The Independent Collegian

Issue date: 10/10/05 Section: Arts & Life

Media Credit: Julie Foster

As the lazy, hazy days of autumn slowly descend, students are reminded that school can get a little old about halfway through the semester.

Fortunately, fall break is quickly approaching.

Here's a subjective and by no means complete guide to the best places and events in Ann Arbor and how to experience them in a fall-break-sized trip.

Ann Arbor is the quintessential college town.

It's the home of the University of Michigan, which, according to the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors' Bureau Web site, "shapes the composition of the city's economy, population and cultural awareness."

The city is highly ethnically diverse, and the streets are always bustling with people, especially in the pedestrian-friendly downtown area.

This is good because parking is somewhat hellish.

Once you find a spot, though, it's possible to leave your car in one place all day, as there's plenty to do within walking distance.

Use one of the several parking garages in the downtown area if you're going to be there for a while, as they're cheaper than feeding a meter all day.

Also keep in mind that parking is free on Sundays.

Shopping
According to an informal demographic survey the IC conducted while exploring Ann Arbor, two groups compose the city's population: college students and rich people.

Both types enjoy shopping, so it's a safe bet that whatever you're in the mood to acquire will have a retail outlet in Ann Arbor.

However, this isn't the crass commercialism you're used to.

Bourgeois bohemianism is the rule here, so shoppers can be stylish and socially conscious while spending to their heart's content.

Within the six-block downtown area are innumerable book stores, clothing stores, record shops, coffee shops and more.

The following stores have a definite not-found-in-Toledo appeal:

• American Apparel, 613 E. Liberty St. - produced in L.A. without the use of sweatshops, American Apparel's clothing is stylish and socially responsible, and their models are extremely hot.
  
  "Our goal is to make garments that people love to wear without having to rely on cheap labor," said their Web site, americanapparel.com.



• Encore Recordings, 417 E. Liberty St. - this store has a comprehensive and claustrophobic array of vinyl and CDs, catering toward the past and the obscure.



• Underground Sounds, 225 E. Liberty St. - Underground Sounds has a good selection of reasonably-priced, recent independent music.
  
  (They also give plastic sleeves for CDs bought here, which is kind of endearing.)



• Borders, 612 E. Liberty St. - this is potentially the biggest Borders you've ever seen.
  
  It makes the new store at Westfield Shoppingtown Franklin Park look marginal. (Marginal, Borders - get it?)
  
  I found a book here that I hadn't been able to find at any store in Toledo, but I'm not telling you what it was.



• The Dawn Treader Book Shop, 514 E. Liberty St.
  
  This bookstore has a fascinating variety of used and rare books in various subject areas. Many of them are very expensive, but it's fun to look.

Also of note among the stores in Ann Arbor are Urban Outfitters, 231 S. State St.; The Safe Sex Store, 1209 S. University Ave.; Ten Thousand Villages, 303 S. Main St.; Wizzywig, 529 E. Liberty St.; and the People's Food Co-Operative, 216 N. 4th Ave.

Dining
TK Wu, a fantastic local Chinese restaurant at 510 E. Liberty St., serves the best General Tso's chicken this side of China - the chicken practically melts in your mouth.

If Chinese isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of other ethnic restaurants to choose from, including German, Indian, Greek, Latin American, Japanese and Ethiopian.

The normal chain restaurants seemed to be consigned largely to the city's outskirts, with the ones downtown being more upscale.

Here's a list of some of the more interesting restaurants in the downtown area:

• TK Wu, 510 East Liberty
  
  As mentioned before, they have great General Tso's and a strangely decorated interior.
  
  The service was a bit slow, but the fact that they serve Pork Intestine with Pickled Mustard makes up for the service.
  
  They also have a nicely appointed bathroom.



• The Blue Nile, 221 E. Washington St.; and Mesob Ethiopian Cuisine, 317 Braun St.
  
  Probably the only places within a few hundred miles where you can satisfy your Ethiopian food cravings.



• The Heidelberg, 215 N. Main St. - three floors of German food, booze, and live entertainment.



• Arbor Brewing, 114 E. Washington St.; and Grizzly Peak Brewing Co., 120 W. Washington St. - home-brewed yumminess in the heart of Ann Arbor.

Entertainment
Ann Arbor has lots to offer by way of entertainment.

The UM Museum of Art will host three exhibits over fall break: "Italian Renaissance Prints," "The Art of the Congo" and "The Enduring Art of the Korean Potter."

Music is popular in Ann Arbor, as well, whether live or record-spun, as are movies and performances; Ann Arbor plays host to many movies not showing in Toledo theaters.

The city's a veritable culturefest.

Though the Independent Collegian's reporter didn't experience Ann Arbor's night life, if you have a place in the city to crash, live it up - the opportunities are definitely there.

To get to Ann Arbor, take US-23 North to I-94 West and get off at the State Street exit, 177.

Turn right on State Street, which will take you into the heart of downtown, from which you can find parking.

Downtown maps are available in any of the parking garages, and maps and information are also available at the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce in the 400 block of South Main Street.

- Visit Ann Arbor's Web site, www.annarbor.org, for more information on shopping, restaurants and entertainment venues.

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