A Taste of Ann Arbor

- September 13, 2025

I left Michigan this morning (currently in Bayfield, WI), just under two weeks from when I entered it. As I spent so much time and did so much in Michigan, I figured it'd make more sense (and be much quicker) to write a series of mini posts instead of one massive one. Ann Arbor was my first stop in Michigan.

In Ann Arbor, I stayed with my friends Matt and Ming.

Matt & Ming took me to dinner at their favorite hotpot spot in Ann Arbor, Palace Tang

The chicken foot at Palace Tang was the best chicken foot I've had, but I'm not sure the texture is something I'll ever get used to

I met Matt probably the first week of college. He lived down the hallway from me and while we weren't roommates, Matt probably spent as much time in my quad's common room as any of the 4 guys who actually lived there did. Freshman year, Matt worked as the dorm garbage man, and somehow the key that opened the maintenance closet also opened the common room of my quad - call it fate if you will. Matt grew up in New Jersey, but moved to Mobile, Alabama in eighth grade. Matt's got interests all over the board - he majored in computer engineering, but also picked up a secondary major in music theory. He loves national parks, reading, DnD, has learned Japanese for fun (and has been to Japan multiple times), is learning Mandarin (from Ming), went to states for cross country in highschool, and knows more about college football than 90% of the population but also often got bored enough during games in college that he would leave them midway through the third quarter. Matt moved to the Detroit area right after college to work in software development for one of the major automotive manufacturers, but moved to a new role with a company in the computer chip industry about a year ago. He's also currently pursuing his master's at U of M.

Matt and Ming met approximately 3 years ago. One of their favorite activities (aside from hot pot) is going to the gym together on weekday mornings. Ming is originally from Szechuan, China and is working towards his PhD in particle interactions at U of M as well. Ming hopes to continue on in academia/research after graduating. The recent government cuts to research funding and limitations on visas issued on top of the "normal" unpredictability of available post-doc and professor positions have added some stress and decreased clarity on what comes next, but Ming and Matt are leaning into the uncertainty and are excited about a new start in a new place that a post-doc/professorship will inevitably bring.

After dinner, we went to the Michigan Creamery - a happening joint with a line out the door in downtown Ann Arbor.

The PB Mackinac Island Fudge and White Russian flavors at Michigan Creamery earned my stamp of approval

The next morning, I had brunch at Bell's Diner - an old Korean American diner and Ann Arbor staple recommended by Ming.

The Bi-Bim-Bop Bopped at Bell's

After that I swung, by Union Rec - a groovy restaurant/bar recommend by Joel, a friend from run club, for an early afternoon drink as one does when one is unemployed and wandering across the country. Alas, I forgot to get the otherworldly cauliflower tacos Joel recommended, but the bartender did give me samples of a bunch of funky beer (i.e. Unicorn Tears) and their margarita of the month. The bartender let me know that Union Rec used to be a lumber mill owned by his grandparents that eventually got bought out by the U of M. It's come full circle now with him working for Union Rec.

With yurt-booths, eclectic vintage furniture, and great happy hour deals, Union Rec puts the fun in funk - even at 2 pm on a Tuesday. The bartender let me know it's also a fun place to work, saying that the owner has kept a real family vibe around the place.

At the bartender's suggestion, I headed over to Nichol's Arboretum for a quick stroll before hitting the road.