w w . U U U w w V V V V V - w w w w w w w The Michi-an Dailv - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 M0,010' W p 0 h QUOTES OF THE WEEK just saw that stick "There is an inherent feeling going through her neck among many in this country and I knew I needed to that an African-American get help quick." should not be president." Looming on Washtenaw Ave- nue, surrounded by quaint homes, is a cavernous, Swiss chalet-style mansion that might, on a dark night, fill a passerby with a sense of dread. If you were to guess the build- ing's purpose, you might think it was the headquarters of some clandestine, powerful society-- or Ann Arbor's own haunted man- sion. But the story behind the thick fieldstone and menagerie of shrub- bery is really nothing so lurid. The mansion is the Vitosha Guest Haus Inn, the city's most interesting hotel. This imposing stone fortress is home to the Vitosha Guest Haus, as well as owner Kei Constantinov and family. Located just west of fraternity row, Vitosha is named for Constantinov's ancestral con- nections to Bulgaria. Greeted by Constantinov - and, most likely, her gigantic, snaggle- toothed Mastiff-mix named George - a visitor to the bed and. breakfast is immediately dazzled by the strange, elaborate interior. Exposed ceiling beams combine with dark slate flooring to invoke a rustic but sophisticated lodge in the European countryside. From a close examination of the decor, it is clear that Constantinov .. - has thought about every detail: the Victorian literature 'lghe, book- case, the Holtkamp pipe organ in the hall and the period furniture in every room. Even Constantinov herself adds to the ambience - with her rich dark red hair pulled into two braided buns, she com- poses herself like the grand dame of a manor frozen in time. Constantinov's fantasy time warp was years in the making. A former art teacher from Indi- ana, Constantinov purchased the manor 11 years ago after her hus- band was transferred from a New York art firm. The 32-room inn has a rich his- tory dating back to 1917, when it was the home of Dean Meyer, a professor at the University's medi- cal school and Ann Arbor City Council member. Before the Con- stantinovs, a Unitarian church had used the property for services and office space, adding a chapel, parsonage and a few outhouses. George Brigham, a modernist architect who taught at the Uni- versity, designed the Unitarian sanctuary in 1956. And according to the Ann Arbor Historical Dis- trict Commission, famed archi- tect Frank Lloyd Wright praised Brigham's work. But despite prestigious acclaim, Constantinov said the manor was a far cry from the living dollhouse it is today when she bought it. The Unitarians had left many of the interior rooms as plain as hospital rooms. "When we purchased the place, the big house had been used as an office by the Unitarians and it seemed like the entire interior had been spray-painted white," Con- stantinov said. "And there were absolutely no gardens around the place. It looked very stark." Constantinov renovated anTl landscaped the property for years before opening for business. After her English roses had flourished and each room had been exquisite- ly furnished, Constantinov set her- self to creating an unforgettable experience for her guests. Visitors are treated to a china-laden break- fast and, if they come at the right time, a variety of entertainment. "When guests come, I see they are immediately able to relax and sink it to their surroundings here," Constantinov said. "It's really about details and finding the time to establish these details that makes this place unique." Norbert Klusen, a visiting pro- fessor from the University of Hanover in Germany, sat with his, 13-year-old daughter in the con--l cert hall listening to the 1930s jazz stylings of Stolen Sweets. As is commonly the case with visitors to Vitosha Guest Haus, Klusen had chosen to stay there on the recom- mendation of his University con- tact. He was very happy that he had done so. "I've been about 30 different states and this place definitely has a more European feel than many places we've stayed," Klusen said. "Immediately when I walked in, it reminded me of a Scottish or Eng- lish place." Constantinovs concert hall will be busy this year, with a new con- cert series hitting the stage featur- ing acts from the former Firefly Jazz Club. "Much of the music featured is along the lines of jazz, classical, and indie folk music," she said. Tickets are sold prior to each per- formance. But Constantinov's vision for Vitosha Guest Haus doesn't stop at a bed and breakfast with occa- sional entertainment. She wants to expand into the art world, mak- ing Vitosha a "cultural center with lodging." Right now, she is currently accepting residency applications from artists who would live at the inn for extended period, teaching workshops, exhibiting work and participating in panel discussions. Constantinov's plan to make Vitosha Guest Haus the creative hub of Ann Arbor is right in line with the character of the magnifi- cent house, which has been a piece of art at every point in its long, winding history. TALKING POINTS Three things you can talk about this week: 1. Mary Sue Coleman and the NCAA 2. Banks bailing out banks 3. Wolf Blitzer's "Jeopardy" fail And three things you can't: 1. Linda McMahon's Senate bid 2. Prostitutes at ACORN offices 3. Obama on "Letterman" BY THE NUMBERS Number of miles an Australian cat strayed from its owner before they were reunited Number of miles the cat somehow journeyed by sea across the Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania and southern Australia Number of years the cat was missing. It was able to be identified and returned because of a microchip embedded in its skin Source: MSNBC YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE WEEK YouTube's greatest Since YouTube launched in Febru- ary 2005, there have been hundreds of epic videos that have attracted millions of viewers on the web. This video does a great service forYou- Tube fanatics by compiling all those hits into one hilarious video. Titled "100 Greatest Hits of You- tube in 4 Minutes," this video serves as a concise and entertaining sum- mary of some of Youtube's highlights, many of which have individually received more than a million views. The video is set to a song that's a heady mix of rap and techno, with the bass thumping in the background and the clips quickly cycling through one after another. This reel of clips combines incred- ible feats with catastrophic (and pain- ful) failures. Itincludesseveralpeople wiping out on treadmills, dirt bikes, and diving boards, while one man does a backflip and lands into a pair of pants being held up by his friends. A significant portion of this video is devoted to the baby clips that have been wildly popular, including the one about Charlie biting his brother's thumb, the one with the baby who laughs nonstop, and the one with the child who repeatedly says, "blood." In addition, the video features the hilar- ious clip of Leroy Jenkins, the crazed videogamer, screaming his own name as he engages in virtual combat. - BRIAN TENGEL See this and other YouTube videos ofthe week at youtube.com/user/michigandaily E £ - DANIEL CHILDERS, a 22-year-old man from Idaho, describing the inch-thick tree branch that sliced through his wife's neck. She survived the incident because the branch missed her jugular and windpipe - JIMMY CARTER, former president of the United States, describing the motivations behind Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's national address on health care earlier this month. Wilson shouted "You lie!" when Obama said Democratic health plans wouldn't cover illegal aliens "God chose me for that moment." - CARRIE PREJEAN, former Miss California, expressing her belief that she was divinely inspired to voice opposition to gay marriage during the 2009 Miss USA contest. Prejean was speaking to a conservative audience at the Values Voters Summit last Friday in Washington, D.C. THEME PARTY SUGGESTION CiderFest - It's official: autumn has finally arrived. To celebrate the start of the season, you should host a hard apple-cider party with all your friends. You can either buy your beverages or, if you're feeling ambitious, you can make your own with fresh apples from one of the nearby orchards. Either way, there are three critical components to this party: lots of cider, some argyle sweaters and a bonfire. Playing the board game Apples to Apples is optional. Throwing this party? Let us know. TheStatement@umich.edu STUDY OF THE WEEK Frugal people are more likely to marry spendthrifts People who are frugal with their money often tend to marry those who spend more liberally, a difference that often creates marital ten- sion, according to a study published by Scott Rick, an assistant profes- sor of marketing at the Ross School of Business. In the study, Rick and researchers from the University of Pennsyl- vania and Northwestern University conducted three different stud- ies in which they surveyed more than 1,000 married and unmarried adults. The researchers were looking at whether sentiments about spending can indicate people's marital preferences, as well as wheth- er differences in views on spending affect the health of a marriage. The researchers concluded that both tightwads and spendthrifts are dissatisfied with their own feelings about spending money, and this discontent often motivates them to seek out people with opposite spending habits. In addition, the researchers noted that this diver- gence in fiscal views tends to produce tension in a marriage. - BRIAN TENGEL Sam Wolson I Photographer