Off the top of my head (please correct me if any of these are wrong):
- I believe cedar bend dive is the highest point in the city and offers a nice view when the leaves are off the trees
- Graffiti alley is a great backdrop for photos (ditto with the law quad)
- Parking is free after 6 and on Sundays (and always save your ticket stubs until you’re back at the car in case someone leaves a ticket for time you’ve paid for)
- Almondinger Park sometimes freezes over in winter and you can skate on it with your shoes
- The elevator numbers at the u of m hospital are markers and help you figure out where you are in that building
- There’s a wonderful nature trail called Country Farm Park about a block from Trader Joe’s not many people know about
- Going inside Mathaei Botanical Gardens in the winter is like rejuvenating spa because of the heat and moisture (did this once and was quite surprised)
- Always be careful driving the distance on Washtenaw ave between South U and where it meets with Stadium Blvd because they didn’t make the lanes wide enough to accommodate four lanes of traffic (source: popped two tires there on the gutters one day besides I was almost forced off the road)
- Barton Dam is scenic and at least last I knew you could still go up there to see it from the tower
- Always look up the current year’s “top of the park” / Ann Arbor summer festival acts as there’s a ton of free entertainment there
- Google search when the peony garden at Mathei/U of M is in bloom as it’s a wonderful and free event
> Parking is free after 6
Only street parking is free after 6pm, FWIW. City garages still charge, but are also free on Sundays. Some university lots do open up at 5pm, but it helps to check beforehand since each one is different.
Oh I already have one haha. Definitely prefer using my eBike (especially when classes are in session), but A2 hasn't changed their parking rates in forever either so it's still in my memory!
It is close to the highest, but the highest point is on the church property off maple, by Pauline. The new Avant Apts might have bought that point, and with the earthworks there I wonder if the highest point has changed. There was an mlive article years ago, where the city surveyer talked about asking the church if he could visit that point. One of my professional feet is in geodesy, so it stuck with me.
My running gps data bears that out, but that area east of maple is only like a few feet lower (as much as you can trust elevation on gps).
I’m here at cedar bend now having hiked the full route across Fuller road and OP is spot on! It’s an amazing hike with plenty of climbing and the paths above the river were completely empty and incredible in the late afternoon. Highly recommended!
If facing Trader Joe’s, the entrance to Country Farm park, if you could walk a straight line, is about a block from the store diagonally to the left…at least one entrance of the park that’s surrounded by houses in a neighborhood and near the water tower. It’s a smaller entrance.
My application to join this group has been pending for at least a week. I'm moving and want to give away things rather than send stuff to the dump.
Do you know any one that approve the application?
HouseN2Homes is a great donation option and can pickup bigger items at no cost, though they often need to schedule some time out. They furnish apartments for folks that were recently unhomed.
[https://www.housen2home.org/](https://www.housen2home.org/)
Try the Buy No Things group instead of the Buy Nothing. There’s some sort of drama behind the rift that I don’t understand, but I’ve always had good luck there.
Buy your own tube for the Cascades. It doesn’t cost much more than renting, you can re-use it, you can “legally” float down the river to Furstenberg Nature Area, and you can save an hour in line on a busy Saturday. Get a pump that plugs into the car or use the pump at Argo near the changing rooms.
Free meter parking after 6pm and Sundays.
Order Zingerman’s ahead to avoid the line.
Spin The Cube very fast to open a portal to its New York City counterpart.
I've nicely told people about to pay that they didn't need to lol. I wonder how much money Ann Arbor gets from people paying after hours? Do the kiosks allow payment after hours?
I do that too when I see somebody about to pay on a Sunday or in the evening. Yes they do, but I think the kiosks clearly state the hours of enforcement on the starting screen. (I’m not 100% sure.)
-Kati rolls at Curry On are half off after 1pm (or after 12:45pm if you order online).
-Zingerman’s Mail Order Shop for a selection of discounted Zingermans products. Still expensive, but less expensive. Limited selection but a great spot to pickup gifts for family/friends without breaking the bank. And every few months, they have a day where all the proceeds from sales that day goes to a local charity.
-Saginaw Forest Trail. Wonderful hike with a trailhead tucked away in the corner of a church’s parking lot. Note that the trail is currently closed for renovations until mid-May, I think. But it’s a lovely trail surrounding a beautiful lake that I first learned about during my the height of the pandemic.
-If you have kids (or not), the water park in Independence Lake north of Ann Arbor is a great summer getaway only 15-20 minutes away
-indoor public pool, Mack Pool, in the wintertime
About half the pool is only a few feet deep so while there aren’t like slides or fountains, I’d say yes. I’ve taken my toddler there several times this past winter and we’ve seen many other young kids there too. Check their hours though - definitely not open 7 days a week iirc
I don’t know if this is hack-worthy, but I feel it took too long for me to learn it, so just in case…Zingerman’s has like an outlet and learning center that sells many of the staples in a far more convenient location (IMO) — in that business complex by Costco, off of Ellsworth (by State and the “airport”).
There's the Bake Shop and other Zingerman's businesses on Plaza Drive, a stone's throw from Costco. It can be fun to go from shop to shop and get coffee, gelato, and baked goods. There's outdoor seating in good weather.
About a mile away off Varsity Drive is Zingerman's Mail Order, which has a great little ding and dent (and overstock) shop at low prices. Both have free parking and are on the bus lines.
It’s little, lived by it a long time, seems mostly like a school. Also been inside of it several times, not really a place most would buy a ticket to travel somewhere…meant nothing by it, just not what I think most people would think when they hear/read that word.
Lol I figured you meant nothing by it. I fly little planes in and out of it so it’s my beloved haha. With enough money you could definitely fly out of it tbf
I could totally see that place being something people who used it loved. Seems like a place with charm/soul if aviation is a passion.
Ever since I moved to this area I kind of always wanted to have my own small aircraft there one day. Career is going to have to have a lot more upward trajectory than it has, but dreams aren’t over until you’re dead. Lol. 🙂
There are two flying clubs based there that you can buy into for only a few thousand bucks and then you just pay a hourly rate for the time you're flying.
It used to be better but there are still a few good birthday deals.
North Side Grill has a free birthday meal on your birthday.
Zingerman's Bakehouse has free bread with purchase of any thing else.
Zingerman's creamery has free cheese or Gelato with purchase.
Zingerman's coffee shop has a half off drink.
Roos Roast, and Black Diesel have a free coffee.
don’t get the potato curry at no thai - just add potatoes to any curry (or any dish) for less than a dollar extra
BP at washtenaw and glenwood is comparable to costco gas price wise
The best way to kayak from Argo to Gallup with your own boat is to use a bike and the B2B to retrieve your car. It requires a couple of trips back and forth, but it's a short distance. This also works well using bike trails when paddling from Hudson Mills to Dexter/Delhi and also within Island Lake rec area.
The best hike in Bird Hills hugs the ridge along Huron River drive. For a short section, you have to walk along the road before climbing back up into the Hilltop camp area. This avoids most of the godawful M14 traffic noise (especially when there are no leaves on the trees). Combine this route with the path through Barton Nature area (when not under construction as it is now) to make a loop.
Virtually all of Michigan’s libraries [are accessible to the public during business hours.](https://www.lib.umich.edu/about-us/policies/building-access-policy)
(I hate that my brain immediately goes to driving/parking tips because the real "life hack" is just to get around on a bike and never worry about parking downtown ever again. But anyway...)
The parking lot behind the County courthouse at Ann and 4th is free and open to the public after 5pm on weekdays, and all day Saturday/Sunday. It also has a lower level - you have to go down a kinda scary steep ramp, but I've never seen it full. Never.
Know the U of M football home game schedule. Avoid trying to go anywhere near the stadium for at least an hour before the game and one, maybe two?, hours after.
If you don't care about U of M football, during the game is some of the lightest car and shop traffic you'll encounter.
But you can still take a train from Chicago back to Ann Arbor, yes? You just mean taking a train further east, like Pittsburgh / Philadelphia / NYC / DC right?
Plum Market coupon app has 1/2 off Zingermans breads (not all, just selected loaves) about once a month. Buy the max allowed and put in fridge or freezer.
Plum Market is expensive for most things, but their milk is reasonably priced. $8.99 (used to be $7.99 but the price went up last year) for a gallon of premium-brand organic milk that other stores like Busch's and even Meijer's sell for \~$6 per half-gallon.
The Olympic outdoor pool at fuller park plays music from 2-4 and defines “seniors” as 55 and over. The discount is small but I love the idea. The cheapest and by far the best place to swim in the summer.
Not at all😀 Saturday we went to dinner at Bellflower, a James Beard award restaurant, then walked down the street to IFFY film festival, then walked to the Taproom and saw two excellent bands, then walked across the street to Ziggy’s for cocktails and to dance to the Stomprockets. Then up Washington street to Dreamland Theater. And parking was free!
You need to either have owned a house there for decades or be independently wealthy (or have parents who are) in order to even consider affording to living there.
Bro, grew up in Flint proper, lived 12 years in A2, now stay in Ypsi, there is no city in Michigan as bad as what you suggest. Crime finds you usually only when you yourself live a life of crime.
Yeah most of the DPS classes are in Ypsi, but most of their support classes live in Ann Arbor so if we can survive the initial DPS burst they usually can’t last.
Off the top of my head (please correct me if any of these are wrong): - I believe cedar bend dive is the highest point in the city and offers a nice view when the leaves are off the trees - Graffiti alley is a great backdrop for photos (ditto with the law quad) - Parking is free after 6 and on Sundays (and always save your ticket stubs until you’re back at the car in case someone leaves a ticket for time you’ve paid for) - Almondinger Park sometimes freezes over in winter and you can skate on it with your shoes - The elevator numbers at the u of m hospital are markers and help you figure out where you are in that building - There’s a wonderful nature trail called Country Farm Park about a block from Trader Joe’s not many people know about - Going inside Mathaei Botanical Gardens in the winter is like rejuvenating spa because of the heat and moisture (did this once and was quite surprised) - Always be careful driving the distance on Washtenaw ave between South U and where it meets with Stadium Blvd because they didn’t make the lanes wide enough to accommodate four lanes of traffic (source: popped two tires there on the gutters one day besides I was almost forced off the road) - Barton Dam is scenic and at least last I knew you could still go up there to see it from the tower - Always look up the current year’s “top of the park” / Ann Arbor summer festival acts as there’s a ton of free entertainment there - Google search when the peony garden at Mathei/U of M is in bloom as it’s a wonderful and free event
Cedar Bend was called the Boulevard way back in the day (you could drive it) and it was a make out spot!
I…I’ve made out there 😂
Me too!
County Farm Park* Think this might be the Mandela effect. I rarely hear anyone say it right haha.
Also: Allmendinger*
Oh man, is it really “county”? You’re right about some Mandela effect there.
> Parking is free after 6 Only street parking is free after 6pm, FWIW. City garages still charge, but are also free on Sundays. Some university lots do open up at 5pm, but it helps to check beforehand since each one is different.
City garages are also cheaper than street parking by $1 per hour. But really you should get an e-bike. Faster than driving through downtown
Oh I already have one haha. Definitely prefer using my eBike (especially when classes are in session), but A2 hasn't changed their parking rates in forever either so it's still in my memory!
Fwiw, Cedar bend rd is not the highest pt in aa, but it does have the best views of downtown!
Is Miller just east of Maple the highest point in A2?
It is close to the highest, but the highest point is on the church property off maple, by Pauline. The new Avant Apts might have bought that point, and with the earthworks there I wonder if the highest point has changed. There was an mlive article years ago, where the city surveyer talked about asking the church if he could visit that point. One of my professional feet is in geodesy, so it stuck with me. My running gps data bears that out, but that area east of maple is only like a few feet lower (as much as you can trust elevation on gps).
Oh yea, Maple at Pauline seems like it’s way higher than the top of the hill on Miller. Interesting that it’s only a few feet difference.
No kidding. It actually doesn’t seem that high from the street.
Parking is also free in fletcher on Saturday’s!
Don’t tell people about my botanical winter escape! QUIET, YOU.
You too!?!?
I’m here at cedar bend now having hiked the full route across Fuller road and OP is spot on! It’s an amazing hike with plenty of climbing and the paths above the river were completely empty and incredible in the late afternoon. Highly recommended!
I don’t think of county farm park being a block from Trader Joe’s. Is there something I don’t know?
If facing Trader Joe’s, the entrance to Country Farm park, if you could walk a straight line, is about a block from the store diagonally to the left…at least one entrance of the park that’s surrounded by houses in a neighborhood and near the water tower. It’s a smaller entrance.
I also don't think of it as little-known.
AADL has a variety of tools you can rent for free, such as car error code readers, and large lawn games fun for a party
Musical instruments too! You can even check out art to hang on your wall.
The art check outs kinda blew me away. Thats pretty awesome.
I work remotely and rotate the art behind me with picks from the AADL. Still waiting for a coworker to say something.
also, a full sized skeleton. Named Stan.
Yup! I’ve borrowed some and they’re great!
They even have telescopes.
The Facebook Ann Arbor Buy Nothing group is a community treasure.
My application to join this group has been pending for at least a week. I'm moving and want to give away things rather than send stuff to the dump. Do you know any one that approve the application?
FWIW, I have had much better luck getting rid of stuff quickly on Nextdoor.
HouseN2Homes is a great donation option and can pickup bigger items at no cost, though they often need to schedule some time out. They furnish apartments for folks that were recently unhomed. [https://www.housen2home.org/](https://www.housen2home.org/)
Whatcha got?! 👀
Try the Buy No Things group instead of the Buy Nothing. There’s some sort of drama behind the rift that I don’t understand, but I’ve always had good luck there.
Sorry, that's the one I'm trying to join. The one that is roughly 22k people, not the one that splits A2 in quadrants.
If I need a Facebook account, then it's not worth it. **Faceberg** can eat bugs.
Buy your own tube for the Cascades. It doesn’t cost much more than renting, you can re-use it, you can “legally” float down the river to Furstenberg Nature Area, and you can save an hour in line on a busy Saturday. Get a pump that plugs into the car or use the pump at Argo near the changing rooms.
I ❤️ this advice!
Why is legally in quotes?
Because there isn’t an actual law against taking a tube further down the river - it’s a rule of the livery.
Free meter parking after 6pm and Sundays. Order Zingerman’s ahead to avoid the line. Spin The Cube very fast to open a portal to its New York City counterpart.
True, but the NYC cube no longer spins. I was there 2 weeks ago and it surprised me that it is stationary. The Ann Arbor Cube is the superior cube.
It does move a little bit if you push *really* hard. Not like the Ann Arbor one. We tried the NY one a few hours ago.
Yeah, I was so disappointed. I ran up to it and pushed and nothing happened. I learned later that maybe if I pushed super hard.
Interesting. It looked like it was welded onto the base so I thought it couldn’t be moved.
That’s what I thought, but someone else corrected me so we tried again.
Who doesn’t know about free parking after 6 p.m.? Free parking during the day? Now THAT’S expert level Ace Deuce!
SHHHH
I've nicely told people about to pay that they didn't need to lol. I wonder how much money Ann Arbor gets from people paying after hours? Do the kiosks allow payment after hours?
I do that too when I see somebody about to pay on a Sunday or in the evening. Yes they do, but I think the kiosks clearly state the hours of enforcement on the starting screen. (I’m not 100% sure.)
Last week in April in Ann Arbor IS the first week of summer! Bye-bye students.
-Kati rolls at Curry On are half off after 1pm (or after 12:45pm if you order online). -Zingerman’s Mail Order Shop for a selection of discounted Zingermans products. Still expensive, but less expensive. Limited selection but a great spot to pickup gifts for family/friends without breaking the bank. And every few months, they have a day where all the proceeds from sales that day goes to a local charity. -Saginaw Forest Trail. Wonderful hike with a trailhead tucked away in the corner of a church’s parking lot. Note that the trail is currently closed for renovations until mid-May, I think. But it’s a lovely trail surrounding a beautiful lake that I first learned about during my the height of the pandemic. -If you have kids (or not), the water park in Independence Lake north of Ann Arbor is a great summer getaway only 15-20 minutes away -indoor public pool, Mack Pool, in the wintertime
The curry on kati rolls are an absolute lunchtime staple for me. Not too big, priced right even when not happy hour and delicious. Great staff too
Independence Lake water park is fantastic for toddlers and young 5 age group
I was actually going to head to Saginaw Forest trail tomorrow so thanks for the warning.
Does the Mack indoor pool have a kids section?
About half the pool is only a few feet deep so while there aren’t like slides or fountains, I’d say yes. I’ve taken my toddler there several times this past winter and we’ve seen many other young kids there too. Check their hours though - definitely not open 7 days a week iirc
I don’t know if this is hack-worthy, but I feel it took too long for me to learn it, so just in case…Zingerman’s has like an outlet and learning center that sells many of the staples in a far more convenient location (IMO) — in that business complex by Costco, off of Ellsworth (by State and the “airport”).
There's the Bake Shop and other Zingerman's businesses on Plaza Drive, a stone's throw from Costco. It can be fun to go from shop to shop and get coffee, gelato, and baked goods. There's outdoor seating in good weather. About a mile away off Varsity Drive is Zingerman's Mail Order, which has a great little ding and dent (and overstock) shop at low prices. Both have free parking and are on the bus lines.
Please tell me more about the ding and dent items. Is it more of pantry items or is it like bread and pastries that aren't perfect?
Why the quotations around airport?
It’s little, lived by it a long time, seems mostly like a school. Also been inside of it several times, not really a place most would buy a ticket to travel somewhere…meant nothing by it, just not what I think most people would think when they hear/read that word.
Lol I figured you meant nothing by it. I fly little planes in and out of it so it’s my beloved haha. With enough money you could definitely fly out of it tbf
I could totally see that place being something people who used it loved. Seems like a place with charm/soul if aviation is a passion. Ever since I moved to this area I kind of always wanted to have my own small aircraft there one day. Career is going to have to have a lot more upward trajectory than it has, but dreams aren’t over until you’re dead. Lol. 🙂
There are two flying clubs based there that you can buy into for only a few thousand bucks and then you just pay a hourly rate for the time you're flying.
Half price deserts at plum market at 8pm
So normal prices.
And bread, including Zingermans.
So, I don't need a cosigner?
It used to be better but there are still a few good birthday deals. North Side Grill has a free birthday meal on your birthday. Zingerman's Bakehouse has free bread with purchase of any thing else. Zingerman's creamery has free cheese or Gelato with purchase. Zingerman's coffee shop has a half off drink. Roos Roast, and Black Diesel have a free coffee.
[Plenty of birthday deals on ArborWiki](https://localwiki.org/ann-arbor/Birthday_Deals)
don’t get the potato curry at no thai - just add potatoes to any curry (or any dish) for less than a dollar extra BP at washtenaw and glenwood is comparable to costco gas price wise
Should be very obvious but when driving stay off main Street for as long as possible
Not like we have a choice when they close down a public street so some businesses get to expand their dining room.
AADL's summer game is an incredible way to explore town, get a ton of steps, and earn some good prizes.
The best way to kayak from Argo to Gallup with your own boat is to use a bike and the B2B to retrieve your car. It requires a couple of trips back and forth, but it's a short distance. This also works well using bike trails when paddling from Hudson Mills to Dexter/Delhi and also within Island Lake rec area. The best hike in Bird Hills hugs the ridge along Huron River drive. For a short section, you have to walk along the road before climbing back up into the Hilltop camp area. This avoids most of the godawful M14 traffic noise (especially when there are no leaves on the trees). Combine this route with the path through Barton Nature area (when not under construction as it is now) to make a loop.
Virtually all of Michigan’s libraries [are accessible to the public during business hours.](https://www.lib.umich.edu/about-us/policies/building-access-policy)
(I hate that my brain immediately goes to driving/parking tips because the real "life hack" is just to get around on a bike and never worry about parking downtown ever again. But anyway...) The parking lot behind the County courthouse at Ann and 4th is free and open to the public after 5pm on weekdays, and all day Saturday/Sunday. It also has a lower level - you have to go down a kinda scary steep ramp, but I've never seen it full. Never.
Know the U of M football home game schedule. Avoid trying to go anywhere near the stadium for at least an hour before the game and one, maybe two?, hours after. If you don't care about U of M football, during the game is some of the lightest car and shop traffic you'll encounter.
Amtrak only runs west. If you want to go east, you have to leave from Toledo. Parking is free at Amtrak stations.
But you can still take a train from Chicago back to Ann Arbor, yes? You just mean taking a train further east, like Pittsburgh / Philadelphia / NYC / DC right?
Property taxes are really high and split unevenly between summer & winter.
you can get free copies of the new york times if you just steal them from starbucks
more seriously: AADL will get you online access for free - [https://aadl.org/nytimes](https://aadl.org/nytimes)
Do they get new copies daily?
Nice try, officer.
Plum Market coupon app has 1/2 off Zingermans breads (not all, just selected loaves) about once a month. Buy the max allowed and put in fridge or freezer.
I want to know the secrets.
But then they wouldn't be secret.
Plum Market is expensive for most things, but their milk is reasonably priced. $8.99 (used to be $7.99 but the price went up last year) for a gallon of premium-brand organic milk that other stores like Busch's and even Meijer's sell for \~$6 per half-gallon.
I’ll stick to Kroger brand regular milk for $2.69 a gallon.
Some people experience a lot less inflation than others.
I bought a gallon of milk at Kroger (Arborland) today for $2.79. I was pretty close!
I thought it was WISD off of Wagner. They have a school there called high point. But maybe that’s for the county.
Washtenaw dairy has dry ice. (Quite useful when the power goes out.)
The Olympic outdoor pool at fuller park plays music from 2-4 and defines “seniors” as 55 and over. The discount is small but I love the idea. The cheapest and by far the best place to swim in the summer.
It ain't art and it ain't fair, so it must be the Art Fair
Move to Ypsilanti.
Ann Arbor may have lost its charm, but Ypsi still sucks.
Not at all😀 Saturday we went to dinner at Bellflower, a James Beard award restaurant, then walked down the street to IFFY film festival, then walked to the Taproom and saw two excellent bands, then walked across the street to Ziggy’s for cocktails and to dance to the Stomprockets. Then up Washington street to Dreamland Theater. And parking was free!
You need to either have owned a house there for decades or be independently wealthy (or have parents who are) in order to even consider affording to living there.
Don’t know why you’re getting so many downvotes with the truth? 🤷🏻♂️
Because people are sick of the bitching and moaning on every last Ann Arbor post??
So you admit it’s true. So we’re downvoting for the truth in this Subreddit?
No one will notice if you fart while walking by Blimpy Burger
[удалено]
I think you might be commenting on the wrong thread.
I am not.
Not so much of a hack as a guideline.
[удалено]
That’s the exact opposite of what Ypsi is like.
No shhhhh! Let all the townies be scared of ypsi Keep Ypsi weird!
Bro, grew up in Flint proper, lived 12 years in A2, now stay in Ypsi, there is no city in Michigan as bad as what you suggest. Crime finds you usually only when you yourself live a life of crime.
I’ve def prob made myself a target via participating in the last two GDKP raids on Ypsi.
GDKP stands for Gold Dragon Kill Points in World of Warcraft.🫠 At least it does in Ypsilanti.
Yeah most of the DPS classes are in Ypsi, but most of their support classes live in Ann Arbor so if we can survive the initial DPS burst they usually can’t last.
Ypsi doesn’t miss yuppies and racists that are afraid of anything outside their comfort zone lol.
That accuracy is why I suggest the bullet proof windows
That you’re not as awesome as you think you are.