Chapter 5: The Brass Rail

The Brass Rail is a quaint little bar in the downtown section of Port Huron. Nearby Taurus Comics and one of the town’s many Coney Islands it is a bit of a historical landmark. As I recall from reading in an article that’s on the wall of it, the Rail holds (or at least held) the record for having a single owner of a downtown Port Huron business for the longest time. At least it went something like that.

Aside from being the only truly fervent hockey spot in Port Huron, The Brass Rail is home to a concoction known as a “Tom and Jerry.” I don’t know what is in it, but they only serve it for a limited time each year. When I went there over the recent winter break there were three or four machines mixing these things up at once. Since there wasn’t a single seat or table available I was unable to get one this past year.

I don’t know what is in a Tom and Jerry. Honestly, I’d like to keep it a sort of mystery. Kind of nice that way.

The year I did have one though certainly had an interesting course to me actually having it.

I was with RJ, his girlfriend Ellen, our friend Galen, and his DD. RJ, Galen, and I needed to get some cash out of an ATM. The nearest one is about two doors down from the Brass Rail. It is a sort of alcove that houses only an ATM. It is always open. So we knew we could go to it and get back quick enough.

We get there and there is a homeless man was sleeping inside the ATM alcove. If my niece tried to sleep in there she would find it constrictive. And here is a fully grown man sound asleep. The ensuing conversation went like this:

“So, who should wake him up?”
“Um, you do it.”
“No, let him sleep.”
“How about we just do it over him?”
“But what if he wakes up?”
“What would he do if he did?”
“But it is so cold…”
“Let’s just go down the street to the other machine.”

It was a real-life version of “Questions Only.”

I’ve seen some sights here in Detroit. I’ve seen the homeless guy at the corner of 8 and Woodward since I moved here. I’m sure he has been there longer than that. He got his scraggly beard trimmed recently, so that is a plus. I have no idea where he sleeps. But I have to say I have never in my time coming to school here or living here that I have seen someone sleep next to the ATM.