Ann Arbor - It’s the lion’s den. It’s the forbidden city. And it’s the last place MSU fans want to be after a loss.
And when those fans stumble into Ann Arbor, there is a clash of culture spawned by an annual football game. In the back of the minds of most, it comes down to the snobs versus the slobs.
On Saturday afternoon, Ann Arbor will swell with nearly 750,000 people, leaving police to keep traffic and fans under control, said Ann Arbor police Sgt. Brad Hill. He said the department’s main goal on game day is to keep traffic and fans in line.
“There’s always a few negative interactions between fans because both schools are so close,” he said. “But for the most part you get more people here.”
And some aspects of tailgating in Ann Arbor don’t deviate from East Lansing, such as laws about open containers. Hill said the only place tailgaters can have open alcohol is on certain lots owned by the University of Michigan and private residential lots.
But it’s after the game that Ann Arbor offers a change of pace for visiting students.
When the purple haze and protest signs stepped aside at the end of the 1960s, a new era at Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, 551 S. Division St., began. DaVee Askew has kept a watchful eye over as many as six orders on the grill at a time since 1969.
But Blimpy’s exciting moments don’t come from the line out the door or the game playing on television in the corner. They come when someone doesn’t know the drill when it comes to ordering.
Blimpy’s “virgins” are those who have never eaten at the restaurant, much less heard of a quad or a quint with bacon. When virgins so much as hesitate when ordering, Askew will sniff out the newcomer and make a spectacle of them.
“You really know the virgins because they come in a little scared and not quite sure,” she said. “There’s some of them that come in here who are virgins and do a good job hiding it.”
U-M senior Joel Cronenwett has worked in the trenches of Blimpy’s with Askew for two years and agreed with her assessment of the clientele.
“When the game is going on, this place is a madhouse,” he said. “Thirty people standing in line. It’s definitely crazy.”
When it’s time to hit the town, the bars are the glue that hold Ann Arbor’s social scene together.
And although 20-year-old U-M junior Melissa Orban said she can’t recommend a good bar for MSU students visiting for the weekend, she said Ann Arbor has plenty to offer all ages.
“Over 21 - the good places to go are Score Keepers (310 Maynard St.) and Rick’s (American) Cafe (611 Church St.), especially if they are greek,” she said. “A lot of my friends go there.
“Under 21 - frat parties and house parties are always good.”
Although speaking for a school that hosts students who occasionally coat Sparty with maize and blue paint, Orban said she advises MSU students to have fun, but show respect and not vandalize U-M’s campus.
“Have fun and teach Ann Arbor people to be more friendly,” she said. “We’re snobs.
“Honestly, every weekend I have off, I go down to MSU to party. You guys are so much more fun.”
After the game, Ashley’s, 338 S. State St., caters to townies, graduate students and alumni alike, with an English pub atmosphere and 66 beers on tap.
Ashley’s general manager Matt Julian said Saturday will be game day as usual, with two extra people on staff.
“It’s a pretty big rivalry,” he said. “In years past, we have a big fall in. We get a lot of Michigan State fans here. If Michigan State wins, we are probably going to have a lot more Michigan State fans.
“This will be our last big one of the year.”
Julian said he is looking forward to the arrival of MSU’s fans, but would like to see things kept under control.
“My main concern is people don’t come in here, party their asses off and go drive,” he said. “Come down and have as much fun as you want, bring an attitude.
“If you win, you can have an attitude. If you lose, you’d better not have one. Come down with the right attitude.”
Around 2 a.m., when people rush the streets, the eateries get busy in a hurry. But even before the bars close, Giuseppe Cincinnato, owner of Bella Napoli Pizza & Italian, 615 E. University Ave., prepares for a different rush.
Every weekend Cincinnato challenges teams of students to eat a daunting 30-inch pizza made with five pounds of dough, four pounds of cheese and 40 ounces of tomato sauce - all in less than 30 minutes.
Fifty dollars may seem steep for dinner, but $150-$400 cash prizes for the winner and a chance to win a trip to Cancun, Mexico, justify the cost, Cincinnato said.
“I always tell these people, ‘Don’t go to the bar, and then come in to play,’” he said, “because I already know the ending.
“Alcohol makes you brave. I don’t like to take people’s money like that. Come in sober, then you know what you’re doing.”
MSU students going to Ann Arbor will find more options from different eateries. Mike Wong, who has worked for the past six years at Fleetwood Diner, 300 S. Ashley St., said the scene changes drastically after midnight.
“Once all the bars let out, anybody who is around here or is too drunk to drive will end up in here,” he said. “It’s almost like a club atmosphere than a restaurant after the bars close.”
Wong said nearly 150 people come to Fleetwood within an hour after the bars close.
“I know Ann Arbor is a pretty different place than East Lansing,” he said. “It seems like East Lansing is more of a down-to-earth small town. Of course, Ann Arbor is more like a small large city, kind of stuck-up in many ways.
“A lot of the population here has an above-average income that leads to an attitude.”
Still, Wong said most business owners are more concerned about the profits they hope to raise during a weekend when MSU students visit Ann Arbor.
“To us, the people who are working here, they are just more income for us,” he said.
Casey McNenly can be reached at mcnenlyc@msu.edu.
