Six for Saturday: Ann Arbor Edition

I love living on the East Coast—and I wouldn't go back to live in Ann Arbor, let alone any Michigan city—but there are some things I do miss about it. Here are a few...

1. The Diag. I miss walking through the Diag. I guess it's close to walking through Rittenhouse Park, but it's so much bigger and there are buildings and arches and wonderfulness. And a brass M! There's always flower blooming and a flag blowing in the breeze. Beautiful. It's probably UM's most attractive feature. Okay, maybe tied for first with the Law Quad.
   
   
2. The State & Michigan Theatres. Being able to walk to the movies is awesome. And having them play a wide variety of movies (not just Big Momma's Fast/Furious Focker). If only they would make the Westmont Theatre into an amazing place like these!
   
   
3. UM Libraries. With dozens of libraries and over 10 million books, the library system is world-class. And there's always a table (somewhere) to park yourself and study what you've found (or whatever else you've brought along).
   
   
4. Totoro & Sadako. I miss the cheapness of Ann Arbor sushi. With Totoro's amazing $8 lunch special and Sadako's all-around low prices, I ate sushi pretty much everyday. Also, the Dragon Ball at Sadako is something I have never seen elsewhere. It's ice cream (my favorite for this is green tea) stuffed inside a hollow sphere of cakey goodness, then dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. Amazing? I think I might need a stronger word for it...
   
   
5. No Thai! There is much Thai food at No Thai!, despite it's name. Supposedly, the gentleman who owns the establishment's name is No. My absolute favorite is the Gang Gai. It's a coconut milk and red curry sauce with green peppers, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. You can get it with any type of meat, but my favorite is tofu because it soaks up the delicious sauce. And their rice is always cooked to perfection. Now, I know what you're thinking: there are Thai food places everywhere. Yes, there are. But none of them have this sauce. I would probably pay hundreds of dollars for the recipe—I certainly spent more than that buying food from No Thai! Their Thai iced tea has also spoiled me for all other versions.
   
   
6. TCF Bank. I know it's kind of weird to say, but I loved working at TCF. Despite the fact that we had monthly goals to meet and bonuses that would be lost if we fell short, I never really felt pressured to push all kind of ridiculous things on people. Also, I was good at it and my skill was appreciated. My bosses were all kind people that wouldn't yell at you when you screwed up, but would actually take the time to help you figure out what happened and how to fix it. And I loved the customers (except for a select few). Good times. If I could find a job again with all of these qualities, I would be really happy.