Month: October 2018
George and I had started planning months ago and picked a
game against “University of Wisconsin”. Getting tickets would be easier, than getting
accommodations, since everything is sold out
way in advance and whatever remains is mighty expensive. We found an “Airbnb” not too far from downtown, though we would be paying a
premium for that. But I was saving on
the airfare, since George was driving.
At the end of my 51 visits, I would have visited 2 States by car –
Wisconsin and Michigan; and one by train – Illinois. Rest were by air. We left on a rainy Friday afternoon from work
and immediately ran into the famous Chicago traffic. The “GPS”
was telling us that some parts of Indiana weren’t looking good and so we took a
detour through the town of ‘Gary’,
going through the back roads. Man,
looking at that rundown place made me appreciate every other city that I have
lived in. As we drove by, there wasn’t
anything that looked remotely appealing to us, let alone folks younger than us.
Eventually we got back on the main road and made our way
through the rain into Ann Arbor. It had
taken over 4 hours – plus losing an hour due to time change – but the
conversations had been great. Our house
was located on a typical suburban street, which was also quite dark. But it was quite nice on the inside, with a
finished basement and couple of bedrooms on the top floor. I told George that I would take the bathroom
in the basement and with that settled, we left our car in the driveway and
started off for downtown. That did not
take long and soon we were in the heart of it.
Even with the rain, I could see that it was a very lively town, with restaurants and bars, and people enjoying those. Not bad of a place which was more or less built around a University.
Our first stop was for dinner and George took me to one of
his favorite “Tapas” joints called ‘Aventura’. The place was full, so much so that even the
bar area was standing room only. I liked
this place, it was trendy and a far cry from the places I used to visit as a
student. I mentioned to George that
students nowadays seem to have more money to spend on places like this than I
did. We squeezed next to the bar and
ordered our drinks. I got something
called “De Nuez”, which looked like
an “Old Fashioned” and George got “Sangria”. He said that these folks were known for that
stuff and looking around, I saw a glass of that on every table. I had it as my second drink and for sure, it
was probably the best “Sangria” that
I’ve had. We got two seats at the bar
and ordered a plethora of “tapas”,
including some cheese and cured meats.
It was perfect and coupled with the ambiance, we couldn’t have done
better to get started. It was still
drizzling as we left, and the streets were full of folks in different stages of
inebriation. Aah, a “college town”.
I had done some research on the bars and had sent George a
list. He had given his comments on them
and for most parts, he had concurred.
The next bar he took me to was called ‘Knights’. It was another
busy place, which looked more like a pub than a restaurant. There was huge oval-shaped bar in the center
and tables and booths around the perimeter.
Once again, there wasn’t any place at the bar and so we ordered our
drinks from a guy who knew George quite well.
George had suggested that we get a pour of “Russell’s 10 Years Bourbon”, something which I had not tasted
previously. Not only was it good, there
was a lot of it! George had mentioned
that this place was known for their generous pours and was it ever. We were presented with a huge goblet, which
in Chicago would have cost far more than it did here. It was good that we also got some place at
the bar, since I wouldn’t have wanted to enjoy this standing up.
We took our time with this and then left for what George
termed as the real “craft cocktails”
place in Ann Arbor. Hidden behind an
unmarked door – a good start - was ‘Nitecap’. Like the other places that we had visited
this evening, this one was full as well.
While not quite dark and cozy like my favorite cocktail bars, it was
modern and looked sophisticated. Plus, the
bartenders looked like they belonged to the “brotherhood
of modern mixologist’s”! We got a
seat at the bar and I started with “Rum
Old Fashioned”, which is a good test to gauge their skills, and they passed. As with some of the bartenders
that I have met during my travels, we got talking about our favorite bars
across the nation and the conversations turned to ‘Dead Rabbit’ in NYC. I mentioned
that that place made the best “Irish
Coffee” that I have ever had and that got their interest. A bunch of them gathered around and made me
an “Irish Coffee” based on the recipe
from ‘Dead Rabbit’. Plus, they joined me in having the
drink. It was a great time and I
mentioned to George that we should return tomorrow.
The final stop for the evening was at ‘Alley Bar’, which George had termed as his favorite bar in Ann
Arbor and his regular haunt. It was a
good old fashioned “dive bar” though,
they had cocktails on tap! I started
with “Negroni on tap”, which was
fantastic, as was the “Manhattan on tap”. I typically do not go to “Dive Bars”, neither do I stay out late. But, being here was fun and I also met some
of George’s friends, which added to the enjoyment. This had been a great evening and I wouldn’t
have enjoyed it as much, had I come here by myself. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, but that
didn’t stop us from closing the place down and we headed back to our house and
called it a night.
We were still feeling the effects of the previous night as
we left our house. In the daylight, I
could appreciate how pretty our neighborhood was, as we walked to downtown on a
beautiful October morning. George had
promised me that Ann Arbor offers some of the best coffee shops and he took me
to ‘Mighty Good’ and it was, well,
mighty good. Coffee was just part of it,
and now were looking for some breakfast.
That would be at ‘Café Zola’
which was full of fans headed to the football game. We got a couple of seats at the bar and the
menu looked full of good options. George
said that he usually keeps it simple and recommended something called “Nadia’s Omelette with Polish Sausage and
Feta Cheese”, along with some “Fresh
Orange Juice”. It is amazing how
fresh ingredients made well can go a long way and the dish was
outstanding. So far, Ann Arbor had not
disappointed.
When we had first planned the game, it was scheduled to be
played at noon, but then owing to the National popularity of these teams, got
moved to the night at 7:30 pm. That
meant a long day of “tailgating”,
something that I have never done before, let alone 7 hours of it! We stopped at a convenience store to pick up
some supplies i.e. beer and bourbon and then called a ride. We were going to a golf course near the
stadium, where George’s brother and friends had set up shop along with other
regulars, something that they have done every football season for decades. You could feel the excitement of “Gameday”, something that I had never experienced
at “UConn”, which doesn’t pride
itself as a football powerhouse. This
was going to be special.
We were dropped off at the entrance of the course and George
mentioned that because of the previous night’s rain, we weren’t sure if they
would have allowed us on the course today.
Fortunately, everything had dried out and with the clear skies, there
was no evidence of the rain. As we
walked over the greens, there was an area where a lot of people had set up
stations, including tents with “Michigan
Colors”, flags and of course, grills and coolers. This wasn’t your parking lot party, and being
on the lush green fairway, gave it more of an upscale feel, though no one was
wearing a suit! We met up with George’s
brother who was called “Z” and his
buddy Ken, and they immediately welcomed me and made me feel comfortable. I mentioned that this was my first “tailgating” and they said that I was in for
a treat. For the next several hours,
that’s exactly what happened.
Ken and Z pretty much knew everyone around and people
floated in and out of each other’s parties.
Especially popular were Ken’s “Margarita
shots”. He offered one to me and I
am not usually in favor of doing shots, but after some persuasion I had it and
oh boy! Not only was it good, it is safe
to say after several more of those throughout the day – yes, I did – it was
probably the best “Margarita” that I
have had. Besides drinking and eating,
the way folks spend their time here is by playing “Bocce”. The last time I had played was 10 years ago,
when there was a competition at my old office in Pittsburgh. Me and my partner had won the first game and
had then been soundly beaten in the next round.
The objective of the game is to throw a small ball in any direction you
please. After that, you and your partner
alternate with the other team, in getting 2 additional balls each, close to the
original ball. When all 8 balls have
been thrown, you get points for the number of balls you get close to the small
ball.
When it comes to accuracy, well, let’s just say that I have
better talents than this. George and I
were partners and considering Ken and Z have been doing this on a weekly basis,
our prospects weren’t the best. However,
we took an early lead, with yours truly playing like a star. While there were some strays, most of my
throws were on point. I
was also playing with a bottle of beer in one hand and it wasn’t a bad effort. Ken and Z made a late comeback, and in the
end, we lost by a point. They all gave
me credit for playing a decent game. It
had been fun and with wide open fairways – including roughs and bunkers –
available, we could pick a direction and continue playing.
Evening was setting in and the excitement level was
rising. People started taking down their
tents and cleaning up. With some beers
in hand, George and I said goodbye to Ken and Z – they were in another section
– and started for the stadium. We
disposed off our bottles and went through the long lines, which took some
time. It was loud when I entered the
stadium and the first sight of the field and the crowd was something to
behold. Wow! I have been to a few “NFL” games, but this was a whole new thing, especially with the
sheer volume of people in here. We found
our seats, though they were just for namesake since no one was sitting down and
for the next few hours, barring the half time, neither did I.
It must be intimidating for these college kids, walking into
this environment and I am not even sure if it affects the “home” or the “away” team
more. I never understood the passion
that “college football” incites in
people and the tremendous pressure that these teams are under. There was a band occupying one section and
the crowd did not let go of any opportunity to sing the “Michigan fight song”. The
game began and for someone like me who love the professional version, it took
some time getting used to some substandard play. But to be honest, the entire evening wasn’t
about the game on the field. It was
about being here, amongst the 111,000 + fans and the electric environment. Michigan won the game easily – Wisconsin’s
offense was just terrible – and the entire day had been a unique experience,
unlike any other.
After the game, it felt like most of these 100,000 fans were
headed to the downtown with droves making the 1 mile walk with us. I didn’t even want to imagine how driving out
of here would be at this time. Both George
and I were dead tired, and I mentioned that we hadn’t really sat down since
this morning. It was the most brutal day
on my legs, since my “marathon walks”
for “Jimmy Fund”. After what seemed forever, we reached
civilization and George took me to a place called ‘Jolly Pumpkin’. Any hope
that we had for finding a place to sit evaporated when we saw the crowd. The place was packed and there was enough
crowd at the bar that it would have taken us a long time to get close. We found a corner and George ordered a “Sour beer” for me called “Weizen Bam”. These folks are known for their “sours” and while I am not the biggest
fan of that type, this one was quite good.
We continued on and considering how much I had enjoyed ‘Nitecap’ yesterday, we returned for
another round. The bar area was full,
though we finally found a spot by the wall and some much-needed rest. Once again, I ordered “Rum Old Fashioned” and by the time we had finished our first
round, a couple of seats had opened at the bar.
I saw the folks from last night and so it was time for another “Irish Coffee” and conversations. We also chatted with some folks near us and
while I could have stayed here, George said that there was no way we wouldn’t
close the night at the ‘Alley Bar’. Plus, George’s daughter Jessica was going to
meet us there. It was as crowded as last
night, and it was nice to meet Jessica and chat with her over my “Negroni on tap”. We closed the bar again and this time as we
returned home, I knew tomorrow would be rough.
Yes, it was rough. My
entire body was aching as I dragged myself out of the bed, and I took my time
doing it. Yesterday had taken a
toll. We had to check out of our house,
which we had literally used just for sleeping purpose. One interesting thing that I noticed was that
someone had been inside the bathroom that I was using, since some of the items
had been moved around. I am sure that
even the owners are not supposed to do that when you have rented out your “Airbnb”, though I doubt if we were
going to report this incident. We
collected our luggage and drove the car into downtown and parked in a lot,
deciding to walk everywhere. I for one wasn’t
sure that I would make it far in my condition.
First stop was at ‘Roos
Coffee’, another place that George said was better than Chicago. The coffee wasn’t bad, and we headed towards
the University area, cutting through the campus to get to our lunch
destination. This is when I learned
about another great “tradition” of
this football crazy town. We were
crossing through what is knows as “The
Diag”, which is located in the central area of the University campus, and I
saw a canopy over a big “M”, the main
symbol of Michigan. There was also a
young student standing next to it and I asked George what this was all
about. Apparently, during the “rivalry” week where the football team
plays the hated ‘Michigan State
University’ – as next weekend – there is a risk of the other side sending
over people to vandalize the logo. This
has happened in the past and now the University takes no chances by posting a
guard 24 x 7. Well, this kid looked 100
pounds soaking wet and in my opinion, wouldn’t really put up much of a
resistance. I said that it was cruel to
make someone stand here for the day and sure enough, we saw a group of other kids carrying a
couch to the tent. Apparently this is
quite an honor, to lounge on the couch this week.
We exited the campus into an area which was less
sophisticated than the downtown, quite normal for places where students hang
out. We were headed to ‘Maize “N” Blue’, a popular sandwich
shop. It was a small place with a long
line and was completely full. George said
that by the time we get through the line and our food, places would open, and
he wasn’t kidding. This was probably one
of the slowest services for someone making just sandwiches, but it suited us,
especially once we got to sit and rest. The wall was covered with their very long
menu – over 50 varieties of sandwiches – as well as another wall signed by Tom Brady,
from when he played here. To think that
I was probably sitting on the same table where he used to eat lunch. I had a simple “Tuna Melt”, which was enormous, though not as big as the one from
Jersey, and not as good either. But it
was a nice meal to end the stay in Ann Arbor.
We went back by another route, walking by some of the old
buildings. While nowhere as big as ‘Princeton’, it was a charming
place. We returned to the downtown area
and after walking through what looked like a shopping mall, reached our
car. Before leaving, there was one more
stop to make. When we were planning,
George had said that he would take me to a “Cider
Mill”, which I thought was one of those countryside places with a stream
and water wheel. I also thought that their main business was making alcoholic beverages.
Well, this was neither. It was
called ‘Dexter Cider Mill’ and they
made “Apple Cider” and “Donuts”. Dexter was a town a few miles outside of Ann
Arbor and where George used to live, and it was a pretty drive to get there. We arrived at the mill and it was nothing
more than a shack. But was a shack with
a long line extending out of the parking lot.
We had to drive a few blocks away to get parking and all the
cars parked on the side of the road were visiting this place. We got into the line and fortunately it was
moving fast. I was full, not to mention
tired, so I got a small bottle of the cider and one donut. George warned me that I was making a mistake
and that I should probably double or even triple up. He bought enough supplies and we decided to try
this before starting our journey back.
Behind the mill was a river and lot of people had gathered there to
enjoy their cider and donuts. I tried
both and I do not think I have ever had better donut
than this, and I am certain that I have never had better cider. Now I know what George meant, though I still
passed over the temptation to buy more.
I could do without the sugar.
We got back to our car and before leaving for Chicago, we
stopped over at a “Car Wash” for
George to get his car cleaned. I haven’t
been in one of these for years, not since I sold my car. With that done, we started on our long drive
back to Chicago. Good on George for
driving, for I was struggling to even speak.
It was around 7 pm when we got back, and I was looking forward to my
chair. It had been a whirlwind weekend
and I had enjoyed every bit of it. Ann
Arbor is a charming town, which I probably wouldn’t have visited, if not for
George and the game. And what an
experience it was. I never understood
the fascination with “tailgating”
till yesterday. To follow that in a
stadium with 100 thousand plus fans was perfect. Not to mention the good bars. That did it for Number 49. Two more to go.
Location: Ann Arbor
It was getting close to the end and surprisingly, I had yet
to make it to Michigan. Given its
proximity – it was in the “Driving
Distance” group on my list – I would have expected to visit it sooner. I had always heard how pretty Michigan gets
during Fall, especially the Western part next to ‘Lake Michigan’. So, one of
the ideas that I thought about entertaining was a long trip, driving up North,
along the Western side, going around the top, into the ‘Upper Peninsula’ and down Wisconsin. This would also let me visit ‘Mackinac Island’ – which I have wanted
to do for a long time – and ‘Door County’
– which is supposed to be one of the prettiest places in the US. However, that would take a long time and
seemed more suitable for a separate adventure.
So, it came down to Detroit and Ann Arbor. My boss, George, is from Ann Arbor and has
always encouraged me to visit, especially for a football game. He said that Detroit is like any other city,
but there is nothing like watching a “Michigan
Wolverines” game at the “Big House”,
with 110,000 fans – the largest stadium in the nation. So, there it was, I was going to Ann Arbor
with George.
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| Our home for the weekend |
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| Downtown Ann Arbor |
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| The busy 'Aventura' |
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| Look at that pour! |
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| Inside 'Nitecap' |
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| It had been a great start |
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| A beautiful day for a game |
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| We would be "tailgating" at a golf course |
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| People were ready for a good time |
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| Better than a parking lot |
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| Our crew |
We replenished through a few of Ken’s “shots” and mingled with other folks, some of whom had set up TVs
to keep track of earlier games, including the hated ‘Ohio State University’.
There was plenty of food to munch on and we were all having a great
time. Soon, someone proposed a second
round of “Bocce” and this time George
and I were victorious. We were playing
well as a team and we all agreed that after another break for some drinks and
food, we would have a final tiebreaker game.
It was late afternoon when we concluded our series, with me and George
losing by a point. We had been leading
and should have won, but in the end, it wasn’t to be. We
celebrated with more “shots” and Z
bust out his grill and made dozens of “sausages”
and “burgers”. If this is what tailgating’s about, I don’t
mind doing it more frequently. I would
have never thought that 7 hours would go by in an instant and I was surprised
at how much I had enjoyed myself. Kudos
to Ken, Z and George for giving me this experience.
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| Headed to the game |
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| What a venue! |
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| Starting at 'Jolly Pumpkin' |
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| Ending the night at the 'Alley Bar' |
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| Final morning in Ann Arbor |
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| "The Diag" - look at that tent |
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| A popular haunt of the students |
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| It was a pretty campus |
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| Outstanding! |
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| Behind the "cider mill" |
