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The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition-City-Thursday, September 9, 1993- Page 5
es many sidelights
3
allow for the entertaining viewing of
i colorful cross-section of Ann Ar-
or'life.
Not to be confused with Amer's
>n Church, however. Though the
menu is consistent with its sister
store, the more southern location is
iampered by bad music and drunken
:xst-happy hour Rick's refugees.
. cafe, however, vindicates itself
with its proximity to Pizza House
nd its late hours.
U CavaJavais thenew kidonthe
block. Opened in March, the bistro
mploys all the trendy gimmicks of
he traditional coffeehouse-sweet
unes, outside seating and an aes-
hetically appetizing interior.
And while the coffee tastes too
sng yet mysteriously leaves no
te, Cava Java - the name
alone makes me want to set the place
worms. And they don't kick you out
for loitering.
Gratzi serves a good brew, but
as a friend once commented, it's
your father's coffee shop. Rumor
has itthey considered checking I.D.s
a few years back, but nothing ever
came ofit. True, Gratzi caters mostly
to the AARP crowd. You might find
one of your old professors here en-
joying a good chat with the fellow at
thenexttable, making it agoodplace
to kiss ass for a few rounds.
True stalkers of the night,
usually finding themselves still
wide-eyed well past 3 o'clock,
have two caffeine options. The
first is the Meijer's coffee and
snack shop, located in the heart of
the sprawling everything-for-ev-
eryone superstore.
Though vehicular transporta-
tion is required
for the four-mile
trek, the tacky,
made-for-subur-
bia, "no really,
we didn't model
this place after
Denny's" ambi-
ance is so passe
that it seems to
epitomize the
cultural demise
of America. Not
spending at least
one late night
here hunched
over the ply-
wood booths,
cramming forthe
next day's mid-
terms would be
almost sacrile-
gious.
The second
late-night venue
for the forbidden
IARON MUSHER/Daity beanisthelegend-
lchritudinous ary Fleetwood
Diner. Always
open, the small,
unassuming restauranthosts the most
motley assortment of Ann Arbor's
population. And while the brew is
certainly less than delicious, the ex-
tremely modest prices and authentic
decor make it unbeatable for overall
atmosphere.
Anyway you brew the cup, how-
ever, you really can'tlose. "Students
here take their coffee for granted,"
Guldman conceded, "because not
everyone is lucky enough to have
this caliber of bean." Indeed, Ann
Arbor and coffee are like Jordan and
the Bulls. Where else can you find
an espresso machine at a
McDonald's?
Ann Arbor.
HEATHER LOWMAN/DaY
Revelers enjoy a night in one of the city's fine drinking establishments.
Numerous watering holes reside in Az
by Alison Levy
Daily Staff Reporter
Well, I'massuming thatsinceyou're
all new students, most of you aren't old
enough to drink. Legally, anyway. So,
I'lljust give you abasic primertothe bar
scene. Then, you can file it away, with
the handknit Michigan shawl your
Grandma made and take it out when
you finally turn 21.
But hey, there's more to bars than
drinking. It's true. There's atmosphere.
So, just one second while I pop some
Tylenol and prepare a small hangover
remedy. But, pay attention - your so-
cial life depends on it.
Rick's The most over-rated bar in
Ann Arbor. Little to no atmosphere fre-
quented by "Greeks from Hell." But, if
that's what you're into, then it may be
heaven. On campus, they bring the best
bands, however. And Monday and
Wednesday dollar pitcherscan'tbe beat,
if you can stand the two-hour lines.
Also, Friday happy hour is well worth
the buck if you don't mind getting ham-
mered before 5:30. Oh, just a warning.
Don't wear pearls. They've got black
lights and it looks like you've got a
string of dentures around your neck.
Trust me on this.
Scorekeepers Sports, sports,
sports. I bet you couldn't guess from the
name. It has the infamous Dooley's
location, but a whole different atmo-
sphere. At last count there were 37
televisions and two big screens to sat-
isfy your needs. Prices are pretty high
and cover's not cheap.
The cajun fries are great and they
make mean Long Islands on special
night. Rumor has it the hot night has
switched from Thursday to Tuesday
when they serve dollar pitchers. And, if
you want to get in on the action, there
are pool tables upstairs.
Ashley's This is a traditional En-
glish pub on State Street. They have
tons of ale from all over the world and
great lunch specials if you're there early
enough. Pleasant atmosphere, but not
good formingling.You gottalove Tues-
day nights with live music and a dollar
off pints. That's usually pretty crowded,
but make sure you get a seat.
O'Sullivan's This is the perfect
bar/restaurant mix. If you can't guess
from the name, it's an Irish theme. Good
beer specials and Wednesday is wing
night with amazing buffalo wings for
15 cents from 2:00 on. Goes great with
apitcher of Killian's.Fair as far as party
scene goes.
However, it's the place to be on
Notre Dame Saturday and St. Patrick's
Day, of course. They even have a live
singer and sheet music. Plus, four years
from now, they'll post all your rejection
letters from grad schools and jobs and
you can get a free drink for it. What a
deal.
See BARS, Page 8
Fake I.D.s can be a
tough sell in this town
by Bryn Mickle
Daily Staff Writer
Welcome to Ann Arbor. Now before you do anything youmightregret, open
up your wallet and take out that fake I.D. you've been using in high school.
Scrutinize it carefully - you are in the big leagues now.
Many anew student has been known to walk into an Ann Arbor bar or liquor
store and try to buy alcohol with a false identification card - only to be told
to move along.
"It goes through stages," Judy Wolf, a manager at the Village Corner liquor
store, said. "It gets really bad at the beginning of the year with the incoming
frosh."
Village Corner is one of the worst stores to go in and try to pass off a fake
I.D. The wall behind the counter displays the over 100 fakes the staff has
confiscated in the past year.
Wolf said her favorite I.D. belonged to one student who assumed all liquor
store employees have the intelligence level of a box of crayons.
"This guy handed me a piece of laminated blue construction paper," she
said. "Under his picture it just read, 'Age - 21."'
To make matters worse, the student started an argument with Wolf over the
I.D.'s validity. Ann Arbor police (AAPD) resolved the matter by reducing the
card to a pile of shreds and issuing the youth a ticket.
Not all stores are as scrutinizing of I.D.s. Sgt. Pepper's and Blue Front party
stores have a reputation for allowing the odd fake to slip by without a word.
Heavy fines, however, from the state liquor control are forcing these stores
to tighten up their sales policies.
There is always the bored upperclass student who might take pity on the
underage drinker, but the time consumed by hanging out in front a party store
is often more trouble than it's worth.
If an underage student gets caught with an out-of-state fake I.D., the stores
will just confiscate the piece. If the student has decided to get creative with a
Michigan driver's license, the penalty is much more severe.
Since it is against state law to altera license, violators can beprosecuted and
facestiff fines. AAPD officers referall of these cases to thejuvenile department.
Those underage drinkers who are really brave might be tempted to try area
bars.
Most Ann Arbor bars do not allow patrons under the age of 19 to get in the
front door. An added security measure that some of the bars use requires state
of Michigan drivers license as the only acceptable form of ID.
Rick's Cafe Americain implements a two-man system to examine the
patrons' I.D.s. If you arereally lucky, you may get the opportunity to reproduce
your signature for them.
An added bonus is when you get to recite your astrological sign, your
license's expiration date or maybe even the color of the background of your
photo.
Some students have the mistaken impression that only the popular bars like
Rick's and ScoreKeepers really scrutinize ID.s.This is a blatant misconception.
Smaller bars, like the Del Rio, post a doorman to check the I.D. of everyone
who passes through the door.
But Brian Broderick, a doorman at Del Rio, admitted he has not confiscated
any fakes.
"We catch very few," he said. "Next to none."
Pete Sickels, abartender at the Eight-Ball Saloon (under the Blind Pig), said the
bar confiscates an average of seven fake ID.s per week during the school year.
"We just take (the cards) and throw 'em out," he said.
Sickels added that the bar is more than willing to call in the Ann Arbor police
for any students who might want a further discussion about the authenticity of
the I.D.
One last word of advice to enterprising students. A few years ago, a couple
of North Campus students were arrested and prosecuted by the Federal Bureau
of Investigation for their scheme to produce fake driver's licenses in their dorm
room.
So while we are not here to tell you what to do, at least you have been warned.
THE U-M COMMUNITY
CAN RELY ON THE RIDE:
Wherever you live, work, study, or play, you can get there and back on
AATA.
Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and environs rely on the Ann Arbor
Transportation Authority for exceptional, efficient mass transit services.
So do U-M students, faculty, and staff.
The Ride offers three routes designed specifically for the University
of Michigan community.
You can go anywhere The Ride goes for just 75 cents per one-way
trip, or $25.00 for a monthly unlimited-use bus pass.
During football season, AATA also offers reasonably priced shuttle
service from area hotels, motels, and parking areas to Michigan Stadium
for every home game.
For information on any and all AATA services, call 996-0400.
Welcome to Ann Arbor.
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Broadway/Traver/Pontiac Trail
to U-M
Direct service from north-central
Ann Arbor to the U-M Medical
Center and Central Campus, from
6:30am to 6:30pm Monday-
Friday.
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5&5e
15-Minute Service Along Packard
Every weekday, from 7:30am to
5:30pm, The Ride provides 15-
minute service along Packard
Road. This route includes
Meijer's on Carpenter Road and
the Michigan Union.
Michigan Union to Briarwood
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Special shoppers' shuttle from the
A rb Union to Briarwood Mall, Oak
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