BEST OF EVERYTHING
THE
COMPRI HOTEL j
CLUB .
New Year's Eve
at
DANNY RASKIN
Compri
$ 8 9
Loccil Columnist
per room
double occupancy
plus tax
($59 Fri., 12-29, Sat., 12-30 and Mon., 1-1-90)
Celebrate the New Year in comfort and
style at Compri Hotel Southfield
Package Includes:
Deluxe Accommodations For Two
Full Cooked-To-Order Breakfast New Year's Day
Two Complimentary Cocktails 5-7 p.m.
Complimentary Hors D'oeuvres 5-7 p.m.,
Light Buffet 11 p.m.-2 a.m.
1 Bottle of Champagne per room
Party Favors
Late Checkout 2 p.m. New Year's Day
Use of Indoor Pool, Sauna, Whirlpool and Exercise Room
*
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*
*
*
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Advance guaranteed reservations required by 12-27-89, credit card or deposit
Call
313-357-1100
Hotel Southfield
(COMprlY
26000 AMERICAN DRIVE
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48034
24366
GRAND RIVER
7 Mile
3 BLOCKS WEST
OF TELEGRAPH
6, 6 Mile
1■ •• ■ ••
a
537-1450
OPEN 7 DAYS
I FREE BANQUET ROOM AVAILABLE I
Mexican or American Cuisine
rt
iv%
FOR TWO
$9.95
ANY FOOD BILL OVER
$15 00
js
Dine In Only • One Coupon Per Visit
ith Coupon. Expires Dec. 31, 19891
C
INCLUDES: STEAK FAJITA, 2 TACOS, CHEESE
ENCHILADA, EL PADRE BURRITO, TOSTADA,
GUACAMOLE DIP, RICE AND BEANS.
In Only
With Coupon
L •Dine
• One Coupon Per Visit
• Expires Dec. 31, 1989
JNj
Serving Hours: Mon.Thurs. 11 a.m:11 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m:12 Mid.
Sat. 2 p.m:12 Mid., Sun. 4 p.m:11 p.m.
OUR MUSIC
WILL HELP MAKE
YOUR PARTY!
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WEDDINGS
BAR/BAT MITZVAHS
CONFIRMATIONS
ANNIVERSARIES
PRIVATE PARTIES
ALL YOUR
HAPPY OCCASIONS
(313) 544-7373
78
Portrait of
the Great
American
Investor
1 F MEXICAN SAMPLER PLATTER'
OFF
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1989
'60s Singles Weekends
Changed Lifestyles
It's his job to know good
advertising—and he also
knows a good investment.
Terry Wilson puts his money
in U.S. Savings Bonds.
Bonds now pay competitive
rates, like money market
accounts.
Find out more, call
1-800-US-BONDS.
Bonds held less than five years earn a
lower rate.
A public service of this publication.
U.S. SAVINGS BONDS
THE GREAT AMERICAN INVESTMENT
T
he mystery guest
writes . . . "It's widely
known that resort
hotels in the Catskill Moun-
tains of New York are famous
for their homey hospitality,
kosher food and entertain-
ment from 'Simon Says' to
stellar personality
performers.
"But did you know that in
1962, the singles game was
first played in big-league
style when Grossinger's
staged its singles-only
weekend? -
"On a Friday evening in
March, singles piled out of
buses and plunged into a
flurry of activities. Gross-
inger's and its Catskill rivals
were in the singles business
to stay.
"After that, entrepreneurs
began to infiltrate the
lucrative singles market. By
the late '60s, singles-only
resorts, publications and
apartment houses began to
emerge.
"Planeloads of singles
toured Europe and ocean
liners took singles cruises to
the Bahamas. Swingers wedg-
ed into singles bars.
"In the 1970s, the darkly-
paneled, dimly-lit lounge was
groaningly crammed during
Thursday happy hours at the
Lion's Den in Southfield's
Raleigh House. The drinks
were 75 cents from 5 to 7:30
p.m. and it was two deep
around the bar.
"Sober-suited corporate
heads pulled in their
stomachs, lifted their glasses
high and stepped aside as
attractively-tanned office
girls squirmed their way into
the crowded bar.
"Masculine hands moved
their drinks to give a scrap of
space, and here and there a
stool was offered. 'Do you
come here often?' a voice
shouted through the din.
Lighters flickered in the
semi-darkness.
"The Lion's Den wasn't a
`pickup' bar. Younger
customers were visibly ner-
vous when they approached
another single. -
"They nursed sloe gin
fizzes, cokes, beers and pink
ladys. The brave ones ordered
bloody Marys. The hard-
drinking took place around
the bar where the older im-.
bibers gathered.
Businessmen stuck out like
scotch-on-the-rocks in a Kool-
Aid world.
"On one Thursday night, a
motley-attired rock group
called 'Pyramid Power' was
blasting ear-shattering
sounds from the bandstand. It
was 9:30 p.m. and nobody was
dancing.
"Girls in blue jeans, mod-
tops and mini-skirts were
separated from the stag line.
Males of different ages in
California walking suits,
multi-colored shirts and blue
jeans swayed to the music.
"They didn't look like
swinging singles but rather
like bashful high school kids
without dates for the prom.
"By 10 p.m., one tall, dark-
mustached Casanova-type
grabbed a partner and set the
pace. Soon, couples were jum-
ping and bumping to the
music. Few pairs remained
together after a set. Of all the
bars, most agreed, the Lion's
Den was the best. The people
were friendly. And, according
to singles, the social mobility
The Catskills
helped to kick off
the singles
revolution.
of this particular age group
was virtually stagnant.
"In a place like this, many
single fellows said, you may
get a girl to dance with you,
but you usually go home
alone.
"Back in the '60s, TGI
Fridays was among the
rendezvous for unattached
strangers of the opposite sex.
It remains so to this day.
"Hundreds of computerized
dating services sprung up in
the '60s. The ultimate setup
for unmarrieds was the
singles-only apartment com-
plex, touted as a 'recreational
residential community for
single young adults?
"The singles who answered
the clarion call to frolic and
friendship were ages 21-40,
worked at white collar profes-
sions and had an average in-
come of $8,000.
"They could manage the
"monthly rents which ranged
upward from $120 for a one-
room apartment unit with
bath and kitchenette.
"There was always a
waiting list of eager ap-
plicants clamoring to make
the scene, to be caught up in
the whirl of group activities.
"Although the attention of
America in the 1960s ap-
peared to be riveted in the
generation under 30,
something almost as big was
brewing.
"The number of people past
0.1
I
4 11
110
40
4
S
S