Pyat's Neighbourhood

[pyat]

Went to lunch at Rankin's with shadow_maze and his son, who is on March Break. We met at Rankin's Grill, a local institution that serves a lot of notable East Enders. I've seen MPs and city councillors there more than once.


Mostly steel workers and retirees today.


After lunch, I went on a ramble around the block. I visited my old highschool. It still looks like a castle...


...it even has gargoyles!


Across the street there is a wonderful/wretched used bookstore, run by a very strange man. I've been there a few times, but I suspect he'd have chased me out if I'd gone in with a camera. So I took some shots from across the street.


That's the interior of the store. The flashlight is because the overhead lights are off - I don't think he actually has electricity. There are very few actual shelves, just weird heaps of books. He is suspicious of people who go in looking for a particular title. The first time I went to his shop, around 1997, he actually slapped my hands and yanked a book from me, claiming it wasn't for sale. Then handed me a Tarzan book with a ripped cover. According to doc_mystery (who has visited a few times) the owner is afraid of "book scouts," people who find valuable books and buy them for cheap, then resell them. In my case the book was a 1980s spelling and style guide for a Chicago newspaper.


Just down the street is "Weird Stuff", the sort of store that sells jazz 78s from the 50s and art deco furniture and coffee tables shaped like dragons. They also sell old pulp magazines and the like, but I rarely go in there.


The alien glows at night. It actually unnerved me for a few moments when I first saw it, late one night.


My friendly neighbourhood comic book guy! I've been going to his store since 1990. The sign, "Blades and Things", refers to a short-lived "swords and bongs" store that used to be next door. Since then it's hosted a parade of sad businesses, including a thinly-stocked market and a very sad clothing store.

And now, back to work with me!

Comments

[zenten.livejournal.com]

I dunno, MP sounds kind of stringy.

Also, the fact that the book guy could run a store like that for so long and continue to pay rent/utilities confuses and disturbs me.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure he owns the property, and the flashlight suggests he doesn't pay utilities. In the winter time, I've seen the windows completely covered in ice, suggesting it may not be heated, either.

[zenten.livejournal.com]

I guess it's just a question of how he pays the property taxes, and how he actually does things like buy food.

[kisekileia.livejournal.com]

A "swords and bongs" store? Damn, I wish I could have seen that.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

They tend to crop up in flea markets or low-rent commerical areas!

[renface.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of downtown Kenosha, WI... where my brother and I discovered a used tuxedo shop, a "swords and bongs" shop, and a very creepy costume shop.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Used... tuxedos? Wow. :)

[kianir.livejournal.com]

My rival high school was very similar, and built by the Works Progress Administration. Something I hope to write an essay about soon. In the meantime, let's see if this works:

Natrona County High School (http://maps.google.com/maps?cbp=12,316.0140763681702,,0,-11.900000000000022&cbll=42.840808,-106.329328&ll=42.840808,-106.329328&layer=c)

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I love street view! :)

And yes, it looks quite similar.

[lee-in-limbo.livejournal.com]

How in the WORLD do you get that to work?! That's totally cool, but I honestly can't make it work properly.

Lee.

[madmanofprague.livejournal.com]

oh, the heyday of the Swords and Bongs boom...

There's a Hit Points joke in there, somewhere.

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

I wandered around that area last week with Shadow_Maze. A few comments:

1. I tried to go Rankin's last week for food after gaming (but the kitchen was closed!). We had some pizza slices in the place nearby instead.

2. I've been to that bookstore nameless just like you said, but I haven't been there for at least 3 years. Wretched is the word all right. Stacks of crap like old computer books, stale-dated astrology books, hysterically outdated "get rich" books, tons of mildewed Pierre Burton, etc. Many smell and many are quite over-priced for the shape they are in. I think the fellow has Diogenes Syndrome given that he actively discourages persons buying things they are looking for.

3. "Weird Stuff" sounds theoretically visiting to visit, but that seller was a moron with his claims about the first appearance of Conan (December 1932 issue of Weird Tales). You would think a guy with a store with the term 'weird' in it's title would known better...

4. Isn't that Delta "Stabbin'" HS?

::B::