0 0 12B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazu-ie- Thursday, April 11, 2002 Grad I-brary great for studying, intimate moments The Michigan Daily - Weekend Iaga zi Whle.Best of A2 is revealing, it lacks key c By Jim Schiff Daily Fme/Performing Arts Editor Never underestimate the entertain- ment value of your local library. Aesthetically unpleasing as it is, the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library is ripe with friendly staff, thousands of books and enough sex stories to fill a trashy novel. It is unsurprising then that it was voted "best library" in the Best of Ann Arbor poll. The Grad is perhaps the only library on campus that requires a map to navi- gate through it. This may be because the building houses thousands of academic journals, periodicals and books. Its maze-like layout is both a boon and a burden to students: You can take the connector from the Grad all the way to the Randall Laboratory, yet at the same time, you might have to find a book from floor 2A, which is only accessible from one staircase. Despite some annoyances, most stu- dents enjoy the Grad because it provides abundant, tranquil study space. With several floors of personal carrels and tables, it is perhaps the best location on campus for exam cramming. "I like the fact that I can go there and be in a quiet environment where I won't be dis- turbed," said LSA junior Justin Holtzman. "It's better than the UGLI (Undergraduate Library) where every- one is loud and everyone talks on their phones." "I like how there's a ton of places to study," said LSA junior Megan Harris- Linton, echoing Holtzman's sentiments. "If you're studying for six hours straight, you can move all around." The stacks, located on the upper floors of the Grad, house the majority of the library's collection, as well as the study carrels. While the stacks are intended to serve a purely academic function, they have been known to produce a scary set of stalking experiences. Holtzman recalled one particular instance when he was followed through the stacks by a trench-coat-wearing library patron. "Usually you can hear people there, but I couldn't hear him," he said. "He was try- ing to sneak up on me." The stacks and the study carrels often take on a life of their own, apart from the late-night cram sessions. Also voted as the "best public place to have sex," the Grad provides hours of laughter simply from the stories on the carrel doors. Students brag about their fraternities and talk about the hot political topics of the day, but most of all, they write about their sexual fantasies. "People talk about everything from masturbation to inter- course in those little carrels," said Holtzman. "There will be a story and then someone will continue it and answer the questions - the next thing you know, there will be an entire wall of these stories." While some students write about their fantasies in the Grad, some actually choose to act on them. It's not unusual, for example, to see students making out in the carrels. "You sometimes hear nois- es and wonder what's going on over there," said Harris-Linton. "I don't want to know what they're doing." And, though it may come as a surprise, a few students have been caught engaging in solo activity in the stacks. "I don't need to be exposed to such exposure," said Holtzman. Though the Grad is not open 24 hours a day, its staff rarely sweeps the building for patrons. Students, then, have found secluded spaces to hide in the wee-hours of the morning, hoping to use the library to pull all-nighters. "You can disappear for days," said Harris-Linton. "If people walk by, they usually look the other way." The Grad also has perhaps the most amiable library staff on campus. Pestered by students who have never heard of microfiche or have dozens of overdue books, they always greet everyone with a smile at the circulation desk. But with the kind of entertainment that goes on in the library, you can hardly blame them. By Miha d Grass Daily Food and Drink Critic While this year's Best of Ann Arbor survey covered critical categories to find out the city's best of everything, there were certain categories that were inap- propriately left out. Here is my attempt to cover all the bases. Best soup: Le Dog Best non-Zingerman Corp. deli: Amer's Best multi-tap: Ashely's Pub Best cheap beer: Del Rio Best cheap bar food: Del Rio Best Coney Island restaurant: Not Leo's Best place for your folks to take you: Chop House, Escoffier (tie) Best martinis: Bab's Best Vietnamese: Saigon Garden Best Ethiopian: Blue Nile Best organic brewpub: Leopold's Best cold subs: Jimmy John's Best hot subs: Pizza Bob's Best cheap Middle Eastern food: Jerusalem Garden Best Middle Eastern Restaurant: Kabob Palace Best place to feel that you're wasting your money: Studio 4 Best expensive non-Zingerman Corp. deli sandwich: Maize and Blue Best botique breakfast: Cafe Zola Best 'Hippie Hash': Fleetwood Diner Best undiscovered breakfast: Frank's Best vegan: Earthen Jar Best place for late night munchies before going back to Markley: Panchero's Best place for late night munchies before going back to East Quad: In and Out, Bella Napoli (tie) Best pizza slice you really think you should have but you're just drunk: In and Out Best place for indigestion: Hong Kong Inn Best place that only feebs think is Ac's best restaurant: Gandy Dancer Best place to mis-use MSA funds: University Club Best place to get pissed off at the service: Michigan Union Subway, Pierpont Commons McDonald's (tie) Best place to run into Regent Dan Horning (R-Grand Haven) and his drinking buddies: Ashley's Pub Best place to smoke a cigar: La Dolce Vita Best place to purchase cigars and tobacco: Masion Edward Best sidewalk hot dog vendor: Beiner's Weiners Best hot dogs around: Yesterdog Best coffee special: Double Punch Tuesday's at Espresso Royale Best place to read The New York Times every morning: Espresso Royale on State Street Best pizza delivery: Cottage Inn Best late night pizza special: Cottage Inn's Late Night special, Bella Napoli's 94 cent slice (tie) Best place to run into University officials during the lunch hour: University Club A SI Chi 1 10" " Chicago Deep Dish & Traditional Pizza " Pasta " Wings " Burgers * Chipatis " Lunch Specials " Kids' Menu " Reservations Taken for Large Groups Good Food & Great Service...Your I "Of all the pizzas we tasted that actually drew raves. Ii