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September 06, 2000 - Image 73

Resource type:
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Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 2000-09-06

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New Student Edition

micingandaiy. com

Y

SECTION F
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2000

An eofr you
can Irefluse:
Living in
Ann Arbor
don't mean to sound like a gangster pinching your
trapezius too hard to be friendly, but you will like Ann
Arbor. If you don't now, you will learn to like it.
I imagine you're coming to Ann Arbor from one of two
situations. Ann Arbor is larger or smaller than where you're
*from.,
I grew up in the Detroit suburbs. If you're like me, and
most suburbs everywhere look the same, then your town
has a Rite-aid and a McDonald's on just about every corner.
Sometimhes there's a Taco Bell thrown in for variety and to
give the place a multicultural feel. A mall or two, flower
shops, gas stations and restaurants fill out the spaces
between neighborhoods.
In short, your city is literally and figuratively square. To
get where you want to go, you drive around grid-like streets
and make perfect right-angle turns. For fun, you get a
slurpee at 7-11, go to the movies or hang out with friends.
This is all about to change. It was good for awhile (high
*school), but now you have suburban ennui, which is a word
you learned last year in AP English.
If this is you, the reason there aren't any cool places back
home is because Ann Arbor went and got them all. Bars and
clubs? They're here, but too bad you're not 21 yet. When
you are, Ashley's has the largest selection of beer;
Scorekeeper's, Rick's and Touchdown Cafe probably draw
the most students.
Cool shops and restau- David
rants? Ann Arbor has the
ost unique stores and Wallace
boutiques this side of
Royal Oak. To wit, check
out South University
Avenue. You can get
Chinese food, cheap CDs,
T-shirts crappy local
bands wear to look cool
("Make 7 Up Yours") and
a shopping bag of sexual
paraphernalia all within
200 feet of one another.
[ he same selection
applies to food. If you Ea d St.
crave some as yet unin-
vented Indo-European i Retur)
turnip soup, it's available
on Liberty St. near Main. At 3 a.m. Not to your liking? Ann
Arbor has old college standbys like burgers, subs and soror-
ity girls.
So if you grew up somewhere with "estates" in the name,
or if you've driven a tractor afterschool, you've found your
Holy Grail, Galahad. Be glad you're here; you've made the
*est decision of your young life, next to that time three
years ago when you bought stock in Amazon.com.
All right then, let's flip this record to the B-side. City
slicker, welcome to Ann Arbor.
There are enough aspects to make you think of home, be
that New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles; for example,
this place has the urban planning of spaghetti. Streets run
forward, backward and upside down (Upside-down streets!
Can you imagine?). Seriously, I'd like to see the blueprint
because I bet it's a placemat some six-year-old scribbled on
with a crayon. North and South University Avenues run east
and west, East University runs north and south and Ashley
treet's embarrassed that he has a girl's name.
Now, the variety of stores and restaurants might not
impress you. Perhaps you think, "Dave, you don't know a
thing about unique. Not two blocks from my home in NYC
there's a store that sells only antique doorknobs. Also, I've
had the turnip soup and it sucks."
You're a little hard-bitten and frankly, I'm afraid of you.
Here's the big difference though: Instead of having a
world-renowned orchestra playing every week, you might
have to wait a month or two for one to visit. You perhaps
must walk an extra block for the spring rolls. It's a student
9roduction of "Cabaret." Boo hoo. There's plenty to do
and enough variety to satisfy just about everyone. We've
got fine cigar stores and funky clothing boutiques. Don't
worry about it.
Speaking of worry, living in a big city means you have a
lot of money or none at all. But either way, Ann Arbor's

housing should still appall you. For one, the houses are junk
from decades spent as the rooms of 18- to 22-year olds.
Four years in Ann Arbor and I have never seen a dwelling I
would term "nice" or "structurally sound." On one occasion
in the dim, droopy hours after an unfamiliar house's party, I
noticed a keg propped up the furnace. That's a code viola-
ion my friend.
Also, if you're reading this and have not yet begun look-
ing for your house next year, put the paper down and start
looking. You're already behind. Housing is like parking in
this town - it works according to musical-chair theory.
Don't get squeezed out. (As for parking, you will learn to
bend the rules a bit. Remember, it says it's a parking tick-
et, but I prefer to think of it as a parking permit that cost
me $20.)
That's about all I can tell you; you'll have to figure the
rest out yourself. Before I go: One of the best parts of Ann
rbor is that you're living with about 20,000 people your
ge in the same few square miles. You'll attach yourself to
all Ann Arbor's little quirks, and you'll learn the ropes along
with some chemistry. But what makes Ann Arbor really
special is that most of us have it for only four years. I know;
I graduated last April. So now I turn the keys over to you.
Take care of the place. And don't touch the keg in the base-
ment or the furnace will fall over.

Safety increases at Naked Mile

By David Enders
D~aily Staff' Reporter
They sang "Hail to the Victors" as they reached the
Cube sculpture in Regents' Plaza. They encouraged the
crowd to make noise. One rode a unicycle. Another was
in a wheelchair.
And none of them were wearing clothes.
Estimates are that no more than 400 people participat-
ed in this year's Naked Mile - down from last year's
number of between 400 and 800 - but they did not lack
enthusiasm. The 14-year-old run that celebrates the end
of winter classes drew a crowd of about 10,000 specta-
tors, similar in size to last year's, said Department of
Public Safety Spokeswoman Diane Brown.
"The number of runners was down dramatically,"
Brown said.
That could be because the Ann Arbor Police
Department made good on a threat to arrest runners this
year for indecent exposure -- something they have never
done in the past.
In a written statement, the AAPD said their officers
made four arrests -- three for indecent exposure and one
for malicious destruction.
There were also a "number of potential participants"
who cooperated when officers told them not to disrobe.
Brown said DPS officers made 10 arrests for "various
alcohol violations" and one for a concealed handgun. But
officers said the crowd was more subdued than it has

been in past years, despite its size.
"It's bigger," said DPS Lieutenant Joe Piersante as he
stood near the cube in Regents' Plaza. "It's Friday night,
nice weather, but for the most part, (the crowd's) pretty
good."
The runners started around I I p.m. later than usual.
Security volunteers said the later start was possibly due
to traffic on South University Avenue. But drivers were
forced to find an alternate route when safety volunteers
took it upon themselves to blocktraffic.
"if we don't stop cars from going through, someone's
going to get hurt," said Bill Wahl, an Engineering junior,
as he stood in the middle of South University Avenue
near Church Street.
Traffic was also stopped on South State Street, where
the run's route crosses in front of the Michigan Union.
Other safety concerns, particularly the groping of
female runners, seemed to be eased by this year's Naked
Mile. There appeared to be a smaller percentage of
women in the run this year, and DPS received no reports
of sexual misconduct.
"A number of people going by said 'No one touched
me,"' Brown said.
The women that did run said they took precautions
against both groping and persons filming the event,
which have become major concerns over the last few
years.
"The students that were on either side made it totally
safe," said one senior girl.

DOWN ON MAIN STREET

JESSICA JOHNSON/Daiy
The Naked Mile is a tradition celebrating the end of class.
"I'm disappointed that more people didn't run," she
added. "I squirted the cameras and people cheered."
See NAKED MILE, Page 2F
FBIAnn,
Arbor ci.Lme
on a.idecl-1jinAfe
By Meghan Kelley
For the Daily
Safety in college towns is on the rise. According to the
latest Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime
Report, Ann Arbor and many other college cities with
populations over 100,000 showed a decrease in several
areas of crime.
Forcible rape showed the most significant decrease in
Ann Arbor. There were 41 incidents reported in 1998 and
16 in 1999 - a drop of almost 61 percent.
Other college towns including those surrounding
Harvard, Ohio State, the University of Wisconsin and the
University of Minnesota also reported declines in this
area.
In the classification of homicides, Ann Arbor and
Cambridge, Mass. stayed the same at two deaths in 1998
and 1999. Madison showed a drop from five deaths in
1998 to four in 1999.
The biggest drop out of all the college towns came
from Minneapolis, Minn., where murders went from 58
in 1998 to 47 in 1999. Columbus, Ohio had the greatest
number of homicides in the mentioned cities, but
declined from 78 to 71.
For all of these college towns, the crimes of burglary
and theft were the most highly reported, but theft showed
a decrease in all cities. Ann Arbor and Columbus were
the only two cities to report an increase in burglaries.
Ann Arbor increased from 845 to 859 and Columbus
increased from 13,526 to 14,090.
Sgt. Mike Logghe of the Ann Arbor Police Department
explained that many thieves are attracted to college
towns because of the large population of students who
tend to leave their door and windows open, allowing for
walk-ins to easily occur.
"Students should lock all windows and doors at night
or when they leave to reduce larceny. It is important for
students to be mindful of their safety," Logghe said.
Other areas of crime reported by the FBI included rob-
bery and aggravated assault. All of the college towns
showed a decrease in aggravated assault.
In robberies, Columbus and Madison showed increas-
es of about 13.6 percent and less than one percent,
respectively, while the rest of the cities showed a
decrease.
All-in-all "violent crimes are extremely rare in Ann
Arbor," Logghe said. "For the amount of people and traf-
fic, Ann Arbor is extremely safe."

NORMAN NG/Daily

A variety of popular restaurants, bars and retail stores makes Main Street an original Ann Arbor hotspot.

Ma Street iv a c
By Jodie Kaufman
Daily Staff Reporter
The trek to Main Street may take a little more effort
than sticking to the South University Avenue and State
Street areas, but with its dining options and variety of
shopping choices, University students are finding that
it can be enticing to head downtown. Dining options
range from Subway submarines to the steaks of the
Chop House and everything in between.
"Ann Arbor is a destination - people get here and
park once they get downtown, and then decide where
to eat," said Michael Olejnik, a waiter at the Prickly
Pear restaurant, which features Southwestern cuisine.
"I go to Main Street to walk around, it's not that far
away and it's a fun place to hang out," said LSA sopho-
more Monica Dalel.
Many students find Main Street to be a choice
option for entertaining family and friends.

.ampusfavorfte
"Main Street is a great place to give my parents a
taste of Ann Arbor," said LSA sophomore Suzanne
Defosset.
From the Real Seafood Company, to Shalimar's
Indian cuisine, to the Italian dishes offered at Palio's
and Gratzi, there are plenty of restaurants to satisfy
visitors.
There is even a dessert, and after dinner drink
lounge called La Dolce Vita - the sweet life in
Italian.
Despite being located off the beaten path for most
students, Main Street restaurants are usually full of
hungry patrons.
"We have been here for 25 years and get a lot of
repeat business," said Real Seafood Company's dining
room manager Scott Thompson.
The food on Main Street is often more appealing to
students even with the walk and typically pricey costs.
See MAIN STREET, Page 2F

Coffee shops energize city

By Hanna LoPatin
Daily Stag Reporter
Studying is a large and integral
part of a college student's life.
Hours upon hours can be spent
catching up on reading assignments,
writing papers or skimming lecture
notes. But that doesn't mean that a
University student has to live in a
library. The coffee shop is a popular
alternative for studying and with a
seemingly infinite number of shops
scattered throughout Ann Arbor,
there is a wide variety to choose
from,
Engineering junior llli Eisner said
he likes to study at Rendez-Vous
Cafe on South University Avenue
because of the "good lighting; good

Rendez-Vous is a combination
coffee shop and food cafe with a
large menu of sandwiches and
Mediterranean delicacies. Setting it
apart from the other cafes is a sec-
ond floor smoking section that is
often filled with students and pro-
fessors who aren't allowed to smoke
at other restaurants.
"I can't study in my room and 1
can smoke here," said LSA sopho-
more Muriel Makarim.
During the spring and summer,
Rendez-Vous opens up their roof-
top balcony, complete with umbrel-
las on the tables.
Across the street from Rendez-
Vous is Cava Java. Located at a
heavily trafficked area of campus,
the store's outside tables are a big

But it may not be the ideal place
for studying.
"I can't get anything done because
I'm busy watching people," LSA
senior Sarah Greene said as she sat
by the window. "I just come for the
distraction itself ... when 'm
focused I can get things done."
For more serious studiers, Cava
Java also has basement seating.
There is another location in the
Michigan Union that accepts Entree
Plus points as payment for the cof-
fee, muffins and cookies that they
serve.
Espresso Royale Cafe has two loca-
tions on State Street at Packard and
North University. A professor who
was working at the couch and table
setup inside said he goes to Espresso

;

I

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