I’ll be the first to admit that I take Ann Arbor for granted. My parents are alumni and we live 45 minutes away, so I grew up coming here. This also means that, anytime I was home for break, I could easily hop in the car if I was itching to see my friends or go out to eat in Ann Arbor. Now that I’m Washington, D.C., for the semester, I’m realizing exactly what I miss about this wonderful college town that I cannot find in Washington:
The abundance of squirrels
Okay, we have squirrels here, but they aren’t running throughout the city like they are in Ann Arbor. They’re also quite small and thin, and…grey? Anyway, there aren’t too many animals in general since it is a big city, but there’s something about the student-squirrel camaraderie that I miss—it’s more comforting than you think. People here are just too busy (and too scared) to stop and enjoy the few animals scrambling around. However, I’m sure as heck not going to start a new trend by feeding the D.C. squirrels!
The quick walk or bus ride from one place to the other
Everywhere you need to go in Ann Arbor is either a short walk or Blue Bus/AATA ride away. Here, you need to take the metro or city bus everywhere, which can get confusing with all of the different lines. The simplicity of transportation (as well as how cheap it is!) is something I often miss about Ann Arbor, because it is much easier to find your bearings when you’re lost on North Campus than when you’re lost in Northeast D.C.
Cheesy bread from Pizza House
No “Ann Arbor favorite” list is complete without Pizza House. I’m staying with other Michigan students, and we have wished countless times to get our hands on that gooey, delicious cheesy bread at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning—or even just at 6:00 p.m. We’ve been here for a month, and we can’t even figure out which pizza places will deliver to us! (We’re looking at you, Domino’s. Tsk, tsk.) So, eat all of the cheesy bread you can get your hands on while you’re in Ann Arbor, because I promise you that, one day, you will miss it.