-
Sippm

There are four within a block in Birmingham, same story in
Royal Oak. Nowadays, even gas stations sell gourmet coffee.
Still some places offer ambience, flavor and friendly folks
above and beyond the others.

Living Single

Hip Habitats

• Grand Cafe, 33316 Grand River
Ave., Farmington. You've got cof-
fee, sandwiches, pizza, everything
gourmet. The quotes running
along the wall speak volumes:
"Love is the only game that's not
called on account of darkness."
Owner Lance Kawas greets every
patron and doesn't require money
up front; eat first, relax, then settle
the bill. Board games are stacked in
the corner, big screen TV, plus
poetry on Sundays, local musicians
Friday and Saturday and the
Dating Game on Thursdays.

For a few years in my late
20s, I lived in a drafty but
charming flat that overlooked
a used car lot in Royal Oak.
My eyes would scan the signs
hanging from lampposts in
the lot: "Why buy new?" and
"Get a great deal here."
I liked the Bohemian fla-
vor of the place and appreci-
ated the proximity of restau-
rants --- the 24-hour Lantern
on Main was a personal -
favorite — galleries, grocery
stores, shops and the freeway.
Royal Oak is a bit rowdier
nowadays, but it's still a nice
place for singles to live. Rents
are high, so buy if it's within
your means. Royal Oak is
continuing to solidify itself as
an oasis of urbanity within a
suburban wilderness.
Some people prefer the
grittiness of Hamtramck —
home of the Kowalski sausage
factory and countless corner
taverns. Rent is still lower
there, and its close to 1-94

• Lonestar Coffee Co., 207 S.
Woodward, Birmingham. Jewish-
owned, with pastries from other
local entrepreneurs. Hip help and
friendly. Music some nights, poetry
once a month.

• Joe To Go, Woodward Avenue,
one block south of 14 Mile,
Birmingham. The only drive-thru
coffee shop in town, owned by five
guys (four are Jewish). Two of the
owners found this trend on the
West Coast, brought it back home
and hope to have eight of these up
and running before long. Opens at
5:30 a.m., for gourmet coffee, tea,
bagels and pastries. Coffee doesn't
sit in the pot for longer than 90 min-
utes.

• Starbucks, several locations. The
best thing about this franchise is
frappuccino — frozen, whipped cof-
fee-milk-sugar drinks. Come sum-
mer, check it out. As for the coffee
— try half decaf, half regular, or you
might bug out. ❑
— Lynne Meredith Cohn

2/13
1998

80

and 1-75.
Ferndale is a newish fron-
tier for the single and free.
People once thought it wasn't
smart to live on the east side
of Woodward, but those days
are gone. Rents are relatively
low for flats in decent neigh-
borhoods. And Ferndale has
its charms, like Maria's Front
Room, a couple of Thai
restaurants, the Magit Bag
Theatre.
Birmingham is a good
place for singles who have
means. More upscale than
any of the aforementioned
communities, it has amenities
— a good bookstore,
moviehouse, restaurants,
shopping, bungalows and
apartments.
For the adventurous, lofts
are available in the Eastern
Market and Greektown areas
downtown: a hip place to
live.. ❑
Julie Edgar

—

Answering Prayers

If I knew the best place for young
adults to daven, I'd be there in a sec-
ond.
When I moved back to Michigan,
I thought I'd be a dues-paying syna-
gogue member by Rosh Hashanah.
Didn't happen. The key, I realized,
was not that there aren't
wonderful programs at
metro Detroit shuls; it's that
I'm not sure where I want to
fit in.
I left a "modern
Orthodox" community in
Maryland, hoping to find
the same comfortable covey
here. No such luck.
So for me, Detroit
Conservative wasn't quite
enough but Orthodox was
too much.
Here's a rundown of the

top places for unat-
tached (or newly
hitched) young
adults.

• Young Israel of
Oak Park
(Orthodox)
The rabbi and his
wife are young and hip, as are many
members. Young families, singles and
a bevy of newly marrieds belong. Off-
site study sessions (cigar smoking,
cappuccino) and a group called
Friends (fun, kosher, 20s-40s).

• Temple Israel
One of the biggest Reform syna-
gogues in the country, with something
for everyone. Includes two Shabbat
evening services (formal and laid-
back) and JEMS (Jews who Enjoy
Mingling and Schmoozing). The

biggest backer of the Rekindling
Shabbat effort, and the rabbis (Rabbi
Bennett's a twentysomething) are
open to anything innovatively Jewish.

• Adat Shalom Synagogue
(Conservative)
Home to the Young Adult Shabbat
Service, it's a place where many twen-
tysomethings grew up. Rabbi Danny
Nevins, innovative programmer Adam
Schafer and a committee created a
user-friendly YASS siddur.
— Lynne Meredith Cohn

❑

CJ