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Ann Arbor / Detroit (Y'all are coming for the UT-UM game, right?)


choripan

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If you are going to Detroit and are a fan of Via 313 pizza then you must go visit Loui's Pizza on 9 Mile & Dequindre in Hazel Park then you will know what real Detroit style pizza is not that decent but not great knock off ;-)

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Also the antipasto salad there is a must get
 

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I used to work with her son in Center Line back in 2007-09 and she still works there (as of Dec 2023 which was my last trip)

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I haven't been to Ann Arbor for a game since 2013 but back in the day it was usually cheaper and less annoying to park in a metered spot on the street and get a ticket than it was to deal with the chuckle fuck of parking on the golf course....

The MBA students have a school bus decked out in maize and blue and they usually have kegs, beer bongs, and a DJ going you just need to buy a wrist band (assuming of course a decade later it is still going on).  It is right next to the train tracks at Hill St & S 5th Ave which makes for a nice easy walk to the big house.

https://www.instagram.com/therossbus/

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If you are looking for a spot to eat near the aforementioned bus/tailgate Cottage Inn & Baba Dari are over by Packard St and a reasonable walk.  Also when I hit up AA I usually make sure to get a sandwich at Maize & Blue Deli you can kinda think of it as Michigan's own Ike's Love & Sandwiches.

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Another badass dining option for those willing to brave it into Metro Detroit is Andiamo....

There is one in DTW airport but skip that one unless you have no other options...

Livonia: Closest to Ann Arbor
Bloomfield Hills: This is the old Machus Red Fox location which is famous for being the last place Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive
Warren: The OG location about 6 miles north of where Eminem went to high school
Downtown: On the riverfront

Recommendation: Filet w/ zip sauce

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If you need some background on zip sauce:
 

 

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For stuff downtown....

I know they haven't announced the dates yet but should the Lions so happen to be playing in Detroit that Sunday then Elwood Bar & Grill is the spot to pregame and I would make it down to Greektown to eat at Pegasus Taverna. The lamb chops are excellent they still don't rival New Hellas (RIP been gone since 2008 and had been there since 1901 previously) but you will have a good time.

The Old Shillegah is my favorite downtown watering hole (assuming you like Irish Dive Bars).

Hockeytown Cafe is pretty cool for all the Red Wings nostalgia 

The two famous coney places are Lafayette & American and are right next door to each other. 

There is an industrial/goth/freak bar called Leland City Club down off Bagby that some pretty wild raucous shit used to go down back in the day (2007-09)

The best BBQ place in Detroit is Slow's BBQ down by old Tiger Stadium but if you go get BBQ in Detroit from TX then you are truthfully insane ;-)

Also if you are going to go over to Windsor for the Windsor Ballet then Leopards/Cheetahs were the spots to go ~15 years ago I assume that to still be the case.

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Disclaimer is I'm old and I don't go "out" much anymore for nightlife. I did hit up a Wings game with some friends in town last winter and we went to some bars in mid town. That said, from what I hear, I would not recommend Greektown other than maybe a place to grab lunch during the day. I think at night on the weekends these days there are a lot of hooligans down there looking for trouble. There have been a few fights and shootings down there over the past few years. 

Also as PH says you would have to be insane to try Slow's as a Texan so please don't. It's not good BBQ imo. There's a place in Dearborn Heights where a guy opened a store who trained under Franklin. But yeah I'm sure you don't need BBQ in Detroit. Square pizza, coneys, Middle Eastern, Polish is our wheelhouse. 

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13 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

Disclaimer is I'm old and I don't go "out" much anymore for nightlife. I did hit up a Wings game with some friends in town last winter and we went to some bars in mid town. That said, from what I hear, I would not recommend Greektown other than maybe a place to grab lunch during the day. I think at night on the weekends these days there are a lot of hooligans down there looking for trouble. There have been a few fights and shootings down there over the past few years. 

Also as PH says you would have to be insane to try Slow's as a Texan so please don't. It's not good BBQ imo. There's a place in Dearborn Heights where a guy opened a store who trained under Franklin. But yeah I'm sure you don't need BBQ in Detroit. Square pizza, coneys, Middle Eastern, Polish is our wheelhouse. 

I assume every other Texan also follows the basic rules of "no texmex beyond the state border" and "no BBQ north of the Mason-Dixon Line". If not, they've got some real problems.

Good info, though.

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14 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I assume every other Texan also follows the basic rules of "no texmex beyond the state border" and "no BBQ north of the Mason-Dixon Line". If not, they've got some real problems.

Good info, though.

I've lived in Detroit, St Thomas, Oakland, Richmond, DC, & Denver outside of Texas and occasionally you have to "break the law" because it's too big a pain in the ass to fly home when you get a craving ;-)  With that said it NEVER was sufficient and the first thing you would do upon returning home was eat Tex-Mex, BBQ, & Cajun in that order.

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57 minutes ago, Pimphand said:

I've lived in Detroit, St Thomas, Oakland, Richmond, DC, & Denver outside of Texas and occasionally you have to "break the law" because it's too big a pain in the ass to fly home when you get a craving 😉 With that said it NEVER was sufficient and the first thing you would do upon returning home was eat Tex-Mex, BBQ, & Cajun in that order.

When you're gone too long, what choice do you have? I was on a two week road trip with my family across parts of the west and midwest. On the 12th day, I broke down and took us to a "tex mex" restaurant in South Dakota that had billboards up for miles on the interstate. The chips and salsa weren't bad, so that made it worth it. I wouldn't send my worst enemy there unless they were desperate though.

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sort of off topic, but thinking of taking my son to 1 or 2 games next year, haven't decided which.   we live outside of texas.

options -

  • michigan
  • OU (we were at 49-0, so he's been to a recent OU game)
  • georgia
  • possible playoff game at UT (knock on wood; i know that's not guaranteed)

have friends i can visit/stay with in austin, dallas, ann arbor. 

i've been on the fence about michigan.  this thread is making it seem more interesting.  

just curious which would you pick as your #1 game?  

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Went to Michigan State @ Michigan in 2002, so it's been a minute, but my take on Ann Arbor/Detroit:

Ann Arbor is the lamest college town I've ever been to.  The Friday night before the game could have been Anywhere, USA that wasn't a college town the night before a game w/ little brother.  Zero energy.  Nothing at the fraternity houses, nothing downtown at the bars/restaurants.  Couldn't have been more disappointed.

Michigan's tailgate area is their golf course, directly across from the Big House.  I was blown away that the school let everyone just destroy their golf course - and they did fuck it up royally....my favorite being a car doing donuts w/ a kid holding on to the rear bumper superman style (wet day).  I remember thinking that this shit would never fly in Texas.  Fun scene, no question about it.

The Big House has the smallest seats possible.  They seat 100K in a stadium that was made for 80K.  You're not only on top of each other on your row, but there's no room between rows.  If someone leaves the row, EVERYONE is getting up - there's no moving your legs over and letting them by.

Going out in Detroit, especially the casinos, is an adventure.  I'm sure it's evolved in the past 20 years.

If The Landing Strip Lounge in Romulus is still open, by all means, do visit.  Shockingly one of the best titty bars I've ever been to, and we were there mid-afternoon, not 1am on a Saturday.

Edited by Mittens
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4 hours ago, alphahydro said:

sort of off topic, but thinking of taking my son to 1 or 2 games next year, haven't decided which.   we live outside of texas.

options -

  • michigan
  • OU (we were at 49-0, so he's been to a recent OU game)
  • georgia
  • possible playoff game at UT (knock on wood; i know that's not guaranteed)

have friends i can visit/stay with in austin, dallas, ann arbor. 

i've been on the fence about michigan.  this thread is making it seem more interesting.  

just curious which would you pick as your #1 game?  

 Michigan. Possible once in a lifetime visit to that iconic stadium. 

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3 hours ago, Mittens said:

Went to Michigan State @ Michigan in 2002, so it's been a minute, but my take on Ann Arbor/Detroit:

Ann Arbor is the lamest college town I've ever been to.  The Friday night before the game could have been Anywhere, USA that wasn't a college town the night before a game w/ little brother.  Zero energy.  Nothing at the fraternity houses, nothing downtown at the bars/restaurants.  Couldn't have been more disappointed.

Michigan's tailgate area is their golf course, directly across from the Big House.  I was blown away that the school let everyone just destroy their golf course - and they did fuck it up royally....my favorite being a car doing donuts w/ a kid holding on to the rear bumper superman style (wet day).  I remember thinking that this shit would never fly in Texas.  Fun scene, no question about it.

The Big House has the smallest seats possible.  They seat 100K in a stadium that was made for 80K.  You're not only on top of each other on your row, but there's no room between rows.  If someone leaves the row, EVERYONE is getting up - there's no moving your legs over and letting them by.

Going out in Detroit, especially the casinos, is an adventure.  I'm sure it's evolved in the past 20 years.

If The Landing Strip Lounge in Romulus is still open, by all means, do visit.  Shockingly one of the best titty bars I've ever been to, and we were there mid-afternoon, not 1am on a Saturday.

I was at that game I think. We lost 49-3 and Chuck Rogers gave up on the field. RIP. I don't believe the Landing Strip still exists. 

Doing my best to put my bias aside I maintain that Ann Arbor is a really cool town but a shitty college town. I'm sure if one went to school there they would feel differently. 

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12 hours ago, alphahydro said:

sort of off topic, but thinking of taking my son to 1 or 2 games next year, haven't decided which.   we live outside of texas.

options -

  • michigan
  • OU (we were at 49-0, so he's been to a recent OU game)
  • georgia
  • possible playoff game at UT (knock on wood; i know that's not guaranteed)

have friends i can visit/stay with in austin, dallas, ann arbor. 

i've been on the fence about michigan.  this thread is making it seem more interesting.  

just curious which would you pick as your #1 game?  

1) Michigan

We have only played them once in our history and that was the Rose Bowl on 1/1/2005. 

2) OU we play annually

3) Georgia we are now in the same conference

4) As stated not guaranteed

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ANN ARBOR, PART 1

For starters, Ann Arbor basically has two sides, though they’ve started to bleed over into each other since I was in college in the 2000s. To the west, in the heart of downtown, you have what is generally the adults/townie side, which is centered on Main Street. To the east, you have the student side, which is generally within a few blocks of the diag, which is the heart of UM’s campus. Though we don’t have anything as lively as Dirty 6th or Bourbon St. or anything like that, there’s more than enough places to go.

Ann Arbor-Specific Things to Do, Eat Drink – These are things that are unique to Ann Arbor/UM. Not necessarily the best, but ya really don’t want to make the trip just eat at McDonald’s or go to a generic sports bar. These are some of the main things that’ll come up if you sit next to a UM alum on a plane or a barstool or something like that.

  • Campus. Other than just strolling around to catch vibes, things you will want to see are the rotating cube statue (google it), traipse through the student union and nickels arcade, and be absolutely sure to visit the beautiful law quad and, within it, take a peek at the law library. Think of these things like visiting the turtle pond at UT – things that set your/our particular campus apart from others.

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  • Kerrytown Market/Zingermans. If you’re into it, go to the over-century old market on the north side of downtown on Saturday morning, get some coffee, and get fattened up to drink all day. Zingerman’s is ostensibly an east coast style deli, but they’re also a cheesemonger, wine shop, and a bunch of other things. They pay living wage plus, many emploees are long-tenured, and every employee is super knowledgeable in their area of expertise. I think the deli itself is overrated and would be a very good but not best deli in, say, NYC, but the place is famous.

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  • Blimpy Burger. This is like going to the White Spot in Charlottesville or Players in Austin. Or it was. Much like Players, the land that Blimpy’s sat on for decades was snapped up by the university for development. Except, after some downtime, Blimpy’s reopened in another part of town with the same grill, most of the same employees, and so on.

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  • Downtown. Ann Arbor has fought hard to preserve independent stores, restaurants, and bars. When we were dating and I first took my wife to my alma mater, she (originally from Houston) remarked that “Holy shit, I don’t think there’s a single chain down here.” I think it’s really cool, and great to just walk around and soak it in within a few blocks of Main Street and out east toward the student side.

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I’ll write another post with specific bars restaurants I’d recommend, with a description of what to expect, along with places I don’t love, but that the rest of the world seems to love, and which are worthy of inclusion despite my personal opinion. I'll also have recommendations for stuff to do if you want to get out and be active. Ann Arbor's a pretty good town for that, too.

[This is going to take me awhile. I’m slapping stuff together when I have downtime, which I don’t have a ton of these days…]

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On 1/30/2024 at 6:41 PM, Baboontyme said:

Depends what you're into. I recommend the DIA, definitely the Henry Ford (Dearborn), Hittsville, the Riverwalk is decent. The zoo is nice. If the Tigers are in town you could check out Comerica, they might even be decent this year who knows. You could do a pedal pub downtown, they even have a boat version of the pedal pub on the river. Hell bring your passport and check out Windsor. There are also casinos if you're into that. Dearborn and Hamtramck are cool if you want to explore some different neighborhoods and aren't scared of brown people. If late 20s, early 30s bar hopping is your thing, Royal Oak. If you are a hipster corktown and Ferndale. If you want to hit on cougars and shop at Lululemon and smoke cigars, Birmingham. If you want to get out to the country and do something seasonal, find a good cider mill. Early September is an awesome time of year in SE Michigan typically weather wise. 

This is a good example of how different strokes can be for different folks. Not my speed but may be your (Baboon's and many others'!) speed.

I would not recommend *any* Detroit suburb except as a place to crash if you can't find a place in Ann Arbor or Detroit. My thought is, "If you're going to make the trip, why visit a suburb like those outside of just about any other city?" IMO, outside of a few places (I'll get to the Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village later), there is nothing unique enough in the suburbs to justify going there if you only have 48/72/however many hours in Michigan.

Edited by choripan
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On 2/2/2024 at 10:28 AM, closetojumping said:

I assume every other Texan also follows the basic rules of "no texmex beyond the state border" and "no BBQ north of the Red River". If not, they've got some real problems.

Good info, though.

ftfy

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5 hours ago, elfenix said:

ftfy

I know it’s heresy here, but I like KC, Memphis and NC BBQ too. Also, have had ribs in St. Louis and liked them as well. From one of the famous places, can’t remember which. Near Busch. And the protege of Franklin in Charleston is doing some off the charts good stuff too. 

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On 2/2/2024 at 11:45 AM, closetojumping said:

When you're gone too long, what choice do you have? I was on a two week road trip with my family across parts of the west and midwest. On the 12th day, I broke down and took us to a "tex mex" restaurant in South Dakota that had billboards up for miles on the interstate. The chips and salsa weren't bad, so that made it worth it. I wouldn't send my worst enemy there unless they were desperate though.

Was it Que Pasa in Rapid City? That place sucks

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