Walking and Reminiscing

As I took my usual morning constitutional around my Woodbridge neighborhood this morning I found myself thinking about the things which used to be here as opposed to the things which are here now. It was a nice walk.

At the corner of Forest and Trumbull there was once a store called, I believe, Hattie's. Hattie sold mostly clothes and fashion accessories, hats and the like. It was the kind of store you used to see in neighborhoods when there were true neighborhoods. Across the street was an old Cunningham's Drug Store. Detroiters remember Cunningham's, don't we? At one time it was a thriving local chain.

Next to Hattie's was the Marble Bar, which me Pops said had a reputation for being rough even back in the forties. But I remember being impressed with its facade: an art deco monster which read, surprisingly enough, 'the Marble Bar' in rising maroon letters left to right, all set on a ledge which ran above the entrance. A half block down Trumbull the other way sits a liquor store which fronts a dollar store. The whole building used to be an A&P way back when I was not even ten.

At Trumbull and Merrick was once the Trumbull Merrick market, the bread and milk store I've spoken about I'm sure. Now it's the Woodbridge Pub and has helped developed a good vibe in the neighborhood. Immediately next to it is a pizza store. I like their pizza okay, but it's really just pretentious, overpriced hipster pizza. I say that with all due respect. If you like it, cool, and it does have a good reputation. At least among the pretentious.

Just down from that was Kashat's Party Store, which is now something called Armageddon Beach Party. I gather that it's supposed to be a boutique of some sort, but for my increasingly old man tastes its wares are simply bizarre. Again, if you like that sort of thing, fine. But I rather suspect that more folks than just old men would likewise think it bizarre.

So that's it for today. I'm not particularly melancholy nor euphoric just now. I'm just thinking about the old, and new, neighborhood.