Although its population just tops 100,000, ANN ARBOR , 45 minutes' drive west of Detroit along I-94, offers a greater choice of restaurants, live music venues and cultural activities than most towns ten times its size. The University of Michigan has shaped the economy and character of the town ever since it was moved here from Detroit in 1837, providing the city with a very conspicuous radical edge.

Much the best thing to do in Ann Arbor is to stroll round downtown and the campus, which meet at South State and Liberty streets. Downtown's twelve blocks of brightly painted shops and sidewalk cafés offer all you would expect from a college town, with forty bookshops and more than a dozen record stores. Don't miss the huge flagship store of Border's Books at 612 E Liberty St or Encore Recordings, 417 E Liberty St (tel 313/994-8031).

Though the huge university campus doesn't look particularly appealing, it does emanate a sense of excitement, especially around the central meeting place of the Diag . Worth a look are the Museum of Natural History , 1109 Geddes Ave (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free), packed with huge dinosaur skeletons, rare Native American artifacts and a planetarium, and the small but eclectic Museum of Art , 525 S State St (Tues-Sat 10am-4pm, Thurs until 9pm, Sun noon-5pm; free).