Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The A2 - Ypsi disconnect



Tonight at 7 p.m., two friends of Damn Arbor, Mary Wilcox and Ian Saylor, are having their art opening at Café Ollie in Ypsilanti. I plan on going if I get all my work done (fingers crossed), so I looked up where Café Ollie is. I immediately felt like a dolt to see that it is smack in the middle of Depot Town... whatever that is.

Why does it feel like Ypsilanti is on the other side of the earth? I'd be willing to bet that most UM students that aren't locals have never even been there, and don't plan on going anytime soon. Yet it's only 15 minutes away; that's the same amount of time that it takes me to drive from one end of Ann Arbor to the other, if traffic is behaving (it's not).

I'm guilty of the same shenanigans. Ann Arbor has pretty much everything I would have wanted when I was growing up in Traverse City (except for a decent dance culture). Why would I drive allllll the way to Ypsi? Ann Arbor is foreign enough to me. It's not my home, and people talk about Ohio an awful lot here. I don't think I really need to start from square one all over again.

So yeah, it's total hypocrisy, but after tonight, I'll be driving back to my little Ann Arbor hive. Unless Ypsi gives me a specific reason, I'll always be content to explore A2.

Ypsi: So close, yet so far!

7 comments:

  1. You are missing out. Cafe Ollie is awesome and there is nothing like it in A2.

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  2. I really wish there were better mass transit options between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti during prime time. There are great things in Ypsi, but the opportunity cost to get to and from Corner Brewery for a beer after work sometimes seems too high.

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  3. Before you get to Ypsilanti, you go through Pittsfield Township; here's some maps with some boundaries. It's confusing because the world is sometimes confusing.

    http://www.annarbor.com/vielmetti/pittsfield-township-east-of-us-23/

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  4. Ypsi is the new Ann Arbor....it's better in a lot of ways. More funky, more earthy. You should go there often

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  5. While the praise is being sung, let me add to the tune with Beezy’s, go to Beezy’s! Northside, Afternoon Delight, grudgingly Angelo’s, these are all decent enough economical brunch options, but they are no Beezy’s. Best breakfast anywhere in the area that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

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  6. Ypsi has grit yo. I snoozed through eight years of life in A2 and never went to Ypsi except to go to Value World. I laugh at that person now. Who knew the coolest vibe in the area is to the east.

    And it's way more diverse.

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