ceelo2's Blog

If you had lived on the East Side you would remember the boat horns coming from the river late at night...It was cool........Or the fruit men and their wagons coming through the neighborhood on Sat. mornings, and cracking open an apple sideways to show you the star that was hidden inside, and he'd give you the apple. They would leave a bag of your favorite fruit or Veggies in the milk-chute if they missed you and you would pay them next week. Or the coal man backing up in the drive, and you'd have to open the hatch so he could fill the bin in the basement......

I remember that Detroit too!!! I wish there could be at least a tiny bit of hope left, but then I think...where do you begin...it only takes one person at a time and others will follow.

I grew up in Detroit and also remember the way my single mother of nine got up every morning and went to work to support her family,Oh and yes she was married when she had her children and yes she was a good mother and strict. We all behaved cause we knew what was coming if we didnt. \We didnt take anothers' property, if we wanted something we had to find a job and pay for it ourselves. I took a bus by myself or with my sisters to downtown, to school, to Northland, to the East side,at 11 y/o I got a job as a mother's helper and took the bus to my job. I went to Mackenzie High School and got an education I worked at the Dairy Queen right next to Mackenzie Iloved Detroit until the day my mother had to crouch down on the bus to avoid sniper fire. We left and have not been back

Melanie714 - I graduated from Mackenzie. I know the Dairy Queen that you speak of in your comment. After class we would walk down Oakman to Royal's hamburger. If you had any money you could go to Grand River and Oakman and buy the latest fashions or shoe styles at Bakers or Butlers. There was no busing program then, so we walked home from school. By that time I lived near Tireman and Livernois. That was designated "cross the tracks" from The Big Mac neighborhood. Thanks Melanie

Although I was a toddler in the early 60's, there are some of things posted here that I remember fondly. Twin Pines milk and Milky the Clown. The lunch counter at Woolworth and, of course, penny candy! Grant's department store, Great Scott supermarket, Genie's Weinies, etc.

I also remember the day our parents woke us up in the middle of the night, packed all of us kids in the car and drove us out of town. I remember seeing the glow of fires in the night sky and smelling the smoke as we headed out of Detroit and out of Michigan...our parents took us down south to live on a farm with relatives for the remainder of that summer.

Such a shame that a beautiful city like Detroit has been so neglected and abused over the years. What Detroit really needs is real leadership who can motivate not on ly the citizens of Detroit, but also the entire Southeast Michigan region to rebuild and "re-brand" Detroit.

With the exception of Dennis Archer's eight years, Detroit's leadership over the past three decades has polarized the region, with city and suburbs at cross purposes. Until that gets remedied, Detroit will continue to decay.

Your very welcome ceelo2.

Yeah, and Mr. Softee, the Bookmobile and the swim mobile. Block club parties and playing in the alley (of all places). I remember the yellow Twin Pines milk truck with the pine trees on the side of it. We used to actually have a truck come by and fill our furnace with coal too!!!! Imagine that!!!! We'd walk down Chalmers to 7 Mile to the 7-11 that was there. To drive through and see that area now....it's like attending a funeral for one of your dearest friends. There were no vacant or burned out houses or vacant lots where property once stood. And the Sanders on Gratiot....the caramel cake, fresh ice cream and cookies....better than nostalgia!!!!!

Sad that those of us who lived and enjoyed living in those wonderful days will have to scramble to move to an area where our children can at least play outdoors without gun battle and stray bullets threatening lives.

Ceelo2....those are such great memories - boy how I miss those days!

PessimisticOptimistic

Yes, playing in the alley. A person would have to be there to understand how much fun that was. Kickball and four square. Jacks, hop scotch and baseball. loved every minute of it.

My kids laugh to think that their prissy, cutesy mom was once a total tomboy.

My father installed a pot belly wood burning stove in the middle of the dining room. The pipe would fall from time to time and we would have a house full of smoke and soot. He meant well :) I imagine that was his way of contending with the rising cost of fuel in the 60's.

I believe I know alot of you guys, and gals. My mother was a gypsy. Lol. We stayed all over Detroit. We were already on the westside when they tore Hastings down. The same time they were digging up I-96. My mother rented a bottom flat from Justice Damon Keith's Mother on Virginia Park. I went to Thirkell School. What a good life. Think you for bringing back those memories, and letting me know there are others out there like me. lol

Those were the days I grew up on the Eastside too in th late 50's and 60's. use to walk on Sat to the Northtown theater. took the buses to downtown to Hudsons. We went and played at Derby Hill and watch the soap box racing

Beautiful! I remember the fruit truck, Twin Pines and the boat horns. I only lived a couple of blocks off of the river. How about those nasty fish flies every year or the big black water bugs? Ewwwwwww sooooooo crunchy!lol