Relocating to Ann Arbor for 12 weeks (Plymouth, Saline: subletting, Home Depot, university)

[jrmontag]

I am moving to A2 for the summer. I am going to be off of Plymouth Rd, between Huron Pkwy and Barton. I was just wondering what stores/restaraunts/etc. are in the vicinity. I was down there to visit the place I'm subletting but I didn't really have time in my schedule to drive around and look. I'm not familiar with the city at all so any info is appreciated.

[A2Mich]

Plymouth Rd area....These are stores that I can think of, but sure there are others...
Kroger, Busch's, Bella Vino, there are a number of stores in the shopping center at Nixon/Plymouth, CVS Pharmacy, a few high-priced gas stations (generally the highest priced in town). Restaurants that comes to mind: Carson's, Big Boy, Wendy's, Bagel Fragel (awesome fried bagels!!!), McD's, Espresso Royale...can't think of any others off hand, but if you were to head south on Huron Parkway to Washtenaw Avenue, there is Arborland Mall with a Circuit City, Old Navy ?, Hiller's Market, Bed Bath Beyond, Potbelly Sandwiches, Starbucks, Office Max. There is also a Denny's, Barnes Noble, Walgreens, Whole Foods Market, Arbys, Chipotle, Qdoba in the same area. A bit further south on Carpenter Road (south of Washtenaw), there is a Mancino's, Pizza Hut, White Castle, Red Robin, Meijer, Babies R Us, Target, Kroger, Home Depot, GFS Marketplace. Just remember, Ann Arbor is not that big of a city...the city is only 8 miles wide (from city limit to city limit), there is Briarwood Mall with more restaurants nearby on the south side of the city (off of State St/I94). There are some great, but expensive restaurants and stores downtown, though parking can be difficult sometimes. If you avoid downtown, A2 is not that hard to get around....some of the streets downtown are one way, and others won't let you turn in certain directions at certain intersections (particularly around Packard/State/Division area--central campus area). You'll probably find what you're looking for within a 10-15 minute drive, and if you don't have a car, Ann Arbor has a relatively good bus system, though the routes are confusing.....

[jrmontag]

Just to give you an idea, I'll be commuting from there to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube everyday.

[Coldjensens]

Downtown is where Ann Arbor is really nice. If you avoid downtown, you will miss the city entirely.
The outskirts are just like any suburb. It is the downtown that Makes AA so awesome.

[A2Mich]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Downtown is where Ann Arbor is really nice. If you avoid downtown, you will miss the city entirely.
The outskirts are just like any suburb. It is the downtown that Makes AA so awesome.

Good point, I was just trying to tell the OP that downtown can be a hassle to drive through, and parking is generally difficult to find, but I agree....I love the downtown area.

Anyway, from Plymouth Road to the Ice Cube is a real easy commute, if you're going to have a car. If you're taking a bus, I don't really know what routes you'd need to take. As for driving, there are a lot of ways to get there, some being easier with less traffic than others. The easiest way from where you will be would be to take Plymouth Rd to US23 South to I94 west. Exit at Exit 175/Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. You can then either go left and continue to Waters Rd to Oak Valley Blvd, or you could take a right after exiting I94 and continue to Scio Church Rd, hang a left on Scio Church, and you're at the Cube in 2 miles. Of course, that isn't the most scenic way, but it may be the quickest and have the least traffic, though you could also take Plymouth Rd west to downtown, go left on Main St, and follow that out to Scio Church Rd. That would probably be the shortest way to go, depending on where you will be on Plymouth Rd, but maybe not the quickest, due to the heavier traffic downtown and the many traffic lights you will hit that way.

[jrmontag]

Yeah I had heard about the traffic in the city, so that's why I was wondering. I used to commute from Clarkston to Oakland University every day for two years so I know what being stuck in traffic is all about...not fun.