{"id":1305,"date":"2016-12-13T10:44:18","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T15:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=1305"},"modified":"2016-12-13T10:44:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-13T15:44:18","slug":"date-night-venues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=1305","title":{"rendered":"Date night venues"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ava Scott & Imani Roberson<\/strong>
\nScriptor
\nWylie E Groves HS
\n1st Place
\nDivision 3, News Writing
\nReview<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wanna hang out<\/em>
\nThese are three words that teens use to avoid the dreaded \u201cdate\u201d. In dating and technology opinion (pg. 21) reporter Haley Werthman examines how dating is becoming less common in this generation of students. However, the following is a guide for those brave enough to enjoy a date night.<\/p>\n

Idk, whatever you want to do<\/em>
\nThis is a phrase that many students use to avoid planning where to go on a \u201chang out\u201d or date. It\u2019s important to do something fun as well as get something to eat. Avoiding a typical movie date, will give you more of an opportunity to converse and get to know your date. The following are hot spots and restaurants that are perfect for a fun date night.<\/p>\n

The Rust Belt Market<\/strong>
\nThe first image that comes to mind when I envision a rust belt is an old, depleted ghost town; however, when I entered The Rust Belt Market of downtown Ferndale, I was greeted with quite the opposite. A countless number of vendors filled the warehouse, each one with an eclectic style and differentiated products. I ventured up to a homemade soap vendor as soon as I walked in. A pink vintage table cloth covered her stand, and patterned paper wrapped each soap. I asked the vendor if she had lemon soap, and she explained to me why she didn\u2019t. Lemon is one of the most difficult soaps to make because it comes out too strong often. She did suggest that I visit the other soap vendor in The Rust Belt. I was taken aback by this. Being in such a close proximity to her competition, I was surprised when she put competition aside and promoted another business. It seems that all the artists and vendors within the rust belt truly support each other. I continued my stroll through The Belt, passing everything from $20 vintage roller skates to organic baby products. I was slightly overwhelmed by the combination of cool products and colorful displays. I wanted to touch and try everything. Eventually I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of containers of cake stacked taller than me. This was the Detroit Sugar Stand, a local company that sells a variety of cakes, all made with pure extracts and natural ingredients. As soon as I tasted the caramel cake, I was hooked. The icing was a sweet vanilla and surprisingly light. The batter itself was moist and fluffy with cool chunks of caramel throughout it.<\/p>\n

Good conversation is the a part of the groundwork for a good date. The Rust Belt Market offers a variety of interesting products and food that are bound to catalyze scintillating conversation.<\/p>\n

Marvin\u2019s Marvelous Mechanical Museum<\/strong>
\nNo, I\u2019m not suggesting that you go on a date to an uninteresting, science museum. Marvin\u2019s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is actually an arcade located on Orchard Lake in Farmington Hills. Marvin\u2019s is not your ordinary arcade. The arcade has a large number of antique games. Some are just gag games and others you can play to earn and redeem tickets. One of my favorites is quite gory. You stick your hand inside of a black box below a clear box with a blade that comes falling down on top of your hand while blood comes splashing up. Now in actuality, the blade does not truly touch your hand but the illusion that your hand had been cut off is quite realistic. Arcades are always fun dates that can bring out the competitiveness in both parties. This is no CHUCK-E-CHEESE and many of the games earn a PG-13 rating, making it more fun for a teenage crowd.<\/p>\n

Cranbrook Art Museum<\/strong>
\nI know most people aren\u2019t super pumped to go to an art museum, but take my word for it: it can be a pretty entertaining date. My boyfriend and I went on our first date to the Cranbrook Art Museum in the beautiful Cranbrook campus off Woodward, and it turned out to be a better time than I expected. I\u2019m going to admit, even though I love art, I know nothing about it, but that didn\u2019t stop the date from being enjoyable. You don\u2019t have to be a curator to have fun here. Looking at art sparks conversation: \u201cWhich photo do you like better?\u201d \u201cUGH! I hate the color!\u201d \u201cWhat was this supposed to be?\u201d \u201cIf you were the artist, what would you have done?\u201d The museum is rarely busy, so it makes for a very open, relaxed space and a good environment to talk (as long as you\u2019re not too loud because it\u2019s still a museum). It\u2019s also not a huge museum, so you can see everything without feeling like you\u2019ve been in there for hours. If you do want to make a day of it, go to the art museum in the morning and then head to the Cranbrook Science Museum, which is right down the street along with a small cafe.<\/p>\n

Midnight Movies<\/strong>
\nStill want to see a movie? Just not the average teen movie that\u2019s out at the box office? Make it a midnight adventure out to Royal Oak for the Main Art Theater\u2019s Midnight Madness. The Main shows a myriad of films, many either foreign or too unique to be played at major theaters. In May, they showed both obscure and classic films: Mad Max, The Birds, and A Hard Day\u2019s Night. The midnight movie showing times are on their website: \/www.landmarktheatres.com\/detroit\/main-art-theatre. Each ticket is $7, but the experience is incredible. When else are you going to get the chance to watch The Shining (which showed on May 15 and 16) on the big screen?<\/p>\n

The Watermelon Game<\/strong>
\nNot really know your date that well? There\u2019s a date that can fix that: the watermelon game. The goal of the game is to get to know your partner…and to make a watermelon explode.<\/p>\n

What you need: a small watermelon (like the cute little round ones), a lot of rubber bands, a place, clothes that can get messy, and clean up materials.<\/p>\n

How to play: One person places a few rubber bands around the watermelon and then asks their partner a question. The partner then does the same. When the watermelon is still very round, the questions are fairly shallow such as \u201cWhat\u2019s your favorite color?\u201d or \u201cWhat did you eat for breakfast?\u201d Then as the watermelon\u2019s middle slowly starts to shrink as each player adds more rubber bands, the questions get deeper and deeper. You start to shift from \u201cHow many siblings do you have to?\u201d to \u201cWhat\u2019s your most embarrassing moment?\u201d to \u201cDo you believe in G-d?\u201d to \u201cHow did your last relationship end?\u201d The deeper the bend in the watermelon, the deeper the questions get until, eventually, the watermelon explodes!<\/p>\n

Wanna get something 2 eat?<\/em>
\nThe answer to this question is easy: Duh. I mean really, though. Who doesn\u2019t like food? The real question here is Where do u wanna go? The answer to this question is a lot more difficult. There is much to consider: price, cuisine, how many people you could possibly run into while you\u2019re there, and location.<\/p>\n

The Original House of Pancakes<\/strong>
\nWhile this may not seem like the most romantic place to go on a date, it does have its charm. The Original House of Pancakes (OHOP) on Woodward is clearly a breakfast place, but my well kept secret (that I\u2019m sharing with all of you) is that it\u2019s still as good at night, and there\u2019s never a line. OHOP isn\u2019t know for being cheap, but it\u2019s also not known for skimping on quality or quantity. The pancakes are absolutely delicious. I\u2019d even say the Big Apple dessert, which tastes like a really thick crepe with caramel apples, cinnamon, sugar, and large enough to overflow the plate, is certainly tasty and big enough to share. If you still want your own flapjacks but want a taste of your date\u2019s, trade \u2018em (if he or she lets you). Because it\u2019s pretty dead at dinner time, OHOP is optimal for talking since there isn\u2019t background noise from other people\u2019s conversations. It\u2019s cozy and quiet and full of delicious comfort food. Ideal for a casual date.<\/p>\n

Sy Thai<\/strong>
\nWhile, yes, Sy Thai is super cliche and the epitome of the Birmingham bubble, and, yes, it is always crawling with people you know, I would like to point out that it\u2019s not only a dine-in restaurant. What some may know, but many don\u2019t use is Sy Thai\u2019s carry out. If you liked the food when it\u2019s being served to you, you\u2019ll like it just as much when you\u2019re taking it out the door. What I like about this is that a) it\u2019s the same quality food, b) it\u2019s not uber expensive, c) it\u2019s a relatively close drive there and d) it\u2019s ready fast. Built a pillow fort with the bae and don\u2019t wanna go out to eat? Pick up your Thai food and eat it in your cave. On your way to the concert with your significant other and want something fast before you leave? Cruise by on your way and grab a bite. If you don\u2019t want the hassle of going out, just order in.<\/p>\n

Trattoria Da Luigi<\/strong>
\nNeed a more upscale date? Might I suggest Trattoria Da Luigi on South Washington Avenue. This small restaurant in downtown Royal Oak is conveniently located near the center of almost everything Royal Oak has to offer. It\u2019s location makes it perfect for continuing the date to a midnight movie at the Main Art Theater, hitting up a concert at the Royal Oak Music Theater, going to Goldfish Tea for open mic night, or simply walking around for whatever seems enjoyable. The menu offers a variety of Italian dishes with various pizzas, pastas, and salads. It\u2019s the most expensive options listed here, but that\u2019s not to say it isn\u2019t worth it. Even the environment itself, screams date. The rustic, exposed brick walls, bare light , and little roofs in the restaurant over the bar and where the pizzas are put in the oven add to the romance, as if an intimate, Italian city was reincarnated inside the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Thnx I had a good time<\/em>
\nUltimately that\u2019s what a date is all about: having a good time. While the standard dinner and a movie date may get old, that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t other options when it comes to seeing that special someone. Also, by no means does this suggest that these places are just meant for you and that special someone. Go on a friend-date to strengthen your bond through new experience. Pick up your phone and text or call or DM or smoke signal someone and don\u2019t be like the pathetic texts written here. Go rock that date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ava Scott & Imani Roberson Scriptor Wylie E Groves HS 1st Place Division 3, News Writing Review<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,56],"tags":[135,22],"class_list":["post-1305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-nw","category-review","tag-2015-16","tag-division3","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Riley Anson","author_link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?author=4"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6K0n6-l3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}