the blog from becoming lunch at the Gandy Dancer are its bursts of honesty.

Xavier
posted by Anonymous on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:29 pm
There, there, that’s a very nice post, Xavier. And stop being so freaking condescending!

Dale, we need to play Scrabble sometime.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:31 pm
AAIO:

Who knew you liked the Gandy Dancer so much?

Xavier
posted by Anonymous on April 22nd, 2005 at 1:35 pm
Hey there now, Brandon, what is wrong with Hamtramck? Besides the ridiculous city money management problems, it’s a city where you could very easily live cheaply without owning a car - you’ve got entertainment, clothing, grocery, restaurant, and bars, all within walking distance of most houses there. That’s far and beyond what most of Detroit suburbia offers.
posted by Jen on April 23rd, 2005 at 9:03 am
Brandon wasn’t knocking Hamtramck; he was saying that it might be counted as a Detroit suburb (which would stack up well against the city).
posted by Dale on April 23rd, 2005 at 11:22 am
Oh I would never knock Hamtramck– I love it. I wish that most of the City of Detroit was as cool as Hamtown.
posted by Brandon on April 24th, 2005 at 4:28 pm