OT: What do you think of Ypsilanti these days?

[dalem177]

So it's like 1992 or so, and the stripper a house or two next door is looking pretty good. I was, I think, on Congress St., near the place we called "the chicken shack". There was a cop shoppe nearby, which I won't bother anyone with how I know that unless asked.

Didn't Iggy Pop refer to Ypsi as Butt Town?

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[Electric Eric]

My dad is buried in Ypsi, and I have a lot of family in the area so it’ll always have a spot in my heart.

 

[GetTheLumberUp]

Worked at Willow Run Airport for 30ish years, back in the 70s, 80s, & 90s. You were never far from good grub, in Ypsi. Haabs, Spaghetti Bender, and The Bomber, which has a monster breakfast platter. Both my daughters went to Eastern.

For the Iggy fans, there's an Iggy documentary called Gimmie Danger on one of the streaming channels. I think it was Prime. An excellent watch.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I went to university at Eastern Michigan in the later 2010s and Ypsilanti felt quite tired in most parts, but relatively ok and quiet. Go further west into Pittsfield Charter Township and then Ann Arbor & it obviously gets nicer; go into parts of Ypsilanti Charter Township & Superior Township, it gets worse but then becomes rural/underdeveloped.

Depot Town is nice & cool. It's fine, there are bad areas of the city, but I don't think it's as bad as some people think.

 

[dalem177]

I knew I had "arrived" with my new group of wannabe ne'er-do-wells and rapscallions when I headed over to the Cross Street Station bar on a Saturday. It was on Cross near the Side Track but I think it's long-closed now. Anyway, normally I went on Wednesdays - open mic night and not too crowded. On this Saturday it was drizzly and crowded and parking was a problem so I parked as close as I could and hunch-shouldered my way past a long line of drizzly folks, nodded to the bouncer, went to the bar, got a beer from LeeAnn (oh my!) and shouldered my way through the crowd back to the dart boards.

Said hi to everyone and after a minute my buddy looks at me and says "when did you get here?"

me: "A couple minutes ago."

"How did you get in?"

me: "Walked."

"Did you... notice anyone on your way in?"

me: "Yeah. buncha sad sacks standing in the rain."

big grin, getting bigger "You just walked by (bouncer name)?"

me: "yeah, why?"

"Did you pay for that beer?"

me: "Naw, LeeAnn (oh my!) asked me if I wanted one on your tab and I said yes. What's the big deal?"

by now, a few others are laughing.

"Dude, those people were waiting to get in."

me: "Why?"

"The place is at capacity. No more admitted until someone leaves."

me: "Oh."

"Welcome to Ypsi!"

Ahhh, youth. Dumb, stupid, lucky youth.

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

I went to university at Eastern Michigan in the later 2010s and Ypsilanti felt quite tired in most parts, but relatively ok and quiet. Go further west into Pittsfield Charter Township and then Ann Arbor & it obviously gets nicer; go into parts of Ypsilanti Charter Township & Superior Township, it gets worse but then becomes rural/underdeveloped.

Depot Town is nice & cool. It's fine, there are bad areas of the city, but I don't think it's as bad as some people think.

Ypsi is fine. Some areas, obviously you don't want to live/hang around.

West Willow (over by Willow Run airport), yikes.
MacArthur Boulevard, yikes.

Gault Village (in the shadow of Ford Lake in Ypsi Township)? It's fine. Lots of Radon in the ground.

EMU is fine.

Apartments on Golfside basically come with the knowledge that if you rent there, your shit WILL be stolen. Not might be, but you are certain to be robbed.

The Ypsi on the golf course side of I-94 is the nicer area. Nice neighborhoods (as you're getting closer to York Township, Textile Road, and are a hop, skip, and a jump on the road heading to Saline).

The housing units surrounding EMU range from okay when you're over by frat row to "holy shit, it's a bad idea to live there" when you're in the south of Depot town to I-94. Basically, Ypsi is a very... easy to understand city. It doesn't really hide its shittiness in the shitty areas and the good areas are pretty obvious too.

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

So it's like 1992 or so, and the stripper a house or two next door is looking pretty good. I was, I think, on Congress St., near the place we called "the chicken shack". There was a cop shoppe nearby, which I won't bother anyone with how I know that unless asked.

Didn't Iggy Pop refer to Ypsi as Butt Town?

Ypsilanti did also get painted with the Taylor-tucky brush too. By many, it was called Ypsi-tucky for a good while, because it wasn't quite developed now.

Now, it really is like baby's first Detroit. The nice areas are really really nice. The shitty areas are really really shitty. and there are a bajillion churches and schools that are non-taxable plots of land so anyone owning a property in that area is completely buttf***ed by taxes compared to the service they receive... so rapid growth is really hamstrung.

 

[RabidBadger]

Maíz in Depot Town is the favored spot for Mexican food by wife-chick and me. We'll drive the 40 minutes when we get the yen.

Ypsi gave us Iggy. It's hallowed ground even though I am more of an MC5 guy.

 

[Dotter]

I didn't visit Ypsi much, but I loved Garden City and Westland back in the late 1990s when I lived there. Most fun I ever had! culture was great, people were great, the DRWs fans were amazing! Everyone was driving around flying a Red Wings flag on their cars. Oh, and nearly everyone in the Detroit and burbs were hardworking blue collars, loved American Muscle and Motorcycles. It was awesome!

Yeah, good times. I hope it gets back to what it once was... I would move back!

The definition of Nashville is: overpopulated, overpriced, overrated, and Californians moving here and bringing their liberalism.

I honestly miss Michigan (the way I remember it back in the 90s).

 

[JediOrderPizza]

I didn't visit Ypsi much, but I loved Garden City and Westland back in the late 1990s when I lived there. Most fun I ever had! culture was great, people were great, the DRWs fans were amazing! Everyone was driving around flying a Red Wings flag on their cars. Oh, and nearly everyone in the Detroit and burbs were hardworking blue collars, loved American Muscle and Motorcycles. It was awesome!

Yeah, good times. I hope it gets back to what it once was... I would move back!

The definition of Nashville is: overpopulated, overpriced, overrated, and Californians moving here and bringing their liberalism.

I honestly miss Michigan (the way I remember it back in the 90s).

Yeah I was only a kid but Garden City was my stomping grounds in the 90s, and agree I do miss Michigan as I die of heatstroke in the Florida August heat. The Wings being peak and the excitement in the city was top notch.

 

[The Real Pastafarian]

I knew I had "arrived" with my new group of wannabe ne'er-do-wells and rapscallions when I headed over to the Cross Street Station bar on a Saturday. It was on Cross near the Side Track but I think it's long-closed now. Anyway, normally I went on Wednesdays - open mic night and not too crowded. On this Saturday it was drizzly and crowded and parking was a problem so I parked as close as I could and hunch-shouldered my way past a long line of drizzly folks, nodded to the bouncer, went to the bar, got a beer from LeeAnn (oh my!) and shouldered my way through the crowd back to the dart boards.

Said hi to everyone and after a minute my buddy looks at me and says "when did you get here?"

me: "A couple minutes ago."

"How did you get in?"

me: "Walked."

"Did you... notice anyone on your way in?"

me: "Yeah. buncha sad sacks standing in the rain."

big grin, getting bigger "You just walked by (bouncer name)?"

me: "yeah, why?"

"Did you pay for that beer?"

me: "Naw, LeeAnn (oh my!) asked me if I wanted one on your tab and I said yes. What's the big deal?"

by now, a few others are laughing.

"Dude, those people were waiting to get in."

me: "Why?"

"The place is at capacity. No more admitted until someone leaves."

me: "Oh."

"Welcome to Ypsi!"

Ahhh, youth. Dumb, stupid, lucky youth.

You're a great writer. You should write a book, if you haven't already.

This leaves me with fernweh -- a nostalgia for a place I've never been.

 

[FMichael]

I knew I had "arrived" with my new group of wannabe ne'er-do-wells and rapscallions when I headed over to the Cross Street Station bar on a Saturday. It was on Cross near the Side Track but I think it's long-closed now. Anyway, normally I went on Wednesdays - open mic night and not too crowded. On this Saturday it was drizzly and crowded and parking was a problem so I parked as close as I could and hunch-shouldered my way past a long line of drizzly folks, nodded to the bouncer, went to the bar, got a beer from LeeAnn (oh my!) and shouldered my way through the crowd back to the dart boards.

Said hi to everyone and after a minute my buddy looks at me and says "when did you get here?"

me: "A couple minutes ago."

"How did you get in?"

me: "Walked."

"Did you... notice anyone on your way in?"

me: "Yeah. buncha sad sacks standing in the rain."

big grin, getting bigger "You just walked by (bouncer name)?"

me: "yeah, why?"

"Did you pay for that beer?"

me: "Naw, LeeAnn (oh my!) asked me if I wanted one on your tab and I said yes. What's the big deal?"

by now, a few others are laughing.

"Dude, those people were waiting to get in."

me: "Why?"

"The place is at capacity. No more admitted until someone leaves."

me: "Oh."

"Welcome to Ypsi!"

Ahhh, youth. Dumb, stupid, lucky youth.

Being a native Cheesehead I’ll never quite understand why people wait outside in a line just to get in a bar…

 

[Krigsgaldr]

I haven't been there in years . I was born in ypsi and grew up in Belleville. My dad did a lot of masonry work on the historic buildings in Depot Town and that area . If you know where the ladies library building is he did a lot of the brickwork on the outside when it was renovated. They found lots of old artifacts in the walls some of which he got to keep . One of the cooler things was a letter still in the envelope dated 1864 .

 

[RabidBadger]

Being a native Cheesehead I’ll never quite understand why people wait outside in a line just to get in a bar…

It's a pretty common occurrence on Water Street in Milwaukee. Not so much when you get into the neighborhoods and there are literally 3 bars at a 5 points intersection.

 

[Krigsgaldr]

So it's like 1992 or so, and the stripper a house or two next door is looking pretty good. I was, I think, on Congress St., near the place we called "the chicken shack". There was a cop shoppe nearby, which I won't bother anyone with how I know that unless asked.

Didn't Iggy Pop refer to Ypsi as Butt Town?

Would that be the chicken ? Or the little ass chicken spot called Granny's ? That place had some amazing ass chicken . We'd go there often usually on the way back from treasure hunting the different bunkies pawn shops and antique stores in town on the weekends with my parents.

 

[FMichael]

It's a pretty common occurrence on Water Street in Milwaukee. Not so much when you get into the neighborhoods and there are literally 3 bars at a 5 points intersection.

Water Street is chock full of pretentious snobs…I rarely ever went there.

 

[RabidBadger]

Water Street is chock full of pretentious snobs…I rarely ever went there.

Yeah, the roofie crowd was not my scene either.

 

[Retire91]

I have lived in Ypsi off and on cumulatively for 10+ years dalem177 and I probably lived next door to each other at times.

I would describe Ypsi more simply as low income than dangerous. If you get my meaning. A lot of people live in Ypsi for the cost of living which is pretty high in immediate surrounding areas. So a lot of what happens is you get generational families, EMU college students, and people who want the area but don't want to pay premium Ann Arbor / Canton Prices.

There are places that I would not feel comfortable walking at night, but not more so than about 12 other cities I could think of off the top of my head. It is a little bit like Flint because of the ford plant shutting down. But all and all I think it's reputation is largely undeserved. A lot of the inhabitance of Michigan ave downtown look more rough around the edges than they are as genuine people. I would say the werdist place to walk or drive by is the buss stop off washington st.

I know people personally that have been mugged And several bars you are more likely to get in a bar fight than most. But there are also gentrified parts and people that restore these huge peak train station era houses.

Ypsilanti actually has a really amazing mix of culture and things to do for its cost of living. With a side of unease in certain places.

But nothing tops the iconic landmark hahahahaha

 

[Retire91]

Ypsi is fine. Some areas, obviously you don't want to live/hang around.

West Willow (over by Willow Run airport), yikes.
MacArthur Boulevard, yikes.

Gault Village (in the shadow of Ford Lake in Ypsi Township)? It's fine. Lots of Radon in the ground.

EMU is fine.

Apartments on Golfside basically come with the knowledge that if you rent there, your shit WILL be stolen. Not might be, but you are certain to be robbed.

The Ypsi on the golf course side of I-94 is the nicer area. Nice neighborhoods (as you're getting closer to York Township, Textile Road, and are a hop, skip, and a jump on the road heading to Saline).

The housing units surrounding EMU range from okay when you're over by frat row to "holy shit, it's a bad idea to live there" when you're in the south of Depot town to I-94. Basically, Ypsi is a very... easy to understand city. It doesn't really hide its shittiness in the shitty areas and the good areas are pretty obvious too.

My friend and his fiancé at the time lived there and although they never did get robbed he told me several times they would be watching TV in the living room and someone would try to turn their door knob to check if it was locked. That always creeped me the **** out.

If given a choice Golf side is a good example of a place I would not live in Ypsi. Immediate neighborhoods around Willow run and neighborhoods north of Grove Road are pretty sketch. Most any other place is a nice mix and Ypsi has always carried that feeling of one day skyrocketing in value. Like driving back there in 20 years and its like Royal Oak lol.

 

[dalem177]

Would that be the chicken ? Or the little ass chicken spot called Granny's ? That place had some amazing ass chicken . We'd go there often usually on the way back from treasure hunting the different bunkies pawn shops and antique stores in town on the weekends with my parents.

I dug through some stuff and it was here, Family's. Right across from 510 Congress where I lived at the time. Shenanigans!

I think I already posted once in the forum about the time me & my friends were stupid enough to be in that police station, but smart enough in the end to make them smile.

 

[dalem177]

I have lived in Ypsi off and on cumulatively for 10+ years dalem177 and I probably lived next door to each other at times.

I would describe Ypsi more simply as low income than dangerous. If you get my meaning. A lot of people live in Ypsi for the cost of living which is pretty high in immediate surrounding areas. So a lot of what happens is you get generational families, EMU college students, and people who want the area but don't want to pay premium Ann Arbor / Canton Prices.

There are places that I would not feel comfortable walking at night, but not more so than about 12 other cities I could think of off the top of my head. It is a little bit like Flint because of the ford plant shutting down. But all and all I think it's reputation is largely undeserved. A lot of the inhabitance of Michigan ave downtown look more rough around the edges than they are as genuine people. I would say the werdist place to walk or drive by is the buss stop off washington st.

I know people personally that have been mugged And several bars you are more likely to get in a bar fight than most. But there are also gentrified parts and people that restore these huge peak train station era houses.

Ypsilanti actually has a really amazing mix of culture and things to do for its cost of living. With a side of unease in certain places.

But nothing tops the iconic landmark hahahahaha
View attachment 898997

The Big D*ck!

Yeah I never felt that Ypsi was all that dangerous. Blue collar town with a nice college town wrapped inside. Of course, that was 25 years ago and I was hanging out with a bunch of wannabe-hippies who were forever-students playing hackysack and eating tabs of acid like chicklets.

In that time I went from thinking that if you LOOKED at a tab you'd be naked on top of a telephone pole chewing gravel that night to commenting casually "oh, you got more of the tie-dyed sheets in? You gonna pass that out for free again or are we gonna pay the cable bill for once instead?"

Wannabe Hunter S. Thompson gonzo hippies make TERRIBLE dealers. They give everything away.

Funny thing was when I first showed up everyone wanted to get me high on various things. Once they established all I would touch was some booze, the next time someone new offered me something, they'd get all huffy - "Dale doesn't TOUCH that stuff!" Like I was a D.A.R.E. pet or something. Funny as heck.

 

[FissionFire]

The definition of Nashville is: overpopulated, overpriced, overrated, and Californians moving here and bringing their liberalism

As a Vegas local I feel this painfully as well. At least try to integrate into your new home when you leave Cali instead of trying to bring the same failed ideas with you and try to force them on others. Nobody like the Cali transplants here, not even the local liberals. Too bad they didn’t build the wall at the Cali border and keep them all in there to fix their own mess lol

 

[dalem177]

You're a great writer. You should write a book, if you haven't already.

This leaves me with fernweh -- a nostalgia for a place I've never been.

Aw shucks.

I kinda want to. I ran into so many good names in that 2-year period. Johnny Catfish, Troll, Mohawk Ralph, Tung, Salty Dog, Mary Christmas, Bobby Socks. Sheesh. I should be able to work something up, given so much time has passed.

 

[Stony Curtis]

I dug through some stuff and it was here, Family's. Right across from 510 Congress where I lived at the time. Shenanigans!

View attachment 899026

I think I already posted once in the forum about the time me & my friends were stupid enough to be in that police station, but smart enough in the end to make them smile.

Family's Fried Chicken. Home of the $5 bucket 'o gizzards. I lived on Pearl. There was the Wolverine Diner, great biscuits and gravy before 2pm. And Abe's Coney Island, where you could get hash whites at 2am. My roommates were bartenders at Cross St. Station lol.

 

[dalem177]

Family's Fried Chicken. Home of the $5 bucket 'o gizzards. I lived on Pearl. There was the Wolverine Diner, great biscuits and gravy before 2pm. And Abe's Coney Island, where you could get hash whites at 2am. My roommates were bartenders at Cross St. Station lol.

Awesome! I knew some folks who lived on Pearl for a stretch too.

Abe's would've been right off that map I pasted to the right, right?