No Sleep 'til Ann Arbor

Closed

2010-10-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

NSTAA has closed!

Both writers are currently at their beer centered blog: www.yeastboundanddown.com

National Craft Beer Week

2009-05-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

You'd think we would be the first people to know, but the first 3 days of National Craft Beer Week have already passed us by, and we didn't discover it until today.

In the Ann Arbor area, that probably necessitates visits to some of the microbreweries/brewpubs in town:
Grizzly Peak
Blue Tractor
Arbor Brewing Company
The Corner Brewery

The "official" celebration ends the 17th, so have a few craft beers before Monday rolls around.

East Lansing - A Comparison

2009-05-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

As (approximately) college-aged guys who did the majority of our growing up in Michigan, Nate and I both are pretty familiar with multiple colleges in the state, and even some around the country. We've all heard the stereotypes, and have a pretty good idea of which are true, and which are false.

It is with this in mind that we ventured to East Lansing on a Friday night to take in the nightlife. As a caveat, this trip occurred in the break between classes and exams, which may slightly change the atmosphere. Nate and I have also each been to East Lansing several times, so in the interest of a fair review, I'll sprinkle in a bit of my prior knowledge as well.

Bars:
The first thing I'll note is that State is famous for charging cover at parties ($5 to buy a solo cup). This is standard issue there, so while it sucks (yes, people who go to State, parties are just free in Ann Arbor), I won't criticize it too much. It is what it is. However, nearly every single bar in East Lansing was charging cover on this particular night as well. We started the night at Woody's, which isn't so much a bar as a Mediterranean restaurant that serves alcohol, and stays open a little later than usual. Definitely not a bar-like atmosphere, and no cover there. However, upon progressing from Woody's, we found that every other bar along Grand River and in the entire area was charging a $5 cover. This, quite obviously, is not the case in Ann Arbor. The only place I know that EVER has such an expensive cover charge is Necto, and even that is only on certain nights. Some places in Ann Arbor will have a $2-3 cover charge, especially on a night that they have a special. However, you'll never wander for more than a few minutes before finding a bar with free entry. In EL, even the bars that were mostly empty were trying to charge $5 cover (and those that were full, like Rick's or __, were probably making a killing). The bars that I've been to on other trips to East Lansing include Rick's (a hybrid between Scorekeeper's and Rick's in Ann Arbor) and the Landshark. Nate loves him some Landshark, so I'll keep that one to him.

Parties:
Our bar attempt rebuffed, we decided to hit the party scene. It is here where the caveat about academic calendar comes into play, because there were next to zero house parties going on in East Lansing. Sure, it isn't the house party-heavy environment that Ann Arbor is, but not a single one? Really? Eventually, we settled on a party that Nate's friends knew about at a housing co-op. This, predictably, was filled with Hippies, Hipsters, and lots of other things that start with "hip." It was not, however, filled with Solo Cups. Even though we were clutching our $5 bills, ready to take the hit to be able to drink, there were none available. We settled on a beer can that Nate had brought with him (full at the time), refilling it from the keg. Another thing to note at this party was that a huge proportion of the house was non-navigable due to weed smoke. Yes, it was a co-op, so this is probably expected, but it was certainly overwhelming.

Ladyfolk:
The final note on East Lansing is that, for a school allegedly filled with hot girls, I saw maybe 2 of them the whole night, and it certainly wasn't because I saw very few girls. Perhaps I'm just overly sensitive because State students love to brag about their girls while simultaneously ripping on those in Ann Arbor, but over the course of my many, many visits, the girls in Ann Arbor are probably more attractive, but dead even at worst.

New Writer - Tim Sullivan

2009-05-03T12:10:00.001-07:00

As I said earlier I was trying to get someone to assist me with content.

Hurray! It's happened.

Tim, my ex-college roommate has volunteered to write a little. He's a UofM grad in the process of moving back to AA to work as a writer. He's currently working on an East Lansing review vs. Ann Arbor, similar to the State College comparison.

The End.

Babs' Underground Lounge

2009-05-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Location: 213 S. Ashley St. (a block west of Main St., just south of Grizzly Peak)

The Facts:
Babs' opened in 1997. It's located, as the name would suggest, underground. Slightly hard to find, you must first enter a foyer to the building, then go down a series of stairs. It features two levels. The upper level has large leather chairs, a handful of tables, and two pool tables, the lower level features more tables, and the bar. There is also a photobooth on the lower level. Free WiFi. Open Tuesday through Saturday.

The Specials:
Babs' is a fairly expensive lounge. Bottles are generally around $4, Drafts are around $5. Martini's, the bar's specialty, are generally around $7.
Tuesday: Movie night, $4 40oz bottles of PBR, Olde English, and Miller High Life, Free Pool
Wednesday: Pitchers (4 drinks) of various mixed drinks for $12. Live DJ.
Thursday: $2 PBR and High Life bottles. $3 Vodka Red Bulls.

Review:
I first must admit I've only been to Babs' twice. Once on a Thursday, once on a Saturday, so I don't know the place that well. However, in those two times I've been, I've loved it. So relaxed. While some might call it a 'college' bar, it certainly isn't a bar populated by the average college student. While it's not 'quiet' you can certainly hear the people near you without yelling. You also avoid a lot of the patrons showing up to 'get drunk'. It's a very relaxed social bar.

It also is billed as a cigar bar. While there aren't a large amount of cigar smoker, there certainly are a lot of cigarette smokers. As someone who loves the former and, at best, puts up with the latter, this isn't ideal (for me) and a non-smoking section would be nice, but the amount of smoke is going to depend on who you're sitting near.

As I said, I haven't been to very many nights at Babs' and I haven't been able to develop a baseline for its average 'fullness', however, I have been there when it was 'at capacity' and was let in after a few minute wait. Coming down, I saw that it was far from crowded (though certainly not empty). I'm pretty sure the owner elected to have the 'capacity' much smaller than the fire marshal would have allowed to facilitate the atmosphere. This is an indication that the owner would rather cater to people looking for a certain atmosphere than make as much money as possible. A plus in my book.

As a side effect to this, I've noticed that you rarely have to wait to get a drink up at the bar. At that night of full capacity, I was asked what I wanted by the bartending staff almost immediately after laying a hand on the bar. Also, even on a busy night, the waitstaff is making rounds asking for drink orders.

On non-free days, pool is quite expensive. $15 an hour. However, the tables are immaculate. No where in Ann Arbor, other than perhaps Monkey Bar have I seen as nice of tables.

I really like Babs'. I think I'm getting older and that might be a sign, but I'm becoming more intune with the quiet(er) place with nice atmosphere than the place with cheap beer with loud underage drunks. I really think Babs will become one of my main haunts now. I really like it, dispite it's expense. I give it four stars.

(The Real) Cinco de Mayo

2009-04-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Mexican Independence is coming up, so BTB's normal deal on the 5th of the month gets extended.

As I hear it, the festivities will be starting at 3pm, instead of 5pm, $.50 shots of Cuervo and $1 bottles to start. Given that school will be out and significant number of the students who stay in town over the summer are the ones who go out to the bar, this event will again be packed.

If you plan on sitting down, I would show up around 2pm. If you plan on getting a seat at the bar (recommended) I'd show up before 1:30.

Mitch's Place

2009-04-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Location: 1220 S. University (at the corner of S. Forest), Upstairs

The Facts: Mitch's Place relocated a few years ago to it's current location from down the street. The bar features two pool tables, booth and table seating, and several televisions around the room generally with various sporting event on. Supposedly, they have a kitchen that serves various barfood type items, though I have seen one person ever eat there. Mitch's is generally open fairly early in the day, (I've walked in at noon on a weekday) but I don't know their exact hours. They are generally closed Sunday

The Specials:

Monday: $3 60oz pitchers of High Life

Tuesday: Well drinks starting at $1.50 at 9pm and escalating a dollar an hour after that.

Wednesday: $2 pitchers of High Life, $3 long island iced teas, Cover starts at 10pm and is $2.

Thursday: $2 bottles, $3 well drinks

Friday: Various shot specials throughout the night, $3 bottles of Amstel Light and Heiniken.

Saturday: $3 Bottles

Other Info:

Karaoke is on friday nights apparently supplied by some chick name Lori.

Review:

What is there to say about Mitch's? Well, it's a bar... That's about it. The nights when it's financially viable to go there, i.e. Mondays and Wednesday, it can get pretty packed, especially on Wednesday. It isn't terrible for meeting new people, but it is a bit loud so you'll have to deal with that when conversing with people. There is generally enough seating, though often the high tables are taken up by people who go to play beer pong. I honestly don't get the 'let's go to the bar and play beer pong' people. It seems strange to me, but I guess it's one of the draws for some people.

Other nights, Mitch's is pretty quiet, especially Tuesdays and Saturdays. Personally, if I plan on going, to Mitch's I show up just before cover starts on a Wednesday. Any time else, it seems like a lame way to go. However, if you do go on that Wednesday, you can drink (terrible) beer for very cheap, and still have a decent time. On Wednesday Mitch's has the same advantage as GTC's, you can run into a bunch of people you know. It also has the problem in that it's pretty generic.

The atmosphere is dull, to be blunt. I'm not a huge fan of the 2nd story bar. To me, a bar should be at least on the first floor, if not the basement, but I guess that's just my preference.

Oh, and the pool isn't free.

I give Mitch's two stars. I'd give it 3 on a Wednesday, but I just can't bring myself to uprate it that much for one really crowed day where there is rarely enough waiters/waitresses on to service the entire crowed. Sorry Jodi.

To me, it look like a Ann Arbor, to me

2009-04-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've been very privileged in my life. I've been able to visit places all over the world. I've spent time in hundreds of very interesting cities, both foreign and domestic. I've lived in many places as well. However, none has felt more inviting, livable, relaxed and exciting as the one I've lived in for the last 5 years.

The Ace Deuce.

For those reading this, you've at least been here, if not lived here. The plurality, if not the majority of Ann Arborites are what I would describe as Neo-Beatnik Bohemian Hippite Yuppies. It's a strange amalgamation of counter-culture and upper-middle class. The status quo of Ann Arbor and the status quo of the rest of the world seem diametrically opposed.

While there are the occasional breaches in traditional Ann Arbor style (Jimmy John's/Espresso Royale's replication) the uniqueness of almost all Ann Arbor businesses speaks to Ann Arbor's desire to 'do it's own thing'. Ann Arborites have been able to keep the chain resturants, like McDonald's and Bennigan's out away from this center of progressive culture in the midwest.

Ann Arbor strives to be independant. No where have I lived has a place been so focused on contructing itself as an Ivory Tower (I personally don't find that to be a negative thing, call me pretentious). It features UofM's library system, the 9th largest in the U.S., the Ann Arbor Film Festival, one of the premier festivals for showcasing Avant Garde films, and also happens to be the 2nd oldest film festival in the nation.

If you were to spend more than an hour in the city, and not notice the passion for the arts in Ann Arbor, you would be either Tommy Walker or a pre-Anne Sullivan Helen Keller (well, maybe a post-Anne Sullivan too...).

There are more than 10 small art galleries around town where local artists showcase their work. Most of these are located at the Main Street area. Various arts festivals take place throughout the year, including the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, about to celebrate it's 50th anniversary this July.

I wouldn't say that 'Ann Arbor has something for everyone' because, as much as I enjoy a good cliche, it just isn't true. 'Tree City' is offputting to some, simply because of it's athetics. While it has more trees in an urban area than any place in the world, it also has quite a bit of concete, to offset the 147 parks that populate the city. Some have difficulty settling this fact in their minds. While it can be a beautiful place(Nichols Arboretum, UofM's North Campus, etc.) it certainly is a city, and as such, you have to live like it's a city (lack of parking, heavy traffic, especially at rush hour, etc.).

This post seems like it has little or no point, but I say it all to try point out why I think AA is such a unique place, and, in part, to display what I like about it.

Upcoming posts

2009-03-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Just a small post to let you know what's coming up.

I'm currently working on reviews for Babb's, Ashley's, and Mitch's Place.

I'm also in the process of adding another writer to the blog, to assist in content.

Also, I found this link from 10 years ago, but it's still pretty apt, and I found it humorous.

Updated Event: Euchre Tourney

2009-03-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Previously.

BTB's euchre league is now held on Tuesdays.

Dominick's is Open!

2009-03-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

Huzzah! Constant Buzz is back!

Dominick's opened earlier this week. I stopped in this afternoon, and all is well.

Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival

2009-03-05T21:15:00.001-08:00

While I want to focus this blog on Ann Arbor area specific content, I feel like I could shoehorn this in with enough B.S., so here goes, and try to stick with me.

Last weekend, I went to the MBG's winter beer festival in Grand Rapids. As at least an amatuer beer snob, I have to say, this was heaven for me. Dispite it taking place in the cold parking lot of the Whitecap's stadium, and my lack of appropriate clothing (I forgot to bring my jacket and shoes without holes in them), I have to say I had an absolute blast.

In the parking lot, they had 3 tents set up, with booths for each brewery. Each of the over 35 breweries brought anywere from 3 to 12 of their beers with them. When you arrive you are given 10 tokens to exchange for about half of a small cup of beer (~4-6 oz). Additional tokens could be purchased 20 for $10. However, often you could simply not give the people serving you a token and they wouldn't care. Tickets for entry were $35 if purchased beforehand and $40 if purchased at the gate, but the event sold out several days beforehand anyway.

Grizzly Peak and Arbor Brewing company showed up to offer up some of their beers, but Blue Tractor did not (not a huge loss, in my opinion). Both seemed fairly busy from the look of it, which I suppose is good for motivating people to come to AA and stimulate our alcohol driven economy...

But actually relating this to the Ann Arbor area is as follows: The MBG Summer Festival will be in Ypsilanti July 24-25, which is, as most of you know, just a hop, skip, and dodging-of-gunfire away. Tickets go on sale May 1st. I'm guessing this will be a bigger event so I'd make an effort to get tickets early. Get out there and support Michigan breweries!

Cinco de Montho at Cantina

2009-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

BTB Cantina, once a month, has a night of extreme specials. Starting at 5pm on the 5th of every month, all bottles of beer are $1 and shots of Cuervo are only $.50. Every hour the price of each of these goes up by $.50 and settles at $2.50.

While I have a love-hate relationship with tequila, as I believe we all do, this is a rockin' deal for that first hour. I do believe this is actually in violation of the law (selling alcohol under the cost to purchase - Handle of JCE ~ $34/40 shots), but hey, who needs the law?

The first time I went was in January (coinciding with a friend's birthday) and it wasn't crowded at all. However, I also stopped in for Febuary 5th at around 5:15pm and it took 30 minutes in line to get a drink (I promptly left after said drink).

Next month's Cinco de Montho will probably be equally or more crowded, as student's will be concluding their first week back from Spring Break, and needing to unwind.

Study Spots

2008-12-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

As all students living in Ann Arbor know, it's getting to be exam time. Some students have already started their exam blitz, I know I have. Studying for exams is one of my least favorite things. Not because it's particularly painful, I just get bored. I hate being told things twice, and I feel like studying it telling myself the same things over and over again. I get antsy, and end up studying for 5 minutes, and taking a 30 minute brake before resuming for another 5 minutes. However, I have come up with a system to help with this: Studying at the bar.

Now, this gets me weird looks from the general populous, but I'm telling you, it works wonders. Having a beer or so an hour does enough to relax me that I can focus on my studies without getting bored, or letting my mind wander. Most Ann Arbor bars, have WiFi access to patrons, so if internet access is needed, it's available. Also, food is always a waitress-flag-down away, too.

Not all bars are good for this study technique, but the following provide a good atmosphere (fairly quiet, WiFi access, etc.):

BTB Cantina: Food, WiFi, fairly inexpensive (but terrible) beer. Other than nights (post 10pm) Thursdays and Fridays, this is a pretty good study spot, otherwise, it get's pretty loud, but there are nice couches.

Good Time Charliey's: Food, WiFi, very cheap food and drink during one of the longest happy hours in Ann Arbor (2:30-6) all throughout the week. It's super quiet until around 8pm.

Scorekeepers: Food, WiFi. I really only would go on Wednesday. NO ONE is there, and they have a great deal for $6, you can snag a good burger, fries, and any pint they have on draft. This fits in nicely with the 'Study Day' for students this Wednesday before finals.

Grizzly Peak: Food, WiFi, a bit more expensive. Unless you're planning on rolling through for the post-11pm study session, this can be pretty expensive, but it's generally not too loud, and you may run into your prof, so you could always just ask questions about the material to them (especially if you're taking 'History of College Athletics').

Places to Avoid:

Mitch's, Heidelberg, Conor O'Neil's, Rick's (honestly, if you needed me to mention that, you should probably euthinize yourself), GTC's in the evening, the list goes on.

I wish the Tap Room in the Union was still a tap room. Life would be so perfect if that were the case. Oh well, curse our country's founded-by-prude-ness.

Event: Euchre Tournament

2008-11-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

When: Wednesdays 8pm (weekly)

Where: BTB Cantina

Details:

It is a round robin format. there is a $8 per team entrance fee. First place gets a $30 bar tab Second place gets their $8 back. There are various specials for those playing, including discounted food, and beer.

For those non-midwesterners out there, Euchre is a fantastic card game and you should learn it (link to rules).

A Requiem: Leopold Bros.

2008-11-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

In May 2008, one of the finest bars/hangout spots in Ann Arbor moved away. Leopold's was not only a brewery, not only a distillery, and not only a restaurant. It was quintessentially Ann Arbor.

Leopold's was as I would imagine Heaven to be, if Heaven sold beer, doughy pretzels with fantastic mustard, and absinthe.

As you walked in for the first time, you would noticed how strange it felt. while completely open, the building was divided into very distinct areas. Wide open spaces were the dividing lines between each segment.

One quarter was dedicated to 'Ann Arbor's Largest Jukebox Selection,' along with pool tables. No matter the day, it was extremely rare to find at least one of the tables being used. I rarely ventured to Leopold's to play the pool, but the tables were well taken care of, the slate was level, and the felt well groomed. Only Monkey Bar had better maintained tables.

Across from the pool tables was the bar/restaurant area. Typical restaurant style tables and fairly comfortable chairs rested alongside the large bar with a large TV within view, generally with local news or sporting events just loud enough that you could hear it if you wanted to, but It was inaudable to those farther away. Behind the bar: a large wall of games, ranging from Monopoly to Sorry! to Scattergories. The Ann Arbor branch of the International Sorry League played there every Sunday. Any of the games could be checked out with the deposit of a driver's licence.

A quarter of the building consisted of long picnic tables with bench seating. You would see groups of people sitting together with their laptops on a Sunday working on their fantasy drafts before a season of Sport X begain. A table down, a (sometimes raucous) game of Apples to Apples would be played, sometimes disturbing the UofM GSI two tables over who was grading papers. An order would come up, and the smell of asiago covered breadsticks would waft through the air, watering the mouth of every patron in the resturant.

The remaining section had a more lounge feel to it. It had it's own TV and soft leather couches, a few coffee tables, and a dart board. The lighting in this corner was low key, and the shape of the roofline and entrance directed sound away from this area. If it was a particularly busy night, this corner was ideal for graduate students to shift to, allowing them to continue writing their paper with a fine drink in hand.

All of the beverages were made in small batches. The distillery won awards with 3 of it's 4 spirits, including an award for it's absinthe (which had been recently legalized in the United States). All of their take-home bottles were hand labeled with batch numbers written on in pen. I tribute to the personalized nature of the place. Each bottle unique, a reflection of it's birthplace.

Around the back, closed off by a glass door, you could see the inner workings of both the brewery and distillery. The large polished kettles caught your eye evertime you walked by. The beer was made in small enough batches that at least one new beer would be available each week, while one would come out of the rotation. While there were generally only 3 or 4 beers any given night. None of them were given witty or esoteric names. It was kept simple, because beer doesn't need to be pretentious. On Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, all beer was half off ($2 for a pint, $3 for 24oz.) For $6 ($4 if you tipped well the night before) you could 'go around the horn' and have a pint of each beer. At least enough to last two games of Sorry!, three if you're a particularly slow drinker or fast Sorry!-er.

The charm LB's had resided in it's air of high brow quality. It's focus was making a place where you could kick back with a quality drink, and slowly, quietly do work, hang out with friends, or just have a snack, without being bothered by drunken 19 year olds who came with a fake ID from someone who's 6 inches shorter than they are. And all of this was accomplished without creating an isolating environment. Indeed, it was the most open bar in town.

Alas, they are gone. They left for Colorado in May. Skyrocketing rental costs along with archaic brewing and distribution laws forced them to leave the area. The cost per month for the location had tripled in the last few years, and the company could not keep up with it, dispite growing sales numbers. Selling their beer in stores required a separate ditribution center in Michigan. They sold their brewing equipment in March, as it would not be making the move down to Colorado along with them. The final batches of the various brews dwindled, and then ran dry. They continued to distill to the end. Martini's and absinthe verdi were forced to replace the brown ale and the porter. A slow death for one so loved.

They've reestablished themselves in Denver, now. No longer brewing, but still crafting award winning liquors. They've now branched out to liquers and various whiskeys, some of which have already won first places in various competitions. I wish them the best, and hope Denver treats them well. I hope to visit them in the future to see the 'new' LB's. Denver is a great town and hopefully with treat them well.

Cheers to Leopold's! To live in hearts we leave behind is to not die! You are missed.

Grizzly Peak Brewing Company

2008-11-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

The Location: 120 W. Washington (between Main and Ashley)

The Facts: Grizzly Peak opened in 1995, after refurbishing an older building just south of Kerrytown. It is one of two breweries still in Ann Arbor, since the departure of Leopold Bros. GP keeps about 6 beers constantly on tap, with three other seasonal specialties. These are swapped almost every week, and more than once, I've seen them swapped while I was there. Drafts are $4.50 dollars during regular hours, but after 11pm, all drafts are $1.99 all nights. You can order beer samplers as well, where you can taste some or all of the various beers on tap for fairly cheap (price varies on how many beers you get). There are also various wines, and bottled beers, as well as a fairly well stocked liquer cabnet.

Grizzly Peak also offers a quite nice menu for lunch and dinner. The prices are moderate, though I would have to say my personal favorite is the pulled pork slider for $1.99. I generally get 4-6 and I must say. They're delicious. Be wary, the kitchen closes at 11, the same time happy hour starts.

GP has a 'Mug Club' where, for around $60 you can buy a lifetime membership, and get 25% off all in-bar and to-go beer (growlers, mini-kegs, etc.). Also, when ordering a draft, you get your beer in a special mug, which is slightly larger than a normal pint. Other perks of Mug Club membership include special 'Mug Club only' events, and other special deals.

The first tuesday of every month, there is a 'Brewer's Night' from 6-9 where there is discussion on home brewing techniques and tips, as well as $2 off beer samplers.

Review:
I find GP to be a fantastic place to go and 'hangout'. I don't think I've ever gone there on a weekend with a bunch of people, but almost every Sunday, my two friends (though one of them has lamely been absent recently) and I head out around 10:30 and have a few beers and chat. You can often find various Ann Arbor locals/professors doing the same. I would regard it as a much more stereotypical 'pub'/'brewpub' than anywhere else in Ann Arbor, even ABC has a bit of a 'college bar' atmosphere, compared to GP.

There are a few televisions around the bar, that generally have various sports games, and sometimes news on them. I certainly wouldn't consider it a 'sports bar' but on the occcation, townies will show up to watch an NFL game dressed in their favorite team's gear.

The biggest problem I have with Grizzly Peak is the location. If you live near Kerrytown, this is a fantastic hangout, but it is a bit out of the way to someone like me who lives in University Towers (hopefully for the last time after this year...). As it gets colder I'm afraid I'll be less and less likely willing to make the trek, but we'll see.

Given the choice of late night hangout, I would chose GP first or second in almost any situtation. The prices are low, and I'm becoming a bit more 'low-key' as I evacuate my youth, which, matches the atmosphere there. I wouldn't really want to go there for a birthday, or some other event with a lot of people, and going there early is asking for a large tab, but a dinner there is pretty nice, with pretty good food. I give GP 4 stars. The food and drink is quite good, and the atmosphere is fantastic if that's what you're looking for, but the prices other than late night beers make this prohibitive for anything but special nights, at least for my wallet.

Link: http://grizzlypeak.net/default.html

State College - A Comparison

2008-10-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

Over this last weekend, I took a trip down to State College with a couple of my friends. While I didn't get to spend more than about 34 hours there, I'll attempt to give a description and comparison of it to Ann Arbor, to give a better idea of what I like and dislike about Ann Arbor, and how another, fairly similar college town matches up.

Bars:

Ok, I'll be the first person to say that visiting only two of the many many bars in State College was both a terrible mistake and an epic fail of my own, but we did visit one of the two bars that we were told were the "can't miss" State College hotspots, The Lion's Den. Now, if you've ever driven on I-94 or half a dozen other highways in America, you'll know that this is the name of an 'adult book store' chain. Well... not so with this. The Lion's Den in State College is completely incomparable to any Ann Arbor bar. It has both outdoor and indoor seating, the outdoor being covered with an awning. The building is actually quite small, maybe only 30-40 feet across by about 60 feet. Along each of the long sides of the building there is a bar. We arrived about and hour before the PSU-Michigan game, and were able to find a seat, but within 15 minutes of gametime, we were never able to even see our waitress again, it got that packed.

Pitchers of Bud Light were on special for $4 and other domestics were $5.

The style of the bar was completely foreign to me. It had the decor of the amalgamation of a barbershop, a 50s diner, and a modern architecture interior. The crowd was rowdy, but less douchey than the average Penn State crowd we encountered (see below). I liked it, though it felt a little Socotran, being so different than what I'm used to.

The other bar we went to, earlier in the day (mostly because we all had to pee really badly, but we ended up staying a little because the people seemed cool) was Saloon. This place is two parts Rick's, one part Scorekeepers. The bar is located down a flight of stairs and under another business. The bar is fairly well lit, (though for things other than games, I'm going to guess they darken it up quite a bit). There is a small dance floor and stage in one half of the bar. The other half has tables and booths. There were at least 5 TVs up showing various football games.

The drink menu included fairly standard fare, but also had small pitchers of rum and coke for $7 which was kind of cool. I don't think I've had a rum and coke in years. The other interesting thing, I don't really remember was it was called, but I knew it had 'monkey' in it's name, was basically a 60oz pitcher of a Long Island Iced Tea (and the various derivations there of). It came in multiple flavors, but what set it apart from the fishbowls at Charlie's was the fact that it was VERY strong. It cost $12.

The gameday atmosphere was that of Skeeps. The patrons were adults, generally alumni. I didn't see any students in the bar.

The recurring theme I saw in both of these bars was that the men's room bathrooms consisted of just a trough with water made of sheet metal, and a similar looking sink (no soap). I can only assume drunk Penn State students often mistake one for the other. If you plan on going, I recommend bringing hand sanitizer. Oh, and take a dump before you go out.

Food:

The most glaring difference between State College and Ann Arbor is in the restaurants. On every block, there was at least one chain restaurant. McDonald's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Auntie Anne's, Long John Silver's, KFC, Arby's, Wendy's, Chi-Chi's, Hardee's, just to name a few. We have a few chain restaurants, but in Ann Arbor we keep them either out of downtown, or in the Unions. This is why Ann Arbor has been home to so many startups that are now big businesses. We keep the chains out to let small businesses grow. I won't go into why this is a better idea in this post, but the next time you're walking through AA, notice that you have more unique places to eat and take advantage of it.

Pre-Kickoff Gameday Atmosphere:

Well, I'm not going to say I've never had liquor poured on me before, but I certainly never had it poured on me from 8 stories up. Penn State fans are ROWDY, and a lot of them are pretty obnoxious. When the three of us were walking around town in maize, we were told to 'Go home faggots' no less than 18 times. They certainly are passionate. Before the game, everyone was very excited and 'pumped up'. My strongest indicator of this was how many PSU fans around me responded when I yelled 'We Are!'.

Post-Final Whistle Gameday Atmosphere:

In stark contrast to the pre-game, NO ONE was excited after this game. After 12 years, there is no cheering in the streets, no excitement, nothing. The fans looked dejected and solemn.

What.

The.

Hell.

Penn State regards us (mostly because of the 12 year streak) as one of their biggest rivals. They got exactly what they've wanted for YEARS and now... what? How did the intensity before the game fade so fast? It was even a come from behind victory, and they're well on their way to having a Big Ten Championship and a shot at the National Title. I expected more. Sad. I'm glad we found a 'gathering/party/whatever' afterwards, because the town was dead post-game. At most, I could muster no more than about 15 people half-heartedly responding to my 'We Are!' How boring.

Parties:

I only went to two, so my sample size is about as statistically significant as the evidence that taking ginko improves your memory. Howeva! I will describe them to the best of my ability/recollection.

1.) The first party I went to was a weird cross-breed between a frat party (because of the total lack of girls/the fact that it was thrown by a bunch of guys in a frat) and a multiple-house/apartment party. The frat was fairly new and didn't have an actual house, so a bunch of the brothers rented a bunch of duplexes near (but not attached) to each other.

These houses had pretty standard fair, a few people's personal fifths, Natural Light (in cans, they said something about not being able to get kegs) and the case my friends and I brought with us of (very warm) Busch. In one of the houses, there was a foosball table that seemed to be garnering a lot of attention. Though we arrived around midnight, the party was said to have died down considerably already. People were mostly sitting around on couches talking. Other thanfoosball, an empty beer pong table was the only remaining evidence that an 'actual' party had gone on. Very low key.

2.) The second 'party' I went to was not really a 'party' but I didn't know what else to call it and it's similar in many ways to what happens in Ann Arbor, so I figure I'd mention it. We got invited to some girl's house after the bar (Lion's Den) to hang out, mainly because this girl wanted in one of the guys-(who will remain anonymous)I-came-down-with's pants. Like whoa.

At her upon-departure-request from the bar, we changed out of our UofM gear, and headed over to her apartment (which we got a little lost trying to find). Once we got there, there were about 8 people total, two of whom left shortly there after. We sat around, waiting for our friend to make a move and drinking for a few hours. People who have hooked up with someone they've met at the bar, know this routine. However, two things were very different:

This started at around 8:30 pm. Even after a late-ish game, this is much sooner than almost anyone I know here in AA will start partying again. You need time to recharge before resuming drinking (this led to yours truly not remembering anything after 11:00.
My friend who the girl was digging on failed so entirely to pull the trigger, I don't have the words to convey the disappointment we all felt for him. The only way she could have made it easier for him would have been to rip off his pants and demand sexing. Sadly, she just gave him every other possible signal available.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/fail.jpg

The night concluded (I can only assume, by taking in the evidence left the next morning) with the other one of my friends and I falling asleep on the couches in this girl's apartment, while the first friend slept on the floor next to us... because couches are for closers. We discreetly left around 8am. The icing on the cake was that this girl called us while we were on the way back to Ann Arbor, and told us how disappointed she was that *name redacted* didn't at least wake her up and say goodbye. Megafails.

Other notes:

Holy crap. My friends and I rolled in at around midnight and Friday, and the first thing I notice was that EVERYONE was out. Like, honestly, Ann Arbor doesn't have that many people out and about ever.

Not only were the yards/sidewalks/etc. covered in people, they seemed to not notice that there were cars driving on the streets. Ann Arbor jaywalkers will at least make an effort to not get hit by a car, or maybe just look both ways/make eye contact with the driver they are planning on walking out in front of.

State College-ites? Not so much.

The tailgate, which is massive, we did not attend. I hope to visit again to give a more complete review of this important aspect of the State College scene.

In the end:

State College is VERY cool. If Michigan has a bye-week when PSU has a home game, sometime in the future, I'll definitely go. I wouldn't really like to live there, because of the lack of uniqueness in the commerical district, but to visit, I very much recommend it.

Dominick's

2008-10-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Location: 812 Monroe (just south of the Law Quad)

The Facts:

Dominick's is a restaurant that's known for it's atmosphere and drinks. It is open during the spring, summer, and fall, and maintains fairly early hours closing at 10pm most nights. It has some indoor seating, but the majority of the tables are outside, with a first and second story patio in both the front and back.

Other Info:

Dominick's will be closing for the winter (I'll try to find out exactly when ASAP) soon. If you want to visit, now is the time.

Review:

As I said before Dom's is known for it's atmosphere. The almost exclusive outdoor seating and the interior decor give it a feeling of a spanish bistro mixed with an alpine cafe. The patrons are a nice blend of townies (often there with their children), law students, and professors. The undergrad population there is considerably smaller than you would assume given the proximity to student housing, but I certainly welcome the change of pace from the younger spots in AA.

Dom's also has a very famous sangria. You can order it in pints, quarts, and half gallons, (pricing scales from ~$6 to ~$17. It comes in a mason jar, and you can pour it into smaller cups at your table. It is mixed there at Dom's using their own recipe, much like MY favorite Dom's drink: Constant Buzz.

This stuff is to die for. Remember the first time you saw a boob that didn't belong to a family member? Yeah, like that, but with alcohol. And stawberries.

It's basically a strawberry daqueri but with about 5 more types of alcohol. It only comes in one size (slightly less than a half gallon) mason jar, and costs about $20. When it's fall, it's less fun to drink, as it's cold out, but during the summer, there really is nothing better, than on, a Friday afternoon, going to Dom's splitting, a Constant Buzz with a friend, and sitting out on the top porch watching Ann Arbor go about it's business.

Dominick's also sells a number of local wines, and has several local beers on tap. These drafts are fairly costly, and I have never had one there.

The food at Dominick's is what you would expect from a Continental restaurant. Pasta, pastries, seafood etc. The pricing is fairly steep, so, if on a budget, I'd recommend somewhere else, though the few times I've had it, the food has been pretty good.

Personally, I've never been to a place like Dominick's in the states. It's a very European experience. I recommend going there with someone who's already been once, just because the intricacies of ordering, etc. are a little confusing at first, but definitly try to make it there if you have the time and money. I give it 4 stars.

Across The Bar

2008-10-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

Last night, I was asked to guest barback at Circus Bar and Billiards for Friday (that'd be tonight, for you kids keeping track).

I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing, most likely checking IDs, busing cans and bottles, etc. I'm really excited. The fact that I was asked is probably the funniest part, perhaps being an indication I go there too often.
I'm hoping to get insights on what it's like to have to deal with drunk bar attendees, and how to be a better patron.

I've always wanted to run/own a bar (after my illustrious film career takes off, of course), and I can at least see some of the difficulties that would pose doing this.

Should be fun. Karaoke night tonight at Circus, swing on by!

Red Belly Boardshop

2008-09-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

The Location: 1671 Plymouth Rd. (on the corner of Murfin and Plymouth)

The Facts:

Red Belly Boardshop opened in 2002, becoming one of the premier action sports shops in the area. They are active in snowboarding, skateboarding, kiteboarding, and wakeboarding. They sponsor local competitions at various locations in the Ann Arbor area, as well as the occational local video. They also offer comprehensive kiteboarding lessons, as well as snowboarding lessons and skating tips.

Redbelly has a full stock of hard and soft goods, from shoes to decks, as well as skate and snow vids. Other items for sale include hardwear for all your equipment, rails, mini-verts, etc. They offer tune ups for gear, waxing, edgesharpening, just about anything you could need.

Review:

My favorite part of going to Red Belly is that it's owned and operated by riders/skaters/whatever you call kiteboarders. They know their stuff, and they're always willing to help you with a question. They'll work with you regardless of your knowledge (or lack thereof) to get you in the right gear for the right price.

Their stock is large, though there are a few brands they don't carry. When asked about a particular brand, one of the guys responded, "while their high end boards are good, there's a huge disparity between quality and price." While I'm not sure how true that is, the concept is good: only supply quality products. I lift my hat to those guys for it.

The soft goods selection has increased in recent years. It's populated with the brands you'd expect: Volcom, DC, Vans, etc. along with Red Belly's own line of clothing and hats. They even have their own board.

I like the concept of RBS along with places like it. It's somewhere where some guys focus entirely on their sport of passion. They're not just geared at making money, they're dedicated to the culture. While RBS doesn't stick out in terms of uniqueness in terms of boardshops, it does stick out in terms of Ann Arbor culture. There are few good boardshops in SE Michigan, in general, and RBS has higher quality and larger selection than the other shops in the area. The reason: the owners/employees. Good job guys, keep on huckin'. Four Stars.

Village Corner

2008-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Location: 601 S. Forest (corner of S. Forest and South U.)

The Facts:

Started in 1970, Village Corner has one of the largest wine selections in Michigan, with over 5000 wines. It is also a general store, also dabbling in tobacco products with over 350 cigar varieties. Village Corner was built after a fire destroyed a once historic residence of many Ann Arborites, including Bob Dylan (Rob Zimmerman at the time). It remains one of the few places close to campus that acts as a true grocery store with (semi)fresh fruit and veggies, packaged meat, etc.

Review:

My VC visits up until this school year had been limited to the rare mid-night-on-the-town stops for 40s and the like in between parties. It wasn't until this year, when I moved across the street from it did I realize just how cool it was. The first time I went to buy a bottle of wine (a necessary aid when studying French, in my opinion), I spent 40 minutes perusing before coming to my final selection. I had been in VC before, but I didn't realize just how big it was until I took the time to wander through the selection. You can find just about anything you're looking for there, and if you can't, the expert wine staff can help you. They're there from 9am-6pm everyday but Sunday (noon-6pm). The beer selection is large, but not staggering, while the cigar selection is probably the 3rd or 4th largest in Ann Arbor. Good, not great.

While VC doesn't have a Meijer-sized selection of food, you can pick out most of what you need, from frozen foods, to canned goods, to meat and greens. The quality of the veggies is a big hit or miss, and the prices are a big higher, so it's best to do your shopping in bulk elsewhere, if you're on a tight budget, but for those who live nearby it's a convenient place to grab a few groceries.

VC's ability to sell liquor at current is in question due to unknown circumstances. I overheard this being murmered between employees, but when asked, they responded they just had a shipping snafu. I plan on updating info on this later. When it's there, the liquor is fairly standard in selection and price for a near-campus business, with perhaps a slightly larger selection than average. Being far from well versed on wine and the particulars of it's pricing, I'm unaware how VC stacks up to other places but it didn't seem too different, from my limited knowledge. Also, when buying wine, you can get a 5% discount on any purchase of 6 or more bottles, which seems like a pretty decent deal.

Village Corner's building is a little sketchy, with a fairly dirty appearance, both inside and out. The employees, especially the late night employees tend to be a bit crabby, and contribute to a less than stellar atmosphere. I give it three stars. It's an astoundingly good wine cellar with a convenent grocery store attached and I like the fact that I don't need to drive to Meijer to get my shopping done. It's off the mark on it's cleanliness and employees. I'd love to give it four stars but until the fresh food quality improves I don't see myself giving it a four star rating.

Priorities

2008-09-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

I feel I should explain my criteria for the ratings in my reviews:

The quality I hold in highest regard is uniqueness. I will never review the Starbucks on South U, because it's Starbucks. If you've been to one, you've been to them all. Ann Arbor is home to few chain restaurants (though when it is host to a chain, it feels the need to play host to 87 of them, e.g. Jimmy John's), and I think it is an indication that we haven't yet given up our 'bastion of individualists' title. If a restaurant is simply a clone of Ruby Tuesdays, Bennigan's, etc. Or if it's a fairly run-of-the-mill bar, I will rate it lower than I would a more unique business.

The next most important quality is pricing. If someone plans on charging me $6 for a domestic draft, $9 for a movie ticket in an uncomfortable seat, or $12 for a standard hamburger when there is equal or better food/drink/tickets elsewhere, I'm going to dock them. It's not so much a matter of me giving the best ratings to the cheapest businesses, but I will give the best ratings to the places that have better than average quality for how much you are paying.

The other big quality that determines the rating I will give a business is the atmosphere. While this plays into the two above listed traits, I feel I need to make clear that it is, in an of itself, distinct. The atmosphere is affected by the typical patrons (students? professors? Yspians?), the quality of the staff (are they nice? is service fast or slow?) and, for lack of a better term, the Feng Shui of the locale. A restaurant where you have to sit around for an hour to get your food under bright florescent lights while shady homeless guys hassle you for change is going to get more than a couple stars taken off of it's ranking.

I will try to rate places with consistency in category. Sports bars should have the same qualities as lounges. Short order diners shouldn't be graded on their visual appeal like a sit down restaurant should. I will make my best efforts to compare apples to apples, and feel free to call me out if I slip.

Finally, the scale I will use is from 1 to 5 stars. Five star businesses are places that you won't find anywhere else, are worthy of going again and again, and won't destroy your wallet. One stars are places I hope you never go to and I seriously regret any time I have ever gone there. Anything three stars an above you should make an effort to go to at least once, to complete your Ann Arbor experience.

The Blind Pig

2008-09-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Location: 208 S. First St. (between Liberty and Washington, two blocks west of Main)

The Facts: The Blind Pig was opened in 1971 by a couple of UofM students who renovated an abandoned building. It originally was a coffee shop and upscale blues lounge. In the early 80s the venue changed hands, was renovated yet again, and became more of what it is today: a stepping stone for young rock acts. They usually have concerts 5-6 days a week and ticket prices generally vary from $5-$15. Depending on the night, 21+ tickets are $3 less than 18+ tickets.

The Specials:

Blind Pig has a beer of the month, each month at a discounted price. For the month of September: Budweiser - $1.75

Other Info:

The Blind Pig typically hosts relatively unknown indie groups. It has also played host to then unknown, but eventually big stars ranging from Iggy Pop, to Nirvana. Curt Cobain regarded it as his favorite venue (and also Nirvana's first venue outside of Washington.)

Review:

The Pig is one of the most intimate venues I've ever been at. Even if you leave your place near the stage to get a drink/go to the bathroom, coming back and getting close isn't too difficult. There is always great interaction between the band and the audience. One concert I was at, the MC had someone come up onstage to beatbox for him while he freestyled.

The acoustics aren't fantastic but don't limit the venue as an enjoyable place to go. The advantage of it being a small venue is that the audio doesn't need to be cranked to reach the back, so standing at the front won't make you deaf for the next four days.

The bar is fairly typical for this type of place. Bottles of beer, mixed drinks. Nothing is too pricey, but there aren't any 'deals' other than the beer of the month. Going to the bar after a set is generally a bad idea, as it's pretty crowded and the wait will be killer. The bar isn't far from the stage, so it's not like you'll be missing the concert if you slink off to grab a PBR.

The 8-Ball Saloon, located underneath the Pig is technically all part of the same place, but I'll review it separately because it's a very different place.

I give the Blind Pig four stars. It's a great place to go and rock out. While often the bands playing are unknown they generally bring in decent talent for a decent price, and you never know when the next Nirvana will be playing there.

Links:

http://www.blindpigmusic.com/

BTB Cantina

2008-09-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Location: 1140 S. University (corner of South U. and Church)

The Facts:

Cantina opened it's doors last winter, after Upstairs at Charley's closed and was renovated. After several delays, BTB Cantina finally opened amongst much hype. It has much more of a lounge feel than a bar. There are several couches and tables arranged throughout. It is well lit, and generally not too loud. There are two dartboards and a shuffleboard table, along with a few video games. The bar serves standard BTB fare (burritoes, chips, etc.) as well as a wide assortment of tequila, margaritas, and Mexican beer (bottles only). The tequila ranges from decently priced ($3) to YGBSM ($350). All tequilas can be had straight, tequila cruda, or in a margarita. BTB Cantina is open until 4am most (all?) nights. It's marketed as a stoner-getting-the-munchies hotspot with the slogan 'when you roll 'em... we roll 'em.'

Other Info: Cantina is rarely the only destination of it's patrons. From my observations most people stop in after going to another bar, to grab food and maybe one last drink, or as a short stop before going out to their final/next destination.

Review:

Probably the most hyped openings since I've been in Ann Arbor, BTB Cantina promised to be a combination of late-night-food and 'the next Charley's'. Well, consider me disappointed. While it's a very relaxed enviroment, it certainly lacks any real draw as a bar. The pitchers of margaritas are ok, but expensive for how much you get, tequila as your only liquor leads to upset stomachs and reluctant indulgence. My feelings regarding Mexican beer and how it is made are as follows:

Step 1.) Drink lots of tequila.

Step 2.) Urinate into jar.

Step 3.) Bottle contents of jar.

One of the few high points to BTB Cantina is the shuffleboard table. It is one of only two I know of in Ann Arbor. There often is someone playing it, but the wait is generally short. They also have a few nice dartboards, but the last time I was there (last week) the darts were damaged, so that's something to be aware of if you're looking for a place to play.

Though BTB Cantina is marketed to the 'stoner' crowd, I almost never see them there. Though I rarely stay past 3-ish, the plurality of Cantina patrons are college Greeks. It seems to take spill over from The Brown Jug, from what I can gather.

The redeeming quality of Cantina is going to it not at bar time. Going to Cantina with a laptop, using the wireless internet, and getting some work done with a margarita in hand seems like the best use of Cantina to me. It's fairly quiet, especially around 4pm, it's comfy (the couches rock) and food is within 25 feet. Other than that, it's a very sub-par bar/lounge. I give it two stars.