I've spent the better part of the last four years here in Ann Arbor, and it has instantly felt like home. I really, truly, am going to miss this beautiful, imperfect, wonderful place. For those who don't know, I am set to begin a new adventure starting next month in Teaneck, New Jersey, where I will be joining Fairleigh Dickinson University's athletic external affairs and media relations team as a graduate assistant. The pure joy and excitement I feel about starting this new challenge make this current process of leaving Ann Arbor the most exciting, saddest, happiest goodbye that I've faced in my (rather brief) life to this point.
Four years ago the Michigan men's basketball team made a run to the NCAA National Final and indirectly sparked this little passion project I dubbed 'Reds, Maize, and Blue' in a moment of genius I think I haven't had since coming up with that name -- for those who don't know, this started as a Liverpool/Michigan basketball blog, hence the colors, and I, being an American, came up with the phrasing so as to mirror the colors of the flag (witty, I know). From there, things have spiraled, and I quite honestly wouldn't be here without this blog. I owe a thank you to you, the reader because your care about the things I do and write about is why I can continue to do things that I love. I'm always deeply humbled whenever anyone tells me they like anything I do ever, so it means a lot that something based around my original content has helped me grow into the person and the writer that I am today.
I will never forget these last few years that I spent in Ann Arbor. It's a city I love and a city that I will probably still refer to as 'home' in some form or another for the rest of my life. They always say write about what you love. Who 'they' are, I'm not sure, but I think They were right. So, without any further ado, I would like to present to you 100 things about or loosely related to Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti that I loved in my time in this area.
1. Forest Hill Cemetary
2. The Arb
3. The Peony Garden
4. The gate that lets you cut into the Arb from Forest Hill Cemetary.
5. The sun setting while you're on the top of the cemetery facing west
These are all grouped together, it's self-evident as to why I think. This morning walk I took every day while I pondered this next step of my life made me feel so ethereal. It is the most stunning, peaceful place I've ever been in while living in Ann Arbor. I have no worries, no bothers, in Forest Hill Cemetary. The Arb and the Peony Garden are also lovely and I have such positive memories and feelings about them. I spent a not-insignificant amount of time playing soccer in the grassy field you can see from the trail in the summer of 2019. I recorded a podcast for AFC Ann Arbor with the peonies on a beautiful summer day. The gate has a sign right next to it that says 'no dogs allowed', which makes me smile every time I see it. The sunset is self-explanatory.
6. The Michigan/Michigan State football game in 2017
7. The Michigan/Notre Dame football game in 2018
I don't think anyone that knows me associates me with college football. But when you go to the University of Michigan you absolutely must do the football experience at least once. The Michigan State game is the most fun I have ever had at a football game. It was my first big college game experience in Ann Arbor. I was overwhelmed, to say the least. The first half was about as stunning of a night that you could get. But the rain was coming. And came it did. The most iconic of the Michigan football 'Mr. Brightside' renditions is from this game, and when I sang along in the monsoon that was the second half, it felt like I was finally a student at Michigan. The Notre Dame game was my victory lap. With the newfound freedom from dorm living, it was the first time I felt young and alive in any city. These are both losses, and they are the only ones I am mentioning. Such is life as a Michigan football fan.
8. The time I left my laptop in the Ugli for 30 minutes open and totally unoccupied and returned to it untouched. This was in my second week of freshman year. I don't know if I've felt relief like that since then.
9. The way I felt hearing 'Superfruit' by Maude Latour for the first time. I was a sophomore who was religiously spending my time studying in Hatcher or sitting outside, weather pending. 'Superfruit' made me feel like the college student I so desperately wanted to be. It felt like walking on air.
10. Staying in Angell Hall classrooms until midnight on a weekday to do homework.
11. Hatcher Graduate Library. The entire thing. The stacks, the big reading room, the connector bridge. All of it. I will always regret not studying there more sooner.
12. The Diag. Duh.
13. The new Ingalls Mall clearance. Wow is that gorgeous.
14. The Bell Tower, and how the hands are never aligning. It's the cover photo for my 2021 Instagram Stories Spotify playlist.
15. Knight's Steakhouse
16. The Black Pearl
17. Jim Brady's
18. Frita Batido's
19. Pita Kebob and their amazing chicken shawarma wrap
20. Detroit Cookie Company, I regret you've only come into my life now.
21. The Blue Tractor and the time Bilal gave me like a $100 gift card there so I had SO MUCH of it all summer. I also went there and finished watching Twin Peaks with a friend while we were the only people in Ann Arbor before Christmas break in my sophomore year. I was so anxious for some reason about being alone, but I love the growth I've made in changing that feeling and being more comfortable.
22. Ruth's Chris and Andrew, the greatest waiter of all time. Very big thanks to my mom and dad for always taking me there.
23. Zingerman's, but only on other people's dime
24. BTB Fries. My preferred lunch post-COMM 306, pre-work at the Michigan athletic comm and pr department on Thursdays in 2019-20.
25. TupTim on Washtenaw and the best crab wontons in the world (if anyone from there is reading this please never change the recipe for them)
This is the restaurant section of this list. I am forgetting so many, I know, but I love them all.
26. The Michigan men's basketball program
All of it. There's too much to list in my love for the university. It's why I'm here in the first place in so many more ways than one. This will be a brief aside and a quick top ten list of ten favorite moments/games/players/anything from the pre-pandemic times as a fan:
a.) Michigan vs. UCLA in 2017: First true classic of my span as a student and I saw it with my new friend from LA and my friend from the Michigan band. It didn't get better than that.
b.) Tyree Martin's struggles for Southern Mississippi while we chanted airball for an entire half at him. Tyree, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry, and you still played very well.
c.) [REDACTED]
d.) The Jordan Poole shot
e.) Jordan Poole.
f.) My John Beilein and Juwan Howard bobbleheads.
g.) Preseason open practices. It was always the lowest stress time I'd had while watching any Michigan basketball.
h.) Michigan vs. Oregon in 2019: Because I need a heartbreaker in here too. The loudest I've ever heard Crisler was this game.
i.) Michigan vs. North Carolina in 2018: The happiest I've ever been while at a Michigan basketball game! That 2018-19 team should not be forgotten about, they were unreal.
j.) The Star Wars-themed baby race at Michigan vs. UCLA, and the far-too-large-for-that-competition Chewbecca contestant who SPRINTED to their parent. It was awesome.
Michigan basketball will always be my first sports love. I could make another top ten of just this past season. But when I think about my time and my relationship with Michigan basketball while attending the university, these in-person events will always be what I associate with that.
27. Michigan women's basketball program and their newfound program highs.
Their NIT runs as a junior and senior in high school hooked me in. I would go to games as a freshman and bring my notebook to study there because I could sit and read during TV timeouts. I will never forget looking up from my notebook and seeing Jordan Poole right in front of me at one of the games. Their Sweet Sixteen run this past season was the icing on the cake that has been baking since my high school days. I am beyond thrilled that I got to be a student for some of their best times since my mother played there.
28. The Big Bear trophy. Awarded to the winner of the Michigan/Michigan State men's soccer match every season, the Wolverines have taken control of the series as of late. It's my current phone lock screen; a picture I took of it on the grass at Michigan Soccer Stadium. It's given to the winner of the Michigan/Michigan State men's soccer game every year, and I personally think it's the best-looking trophy in college sports.
29. Natalie Wojcik. I will single Natalie out because I had Spanish 232 with her and she is one of the nicest people I have ever met. Her successes in the world of gymnastics are so warranted.
30. Maddy Osman. If I single out my one gymnast friend, I have to single out the other. I met Maddy through a summer class in the communications department.
Seeing both Maddy and Natalie's commitment to working hard in the classroom and 'off the mat', so to speak, makes me so proud to cheer for their respective programs. They really rock and I'm proud to know them.
31. Chrohnsiversary
32. Crohnsiversary II: Nat Bash
My absolute best friends threw me, or rather, my Crohn's, a birthday party as freshmen. They outdid themselves with a surprise party once we had our own apartment next year as sophomores. They both remain some of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Special thanks to Emma, Brea, and Natalie, who I will always love and could each have articles like this one written about them.
I will keep it short, but I simply must acknowledge them. Here is one core memory I have with each of them:
33. My first concert! I saw Brockhampton, who I was indeed obsessed with as a young undergrad. They spoke to me in ways I didn't quite understand yet. I have a crewneck of theirs that I will still proudly wear to this day because it is just too comfortable. When they came to Detroit, I absolutely needed to go. I went with Emma, who, to my delight, said yes (my delight because I considered her to have excellent music taste, which she still does) and was glad my interests were also hers. She held the back of my jersey while I jumped around at the concert so I wouldn't stray too far away. I think that's a beautiful representation of our friendship.
34. Shared schedules! Brea and I spent a truly absurd amount of time together in our first semester. I lived across the hall from her and Emma, so I was more or less living there already, but our schedules crossed over quite heavily in afternoons while Emma had class. My favorite scheduled activity: silent lunch. We lived in South Quad and would go down from our (their) room on the seventh floor, down to the cafeteria, and we would sit and enjoy each other's company in silence. I had found someone with who I could enjoy comfortable silence. Freshman Ryan was at ease.
35. A sub-seven-minute mile! The Amazing Race quickly became a shared passion amongst me, Natalie, and Emma. The family season had a young kid, about ten or so, on it, and it was said that they could run a seven-minute mile. I took exception -- I could run a seven-minute mile! Natalie called my bluff. I nearly died running a 6:56 on the track by MoJo. I have never challenged anyone's running ability since then, no matter how young or old they may be, however, I am grateful that Natalie continues to push me to do new things.
Thanks, friends. :-)
36. The UMMA. It's never been a wasted experience going to the UMMA.
37. The pillars on the sides of Angell Hall that you can sit on. Perfect for reading on.
38. The Walgreen's on the corner of State. I think every student at Michigan has to pass through there on their journey at least once. My first Walgreen's excursion was early; I needed shampoo during my orientation. I still venture there every now and then. I will never forget its safety the first time I saw it.
39. The Michigan Theater
40. The State Theater
I love these two theaters so much. I saw Tenet on Election Night 2020 there. I saw the original Godzilla as a treat to myself a couple months ago. I purchased a Little Women and The Handmaiden poster from them and currently have them framed and hanging in my apartment. The amount of films I've seen there is countless at this point, and I am a proud patron of the arts in Ann Arbor.
41. Angelo's.
42. Northside Grill.
43. Avalon.
Okay, sorry, three more breakfast-centric restaurants, that's it no more restaurants I promise.
44. The apartments above the Buffalo Wild Wings on State. My freshman year roommate had a friend that lived in them. In the evenings you get a perfect view of the sunset. It seems like you can look into the horizon forever.
45. The little tiny 'shortcut' by the chemistry building nearest to the Central Campus Transit Center where you walk through trees and dirt instead of following the pavement. It saves you like ten feet of walking but it's just so endearing.
46. The South Quad study rooms. I watched Christmas movies and basketball games and the NCAA selection show and listened to the Brockhampton album and saw Arrival for the first time -- oh and I did a little bit of studying in them too.
47. The time I got Angelo's at 7 AM before my 9 AM Spanish class because I was already up to get a wristband for the Michigan basketball game. I went with my friend Ally, who is, was, and continues to be one of my biggest supporters. She's a joy to be around and I'm thankful our passions extended beyond just Michigan basketball.
48. The summer.
When no one's around in Ann Arbor, it's a magical place. As I type this now, we're in the heart of the summer. I almost forgot what it's like when there's a full campus, but how could anyone forget the liveliness of a weekday in early autumn on campus. Here are some memories I have specifically associated with the summer:
49. Goat cheese from the farmer's market. I got so much of it, and I ate ALL of it.
50. My summer job at Eastern Michigan. I worked at EMU because I sent an out-of-the-blue email to Greg Steiner as a freshman. He let me work over the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, and I learned so much about the college athletics world. I am forever grateful, and both Eastern Michigan and the people I've met there have a truly special place in my heart.
51. Natalie and Ryan's summer adventure in Ann Arbor. It happened in that summer of 2018. I went after my work. We walked around the entire city and ended up eating at Arbor Brewing Company because I adored their cookies. It was my first proper Ann Arbor city hangout and a big driving factor to exploring Ann Arbor as a city.
52. Surprising Emma with her friend from Canada. Such an Ann Arbor-specific memory for me because I just remember the logistics of it all. Thanks to Meghan for being the best co-conspirator in the surprise planning.
53. AFC Ann Arbor
Alright, we're at another one where there's just too much to talk about. I could make a whole post of just AFC Ann Arbor memories. AFC Ann Arbor has shaped who I am as a person. I could not have asked for a more impactful and more powerful sports-related experience. I am so thankful that this blog led me down the path of getting involved with them as an organization. To me, when I think of Ann Arbor, AFCAA will always be the first thing I think of. I don't even want to try and single out memories because the entire experience is just one continuous, joyful, memory. Thank you Bilal for bringing me aboard.
54. The Michigan 'M' flag on the Union. Looking at it on South U one random May afternoon is when being an alum of this university hit me.
55. The South Quad 9th floor. So many printers! I wish I had that level of access to printers now as an adult.
56. The South Quad basement study lounge and TV room. The TV room was ALWAYS empty in the middle of the day. Many-a Michigan basketball and Liverpool game were watched there. I specifically remember watching Tremont Waters and LSU beat Michigan at 11 PM in Maui in that room. My friend Eric and I were the only ones in the room.
57. Emma and Brea's dorm room. Featuring the most perfect view of the Big House's big 'M' on the horizon.
58. The balcony on our apartment.
59. The way I felt helping Emma move out of that apartment this year. The sun was shining perfectly onto that balcony. I remember really asking myself whether or not it was a dream. It was the first time I really felt normal again in the world. I'd missed that.
60. Not stepping on the 'M' in the Diag.
61. Stockwell's common area, where I made a surprising amount of friends. I had three good friends at Stockwell all in the same year, none connected in any real way. I still walk by there every now and then.
62. The Greenwood Block Party. Something every Michigan student must attend once.
63. Survivor: Michigan. Please go watch this on YouTube if you haven't. College students playing low-stakes Survivor is one of the most incredible things ever created. I applied and got an interview, but it just wasn't meant to be.
64. Dom's and DJ's Bakeries. Technically not a restaurant so I'm still in the clear for mentioning them here. The best donuts around. Perfect for 1 AM and when your downstairs neighbors are having a comically loud party.
65. The day the fire alarm went off in Angell Hall and they just sent us home from class. That's when I really realized just how different college was from high school.
66. The Panera downtown, where I drank a lot of smoothies because I was too anxious throughout my first month at college to eat full meals.
67. The clearance area at the MDen. Most of my Michigan apparel is from this area of the store, or it was given to me at a sporting event.
68. My one-night staycations over the summer of 2020. While I was living from my parents' I would go away for just a night in Ann Arbor to get takeout from somewhere and remember that I was a college student for a second.
69. The winter snowstorm that made getting to an indoor track meet an absolute nightmare because I had to leave my apartment before the roads were plowed.
70. The snowstorm and subsequent cancellation of classes during the polar vortex in which Michigan basketball still played Ohio State and won. I consider myself to be a good driver, but that was the most scared I've been at the wheel -- equal parts from fear of the weather and fear of running late and losing our spot in line. We got there safe, sound, and on time.
71. When there was a snowstorm on a random Wednesday night, my friend Eric and I went to see Green Book the year it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. We were the only people in the entire building that weren't the staff. There's a joke in there tying those two sentences together.
72. Literally any time it rains.
For some reason, I find Ann Arbor gorgeous when it rains. Here are some rainy day moments I associate with Ann Arbor, and no, I will not be double listing the Michigan/Michigan State game:
73. My first visit to North Campus on a rainy Saturday as a freshman to visit a friend. I'd never used the blue buses. It rained our entire journey to and from. I remember distinctly how excited I was.
74. The rain-stopped AFC Ann Arbor vs. Rochester Lancers playoff game that is still, to this day, the most bizarre sports moment ever. Bilal, I hope someday this ends up in the book you write -- hopefully still titled 'The Wixom Trips'.
75. The day in my freshman year I finished Twin Peaks: Season Three in my dorm room on a rainy evening in a city I didn't know yet. It was perfectly foreign to me. I like to think David Lynch would be proud of this viewing experience.
76. The day I became friends with Alex. I was getting ready to spend an hour or so in between classes somehow. There was a crowd gathered around one of those ultra-religious traveling pastors. I asked someone to fill me in, and that person turned out to be Alex, with who it just so happened we had a class together. I had to eventually leave, but we swapped numbers and remained friends. It ended up POURING rain that night. I walked through the Diag, hoping that the good word would be important enough for the preacher to brave the elements for, but he was nowhere to be found.
Now is also the perfect time to mention MaryRose, Briana, and Maddy, who comprise a wonderful friend group that Zooms all the time whenever MaryRose wrangles us together. It is so fun to have a core of friends with similar interests and passions. They are all truly wonderful people and nothing gives me more joy than just how much social media content they consume and synthesize so I don't have to.
77. The North Quad basement. With all the comm classes I took, I became an expert at killing time in that building.
78. The great bathroom hunt.
My favorite kinda-silly university-wide question is, "Where is the best bathroom on campus?" As someone with Crohn's disease, this is something I take very seriously. And for the record, my answer is the Michigan League's second floor and third floors. It is always clean and so out of the way on campus that it's never occupied. To anyone still at Michigan, you're welcome. In case you're curious, the worst facilities are at the MLB and it's not even close.
79. My Monday tradition of going to lunch at Knight's and doing the New York Times crossword puzzle while eating ahead of my late-afternoon class. I always felt like an adult.
80. The ill-fated trip to Knight's watch Michigan play Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament in 2020. I will never forget going up to wash my hands, seeing the pre-game show, and coming out to see the breaking news on the TV screen that the game was canceled eight minutes before noon. Josh and I share a love of basketball, and this was one of the more exciting times because we'd gotten a day off of classes and the reality of the situation hadn't fully sunk in yet. It's a moment I'll never forget.
81. Totoro Sushi. Okay, NOW I'm all done naming restaurants.
82. Walking through the Diag on a breezy day.
83. Picking out my first semester's worth of classes in the (now-closed) Espresso Royale on State Street. RIP to Espresso Royale, I miss their banana bread and mint brownies at all times.
84. While we're on the conversation of it, orientation as a whole.
I had never stayed a single night away from home without my parents. Not because I was sheltered, but I just had no desire to sleep anywhere else unless it was a vacation. So the weekend-long orientation was a big moment for me. I almost immediately made friends and met people I felt comfortable around. It alleviated a lot of concerns I had coming to this university knowing no one, and I felt so loved by the city and the people. Staying up till 1 AM while playing cards in the basement of East Quad will always remain one of my favorite memories on this campus.
85. The Bentley Historical Library and the amazing sports files that they have. I was able to pull my mother's press clippings file and see all the incredible things she had written about her. It was a truly wonderful experience and I'd urge anyone interested in Michigan athletics history (or just the history of the state) to go explore there.
86. The general existence of Panda Express on the university's campus. The one in the Union was my happy place.
87. My routine walks down to the Taubman Center. My Crohn's requires regular check-ups, some more frequent than others, like blood work. While living on Geddes, I lived the perfect distance from my place to the hospital. Sometimes I would stop at Angelo's before class while I was over there. Those were never as bad of days as I prepared for them to be.
88. The welcome week walkthrough of my class buildings. I went with a friend of mine named Maggie, and I had no clue where any of my buildings were. I ended up with about eleven miles walking logged on my phone. It was the first time I felt like an accomplished college student.
89. Watching Liverpool on campus. I got no greater thrill than to watch Liverpool as a student. Whether it was in the Michigan League on my laptop, in Hatcher when I should have probably been studying, or during class when I definitely should have been listening. It was always a weekend activity I looked greatly forward to. I will never forget watching the Liverpool/Manchester City Champions League match while in class, trying my best not to shout in joy at the goals scored.
90. My walks past South Quad post-living at South Quad. I will always have a sentimental attachment to South Quad, maybe more than any other building in the city. I like looking at it with a fresh perspective.
91. My building exploration adventures; which were where I would routinely wander through a building hoping to stumble upon something cool. I spent I significant amount of time checking out the Union, the League, and Angell Hall. I wish I'd gotten to spend more time doing that.
92. My Brockhampton crewneck. I've mentioned them twice already, but if you couldn't tell I was a bit of a Brockhampton kid as a late-teen. I ordered their Saturation trilogy crewneck hoodie from their website in the basement of North Quad as a freshman before my poli-sci class's discussion. It has remained a staple in my wardrobe since and it has truly seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
93. The love of the arts -- all of them -- that this city has.
One of the ways I really got through this last year was through film. Ann Arbor's cherishing and appreciation of film, and music, and painting, drawing, or any other distinctly artistic endeavor is something I always appreciated. I want to use this to segway into my next five things, all films that I saw while residing in Ann Arbor, all special for a different reason.
94. Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) by Questlove. I watched this in my apartment on Hulu the first day it was available. Questlove's passion for music and his powerful reclamation of an important moment in Black history reminded me of why I do the work that I do. Out of love.
95. Irma Vep by Olivier Assayas. Never have I been truly blown away by a film, or even a specific scene, like I was with this Assayas masterpiece. It's a reminder that film as a medium (and creative work in general) can, and should, be fun for the creator. Even amidst a deep writer's block, it still motivated me to write a piece that I remain very proud of on my film-centric blog.
96. Autumn Sonata by Ingmar Bergman. This is my all-time favorite director's best ever film; a deeply moving film about a mother and daughter coming to terms with who they've been to one another throughout their lives. It made me remember that art is supposed to move us and make us feel poignant and powerful emotions. I hope one day to write something even 1/100th as good as this film's screenplay.
97. The Father by Florian Zeller. One of the first films I saw back in the State Street Theater, Zeller's masterpiece is a suspenseful and terrifying film about the perils of growing old. I took a straight shot of gin at Knight's before the film and was still feeling the effects of the liquid courage post-film enough to shout at some hateful evangelicals at the corner of State and East University. The film was great, the entire day was the Ann Arbor feeling and experience that I craved and had missed for so long.
98. Freaks and Geeks by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow. Okay, I'm cheating, this is a TV series, I know. But my friend Natalie (thanks again Nat <3) introduced this to me and it's the perfect little representation of the youthful rebellion and desire to be and feel like myself that I felt during these last few months in this city. This show is, in my opinion, the peak of network television.
99. The Barnes and Noble on Washtenaw and the friendly workers and patrons that always chatted to me about the films I was buying. The July 50% off Criterion sale just won't be the same elsewhere.
100. The sinking feeling in my gut as I moved my entire life's worth of belongings out of my apartment, down some way-too-tiring stairs, and into my car. I hate that feeling and all of the anxiety and nervousness it provokes. But I love what it represents -- a sadness to leave the first place I truly felt at home in.
Thank you again. To all my friends, family, and those I've worked with, you all are amazing and I am always grateful for you. To Ann Arbor, I will see you again soon. I have a new adventure to take on, but, like this blog site, I know you'll always be there for me to return to.
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