The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Tuesday, September 3, 2002 - 3F
Ckallenging common sense wi/e
findin-g A best pkza deliery
1/3. "It's always reliable pizza."
PIZZA Moving on to Hungry Howie's, Smith complimented
Continued from Page IF RC senior Andy Taylor-Fabe, the Daily's Weekend edi-
At 7:35 p.m., five minutes ahead of schedule, the tor, on his selection of garlic crust. "Nice call on the
delivery man from Bell's pizza rang the doorbell. We crust, it's a huge bonus," he said.
opened up the box and out came the half-cheese and While the flavored crust may have given Hungry
half-Hawaiian pie. Howie's- an unfair advantage over other places, other
The sauce had the right amount of spice, the crust things set Hungry Howie's apart. Taylor-Fabe noted that
was crisp and cheese had solidified to just the right they estimated the time of arrival exactly. "Punctuality
consistency. Although Bell's was quick, something was is key," he said.
wrong with the pizza: The Hawaiian half of the pizza Taylor-Fabe said when he asked Hungry Howie's
had tomatoes, but no ham. delivery guy his opinion on who had the best pizza in
"They screwed up the order but it was still good," said town, he said Cottage Inn comes in first, then Hungry
Chip Cullen, an Art and Design alum and Daily cartoonist. Howie's second. The jury would later find part of this
"Overall the quality of the pizza was pretty good." statement to be true.
The next pizza to arrive was the large cheese pizza
from Bella Napoli, the newcomer to Ann Arbor's pizza ROUND THREE: NEVER GET ANCHOVIES ON
scene. The pie was huge and molten. With the cheese in PIZZA
a semi-liquid state, Bella Napoli's pizza specimen was
a turn-off - at first. "Look at the cheese leakage, Just as the third round of ordering concluded, Chal-
that's a faux pas," said LSA alum Nick Woomer, former lenge participant Luke Smith decided leave to meet
co-editor of the Daily's editorial page. some friends at Ashley's Pub for a few pints. He decid-
Even though the cheese burned the hand of one par- ed to surprise us with his order from Mr. Pizza, half-
ticipant, the high-quality mozzarella saved Bella cheese, half-anchovies.
Napoli from ridicule. It was unlike any mozzarella I've In the midst of an excellent cheese pizza from New
had; it had a hint of brie. And most people agreed. York Pizza Depot and average pizzas from Nikko's
"I want that piece with the bubble, that looks awe- and Marco's, the smell of fish permeated the taste-
some," said LSA senior Luke Smith, a managing arts testing area. "Luke should be euthanized," Woomer
editor, referring to a massive piece with a hemorrhag- said.
ing mozzarella goiter. Because of Smith's prank, the group wasn't able to
At 7:59 p.m., A Hello Faz's pizza arrived. Then came fairly evaluate Mr. Pizza's quality. From the looks of
the pie from Anthony's 11 minutes later. While Faz was things, it seemed like a decent pizza. Although I wasn't
the first in a series of mediocre and average Pizzas to able to fully block the anchovy taste, the cheese
make its way past the jury, Anthony's was more dis- seemed to be decent and the crust was crispy.
tinet. A good crust and sauce, it appropriately fell Like Bella Napoli, NYPD's pizza received high
under its self-proclaimed category of gourmet. marks because of its high quality cheese. It was equally
molten.
ROUND TWO: MORE OF THE SAME The grease stains in my notebook are a testament to
the eating experience; but it was quite good and most
While I'm not going to go into the specific details of everyone agreed. The 20 minute turn-around time and
every individual pizza because it'd be boring and add courteousness of the delivery guy would garner extra
unnecessary length to this article, I will provide high- points.
lights. From the second round of ordering, we sampled
pizzas from Cottage Inn, DaVinci's, Famous ROUND FOUR: THE REMAINDERS
Famiglia and Hungry Howie's.
Out of this bunch, Cottage Inn reigned supreme, and The last round was a challenge to get through. Not
the rest were average. only were our stomachs telling us they couldn't accom-
"Cottage Inn is way better than DaVinci's, and it's modate much more cheese, but two places on our list of
hotter," said LSA junior Aubrey Henretty, an associate 16 delivery places were giving us trouble. First off, we
editorial page editor. couldn't find a working telephone number for Tony
"I think Cottage Inn is good Midwest pizza," said Baloney's pizza inside the In and Out convenience store
editor in chief Jon Schwartz, an LSA senior from Ran- on East University Avenue; and when we called Back-
dolph, N.J. who said he likes Cottage Inn's "tangy" room (who at one time delivered pizza), all we got were
sauce. rude clerks who hung up the phone. (On a side note,
It's no wonder why Cottage Inn has been rated the Jimmy John's is listed in the phone book as a place that
best pizza in the Big Ten, according to the Sporting delivers pizza.)
h News. On a scale from one to 10, Schwartz rated it an 8 The final two places on our list, Pizza House and
Bella Napoli's cheese pizza may be messy, but the quality of mozzarella catapulted the newcomer to an exi
Pizza Bob's showed the extremes in Ann Arbor pizza.
The delivery giant Pizza House is known for their
pizza. Although I've never been a raving fan of Pizza
House's pizza, other Challenge participants gave it
good marks.
Then came Pizza Bob's.
As the delivery guy handed me the pizza, I opened it,
started laughing and then closed it. Everyone wondered
what was so funny.
I placed it on the table, opened it and at first glance,
everyone found the comic humor in the pizza we were
about to consume.
"This pizza is whiter than Michael Jackson,"Cullen said.
While Pizza Bob's has the best shakes and subs in
Ann Arbor, their pizza has major issues. Like cheap
plastic surgery, the pasty-white pizza drooped to one
side, showing its flaws.
"They forgot to include the pizza under the cheese,"
Taylor-Fabe said.
We walked the pizza down to State Street to see if
any homeless people wanted it. They refused.
In a challenge that saw a few excellent pizzas and the
majority as average, Pizza Bob's pizza was hands
down, by far the worst pizza creation in the city -
even worse than dining hall pizza. It's no wonder on
Pizza Bob's coupons, the word "more" in the phrase
"more than just pizza" is underlined.
THE FINAL TALLY: FINDING THE BEST
AMONG THE MEDIOCRE
After counting the votes, the following four estab-
lishments showed their superiority in both quality of
pizza and delivery. Coming out on top, leading-favorite
Cottage Inn received a superior rating in the "Ann
Arbor Pizza Challenge." Tying for excellent rating were
New York Pizza Depot and Bella Napoli. Bell's
received a very good rating.
Although there were a few abysmal pizzas, the pizzas
in the middle were pretty much the same. For the price,
going to average places will yield a good pizza experi-
ence.
At places like NYPD and Bella Napoli, you'll pay
more, but you'll get a superior pizza. During the Chal-
lenge, both Bella Napoli and NYPD had quick delivery,
generous portions and the best quality mozzarella in
town.
Perhaps we were all just cheese-lovers, but both
places get high marks for going the extra mile for qual-
ity ingredients. (Although it seems that Bella Napoli
may be trying to mimic NYPD. Imitation in this case is
the highest form of flattery.)
At Bell's, you'll get a great affordable pizza and as
we found in a relatively short amount of time. They run
a pretty efficient operation there. If it hadn't been for
the half-Hawaiian screw-up, Bell's may have come in
second. But to make the top three in a field of 14 is an
accomplishment in itself.
Cottage Inn came out on top for a combination of
quick delivery and quality of pizza. Plus, Cottage Inn
consistently delivers a great pizza all-around. Like
Bell's, their delivery operation is in tip-top shape and
they deserve the highest praise.
In about three and a half hours, we had consumed 14
pizzas (well, 13 1/2, don't forget we threw out the rest
of Pizza Bob's after homeless people didn't want it). It
was quite the feat.
With vigilance, perseverance, teamwork and courage,
we made it through the Challenge. Although all that
cheese took the rest of the weekend to digest, it was
worth it.
Campaign doesn't deter runners from 'U' tradition
By Rob Goodspeed
Daily Staff Reporter
Dozens of police officers from four agencies, a publicity campaign dis-
cpuraging students from running and emails sent to members of the Uni-
versity community didn't deter thousands from lining South University
Avenue on the night of the last day of classes in April to watch dozens of
students strip down to their birthday suit to run in this year's Naked Mile.
Some audience members were in for a disappointment - virtually all
the runners were wearing underwear.
Unseasonably warm temperatures and high humidity gave this year's
Naked Mile a large turnout, estimated by the Department of Public Safety
at 4,000. The few who decided to run.opted for boxers, briefs, g-strings,
bras and even a plastic cup in order to avoid arrest.
As a response to increased pressure from University administrators and
police, dozens of students followed the advice of an e-mail sent to many
students: Run in your underwear.
"Other than interfering with traffic they're doing nothing illegal," said
DPS spokeswomen Diane Brown, who said only three people were arrested
for indecent exposure. DPS officers arrested two University students by
the Cube. The Ann Arbor Police Department arrested an Ann Arbor resi-
dent along South University Avenue, Brown said.
DPS also issued 10 tickets for a variety of other offenses.
Brown was a member of the committee that met in March and April to
coordinate the University's efforts to discourage the mile and handle polic-
ing efforts.
The committee included Ann Arbor Police Chief Dan Oates, representa-
tives from the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's office, DPS Director
William Bess and other University administrators.
The crowd lining South University that evening was almost entirely Uni-
versity students but also included Ann Arbor residents and some older
spectators with cameras. Taking photographs at any public event is legal.
Many students who lined South University Avenue said they didn't expect
to see anyone naked but that they wanted to participate in a University tra-
dition.
"It's a part of who the University is," LSA junior Edrick Lopez said.
Lopez added that although he noticed fewer people than last year, he
thought it was the beginning of a new tradition.
"They should crack down on the gropers and not the runners," Lopez
added.
Ann Arbor resident and LSA sophomore Abraham Morrison said he
came specifically because he heard of the sit-in on South University
Avenue last year.
"It's not about the naked people ... it's a spectacle," Morrison said. "I
don't want to see it stop."
By 10:00 p.m., a crowd of students and onlookers had gathered on South
University between East University Avenue and Washtenaw Avenue. Police
Officers from DPS, the AAPD, the Washtenaw County Sheriff and North-
field Township Police Department patrolled different areas along the run's
traditional route as a helicopter hovered overhead.
The increased police presence was partially funded through the Operat-
ing Under the Influence Taskforce, a state initiative to fund alcohol
enforcement efforts.
Standing mere feet from an Ann Arbor officer, an LSA junior stood with
his friends at the corner of Washtenaw and South University ready to run.
Beneath his shirt and wind pants, he wore an American flag patterned tie
and a thong. "I'm doing this for America," he said.
"If they totally crack down on it, a thong mile would be cool," he added.
He said that he recognized indecent exposure was illegal.
The crowd of spectators continued to grow. By 10:30 p.m., five Ann
Arbor officers standing in front of China Gate restaurant had their hands
full with a crowd that nearly filled both sidewalks.
Minutes later, spectators along South University Avenue spontaneously
spilled into the street amid cheers.
A few students wearing boxer shorts ran through the narrow pathway
marked by the crowd as police officers temporarily closed a section of
South University to normal traffic.
"I think that sucks. They're ruining our fun," said LSA sophomore Mae-
gan Saitz, who stood among the crowd on South University. "If there's
actually naked people ... then it's a big event."
Around 11:20 p.m., the crowd had largely disappeared from South Uni-
versity near Washtenaw, where students attending parties at an apartment
complex heckled two men on the roof of an adjacent building. The two
men were operating a video camera on a tripod.
A group of students wearing underwear ran back and forth along South
University from South Forest to Church Street several times, gaining par-
ticipants.
Finally, a group of about 25 people wearing boxer shorts and underwear
continued along South University to the Michigan Union. By 11:45 p.m.
the crowd along South University had thinned and police re-opened streets
to traffic.
"I think the University and city of Ann Arbor see this as college
debauchery. When the University and city sent the propaganda against the
Naked Mile, they were more concerned with ending college debauchery
than protecting the students. It is the spectators who crowd in that make
the event hazardous, not the runners," said a runner, an LSA alum.
According to a University press release coordinated by the Naked Mile
committee, students were discouraged to run because the event was unlaw-
ful, dangerous and an embarrassment to the University and participants.
"It's stupid," said Mark Simmons, an LSA senior who stood in the crowd
in boxer shorts after running a few blocks. "Why would you break up
something that's a good time?"
He added that he hoped the tradition would continue despite the police.
LSA seniors Leeah Reckling and Morgan Cox ran down South Universi-
ty in their underwear to the Michigan Union. The friends were determined
to participate in this year's Mile.
"I wanted to go out in tradition," said Cox, who said she thought the
Mile was an important University custom. "We would like to go buck," she
added, but said they decided to run in underwear to avoid arrest.
"They should have had volunteers," Cox added, saying she remembered
when the police cooperated with volunteers organized by the Michigan
Student Assembly during last year's Mile.
MSA decided not to organize volunteers again this year because of the
intensified efforts to deter students from participating in the Naked Mile
and the lack of runners in 2001.
"They're just going to keep knocking down traditions," Reckling said,
adding that the administration was making the University seem 'almost
like high school'.
Three people were arrested this year, down from a total of nine arrests
for indecent exposure last year. According to Brown, during last year's run
DPS cited one person for minor in possessioti, one for disorderly conduct
and one for possession of marijuana.
DPS officer Paul Vaughn videotaped the crowd from the corner of South
University and East University. Vaughn, who, has also documented the
Hash Bash for the past two years, records the events to ensure officer safe-
ty and create a historical record, Brown said. She added that Vaughn's
video is not used for prosecution.
Students had mixed reactions to the video recording.
"If they're trying to crack down on that, then they should be setting an
example," LSA sophomore Jenny Szabo said. She was one of many stu-
dents who complained about people with cameras.
- Daily Staff Reporters Jeremy Berkowitz and Tyler Boerson contributed
to this article.
Those who wore some clothes were ignored by officials standing guard at the Naked Mile Run.