Northwest Detroit Six Mile& Outer Drive

**agirlintheD** · September-08-09, 12:08 PM

Tap, who are you asking?

**DW313512** · September-08-09, 03:56 PM

Are you talking about Tom Gillespie? Tall, thin kid with blondish hair? Would have been about 15 years old in 1971?

**Alfie1a** · September-09-09, 05:57 PM

Patrick, yes I lived on Murray Hill north of Outer Drive. Another who I think lived on your block was Debbie Sauders. Or maybe she lived on Mansfield around the block from you.

I too liked Peterson Park. Remember that little shack of a store on the corner of Curtis and Greenfield? I think the old guy who ran it was named Burt. The foundation of that store is still there.

It was a cool neighborhood. Always a baseball game to play. We played our pick-up games mostly at Newton, sometimes at Peterson. Do you remember W7 little league? We played at St. Scholastica.

My paper route was Outer Drive between Greenfield and Southfield. After delivering the papers, sometimes I went into the Fisher home and visited. I would help work jigsaw puzzles and sometimes got to play pool with the residents. That was a cool place. When we were a bit older, my friends and I would sneak onto the grounds at night and act like fools.

DW, yes that's the same Tom.

**Alfie1a** · September-09-09, 06:18 PM

Hi again Patrick. Yes I remember Karp's and Gil's. Went into both many times. How about that little market on the other side of 6 mile, near the Clock restaraunt? I was busted shoplifting by one of the brothers who owned the place. I was stealing a big box of blue tip matches. Doh. Always liked fire and pyrotechnic stuff, I guess. Then there was Ira Smith pharmacy down the street from there. I could go in there and purchase saltpeter and use it to make smoke-bombs. Around 1972, at Norge Village I was lighting smoke-bombs at about 2a.m. and the next thing I know, I was surrounded by 4-5 police cars. I was punished severely. lol Hey Ray1936, were you in on that raid?

I was a real jerk.

Another cool place in the neighborhood was a nightclub called The Musicman on 6 Mile near Greenfield. A friend's dad owned it and we could go in there and listen to live music, mostly jazz.

**vetalalumni** · September-10-09, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

I too liked Peterson Park. Remember that little shack of a store on the corner of Curtis and Greenfield? I think the old guy who ran it was named Burt. The foundation of that store is still there.

It was a cool neighborhood. Always a baseball game to play. We played our pick-up games mostly at Newton...

That little shack of a store on Greenfield and Curtis received a few bucks from my friends and I over the years. Newton does not ring a bell though. Was it a playfield?

**Alfie1a** · September-11-09, 07:43 PM

vetalalumni, Isaac Newton is the grade school on Curtis and Asbury Park.

**vetalalumni** · September-12-09, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

vetalalumni, Isaac Newton is the grade school on Curtis and Asbury Park.

Thanks regarding Newton. I did not venture into that neighborhood hardly at all. Peterson and Milan playfields I knew well. Though I wanted to play for the Milan Tigers, I was not a skilled enough athlete to play. Sunderland, Comstock, and Eliza Howell parks came into play by the time I first reached high school.

The seeds of seeking new adventures were cast by my older brothers who could drive and would tell me about their adventures even further out from our neighborhood. Mostly to meet with friends etc... There were not a lot of females in our immediate area.

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

How about that little market on the other side of 6 mile, near the Clock restaraunt? I was busted shoplifting by one of the brothers who owned the place. I was stealing a big box of blue tip matches. Doh. Always liked fire and pyrotechnic stuff, I guess. Then there was Ira Smith pharmacy down the street from there. I could go in there and purchase saltpeter and use it to make smoke-bombs. Around 1972, at Norge Village I was lighting smoke-bombs at about 2a.m. and the next thing I know, I was surrounded by 4-5 police cars. I was punished severely. lol Hey Ray1936, were you in on that raid?

I was a real jerk.

Another cool place in the neighborhood was a nightclub called The Musicman on 6 Mile near Greenfield. A friend's dad owned it and we could go in there and listen to live music, mostly jazz.

Sounds like you were a little terror [[euphonic) like a lot of kids were. To this day, I still have my moments

The Musicman on W. McNichols does not ring a bell at all. Do you recall the cross street and side of the street it was on? Was the time frame for that nightclub around 1975 or thereabouts?

**Meddle** · September-12-09, 11:39 AM

I vaguely remember The Musicman, but was never there. I do remember The Apartment though.

**vetalalumni** · September-12-09, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

I vaguely remember The Musicman, but was never there. I do remember The Apartment though.

The Apartment?

**Alfie1a** · September-15-09, 08:35 PM

Hey vetalalumni. The Musicman was on the north side of 6 Mile between Winthrop and Forrer. I should clarify, I was only in there a few times and it was during the day. We were able to watch and listen while the bands rehearsed. I would put the year around 70-71.

I suppose I was a bit of a terror but not nearly as bad as some of the other kids. And I still have my moments too. lol gotta keep things interesting, no?

I'm guessing you were east of Greenfield. You should have come over around Newton. There were a lot of girls.

Hi Meddle. I don't recall The Apartment. Where was that?

**vetalalumni** · September-16-09, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

Hey vetalalumni. The Musicman was on the north side of 6 Mile between Winthrop and Forrer. I should clarify, I was only in there a few times and it was during the day. We were able to watch and listen while the bands rehearsed. I would put the year around 70-71.

Never knew The Musicman place. Per google maps, looks like there is now a Taco Bell and strip mall there. The small 2 story office complex, one block west, is still there [[between Forrer and Prevost).

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

I suppose I was a bit of a terror but not nearly as bad as some of the other kids. And I still have my moments too. lol gotta keep things interesting, no?

I'm guessing you were east of Greenfield. You should have come over around Newton. There were a lot of girls.

Hi Meddle. I don't recall The Apartment. Where was that?

I was in Rosedale Park. Knew not even one person around the Newton area, so never made it over there.

There was another popular city park on the south side of Puritan between Archdale and Lindsay. Do you know the name of that park?

I should clarify regarding girls. Boys outnumbered the girls, so to expand the available pool of honey, one had to leave the immediate neighborhood

**Meddle** · September-16-09, 06:10 AM

I can't remember exactly. North side of McNichols near Evergreen somewhere. Time frame would have been mid 80's probably. Hole in the wall dinner club with a stage.

**Alfie1a** · September-23-09, 03:05 PM

I don't remember the name. It might be the same location of a place called Angel's Hourglass, where my mom worked during the mid 70's.

**vetalalumni** · September-23-09, 06:36 PM

Thanks for the info Meddle and Alfie1a.

**tapstevenson** · September-23-09, 07:19 PM

Everyone, is the murray hill market still on six mile in some form or another?

**Alfie1a** · October-04-09, 08:35 AM

Hey Tap. No, that store is gone. Funny thing, I sometimes have a dream that I am working in that store. Weird, huh? What high school did you go to? Remember the Sunoco on 6 and St. Marys? Rudy worked there in about 1974.

Vetalalumni, what high school did you go to? Oh, and your s/n, what is the origin? Vetala is a rather off-color term in the finnish language. No offense intended. My cousin used to tool around town in an old beat up orange Nova. She named it "The Vetala Chug-a-Bug.

**vetalalumni** · October-04-09, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

Vetalalumni, what high school did you go to? Oh, and your s/n, what is the origin? Vetala is a rather off-color term in the finnish language. No offense intended. My cousin used to tool around town in an old beat up orange Nova. She named it "The Vetala Chug-a-Bug.

Not a vampire or a finnish term.

Graduated from Vetal Elementary School followed by Redford High School - all in the 70s.

What are the origins of your handle Alfie1a?

**Alfie1a** · October-06-09, 04:44 AM

My name is Alllen. My sis used to call me Alfalfa and that eventually became Alfie

**SMRJim** · October-22-09, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by tapstevenson

Hello again, Patrick Stevenson here. Anyone out there from the northwest neighborhood around six mile and outer drive? I grew up there in the 60's went to Isaac Newton School, played at Peterson park and ran all over for blocks. Anyone remember Gil's hamburgers?

I grew up near Grand River and Greenfield, on Prevost, but I played O'Shea baseball and some of our games were at Peterson Park [[also occasionally at Stoepel). The last year I played [[73) we had more games away from O'Shea because they were starting the construction for the Jeffries and they tore down one or two of the ball diamonds at O'Shea. We used to sometimes ride our bikes up to Northland, and I can remember stopping at Forrer Park a couple of times when we did that. Pretty sure that was north of 6 Mile, maybe between 6 and Outer Drive?

In the late 70s, maybe early 80s too, I remember going to a couple of bars that were either on 6 and/or 7 Mile just east of Southfield. I started going to those before I turned 18, in 76 or 77. Some guys I knew from Rosedale were in bands that played at one or both of those places. I think one of the bars was called Shenanigans. Greg Boyce was a guitar player in one of the bands - great guitarist. I knew his sister. I think he quit playing rock, started playing jazz at some point. They lived on Outer Drive east of Greenfield if I remember right. I also seem to remember partying a couple of times in a parking lot near St Scholastica back in high school or maybe college. We usually hung out at Rosedale Park, and later Elizah Howell and Hines, but I seem to remember a bunch of cars parking in that lot and people hanging out and drinking [[and what-not).

**Alfie1a** · November-18-09, 08:41 AM

Patrick, where ya been? I seen you post something on another thread so I know you still read this. How ya coming along on that best seller? Are you still in the area?

**vetalalumni** · November-18-09, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by vetalalumni

There was another popular city park on the south side of Puritan between Archdale and Lindsay. Do you know the name of that park?

Was it called the Oakfield Playground maybe?

**65memories** · November-18-09, 04:15 PM

Vetal...
the park is actually called Kelley Park

**tapstevenson** · November-18-09, 05:10 PM

Hello everyone, I am still alive, I have moved to Arkansas! Yes I am still working on the book. It is proving a difficult task but I must do it!

**Alfie1a** · November-18-09, 09:53 PM

Hey Patrick. I was going to ask you if you'd like to ride through there one day. A return to the scene of the crimes. hehe. Do you remember that little ice cream parlor between Norge Village and the meat market? I about wore out that single pinball machine. The lady who owned that place also owned the dairy queen farther east on 6 Mile towards Schaeffer. We called her Mama Hal.