The Michigan Daily- Thursday, October 15, 1992- Page 7
New Detroit hostel provides travelers with cheap accommodations
by Will McCahill
DETROIT - Hostels - low-
cost, short-term accommodations for
travelers, commonly found overseas
- have reached the Motor City.
Located just in back of the Fox
Theater, the Park Avenue Hostel of-
fers warm beds, bathrooms, a
kitchen and other facilities to weary
travelers at bargain prices.
The hostel is on the second floor
of the Park Avenue Hotel, at 2305
* Park Ave.
Bill Harrington, the building's
owner, said the idea for opening the
hostel came from his two sons, who
have traveled extensively and have
stayed in youth hostels in Europe,
Australia and parts of Asia.
The hostel officially opened Sept.
18, and Harrington said guests have
already come from Sweden, the
Economic
recovery
still stuck
in neutral
WASHINGTON (AP) - Two
new government reports yesterday
showed the U.S. economy remained
stuck in neutral last month with a
lackluster increase in retail sales and
a modest rise in wholesale prices.
The Labor Department reported
that wholesale prices climbed 0.3
percent last month, pushed upward
by higher costs of gasoline, tobacco
and pork. Even with the September
increase, the weak economy was
keeping the annual rate of wholesale
price increases at a modest 2 percent
through the first nine months of the
year.
Meanwhile, the Commerce
Department said retail sales edged
up a smaller-than-expected 0.3 per-
cent in September. Analysts said
about the only source of strength
was stepped up buying of construc-
tion materials in Florida and
Louisiana to rebuild following
Hurricane Andrew.
Even an upward revision of the
August sales figures that showed
they were flat rather than down 0.5
percent, as reported last month, did
not shake analysts' views that the
economy is going nowhere. They
said voters are not likely to receive
any last-minute good economic news
between now and Election Day.
"The economy is just bumping
along the bottom," said Norman
Robertson, an economist at Mellon
Bank in Pittsburgh. "This is not a
recovery in any meaningful sense of
the word."
Analysts said that both the retail
sales report and the low inflation
figure were depicting an economy
with extremely weak demand that is
keeping a lid on prices.
Such an environment normally
would give the Federal Reserve
room to cut interest rates further.
While there were high expectations
last week that the Fed would move
for the 25th time since 1989 to cut
rates, analysts said the chances of
that occurring were growing slim-
mer, at least until after Election Day.
For his part, Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan told re-
porters in Tokyo yesterday that "we
don't know" whether further rate
cuts will be needed.
"Anyone who gives.a definitive
answer ... is reaching beyond the
evidence," Greenspan said.
United Kingdom, Germany,
Australia and Japan.
One of the guests from Australia
came to Detroit looking for parts and
manuals for old American cars,
which he was trying to restore back
in Australia. Detroit, Harrington
said, was the obvious choice, since
the auto industry began here.
A young Japanese woman came
to the Park Avenue Hostel while
touring the United States by
motorcycle.
Other Detroit-area attractions in-
clude the Henry Ford Museum, the
Detroit Institute of Arts and the
Detroit sports teams.
Harrington said most of the
guests at the hostel have been of
"older-college age."
Although the hostel is a member
of American Youth Hostels (AYH),
a nationwide hostelling organization,
Harrington said the Park Avenue
Hostel is not in the 1992 edition of
the Youth Hostels Handbook and
that its reputation has grown solely
through word of mouth.
premises for the use of the guests of
both the hostel and the hotel itself.
Harrington said the hostel will
not accept transients, and will be
wary of people who might come to
U-M students who have stayed in hostels
elsewhere say the establishments offer more
than just cheap accommodations.
U-M students who have stayed in
hostels elsewhere say the establish-
ments offer more than just cheap
accommodations.
"Hostels are great," said LSA se-
nior Jamie Hochman, who has
stayed in hostels in Austria, France,
Spain, Germany and Scotland.
"It was fun to hang out there,"
Hochman added. She said she met
people from all over the world dur-
ing her stays in hostels.
She also said sh. was surprised at
how safe the hostels were, although
she added that hostels in Italy and in
parts of Spain are exceptions to this
observation, and that travelers are
often warned not to stay in hostels in
those countries.
International Opportunities
Advisor Jeannine Lorenger said she
recommends youth hostels - not
only in Europe but also in the United
States and Asia - to students look-
ing for cheap travel options.
She said she recommends that
students apply for membership in the
International Youth Hostels
Association, which entitles them to
discounts at many overseas hostels
and is required for stays in American
hostels.
Applications for membership and
other information on low-budget
travel are available at the
International Center.
Most hostels have laundry ser-
vices, bathroom facilities, and many
offer meals as well. Hochman said
the portions are large, the food is
good, and, best of all, it is cheap.
Many of the hostels in the U.S.
are family homes with extra rooms,
and therefore are much cheaper than
other hostels in the U.S. and in
Europe.
AYH contributed the 13 beds and
lockers in the hostel's rooms, but
Harrington paid the rest of the ex-
penses of fixing up the space for the
hostel himself.
The Park Avenue Hotel has a
laundromat and a delicatessen on the
Detroit to buy drugs or to party.
Harrington said crime is really
not a problem in and around the Park
Avenue Hotel. Detroit police have
increased their presence in the area
because of developer Mike Ilitch's
plans to build a new hockey rink and
a comedy club nearby.
Espresso Royale to
replace Southside
at Packard-State
In the shadow of a legend
Richard Carr, a former Peace Corps volunteer, describes his experiences working in a foreign land on the steps
of the Michigan Union. PresidentJohn Kennedy founded the Peace Corps 32 years ago.
Stockdale claims he is 'up to the job' of
vice president despite lackluster debate
by Jen DiMascio
The Southside restaurant - lo-
cated on the corner of Packard and
State streets and noted for its break-
fast menu and long lines - abruptly
closed in April 1989. Its windows
were left unboarded, revealing tables
cluttered with filthy ashtrays and
stale coffee cups, for more than a
year.
The Southside's windows are fi-
nally boarded. But promise exists in
the Southside's rubble. Its lease ex-
pires Dec. 1, and Espresso Royale,
Inc. plans to open in its place early
this spring.
One U-M student recalled meals
at the Southside.
"Oooh, that was good. They had
good waffles and long lines," said
Mimi Citzon, an LSA first-year stu-
dent and Pioneer High School
graduate.
Unsubstantiated rumors circulate
regarding the restaurant's closure,
but the reasons given by the owners
suggest nothing eAtraordinary.
Three men - Kevin Hay, Mark
Spencer, and Dick Shoebock -
formed the Southside Corporation,
which owned the restaurant and an-
other establishment, 328 S. Main St.
When 328 5. Main ran into financial
difficulties, the corporation decided
to sell the Southside in order to con-
centrate on their other business,
which eventually foreclosed.
"I sold it to my uncle maybe five
years ago now because of financial
difficulties. It was fun while it
lasted," said Hay.
Hay provided no concrete reasons
for the Southside's demise.
"He closed it 'cause he's a jerk,"
said Hay. "But you'll have to ask
him."
Hay's uncle, John Robison,
owner of the Southside, also blames
the restaurant's closure on financial
difficulty.
"We couldn't seem to bring the
people in. The most we had on a
Sunday was 621 people for break-
fast, which is a lot, but during the
week business was so spotty - we
couldn't make it work," said
Robison.
Robison, who lives in California,
said it was easier to lose money pay-
ing rent on the space and contribute
to an Ann Arbor eyesore than to con-
tinue the restaurant. He said he
flirted with the idea of reopening,
but decided the distance between
California and Michigan was too
great.
"The longer it was closed, the
easier it was to just leave it," said
Robison.
Tommy York, owner of the new
Espresso Royale, said he thinks the
south campus location will provide a
good meeting place for all types of
students.
However, students said the last
thing Ann Arbor needs is another
coffee shop.
"Like we need more coffee," said
RC senior Geoff Walker.
LSA senior Sam Prince agreed,
"This place is caf6d out."
Even York complained about
cafe exploitation in Ann Arbor.
"It's not going to be just another
coffee shop. I want the community
to feel they have an input into the
store," York said.
York hesitantly revealed plans to
include a bakery in the new Royale.
"We're researching it, and I don't
want to make any promises," he ex-
plained.
ATLANTA (AP) - James
Stockdale conceded yesterday he
was "kind of out of it" during the
vice presidential debate but said vot-
ers shouldn't think that means he
isn't up to the job.
Political analysts said his debate
showing could only hurt Ross
Perot's against-all-odds presidential
hopes. But one Republican strategist
doubted there would be any serious
erosion in Perot's modest standing in
the polls, arguing that most of the
Texan's supporters realize he cannot
win and are merely planning protest
votes.
In morning-after interviews,
Stockdale attributed his sometimes
uncertain or fumbling answers in
Tuesday night's debate to a matchup
of an everyday citizen against two
polished politicians with pro-
grammed answers to every question.
The 68-year-old retired admiral
and former prisoner of war also ap-
peared determined to quash any con-
cerns about his health that might
have been raised by his debate per-
formance.
"I'm going to live another 20
years at least," Stockdale said.
mate last spring while she was away,
and she added with'a smile, "I'll
think carefully before I go out of
town again."
But she said more seriously that
his choice "was a wonderful thing."
Stockdale added, "Don't ever
doubt that I'm qualified for the job.
What we need in this thing is leader-
ship, and I've been a leader in the
most extreme circumstances you can
imagine" - a reference to his time
in captivity after being shot down
over Vietnam.
"I don't think either one of those
people up there on the platform with
me last night could have handled it,"
Stockdale said.
Still, political strategists and aca-
demics said the retired admiral's de-
bate performance couldn't help
Perot's efforts to climb from a dis-
tant third.
Perot's standing in a three-way
race remained unchanged at a distant
third in post-debate polls. But 56
percent of respondents in an NBC
survey said they were less likely to
vote for Perot-Stockdale after the
debate; just 14 percent said more
likely.
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Stockdale
He was accompanied on the
morning talk shows by his wife,
Sybil, who defended him strongly.
For example, when it was
brought up that he had said at one
point in the debate that his hearing
aid was set too low for him to hear a
question, she jumped in to say his
hearing problem was from flying jet
fighters, not from aging or poor
health.
Mrs. Stockdale said her husband
had agreed to be Perot's running
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CHILDREN IN POVERTY
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