Page Four
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Thu rsdav. Seotember 9. 19761
PageuFour THEMICHIGAN DAIL
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Perils and pitfalls
In Ann Arbor S
late-nighthang-outs
By KEN PARSIGIAN
It's four a.n. and most townsfolk are lost in their dreams,
while an occasional, avid student burns his lamp on into the
night. In a different world, set apart by the clinking of china and
the clash of conversations, another hungry patron walks into one
of the city's several ;late night eateries, nestles comfortably
down into a booth and orders a cup of coffee.
The only places open after 2:00 a.m. are Kroger's, two gas
stations and three restaurants: the Wolverine Den, the Plaid
Pantry, and the Jolly Tiger. These last three establishments
constitute the hangouts of Ann Arbor's late nighters.
MOST LATE NIGHTERS are either University students or
vagabond street people in their middle to late 20's. Usually quiet
and introspective, true late nighters rarely schlep into the Den
before 4:00 a.m
"The real night people don't get in here 'till around 4:00,"
says Nancy, a waitress at the Den. "From 2:00 until 4:00 we
get a lot of customers who have just gotten out of the bars,"
she continued. "These people are kind of straight types, and
they're often loud and rowdy. The real diehards are mellow.
They don't like all the commotion so they don't come in until the
others go home."
One typical diehard is Russ. Russ is at the Den almost every
night. Twenty-seven and out of work, he frequents the Den be-
cause he "ain't got nothin' else to do." He sits in the same cor-
ner every night, eating chili and drinking cup after cup of cof-
fee.
Clad in a raggedy "Michigan" sweatshirt and tattered jeans,
sporting a three-day growth of beard, Russ appears an ominous,
unapproachable figure. But he's actually just a lonely guy look-
ing for someone to talk to.
"HOW YA DOIN', man," he said one night as I sat down.
"What's shakin'?"
I told him that I wanted to know why he stays out so late,
and for the price of a cup of coffee he was willing to tell me.
"I don't like the daytime," he said. "There's just too many
people hustling and bustling. At night I can just relax and be
myself. If I want to do something weird like walk across the
Diag and recite kiddie rhymes, I can do it and not get hassled."
BUT RUSS is only one type of late nighter. Bob, a Univer-
sity Law School student, is clean cut and well dressed, but he too
is lured by the Den in the wee hours of the morning.
"I've never needed much sleep," says Bob, "and I like to
get something to eat late at night so I come to the Den.'
Bob also enjoys the Den's crowd. "I like meeting strange
people. They're really interesting. The people at this place at
five in the morning are pretty slimy characters, but at least
they're different. Besides, when I stay up late I like to have
people around me, and the Den is the only place to find night
people in this city."
IF YOU'VE got a car, however, there are alternatives to
the Den.
One is the Plaid Pantry in nearby Ypsilanti. But many late-
nighters shy away from it, saying that the food is no better and
the crowd is not quite as congenial as the Den's.
"That place is not cool," says Russ summing it up. "We've
got atmosphere here at my place (the Den)."
THE ONLY 24-hour restaurant left to mention is the Jolly
Tiger. By far and away the cleanest of the three restaurants,
the Tiger is still little more than a glorified McDonalds. It lacks
the comfortably degenerate atmosphere of the Den and the
Pantry, so important to true late nighters.
Russ, who ate there once, says he'll never go back again.
"That place is too damn clean," he says. "The restaurant
is close to the freeway and they get a lot of people who stop in
from there. But those aren't real street people. They're just like
the restaurant-too clean, too plain, too normal.
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The fine arts of idleness:
Pinball, pool and bridge
By JENNIFER MILLER
On this academically rich campus a sometimes fatal malady
lurks. Known as Procrastination Syndrome, it displays symptoms
of Pinball, Pool and Bridge Fever.
It can attack men and women, young and old, rich and poor,
but students seem to be most susceptible. It can spread slowly,
or encompass the body in one fell swoop. It affects at least three
of the senses, and 'can appear at any time. There is no known
cure.
THERE ARE however, Treatments available to relieve the
symptoms. For Pinball Fever, there are several places in Ann
Arbor where the victim can go, The Crosseved Moose on Liberty,
Arcade 5 on Church St., Tommy's on Packard at State, and Cam-
pus Pinball on S. University, to name a few.
Pam Streeting has worked at the Crosseyed Moose since Aug-
ust, 1975, and can understand the infatuation many people share
with pinball. "It's the skill, the competition," she says. "People
like to compete with modern science."
Former employe Bob Richardson, describing himself as "a
mild addict" asks, "Where else can you play with a $100 machine
for a quarter?"
ACCORDING to Streeting the best season for business is dur-
ing the school year, when students and professors use breaks be-
tween classes to catch up on a little relaxation. "Some are defin-
ately regular customers," she says. "You can tell what time of
day it is by who's coming in between classes."
Another popular time is on weekend nights, traditionally
"couple's nights" in the pinball alleys. Streeting pointed out that
the movie Tommy created a boom of both men and women cus-
tomers.
. "Getting started is the hardest thing," says Streeting, "be-
cause you're not good enough to win free games." But once the
craze his you, it's like an addiction. "It's a different world, Street-
ing says.
THE NEXT ailment is Pool Fever, and the best place for a
cure is at the Union. Here, with 22 pool and billiard tables, you
can play for the lowest price around. Once again the school year
is the most crowded time, especially Saturday and Sunday
nights.
Joel Stern doesn't play, but he has worked in the pool hall
for three years. "Most people play for social reasons," he says,
but he's seen some tournament winners come and go.
Pool is as addicting as pinball, says Stern who sees some
people in the hall five to six hours a day. "School work can't be
that taxing, or maybe they just don't care," he observes.
PROFESSORS have been known to show their faces in the
pool hall along with the students, since they too are human (we
think). "Lots of different kinds of people can play," says Janice
App, a novice player. "You can come and relax your mind from
work."
Bridge is the third and final of the three most popular Pro-
crastination illnesses. Those who don't play are often unaware of
the extent of the disease on campus, but if you want it, it's easy
to catch.
A large part of the playing goes on in the dorms, with groups
casually meeting every night. This can happen after or insead of
homework. In fact, people have actually been known to drop out
of school to play bridge full time.
BRIDGE WORLD, located on Plymouth near Nixon Rd., is
another place for bridge fans to gather. Here they can meet to
play duplicate bridge, and sing the praises of Charles Goren.
Whatever your affliction is, and whether it's in the final or
beginning stages, there's something, somewhere to ease the pain.
You might have to search a little, and sacrifice some of your
precious study time (and you'll soon find out just how precious it
is) but you'll eventually stumble onto something. Just don't tell
your parents where all that tuition money is going.
"Cooperative option
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irst ...and
Longest I
Long before the turn of the century we were inviting Michigan
students to shop our store. That invitation was always right
there . . . up front.
You might note we are the only retailer from the front page of
this 1898 Michigan Daily that's still in business.
That early invitation remains open. We're a nice store, with
nice things. For nice people. We're Wild's, Quality Importers,
Haberdashers and Tailors. When you're ready for us we're
ready for you.
Remember who loved you first!
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