The oldest part of the University of Michigan campus and its social heart. The Diag is a large open quadrangle crossed by diagonal paths — hence the name — surrounded by some of the university's most handsome buildings, including Angell Hall with its classical columns and the Graduate Library. On a warm day it fills with students, food carts, and impromptu performances.
Even if you have no connection to the university, the Diag is worth crossing. It is the best place to feel the energy of the campus and to appreciate the scale of the institution. The surrounding buildings date from the early twentieth century and give the area a distinctly collegiate grandeur that most Big Ten campuses cannot match.