Ann Arbor

Several months ago Doug, Cam and I sat down and looked at buying tickets to an IU game.  All that were left at Assembly Hall were ones for games during the week.  We knew that making those would be challenging for us.  I suggested that we look at Big Ten teams closer to us - Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern or Purdue.  After a little bit of research we were pleased to find tickets for the IU vs. Michigan game in Ann Arbor.  They were in the top row, but we didn't mind.

As today was game day we left at 10:30 for Michigan.  Doug's old boss had made several lunch suggestions for us to try.  We decided upon Haymakers, which was a local brewery in downtown Ann Arbor not too far from campus.  We were pleased to see other Hoosier fans there eating lunch, so we didn't feel out of place.  The appetizers we ordered were fantastic and we enjoyed talking about all of the other Big Ten campuses that Doug has visited over the years.  This was his first time at the University of Michigan.

We walked around campus after lunch.  The weather was extremely mild for January. The campus reminded us of Purdue's with brick buildings.  We found several bookstores to look through and Cam actually bought a Michigan t-shirt.  The stadium was close to campus, but it took us some time to find a parking spot.  We were still there in plenty of time to catch the pre-game.  It was Star Wars night and we found all of the videos and such on the big screen to be extremely entertaining.  Even though our seats were in the top row, we could see everything perfectly.

The game was a close one.  I was happy about that as Michigan was rated number 2 in the nation and I was afraid it would be a blowout.  Juwan Morgan was impressive to watch especially inside.  Even with an IU loss, we all had a great time.  On the way home Cam and Doug talked about other stadiums and Big Ten campuses that they would like to visit next year.  It was the first time that I had ever really thought about life in the Heinisch Home with just the three of us.  It will definitely be different.