I'm new to the area, so pardon me if I'm misinformed or commiting a total faux pas, but how come it seems like Ypsi has so much more cool stuff going on than Ann Arbor? And why does this stuff happen when I don't have a car?

I've only been here about a year, but here's what I understand. Ann Arbor used to be much cooler, then some Michiganian gentrification occurred. It's expensive as F to live here, especially if you're living the "bohemian" life. The Tech Center was sold to make way for a bigger YMCA (and was burnt down before it could be torn down). This was a cheap spot for artists, the only one of its kind here. Incidently, the Electronic Music Compo took place at the Tech Center last year. That space has been revived as the 555 space in Ypsi, where the Compo will be taking place this year.

Taking down the Tech Center, I believe, did very real as well as symbolic damage to Ann Arbor. It's exactly the kind of thing it needs, not all the shit galleries littering Main St. with shit "art" for the yupp out-of-towners to come buy.

Ypsi is OK, and a favorite for Ann Arbor haters. They got the good pho, of course, and a nice record store, as well as Henrietta Fahrenheit, all within one block on the main drag. They also have venues for live music, which Ann Arbor is fast losing... and then the 555.