Changes to Ann Arbor That You Liked or Disliked the Most
Mates,
I'm old and am now in the time of my life when I take my kids back to AA. When we wander the campus I naturally notice and point out changes. For instance, when I was there in the '80's there was exactly one (that I recall) apartment building of any significant stature, the one on S. University a couple blocks down from East Engineering.
You had the Campus theatre right there on South University also. And Village Corners is now a giant apartment complex. I can understand the need for such things, but I don't have to like them. There are many more changes in the intervening nearly 40 years (when did I get so ancient?), and many of those I have not seen or noticed.
Two questions today:
1. What changes have you noted in AA that most impacted the city, whether good or bad?
2. If you were King/Queen for a day, what changes would you make to the city that would make it more pleasing to Your Highness?
Hope you are all well,
XM
March 30th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
I like that Back Room Pizza is still around and has only increased their prices 50 cents or so in the past 20 years. Just had a slice for the first time in a decade or so and it holds up.
March 30th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
What?! I definitely does not hold up anymore unfortunately. Something’s gotta give when the price stays relatively the same over the past 30 years, and it’s been the quality and size of the slice.
I mean, I feel like the trick was that it was never GREAT pizza, it was cheap, readily available, average pizza. It's a place that knows its role and fills it perfectly.
From someone that works for a food distributor you dont want someone that charges the same price for the pizza as 20 years ago. Trust me.
That is 20 years of decisions when the cheaper lower quality item was chosen almost every time.
Its pizza so it might taste ok but it not quality anymore.
Ann Arbor materially changed, and was irreparably harmed, the day that Steve's Lunch closed down.
I honestly don't go back much and that's on purpose. Like the saying "don't ever meet your heroes," I don't go back because it exists so perfectly in my mind that I don't want to do violence to that image and sentiment.
To me, it will forever be pledge runs to VC, hoops at the CCRB and beer runs to Sgt. Peppers. May that never change.
Here’s the thing about Steve’s lunch. It was good campus Korean food, but just above average Korean food overall. I loved Steve’s lunch, but then I dated a Korean girl whose mom good way better food. I never went back to Steve’s after that.
In those days, the place to go wasn’t Steve’s Lunch anyway. Instead, a couple doors down was the Coffee Break, owned by a very nice Korean couple. I think it’s still there but with a Korean restaurant name.
I ate there at least once a week. On weekends, there’d be a line out the door at Steve’s Lunch, and all one had to do was waltz 100 feet to Coffee Break and, with no wait, enjoy better food, which, as you point out wasn’t up to par with really good Korean food but was better than Steve’s.
but tough to beat the $1.99 breakfast at steve's.
I'm not a food snob or foodie by any means, but I lived in Korea for 11 years and have been to 3 Korean restaurants in Ann Arbor and...eh. It's OK. I haven't had any other Korean food in America. Hard to put my finger on why exactly I didn't think much of it, but they're definitely missing a good spread of banchan (side dishes), but probably not common elsewhere in US anyway.
I didn't go to school in AA and haven't hung out there a lot, but I went to Pizza House recently for the first time and man that was disappointing. Mediocre food and expensive. Google reviews seem to agree. But apparently it's an institution in AA? Presumably living on name recognition now.
Pizza house WAS good when it was a hole in the wall joint that had like 5 tables. It’s serviceable now.
BTW. I learned to make some fantastic kalbi over the years.
I need to learn how to cook Korean food. Never had to bother there. But what I really wanna make is makgeolli, milky rice alcohol. As soon as I get my own place here in the US finally. It's hard to get good makgeolli in the US, maybe in NYC or LA. Most of it doesn't last long so it doesn't ship well. Stuff at H Mart is the cheap stuff with aspartame and no carbonation.
It had life before its Korean state--you know a diner owned and operated by the actual Steve.
Is the change from diner to not-diner something you liked/disliked? That’s the subject of the OP. It’s not about the factual lineage of every restaurant (or anywhere else for that matter).
March 30th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
I'm old and am now in the time of my life when I take my kids back to AA. When we wander the campus I naturally notice and point out changes. For instance, when I was there in the '80's there was exactly one (that I recall) apartment building of any significant stature, the one on S. University a couple blocks down from East Engineering.
You're talking about U-Towers. When I was a student there was a NYPD in the lobby, though I think that's since left. Unless it's been completely redone, that place was a shithole. Knew three people that lived there, each had a major issue. My GF at the time had her AC die mid year, there was a power surge that killed my cousin's laptop, and I had a friend who's apartment flooded. And they charge well over $1000/month. Unreal.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:21 AM ^
I lived in U towers in 2006 and worked at that nypd. U towers was overpriced and not good. Nypd was an amazing slice and a decent place to work.
March 30th, 2023 at 12:02 PM ^
I lived in UTowers and ate at NYPD around the same time and concur on both fronts. I thought I was going to die in that UTowers elevator on multiple occasions.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:22 AM ^
When I was a student there was a NYPD in the lobby, though I think that's since left.
NYPD is over near Scorekeepers now. The space below U-Towers is now a revolving door of failed businesses. What that space really needs to be is a convenience store/pharmacy
March 30th, 2023 at 11:34 AM ^
Is the Village Apothecary still on South U? I always thought that was such a clever name for a pharmacy. But yea, there really weren't enough convenience stores around the immediate campus area - there was a place near East U and Greenwood, and there was a place on Geddes where the guy was a cheat. But I remember trying to get milk meant having to convince the one friend we had with a car to take us all to Kroger's way down on stadium, and then we'd feast for a week before running out of groceries again and figuring it out for two weeks before we could convince him again. This is 2004-2008.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:42 AM ^
The apothecary closed in ~2012. Now there is Walgreen’s, Target, and CVS all in a row on State street. The inevitable creep of corporate / franchisees continues.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
There's the CVS, Target, and Walgreens near the intersection of State and North U, but besides that, there's not really any convenience stores or pharmacies. Not sure why they decided to clump together
March 30th, 2023 at 11:44 AM ^
Last time I was on South U in 2018 before the ND game it was gone.
I worked at a Sav-Mor pharmacy when I was younger so I always had great appreciation for Village (it was an independent Sav Mor as well). South U was unrecognizable the last time I was there from what it was when I was a student.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:49 AM ^
and there was a place on Geddes where the guy was a cheat
I remember that place, lived near there my sophomore through senior years. Yeah he absolutely was a cheat, but he also had a reputation for giving the least amount of scrutiny to IDs. So if you wanted to buy booze with a fake ID, that was your place...
Strickland’s! Can confirm this was the spot for a reliable underage booze purchase
March 30th, 2023 at 11:34 PM ^
Can double confirm on both counts. Lived right there for 2 years in 05-06 timeframe and the one brother/ cousin was well known for not ID’ing, but eventually they got busted and started cracking down a bit (That’s when I went to Blue Front). That guy also routinely made up prices for stuff but we called him out on it.
March 30th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
I'm so old that when I was a student, there was a convenience store on the ground floor at U Towers. Had some friends that lived there one year, all things being equal I was glad to be in West Quad.
I don't get back that often, so it's always interesting to tour around and see what's changed. It's definitely bigger and busier with the new buildings, more students, and explosion of medical stuff.
I don't know that it was ever anyone's favorite other than mine but I mourned when Gepetto's pizza on State St. vanished. If I had money, I'd get Gepettos, if I didn't I'd get Bells.
I lived in U Towers in 87-88. This was my junior year.
My buddy and I were living the high life...just the two of us in an apartment meant for four people. Rent wasn't that much higher than what we paid the previous year...and our parents were ok with it.
We were on a high floor overlooking Charley's, which allowed me to get there just as the line was beginning to form.
Spent a lot of time playing ping-pong in the room off of the lobby.
Most of the residents at U Towers were international students, which was fine by me.
As for the current proliferation of high rises? They are needed...due to the continually growing student population. As the parent of two current students, I can tell you that the frenzy to find somewhere to live is at a fever pitch.
Co-sign on Gepetto’s. Loved their pizza sauce (and the giant sodas)
March 30th, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
When were you all in UTowers? I lived there in 99/00 and thought it was fine. And NYPD was over by Scorekeepers back then too. Did it move and then move back? Or have two locations? Loved me some NYPD back in the day!
March 30th, 2023 at 12:58 PM ^
That's they're original location - they've been there for at least 30 years. The second one under u-towers was relatively short lived.
Thanks! Pretty sure they opened in 96 or 97, felt like there wasn't much great pizza before then
March 30th, 2023 at 10:16 PM ^
Correct. Logged in to give affirmation to original E. William location.
I was one of their first customers the day they opened.
1996 I believe but could have been 1997.
That bagel place on eastern portion of South U lives in memory. Bagel Factory or something?
Time flies.
'99
March 30th, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
I guess I am really old, as when I went to UM there was no such thing as a laptop, unless you are referring to a particular "dance" move at the Anchor Inn.
Your GF's AC broke in the winter? Good for you man, bringing the heat in there.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:21 AM ^
I think there's no doubt that Ann Arbor has progressively lost some of it's small college town feel, however, I also think there's no doubt some of these high rise apartment buildings were necessary. Student housing was absurdly expensive and prices are already coming down
Yep, the only antidote to rapidly rising housing costs in a desirable place is to add supply.
You can't keep all the charm and keep prices in check. It's not economically possible.
Yep - it's net good. When I was in school I think there was only university towers and none of the other significant towers had gone up (maybe one or two closer to main street) and it was amazing what you'd have to pay to leave in a beaten down, beer soaked house off campus. Hopefully the towers are bringing down housing prices some
A good portion of NIMBY griping seems to be spurred by people with investment properties in town. Not sayin, just sayin
March 30th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
I see a lot of folder folks who are absolutely livid over every change in Ann Arbor. I'm not super old, but I'm old enough to have seen lots of change in A2 (33) and my hot take is that I think most of it is for the better! I can't think of any meaningful places that went away to make room for new development. The only part of town that has lost its old feeling, to me, is the South U district, but that's just like two blocks on one street.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:40 AM ^
I'm about your age and I agree. The town has continuously evolved for me from the moment I stepped foot on campus and I'm nostalgic for plenty of the things that have changed, but also grateful for many of those changes. I was disappointed when Village Corner moved, but the luxury apartments that went up in their place offered some weird-ass parties that rich kids were throwing. I liked my old dumpy lab in GG Brown, but the North Campus Research Facility was a game-changer. Now I'm no longer a student, but I still enjoy going back from time to time to check out the old haunts or try something new.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:51 AM ^
Also around your ages. In addition the the skyline, one change that sticks out to me is the loss of Blimpy with the construction of the Munger dorm. Though they relocated downtown, that place went from being a campus icon to (I'm guessing) not even on the radar for most current students.
Maybe I am the exception. I graduated in 85 and lived in the area close enough to have visited Ann Arbor during high school all the time. I love most of the changes. The biggest thing I hate are the one way streets turned into unused bike paths. Can't tell you how many times I have seen morons driving their cars down those lanes.
And I do really miss Mickey Rats.
That's how those streets are supposed to work. They are two ways streets with one vehicle lane and two bike lanes. When there is only traffic one way you drive in the middle of the road, when there is traffic going both ways you take the bicycle lane if there's no bike there. They're supposed to force people to pay attention and slow down. I don't know if they actually do that.
I don't think people are supposed to drive their cars down the bike lanes. That is what I have seen several times.
+1 for missing Mickey Rats, extra credit if you remember Campus Pinball and, back in the 70's, Arcade 5
March 30th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
I'm sad that Borders Bookstore and the Bagel Factory are no longer around (although fragels are sold from a shop on Washtenaw).
March 30th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
When I was there in the mid-aughts, Borders was at its height and a lot of old timers lamented how it used to be a successful independent bookstore. Anyhow, I hope Main Street and its environs still have a ton of little book stores tucked away.
March 30th, 2023 at 11:53 AM ^
Graduated in mid 80s. Made more than a few dinners at Bagel Factory. Two fragels and a chocolate milk and somehow weighed 160. Lots and lots of walking plus having the metabolism of a 21 year old helped. But yes, would love to have a fragel again!
March 30th, 2023 at 12:06 PM ^
"although fragels are sold from a shop on Washtenaw"
No way! Where?
I must have gained 10 pounds eating those things.
March 30th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
It's called Bagel Fragel and is located in a strip mall across from Arborland. And the fragels are great, they make them fresh to order.
As a proud Bagel Factory employee emeritus, I approve this message. I also recommend the double bird, such a good sandwich.