NIGHTLIFE
What happened to Old No. VI?
June 7, 2005

Remember back in the old days when the only way to cover long distances was by train? Well, neither do I, but I've heard that is where the city of Novi came from. Novi used to be train stop number six (No. VI, hence the name Novi ) before it was known as the bustling town that it is today. For my whole life Novi has always been just another suburb, a little bit bigger than my small town of Milford . They have always had Twelve Oaks Mall, so for us western-suburbanites cut off from the metropolitan world, Novi has always been the place to go. Once I left Milford , I realized that the rest of the world had always viewed Novi the same way they viewed Milford , a small town in the middle of nowhere. My, how things have changed.

Nowadays Novi is as busy, if not busier, than the closer Metro Detroit suburbs. I think it shows by the caliber of clubs that have recently come to Novi . The larger chains have begun to flood the area. Not the large chains that you can find on any street corner, either. We're talking hot clubs. The Post Bar, formerly only in the hip towns like Detroit and Ferndale , now has a home in Novi . Same with 5 th Avenue ; venturing out of the Detroit club district and into our quaint little suburb. And even outside of Michigan , people seem to have heard of this booming town. Lucky Strike Lanes has 17 locations across the country including such exclusive destinations as Hollywood , the O.C., Miami and Toronto and is soon to add Novi to that list. Lucky's, the bar, is already open, as is Tequila Rain, an upscale nightclub from Boston . Not too shabby for an old train stop outside of Detroit .

How have our suburbs become so widely known and such a hot spot for venues. People. There are an amazing number of active adults in our area. Everyone around here still knows how to party! I can remember as a kid growing up in Milford saying how I was going to move out of here the second I was out of high school. Then it changed to the day that I graduated from college. It looks like I waited too long because now it has become a great place to live. Maybe turning 21 has a big part in that. There is definitely a lack of quality things for people under the legal drinking age to do. But that isn't a local area thing; that is just Michigan in general. For the adult drinker, however, this area is rich with places to go. No longer are we left with back-roading and field party bon-fires. Now there are tons of hot bars and clubs to go to right in our own area. Milford , Highland , Howell, Waterford , Novi , South Lyon ; this is now the hottest area to be in Michigan , at least from my stand point. Obviously I'm not the only one who feels this way since all of the exclusive clubs have come to join our local bars.

If you're from this area, then you already know there is no reason to leave. If you're not, next time you're heading downtown for a night out or out to Royal Oak or Pontiac , try heading out to this area and seeing what a real night out is like.

Joseph Bonish

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