New Tiki Bar Opens Off Main Street

Morning, Ann Arbor! We're Ryan and James, your new Monday morning inbox companions. First, thank you. The response since Andrew's transition has been incredibly warm, and we don't take that for granted. Everything you love about this newsletter is staying. The local news, the no-fluff format, the $0 price tag. We've also got some new ideas we're excited to roll out. We're here for the new restaurants, the neighborhood stories, and the stuff that makes Ann Arbor feel like Ann Arbor. Our goal is to make The Michigander the #1 source of local news in your inbox, and we need your help to get there. Share this with a friend, reply with a story tip, or just keep showing up every Monday. Let's go.

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🍸️ New Tiki Bar: Last Thursday, a new tiki bar opened in the basement of Echelon (200 S. Main Street). The bar, named Hunã (meaning both “house” and “hidden” in Hawaiian) is meant to be a tropical oasis for anyone with the winter blues. Here’s a link to Hunã’s instagram and to Hunã’s menu.

🍫 Quix Chocolate: If you've walked down Liberty Street and felt a void where Kilwins used to be, good news. Ferndale-based Quix Chocolate is moving into the 107-109 E. Liberty St. space, bringing their Michigan-made Belgian chocolates, Illy coffee, Guernsey ice cream, milkshakes, and a hot chocolate that already has a cult following. Founder David Ogloza says they're aiming to open before summer. Downtown getting a local chocolate shop back feels right. Here's a link to Quix’s instagram and their website. Special thanks to subscriber Jessica P for the insider tip ❤️ 

🌊 New Bridge: Ann Arbor is working to replace the South Barton/Barton Nature Area pedestrian bridge that extends over the Huron River. Early design concepts (shown above) show a wider, 14-foot concrete-deck bridge with decorative stone throughout and lookout spots built-in. The city plans to spend the rest of 2026 designing and engineering the bridge before construction begins in 2027. Here’s a link to the city’s project overview page.

🎓️ New President: On January 12, the U of M Board of Regents voted unanimously to name Kent Syverud the University of Michigan’s 16th president, marking the first time in nearly a century an alum has been tapped for the job. Previously Syracuse University’s chancellor and president, Syverud is a Michigan Law grad (’81) with deep Ann Arbor roots, and he’ll start a five-year term by July 1.

🏃‍♀️ New Local Legend: You may be cool, but you’ll never be “I won the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner Of The Year Award as a Sophomore” cool. That title is reserved for Pioneer High School student Natasza Dudek. Dudek went 13–0 last fall, winning Nike Cross Nationals, Brooks XC, and the MHSAA Division 1 state title while setting multiple course records and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Give this girl the keys to the city.

🚗 Parking Ticket Map: Once again, the internet is undefeated. Last month, a local Redditor reverse engineered Ann Arbor’s parking ticket system and built a live map where you can see the most ticketed streets and parking spots and watch citations appear in real time. Here’s a link to the site.

🏀 Made For March: Last week, Paramount announced a new docuseries following the Michigan and Kansas basketball programs. The four-part series will be called “Made For March” and provides an all-access look into both teams’ seasons. The docuseries will be available on Paramount+ on April 4.

📱 Cellphone Ban: Last week, Governor Whitmer signed a law banning smartphones during instructional time in public K–12 schools starting this fall. Students can still access smartphones between classes or at lunch, and “dumb phones” that can only call/text during class.

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That's all for now! Have a great week in Tree Town!

- Ryan

P. P. S. - The block M flying from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro

P. P. P. S. - The neon signs went up at the new Pinball Pete's on Liberty Street yesterday. The glow is back, and an opening date shouldn't be far behind!