Should you live in Kerrytown?
Jessica Vosgerchian
Magazine EditorOctober 27th, 2009
Choosing off-campus housing is a lot more complicated than just finding a place with enough bedrooms at the right price. Your address will decide where you’re most likely to party, what your neighbors will be like and when you’ll be able to fall asleep at night.
There are many student enclaves in the residential area around campus, but the most obvious divide is the Diag. Most student renters live south of South University Avenue — in the area affectionately deemed the student ghetto. But a subset chooses to split from the horde and settle in the north near Kerrytown.
While the rental houses north of Huron Street are often just as run down, Kerrytown offers a different way of life. Which side should you choose?
HANGING WITH THE NEIGHBORS
On any given Friday night, the south side of campus seems to be populated by shivering girls in tiny dresses and boisterous dudes in button-downs. In Kerrytown, it’s often difficult to determine someone’s gender from as close as a block away. People are laid back, but also politically correct. If you say “that’s gay” as a general insult, rule out living on Catherine Street immediately — that shit definitely won’t fly over there.
The Kerrytown social scene is mellow, which can be good and bad. Kerrytown house parties don’t pack in guests like sardines. Nobody breaks glass in the street or pukes in the kitchen sink. There’s room to move, and very often, room to dance. Unlike more macho gatherings to the south, Kerrytown dance parties are rarely short of willing participants.
But the question is how long the party will last. Because of a higher population of graduate students and real adults, noise complaints are a common occurrence. You might be glad of quiet, older neighbors during the week, or when you’re sick or working on a weekend night. But if you throw a party, you have to be prepared to talk to the cops.
Not everyone in Kerrytown is an old fogy. Kerrytown’s proximity to North Campus makes it attractive to students in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Creativity abounds between Huron Street and Kingsley Street — look forward to well-supplied potlucks and musicians with actual talent. But beware of music snobs who try to play Animal Collective at a dance party.
GOING OUT IN KERRYTOWN
It’s somewhat of a trek across the Diag to South U, and Kerrytowners aren’t too keen on waiting in line to get into a bar. So instead of Rick’s, BTB Cantina and the Brown Jug, Kerrytowners opt for Circus Bar, Aut Bar and Arbor Brewing Company.
Circus Bar’s Bluegrass Night on Wednesday is a big draw for the Kerrytown crowd — mostly because of $1.25 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and $2 Long Island Iced Tea. The bands are inconsequential to the experience, but occasionally there’s a gem.
The one bar technically in Kerrytown is Aut Bar, Ann Arbor’s main gay bar. Situated on Catherine Street, Aut Bar consists of a two-floor bar and a festive patio. You can expect fun music and questionable service. With mimosas and bellinis galore, it’s a great brunch place as long as you have a few hours to spend.
The Arbor Brewing Company on Washington Street is the staple watering hole for Kerrytowners. It’s chill, reliable and rarely too crowded. You can almost always find a table, even for bigger groups. And since ABC cards at the bar, underage friends aren’t shut out from the gathering.
If you’re looking to rage, you’ll want to stay near South U. But if you’re tired of standing in line for 45 minutes to get a drink, try your luck up north.
FINDING FOOD
Kerrytown’s biggest advantage might be that it has two grocery stores: Sparrow Meats and Produce and the People’s Food Co-op. And as any student living off-campus knows, eating at home can be near impossible without regular trips to grocery stores outside of downtown.
Between the two Kerrytown stores, you can find most any ingredient you might need — fresh produce, fancy cheeses or free-range chicken. You might not be able to find your guilty snack food, and the emphasis on organic and gourmet may make your grocery bill higher than you like. But buying eggs and milk at Campus Corner is also not economical.
Kerrytown is also home to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, which sells food from local producers on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The price is usually right and you’ll feel like a liberal do-gooder.
A problem occurs around 2 a.m. when the drunk munchies set in. While South U. has myriad late-night options, Kerrytown has a lone Papa John’s that is open until 3 a.m. on the weekend. The closest options after that are Fleetwood Diner and New York Pizza Depot, which aren’t really close at all.
The bottom line is if you’re fine living off of burritos and party store pizza, don’t move to Kerrytown — homemade potluck meals and organic produce will only irritate you.
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:45:34 -0400