For our 6th grade graduation from elementary school at Pitcher [[now closed) Elementary School, our social studies teacher, Mr. Barach, took us on a class trip to Greektown in January, 1964. I don't recall us going into any of the restaurants but we did go into the gift shop. I recall buying a "marble" statue of Zeus and something for my Mom. Years later, friends and I would go down to Greektown for the annual street festival they had. We would buy some retsina or pop wine and get loaded. There would be spontaneous group dancing in the closed off street. It was like a scene from "Hair".

Coincidentally, I landed a job at Detroit General Hospital and would spend my lunch time at one of the Greek social clubs, the Macedonia Club, eating my bag lunch and playing pool. There was another social club across the street, the Peloponessus Club, that wasn't as friendly or welcoming. For a while, I worked the afternoon shift on weekends and would eat a dinner of chicken lemon soup, a wedge of bread and water or a beer at the Hellas. At that time, there was a party store on the corner next to the Hellas where you could buy lunch meat sandwiches, cheese, Greek pastry and beverages. I worked at DGH for nearly 6 years so I got to know the place well. In the early 70s, hip entrepreneurs occupied some of the smaller stores. One store you could get your Zodiac and astrological chart mapped and interpreted. Another store had a guy who worked in leather goods. I believe he also took photos from a camera he had mounted onto a rifle stock. Stella roamed the streets reacting to phantoms and frightening the casual visitors. I'm leaving out the half of it but Greektown was a great place to be around.