East of 23 are going to be cheaper and more affordable apartments. It's Ypsilanti and not Ann Arbor however. Which I suppose you could rationalize as not supporting UofM or something.
As far as watching games, have to give a shout out for the Arena again as it's a Spartan owned sports bar in downtown AA. The guys that own the place will always put games on for you.
There are an abundance of good places to eat downtown. Hit Main and walk around.