Ann Arbor Travel Guide: Summer Edition
There is plenty of experience beyond the playing field at the University of Michigan, so if you are in Ann Arbor, here’s some advice on where to go and what to do.
Three generations of my family have been lucky enough for at least part of their higher educations to include four years in Ann Arbor. Naturally, I got a lot of advice regarding places to go and places to avoid before I started my tenure at U of M, only some of which was helpful. I’m going to try my best to tell you where to go and what to do in Ann Arbor at different points in the calendar.
Related Story: Top 5 Michigan Prospects for 2017 NFL Draft
We’ll start with summer.
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair
The Art Fair is equal parts hokey and amazing. Even though most of the art probably belongs in beach houses across the country, the fair does as good a job–if not better–of capturing the collective imagination of the city as football or basketball.
Several blocks between downtown and campus get shut down annually for vendors to come out and sell their wares every July, and it’s a damn blast. The vendors are all super nice and accommodating, and, ultimately, nothing can really beat strolling around on a beautiful 80 degree day and chatting up an endless sea of artists. Just watch out for soon-to-be Art History sophomores looking to pick fights with people who like sunsets (I was one of these people. I am reformed now).
Dominick’s
Having spent all but one summer of my college years in Ann Arbor, I can personally vouch for the fact that, while it may not be the best bar in A2, Dominick’s has the best outdoor seating/summer atmosphere.
Tucked in just next to the business school, Dominick’s remains a favorite of law and business students alike, because who hasn’t thought at 5pm on an August Wednesday ‘hell, let’s get a sangria and sit outside for a while’? The sangria is what you’ll be ordering here, if you couldn’t tell.
The Raven’s Club
This is my favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor, so it will probably pop up on a few of these lists. The particular reason for it ending up on the summer list (first) is the fact that it has the best tapas-style small bites in the city, and they have a decent sized patio out front on Main Street.
Best food in the city? Check. Extensive cocktail list? Check. Outdoor seating? Check.
Sounds like a pretty good summer night in Ann Arbor.
The Diag/The UGLI/Hatcher
These three are must sees any time of year, but the diag will be relatively empty during the summer, so you can jump the “M” in the middle of it without interference.
The “M” is a U of M institution: it’s bad luck to step on it even though it’s literally in the middle of the most heavily trafficked walking path to classes. They say that if you step on it you’ll fail your first blue book exam, and if you do actually step on it, you need to run through the diag at midnight naked (this practice is now strictly banned) to rectify the situation. Fun stuff.
The UGLI (Undergraduate Library) is worth seeing just because it’ll provide context for how beautiful Hatcher is (the graduate library), and Hatcher really is gorgeous.
Coffee/Tea
I live in New Orleans currently, and despite the fact that I’m in a relatively major American city, there isn’t one place to get coffee that can measure up to the slew of great shops in little old Ann Arbor.
Mighty Good Coffee (http://www.mightygoodcoffee.com/) has a top of the line espresso machine and is located right on Main Street just by Kerrytown.
Lab Cafe (https://www.facebook.com/labcafe/) Lab is, in my opinion, the best coffee shop in the city. They have a nice outside seating area right on East Liberty, just down the road from the State Street Theater and The Michigan Theater.
Next: Top 10 Michigan Running Backs of All Time
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Comet Coffee (https://www.facebook.com/Comet-Coffee-101321519093/). It’s right in the middle of Nickels Arcade, which is an Ann Arbor must see no matter what (the coffee and tea are both also really, really good).