Saturday, October 28, 2006

Motor City All Night Long: Joseph's Coney Island

















Despite boatloads of water, wild wind and cold and the Tigers' loss, Detroit seemed cheerful today when I drove downtown -- just a couple days now before Devil's Night. The primary stops included Joseph's Coney Island, the Heidelberg Project, and Knight Light Candle to see Peaches and the gang.

Joseph's is at Jefferson and Connor and serves, among others, the factory crews at the DaimlerChrysler Assembly Plant, the one that's forty years old and now churns out Roadsters and the SRT 10 Coupe. I occasionally get brunch at Joseph's, especially on raw days like today -- hot meals and hot coffee for cheap. The variety of food reflects the variety of workers and their backgrounds -- grits, Fire Dogs, Gyros, Fried Clam Strips, Mexican Omelettes. Today a sign proclaimed "CAKE." The service is amiable and fast, the food appreciated, and the people watching is inspiring. 24-hour service for all night long needs.

The Heidelberg is ramped up for Halloween, lots of extra treats to behold ranging from psychedelic polka dots to stacked dolls, shoes and vacuum cleaners. Every day is Halloween at the Heidelberg, truth be told.

Knight Light was hopping, several women asking for help with their feckless or wayward men. One particularly well-heeled woman asked Peaches to triple bless her Chiarapusa hummingbird candle to ensure he'd stick by her. "He have a baby Mama but she ain't nothin, just a skitterbug girl," she said. Also, she explained that she needed a husband to help pay her bills so she could keep more of her own money, and he was a good choice. "Add a Two Three or Four if I need it," she laughed, and every other woman there nodded in agreement. "Pray for him to love me First, provide for me good, and marry me -- let's blow this thing up!" Peaches did as requested and the woman paid for her own and another customer's candles and gave Peaches double "blessings" in her tip jar (she'd just won at the Lotto on a Peaches hunch, apparently). Never a dull moment at Knight Light. I got my own handful of goodies and took off, happy as a clam. I love Detroit.

















Today's Rune: Wholeness.

Happy Recovery!

5 comments:

Laura said...

Well now I know where to go when I wake up hungry at 3 a.m.

ZZZZZZZ said...

hmmm. I'm hungry now. I love coney island! There are so many of them! National, Kirbys, Joseph's, Mama Vicki's... the list goes on but they are all great even if they are not affiliated.

JR's Thumbprints said...

I used to teach delinquet youths just off of Jefferson and Conner (on the other side of the berm)on a side street called Defer. We would play basketball at the old St. Rose Gym. The regulars would come in and play against my kids. My boss didn't like it, but I jokingly told her, "Don't worry, I have them check their guns at the door." Joke aside, I never had any problems.

Anonymous said...

I could dig going for a coney at 3 a. m. That neighborhood doesn't scare me.

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