Page 6 -- The Michigan Daily -- Thursday, September 4, 1986
Ann Arbor's streets reflect the city's diversity
Main St.: Center of off-campus A2
By PHILIP LEVY
Kelly Bauman does not hang out on
Main Street. The young apprentice,
electrician prefers the Diag; because
"there are more women over there,"
he says. The only reason he is perched
on the newspaper vending machines at
the corner of Main and Huron is
banking; his bank is on Main Street
and he needed to cash a check.
Todd MacGregor does hang out on
Main Street. While he is not a regular,
he frequents Dom Bakeries. There he
will buy a cup of coffee and read. "I
like to be in areas that are frequented
by people," he says, watching
pedestrians pass the large window
facing Main Street.
Main Street, he says, is the most
traditional of the three busiest parts
of the city. The other two are South
University and State Street.
South University is too fashion-
oriented for MacGregor. It is for
"people with more money in their
pocket," he says. Although
MacGregor works in South Quad's
cafeteria, he isn't attracted by the
student-dominated State Street. He
likes students, he says quickly, but he
prefers Main Street.
Heart of downtown
"Downtown is the people's part of
the city," says MacGregor. And,
although it lies on the western edge of
the area, Main Street is made up of a
mix of buildings; some with aged
facades and some with exteriors that
are shiny and new. If one follows Main
Street from Catherine to Packard,
about a six block stretch, one encoun-
ters banks, brokers, toy stores,
restaurants, and a piano store.
In that piano store, the Ann Arbor
Piano and Organ Company, is Kyung
Shyn Yoon. She and her husband
moved their store to Main Street 18
years ago from East Washington and
she says now, "we did a good move."
She likes Main Street's busy
sidewalks. "We needed traffic," she
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Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY
A center of campus nightlife, State Street lights up with the beams of cruising headlights. The State Street
Theatre marquis adds to the big city, bright lights atmosphere of the street.
State St.:From football to tofutti
4
By AMY MINDELL
Stretching across campus, State
Street can take you from a Saturday
afternoon football game to a train
depot. In between, State Street
feveals a cross-section of campus life.
Blaring dance tunes from a frater-
nity house rival the sedate air of the
University Museum of Art. A quick
submarine sandwhich from Pizza
Bob's can be had as well as an elegant
repast at Escoffier. Literary types
can choose from comic books at the
Blue Front Market and best-sellers at
Border's bookstore. Even ice cream
choices mirror the campus' variety -
an organe-y push-up at Campus Cor-
ner, a gloppy Steve's Ice Cream mix-
* a chic scoop of Italian gelato, or a
16w-cal twirl of tofutti can all be slur-
ped on State Street.
For good reason, State Street is of-
ten a landmark when giving direc-
tions around campus. Most campus
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buildings are on or near State Street.
Many students inhabit the houses on
the street, walk on its sidewalks. shon
in its stores, or drive on it to get
elsewhere. It also lets out to major
highways both north and south.
On a weekend night, or during the
summer, State Street is popular for
crusing. If you stand long enough on
north State, near its intersection with
Liberty Street, cars will pass once,
twice, three times. These are high
schoolers out for fun.
A variety of people
But put away the car keys. At
college, the "cool" kids walk. Or they
stand. Groups of punked-out "non-
conformists" seem to dwell on the
corners of State Street. Zipping up te
curbs on skateboards, mohawks
flying in the air, nose-rings glistening
in the moonlight, these folks
sometimes dominate State Street.
Sometimes, people just lie around.
One student found lying on the grass
in front of Angell Hall, reading a book,
said she liked the action of the street.
"It's close to downtown. There is
always a lot of people, you can always
see someone you know," said Barb
Gilberg, an LSA junior.
But most often, people shop.
Clothing stores on State Street
illustrate vogue in the city. Depending
on your friends, "vogue" can mean
anything from second-hand Benneton
madras shorts to bowling shirts with
names like "Biff" and "Mac" sewn on
them.
"Bivouac" is a popular campus
boutique because everything "in"
sells here-Espirit skirts, Patagonia.
jackets, rhinestone earrings, Swatch
watches; the list goes on. A sharp-
dressed man can buy or rent a tuxedo
for the night and a "Monkees" t-shirt
for the day in other stores on the
street.
"It's great to have stores so close to
campus, especially if you don't have a
car," said Margie Watkins, an LSA
senior found shopping on State Street.
On State Street, feet can be shoed,
perscriptions filled; one can pray in a
church, play pool in the Michigan
Union, drop in on a class once-in-a-
while, study in the Law Library, eat a
tack, rush a fraternity, or buy a chair.
Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER
A business suit, a bank, and.the latest Dow Jones index typify the more
off-campus feel of downtownAnn Arbor and Main Street.
says. "I don't see anybody on East
Washington, she remembers, but
gesturing towards the front window,
"all kinds of people come through
here." Not many students, though.
They stay around campus, she said.
"Main Street is not like a shopping
center...thi§ is typical Ann Arbog
traditional stores," she says. "It
like a home street."
South U. caters to students' whims, needs
By REBECCA BLUMENSTEIN
South University Street may look
unbalanced with President Shapiro's
well-trimmed, lush lawn on one end
and an abundance of crowded eateries
and bookstores on the other.
But while this street presents an
unusual variety of establishments,
almost all of them have one thing in
common - a connection to University
life.
"South University is the hangout for
students, day and night," says Silvia
Kleer, an LSA sophomore, as she
engages in one of her favorite ac-
tivities-- people-watching outside of
Charlies.
Another of her favorite pastimes is
studying in the law quadrangle,
located right off South University. "I
think that it's the greenest and pret-
tiest place on campus," says Kleer.
"Just walking around the area of the
law quad reminds you of how much
tradition has evolved here over the
years," she said.
Despite the enduring quality of the
law quad, the museum, and the
libraries, South University has been
the site of many changes over the
years. When the Brown Jug
restaurant opened in 1937,it and
Ulrich's bookstore were the only
establishments on the street, accor-
ding to manager Jim Peron. "Most
everything else has sprung up in the
last 10-15 years."
The Brown Jug's name stems from
a rivalry that developed between the
Michigan and University of Min-
nesota football teams, and a water jug
that traditionally goes to the winner of
their game every year.
Perod feels that the stores and
restaurants on South University cater
to University students more than any
other area in the city. "Since we are
the closest business area to students
without cars, much of our traffic
comes from the student population,"
he says.
Mass appeal
Perod, however, says that the street
also attracts a diversity of customers.
"You can look in the restaurant or
down the street and see plenty of
families, businessmen, professors,
and lots of alumni - especially on
football weekend." Perod feels that
South University is especially
crowded because people come back to
drink or eat in places they've been
frequenting for years.
The stores on the street are also
unique to Ann Arbor, says Paul
Harkins, an employee ata the Beacon
Street Creamery ice cream parlor.
"Most of the stores and restaurants
aren't part of nation-wide chains,"
he said.
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Doily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER
LSA seniors Jenny Berne and Bobby Wilens enjoy an outdoor meal by
"Charley's" on South University street. Berne and Wilens say they like to
"people-watch" on the student-oriented street.
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