ANN ARBOR, Mich. – You know we like our cafes, coffee shops, and tea rooms here at A4 but what you might not know is we are often up at all hours furiously typing to meet our deadlines or build stories. That means we’re always hunting for a nice spot to inspire our nocturnal scribblings.
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We also know it’s midterm season. Stressed out students can be found throughout the city with laptops, stacks of books, and highlighters and pens in every color.
To help you survive your midterms and get out of your room, we’ve made a list of places where hardworking students like to flock.
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea
Known for its refreshing Ice Dragons and French Vietnamese Au Lait, Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea has three locations downtown. Two of the locations, 604 E. Liberty St. and 123 W. Washington St., close between 11 p.m. and midnight, depending on the day, while the 407 N. Fifth Ave. location (in Kerrytown Market & Shops) closes between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Try Sarah’s Sweetwaters go-to combination - a soy latte with cinnamon syrup.
Espresso Royale
With two locations downtown, Espresso Royale can offer you a warm place to study until midnight. With one location at 1101 S University Ave. and the other at 322 S State St., you can try different drinks at different locations and find your favorite combination.
Starbucks
We know it’s a chain, but the three Starbucks cafes downtown stay open late and open up early. The 300 S. Main St. location is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., while the 222 S. State St. and 1214 S. University Ave. locations close at midnight and open at 5:30 a.m. Grab a PSL and crack open your books!
Poindexter Coffee
Inside the Graduate Ann Arbor, Poindexter is open until 8 p.m., Monday through Sunday. The cafe is situated in cozy digs, with a long, wooden table and old-school chalkboards that are ideal for studying over a cup of coffee.
Café Verde
Open until 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Cafe Verde has got the goods to keep you going. Grab a coffee made with beans from Roos Roast or Higher Grounds, or some food from the hot food bar in the People’s Co-Op.
Fred’s
Open until 9 p.m., Fred’s has food to fuel your late-night brain-busting. Its Instagram-worthy poke bowl, mermaid bowl and avocado toast are great for a quick, mid-study snack. If you’d rather study in your room but still want Fred’s, you can call in an order, then pick it up about 15 minutes later.
Potbelly
This sandwich stop might seem like an odd place to hit the books but the second floor of Potbelly is a good place to chow down for cheap as your click through PowerPoint presentations and notes until 9 p.m. (10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). Grab your study group and a few sandwiches, then get studying!
If none of those places seem serious enough as you make your multi-colored exam “cheat-sheet” (not for actually cheating), try the Shapiro Undergraduate Library (the UGLi) or the Hatcher Graduate Library.
Looking for places to study during the day and tired of the library? Check out Meredith's guide to spiced hot drinks on A2 or Sarah's favorite coffee spots.
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