0 0 0 1OB - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Maguine - Thursday, September 19, 2002 Cost of living: Are we the weenies? The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thur Party store pizza slices: Where you - can get the most bang for your buck ' By Rebecca Ramsey Daily Arts Writer Tanay Mehta enjoyed his hotdog . as if it was his last meal. Careful not to have any relish or sauer- kraut drip off of his dog, the LSA sophomore explained that his food was actually quite an investment. "At home in India, this would not cost much. The food here in Ann Arbor is way more expensive. I could buy seven hotdogs in Bombay for the price of this one," he said. You may wonder what charac- teristics set Ann Arbor apart from other college towns. Maybe you think it's the diverse student body. Or, it could very well be the errat- ic weather that causes you to buy a hot chocolate on Tuesday and an iced latte on Wednesday. But, did you ever realize that certain things cost so much more here? (By the way, how much did that iced latte cost?) Whether or not one sees the cost of living to be high in Ann Arbor is a debatable issue. For some stu- dents, the prices for rent and food may be reasonable and even simi- lar to the costs at home. However, other students, particularly those coming from small towns and other countries, might think the costs to be ridiculously expensive. Michelle Billing, a junior in the School of Education, agonized about the amount she pays for rent compared to 'her friends back home in New York. "My friend at Buffalo pays $200 a month for apartment rent. Here, the cheapest place you can find is probably around $400, and that's with sharing a room," she said. In a 2001-2002 survey answered by Ann Arbor landlords, the Uni- versity Off-Campus Housing Pro- gram found the average rental rates for a two bedroom house or apartment to be $1204.50. While this figure is near the same as Billing's estimate for a single room, one needs to take into at-count the costs of utilities, cable, telephone and food. Ann Arbor is not a representa- tive model for other Michigan By David Enders Neekend Food and Drink Critic DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Many students opt to buy coffee at Amer's in the Union where they can use their MCards instead of forking over cash. _4 Bikini Waxing " Full Leg Waxing (Brazilian waxing available) Facials CLOSE TO CAMPUS WITH PLENTY OF FREE PARKING. To make an appointment call: 913-5557 A ilSaoal.. Are you thinking about going to law school? Would you like to chat with admissions officers? "L AW D AY Thursday, September 26 11:00am - 3:00pm Michigan Union Students of Color ; Meet &Greet * Meet with over 90 law schools plus local test Wolveri- oopm ; preparation services. Al students Collect application information and explore interested in law law education options. are invited to attend! : campuses. At Michigan State Uni- versity.in East Lansing, students enjoy a fairly cheaper lifestyle that may include a newer place to live. "Newer, bigger apartment build- ings are being built further from the heart of the campus and many students choose to live in them," explained Gary Murphy, East Lansing finance director. "Although students now have to drive to class, these apartments are more updated and less expen- sive. This may force landlords to fix up the homes that are closer to campus." As the property value of Ann Arbor increases, you can expect that the rents will too. Kathleen Hines, Ann Arbor interim commu- nity development administrator, describes the living costs to be based on principles of supply and demand. "It's entirely possible for rent to increase when renovations are completed," she stated. "If a land- lord puts $10,000 into a house, he has to make up for the costs by increasing the rent of his tenants. People want to and will live in Ann Arbor even though the cost of demand is so high." A University student can live in a very old home that is in dire need of renovations and still pay more than their friends with new single-bedroom apartments at other universities. Perhaps the stu- dent body is being ripped off, and we need to ask ourselves one thing: Why is Ann Arbor so expensive? Dave Brown, an Ann Arbor resi- dent since 1968 and general man- ager of Shaman Drum Bookstore for five years, may have the answer to this elusive question. As a longtime member of the commu- nity, he has seen people and busi- nesses come and go. "Over the years there has been more development in the down- town areas and the outskirts of the city, causing the rent for business- es to increase," he noted. The stu- dent population has also increased dramatically, and with the last dorm being built in the 1970s (Bursley), more and more students need to find off-campus housing." Brown, who brings 'his own lunch to work every day to avoid high restaurant prices, also added that the value of the dollar and education has changed while he has lived here. As the University increases the cost of tuition, the city can charge whatever the mar- ket allows, which seems to be basically any desired amount. "The school can charge certain prices and be successful," he added. "The cost of education has altered so much that you have to have quite a bit of money to come here." An Ivy League education is also associated with affluence, but sur- prisingly, it can be less expensive to live at a private school than at the University. Jenny Soble, a first-year law student at Yale who completed her undergraduate stud- ies here in Ann Arbor believes that her living expenses are cheaper in New Haven, Conn. r "Living is definitely cheaper at Yale. When I was here, I lived in a house on Greenwood and now I'm in a much nicer place for $20 less each month. But, the pizza is bet- ter at Michigan and I used to have in-state tuition." Apparently, Ann Arbor can expe- rience inflation of rent and food (Remember when colliders were $4?) because people will eventual- ly pay the price to live here. It's a great town, even if you live in an expensive shoebox of a room. As for Tanay Mehta, he's taking his hot dog and going back to Bombay after college. In following with the theme of student financial issues, I decided to pontificate on the most affordable of all campus pleasures, the great ' common ground of panhandlers and students alike: The slice of party store pizza. Enlisting my roommates to assist me, we consecrated the evening by chugging warm keg beer (likely pro- cured at one of the places we would later be dining) and hollered at some freshmen girls. Our advances ignored and rebuffed, we consigned ourselves to soaking up the suds with cheesy consolation, and thus attacked the Axis of Grease before us. The only criteria in our search for the best slice at the nicest price was that it had to come from a place .that specifically did not specialize in serving pizza. First stop: Diag Party Shoppe (340 S. State. Hours: Open until 1 a.m. Mon. - Thurs., 2 a.m. Fri. - Sat., Midnight on Sun.) Price: $.99 for all slices. Choices include cheese, pepperoni, sausage and vegetable. Grease factor: Crust seemed to have absorbed most of it. A decep- tively heavy slice. Crust: Spongy. S a u ce: Couldn't really find it. Cheese: ... Watery. Availability of condiments: Crushed pep- pers and parme- san cheese on counter. P resenta- tion/atmos- phere: Pizza served on a . white paper plate. Styro- foam boxes available for lit- tering/keeping pizza warm on in 'n' Out: Your source1 longer trips. Service: The guy at the counter was kind enough to cover my tax with the take-a-penny tray. Final assessment: Bonus points for variety of slices, but it closes earlier than the others. "Fluffiest" pizza of the three. Second stop: Jimmy's Sgt. Pep- pers (1028 E. University. Hours: 3 open until 3 a.m. Sun. - Thurs., 4 a.m. Fri. - Sat.) Price: $1 for cheese, $1.25 for vegetable or pepperoni. Grease factor: No runoff upon folding of pizza. A few thick stains, on the plate. Crust: Crispy (read: burnt). Sauce: Closer to tomato paste. Kind of dry, but the best tasting of the three. Cheese: Most likely of the three to be close to 100 percent dairy. Availability of condiments: Hot sauce, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper, hot Cajun spice, parmesan, hot chili sauce, salt and pepper are all avail- able with slices. Presentation/atmosphere: White paper plate. Between the wood pan- eling and the intermittent smell of marijuana, going to Jimmy's is like hanging out in the basement of a guy you don't know very well. Service: The guy behind the counter sat on his can until his man- ager yelled at him to get us some pizza. Final assessment: Best sauce of the three. It probably would've tast- ed better if it hadn't been sitting around for so long and had been warm. Third stop: In 'n' Out (615 E. University. Hours: Open until 3 a.m. Mon. - Thurs., 4 a.m. Fri. - Sat., 2:30 a.m. Sun.) Price: $1 for cheese, $1.25 for pepperoni. Grease factor: The paper plate the pizza came on was well soaked, but the slice could still be folded without causing runoff from the top. Crust: Crispy. Sauce: Tangy. Cheese: Melted. Availability of condiments: Hot sauce, gar- lic, oregano, basil, pepper, hot Cajun spice, Parmesan, hot chili sauce, salt and pepper are all available with slices. Presenta- tion/atm os- phere: Pizza served on a ,. white paper plate. The counter is near enough to the FRANKPAYNE/Daily pornographic or pizza and porno. magazine rack that the covers of said magazines can be perused while one is waiting to be served. Service: Second plate was offered when my roommate ordered both cheese and pepperoni slices. Intoxi- cation of late night employees is sometimes a problem (you haven't seen disappointment until you've seen a pizza, fresh out of the oven, dropped on the floor in front of a half-dozen very hungry/stoned guys). However, service from employees younger than 12 (occurs at various times of the day, including the 2 a.m. slot) is not a problem, as they are less likely to be intoxicated and drop the pizza. Also, you want a child's honesty at the register, when you are drunk and forking over cash. FR"AN"KPAYNE aily Late night snacks at Diag Party Shoppe on State St. Final assessment: I would have winner in the party store pizza chal- eaten the pizza off the floor if they lenge. The choice of which estab- had given it to me free. lishment to visit should be based on Conclusion: There is no clear proximity. 1 02/03 Fall Season 1 $10 Rush Tickets on sale 10 am-5 pm the day of the performance or the Friday before a weekend event at the UMS Ticket Office, located in the Michigan League. 50% Rush Tickets on sale beginning 90 minutes before the event at the performance hall Box Office. i ft Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Jim Vincent artistic director Fri 9/2 8 pm Sat 9/21 8 pm Sun 9/222 pm Power Center Hubbard Street Dance Chi- cago returns to Ann Arbor for three performances of what the late Fred Astaire called "some of the greatest danc- ing I've seen in years." (White shirt, min. 144) $3.9 (White shirt, min. 72) (i.)99 (White shirt, min. 36) ...... ................... r Anouar Brahem Trio Brahem's trio creates an The Astakan Cafe innovative sound of "world Anouar Brahem oud jazz", with influences ranging Barbaros Erkbse clarinet from flamenco to the music Lassad Hosni bendir & darbouka of Central Asia, all resting on the bedrock of Arab music un 9pm traditions. ti r " S Visit the Career Center's website for a list of schools scheduled to attend. For more information, contact The Career Center " Division of Student Affairs 3200 Student Activities Building 9 www.careercenter.umich.edu " (734)764-7460 Prices include up to 4-color front imprint: Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre ums764.2538|www.ums.org A valid student ID is required. Limit two tickets per student, per event. Rush tickets are not offered if an event is sold out. Seating is subject to availibil- ity and box office discretion. L