Ann Arbor

 

Free wifi access is plentiful at local cafes. Additionally, a county government project (http://wireless.ewashtena...) is underway to bring free or low-cost Wi-Fi to all of Washtenaw County, starting with downtown Ann Arbor. As of April 2010, the Wireless Washtenaw network is visible but not consistently usable, so seeking out a cafe is a better bet.

Digital Ops

Internet access and multiplayer gaming facility with mostly PC video games. The atmosphere is very friendly and social.

Ann Arbor District Library

The main branch of the public library, located downtown a couple of blocks from Main Street (http://www.aadl.org/about...), offers wifi and a couple dozen desktop computers for visitor use. Check in at the desk on the second floor.

Ann Arbor is generally a very safe town, though the usual rules about common sense being aware of your surroundings after dark and knowing where you are going apply here as they would anywhere. The only really common crimes in town are those that you find in any other university town. Theft is the biggie, as many university students who leave their bags unattended in the library or those who fail to lock their bikes can tell you. There's also the occasional mugging or sexual assault, but these tend to occur after dark, so if you're not wandering the streets at 2AM, you probably don't have anything to worry about. Having said that, wandering the streets at 2AM in downtown Ann Arbor is generally quite safe and not at all frightening; there are usually enough students out partying or hanging out with friends until the wee hours that you won't feel like a lone target, or like you're in a dangerous crowd. U of M Police, Ann Arbor Police, and the Washtenaw County Sheriff patrol regularly and are not difficult to find--indeed, alcohol violations such as drinking on the street from an open container are vigorously policed. There are emergency phones located all over campus.

radio stations

Four good public radio stations are within listening distance.

WCBN-FM Ann Arbor, 88.3 FM

(http://www.wcbn.org/). Located in the basement of the Student Activities building at the University of Michigan you will find the studios of WCBN. The format is total freeform -- DJs have complete control over their shows -- which makes the broadcasts a mixed bag. The variety is stunning, though, from Sounds of the Subcontinent to emo to classic jazz to Noise Till Noon. They also broadcast a list of upcoming concerts around town at regular intervals.

WEMU, 89.1 FM

(http://www.wemu.org/). News, jazz and blues, with a tilt toward little-known fusion and crossover, from the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Consistent quality -- you'll either like almost all of it, or very little. News updates on the hour, and in the early morning and midafternoon.

WUOM, 91.7 FM

(http://michiganradio.org/). Talk radio from NPR and PRI.

WDET, 101.9 FM

(http://www.wdetfm.org/). News and music during the day; electronica-tinged underground music at night. Broadcast from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Michigan Daily

The student newspaper.