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