International relations senior Jessica Ciacco sits above Rick’s American Café and Beggar’s Banquet in her 1920s-style apartment.
ATMs constantly beep in the background. People yell into cell phones, and car stereos blast bass from Abbott Road below.
But Ciacco says she has gotten used to all the noises, and now finds the “bar culture” looming downstairs entertaining.
Ciacco’s bedroom window provides a perfect view of the chaos that can happen after the bars close with fights, police and ambulances in the alley below.
“More than anything, it’s entertaining,” she said.
Ciacco’s experiences are not uncommon for students who live above popular East Lansing businesses. Many Grand River hot spots have apartments above them to rent, offering students easy access to the downtown nightlife and a quick walk to classes.
But Ciacco’s attitude about living above a booming nightclub wasn’t always so optimistic.
Ciacco said her time in Case Hall and then studying abroad last year didn’t prepare her for living above bars.
“I was completely unfamiliar with the bar scene,” she said.
But Ciacco wanted an apartment with character when she decided to move off campus, and she found one in College Manor Apartments, 102 Albert Ave.
The 26-apartment complex houses about seven different models of apartments, all dating back to the Roaring ’20s.
“Most of the people we get value the historic ambiance,” facility manager Ed Curth said.
The apartments come unfurnished, but the original woodwork still is in place, and big windows gaze out onto Abbott Road and Albert Avenue.
“It’s different than the run-of-the-mill apartments,” Curth said.
A one bedroom apartment costs about $350 a month, and two-bedroom apartments cost about $700, Curth said.
Ciacco said she and her roommate cut costs by not paying for Internet access, since the Union is so close to her apartment.
The 24-hour computer labs available at the Union serve as the perfect study spot, she said, away from the distractions of TV and computer games.
“It’s terribly convenient,” Ciacco said.
But studying isn’t impossible in the apartment either, Ciacco said.
She says as soon as she shuts her bedroom door and window most sounds are wiped out.
That is, until the bars let out. Wednesday night is “wine night” at Beggar’s Banquet, 218 Abbott Road, directly below Ciacco’s bedroom.
“My bed vibrates till 2 a.m.,” she said.
But Beggar’s Banquet assistant manager Melissa Baldwin said she hasn’t heard any complaints from residents living above the bar and restaurant.
And some people, such as communication senior Chris Farrish, who lives in a studio apartment in College Manor, are becoming regulars or “Beggulars,” Baldwin said.
Farrish said he’s so used to life above a bar he can’t sleep without hearing the air-conditioning system humming from below.
“I’ve grown to be used to it,” he said.
College Manor is a small operation, Curth said, and being in the heart of East Lansing makes these apartments go fast. Curth said there are openings periodically throughout the year, and no money is required to be put on the waiting list.
