-CAMPUS LIFE
The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2003- 13
.ANN ARBOR SHOPPING: DAZED AND CONFUSED?
BY Maia Sprow
September2, 2002
No matter how you look at it, shopping in an Ann Arbor is
an event.
What do you want to buy, how much money do you have
and how much do you want to spend, and most importantly
how are you going to get there?
The area offers an unlimited variety of shops - everything
from the Hash-Bash-popular "Purple Haze" to the Safe Sex
Store, otherwise known as "S3," to Vintage to Vogue, a clothing
and gift shop - but most of those stores won't interest the broke
students that walk by them everyday.
Although South University Avenue does offer a great discount
music and video store, the cheapest places generally won't be
found downtown or within the campus bubble, so visiting them
requires either an upper-class friend with a car or an avid knowl-
edge of the local busing system.
But enough with the arts and sex shops. Not only do most fresh-
man not have a need for such stores, but lets face it, students can only
afford the bare essentials: clothing.
Like everything else, students have a wide
variety of options when it
comes to
buying clothes. Within the downtown area resides everything geared toward a younger, urban customer. But that doesn't necessarily
from the trendy Urban Outfitters to the preppy Bivouac, two mean somebody over the age of 25 wouldn't shop here. I've worked here
of State Street's most popular stores for students. for 10 years and I still like the clothing, I still think it's cool."
"Some of the clothing from Polo The clothing may be cool, but
and Patagonia is very preppy and * g e t don't walk into either store with-
some of the things from Seven or Going to (Value WorId) isgreat out the parent's credit card. The
Guess or Michael Stars are very " " price of jeans at Bivouac range
trendy. So we run the gament," because ever i cheap, like from $25 to $63 a leg ($50 to
Bivouac owner Ed Davidson said, he$125); Urban Outfitters is kind
adding that his store is often fre- enough to offer their own jean
quented by students. "We're right things otherst rsd ntc ry" brand for $42, but other jeans in
across the street (from the Diag), " the store sell for upwards of $100
they sure do." - Jen Chua as well.
For the cooler months, Less than a block from Urban
Bivouac also offers the ever-so- RC Junior Outfitters rests Steve and Barry's,
popular Northface brand, seen which offers a wide selection for
on a majority of students walking on the Diag. students looking for something both cheap and close by. The store
While Bivouac also offers camping and mountain climbing equip- specializes in University apparel and t-shirts that commonly sell three
ment, down the road at Urban Outfitters students can purchase every- for $20, making ita choice stop for students who don't follow the lat-
thing from neon est trends or are just looking for a Christmas gift for Grandma.
orange shower cur- "I shop at Steve and Barry's a lot because it offers really cheap
tains to the newest prices for the kind of stuff they have, plus it's close by," LSA senior
gotta- have -em Kevin Ku said. "I buy alot of gifts there; it makes my parents proud
chairs for residence to have Michigan shirts to wear."
hall rooms. For students looking for more variety than what Steve and Barry's
The store's selec- has to offer, the city of Ann Arbor has multiple retail stores and shop-
tion of overall mer- ping outlets. Stores like Meijer, Old Navy and Target are popular with
chandise is what University students because they offer cheaper clothes but still have a
pulls students to wide variety of selections.
walk the extra Though they all require some special mode of transportation that
block, Urban Out- might create a hassle, all of the stores offer an additional bonus: They
fitter Store Mer- get students away farther from the Modern Languages Building. Tar-
chandiser Richard get offers everything from clothes totbed sheets and cereal. Old Navy,
Baadsgaard said. located at Arbor Land, a strip mall on Washtenaw Road, is down the
"I think people road from Boston Market, a restaurant specializing in things like
would choose us mashed potatoes and gravy and homemade-style chicken, all of which
because we offer a can be taken to-go.
wide variety of mer- Ann Arbor houses three Meijer stores, all of which give students
~ f chandise, we offer the added conveniences of being open 24 hours a day and selling
selections of fun everything from Ramen Noodles to shampoo and video games. But
novelties, unique students say it's popular mainly because there isn't much else to do at
books, Baadsgaard 3:00 a.m. in Ann Arbor.
said, adding that the "I go to Meijera lot at two in the morning just because that'sthe
store is geared only place that is open when I want to buy bread and milk and what-
EMMA FOSDICK/ai toward the area's ever else," Ku said. "It's great because it provides a really good study
te and Liberty Streets next to the University's high school and col- break when you're stressed out, and when you're crunched for time,
tail stores, among the many coffee and bagel lege student popula- it's a good one-stop shopping place. I buy alot of food there - espe-
tion. "It's definitely cially ice cream, which I have to cut down on."
Urban Outfitter rests underneath the State Theatre on the corner of Sta
Diag. Down the road are Steve and Barry's and Bivouac clothing and ret
shops, book stores and miscellaneous retailers in the area.
Tired of chicken nuggets? A2 offers tasty options
By Lisa Hoffman
September 2,2002
With restaurants ranging from Blimpie Burger
on South Division Street, serving up made-to-
order burgers and fries, to the Chop House on
Main Street, one of the city's finest eateries,
restaurants both on and off campus can satisfy
almost any taste bud craving.
"Restaurants in Ann Arbor for the most part are
good, but better places, like Palio, are a little
expensive," LSA senior Paul Gabrail said.
Though some restaurants, like Palio, an Italian
eatery on Main Street, are a little pricey, many
surrounding the Diag, including Good Time Char-
lie's, the Brown Jug and Ashley's Pub, offer a vari-
ety of affordable dining options.
"As long as it's not on Queen Street," LSA alum
Kelly Godchaux said, referring to the affordability
of restaurants around the Diag. "The breadsticks at
Pizza House are really good," she added.
Need a quick lunch or cup of coffee? The
wealth of bagel stores, delis, coffee shops and
pizza places around campus assure that students
always have options.
For students looking for a different option, the
many hot dog stands on the outskirts of campus
offer a refreshing change.
Looking for something more upscale - go
west to Main Street, a hot spot for fine dining
which boasts Best of Ann Arbor 2002 winners for
Best Seafood, Best Steak and Best Dessert.
The respective winners, Real Seafood,
The Chophouse and La Dolce Vita, are only
a few of the many restaurants in the Main
Street area, all of which offer a variety of
foods from across the globe, though they are
a bit pricey for just a plain, everyday meal.
"The Chophouse is fine, but students can't
afford it," Rackham student Dimitri Krallis said,
who added that he also enjoyed the Blue Nile,
which serves Ethiopian food, and Raja Rani, 2002
winner for Best Indian Cuisine.
Other 2002 Best winners include BD's Mongo-
lian BBQ, which won for Best All You Can Eat
and Best Barbeque and is also located on Main.
The create-your-own-meal restaurant offers a
variety of meats, vegetables, sauces and spices
that dining guests can mix and match to create
their own personalized stir-fry.
But dining off campus can get rather
expensive, which is when Entree Plus, a
service that works much like a debit card in
which money can be placed on one's M-card
and used at a number of eateries around
campus, comes in handy.
Entree Plus points can be purchased or
can be acquired by selecting reduced meal
EMMA FOSDICK/Daily
Mongolian Barbeque, one of Ann Arbor's most popular restaurants on Main Street, Is known
for its giant circular grill, crazy chefs and great food.
plan options, according to the University State Street, the Michigan League on North
Housing website. University Avenue or for those on North
Restaurants, coffee shops and fast food Campus, Pierpont Commons, all partici-
counters inside the Michigan Union on pate in the program.