“Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do”
-Bob Dylan, “Desolation Row” (via Watchmen)
The most important time for going to Denny’s is the night time. I seem to remember that the ancient Greeks used to run their school days from sunrise to sunset. Even if that isn’t true I will apply that same sort of rhetoric to Denny’s attendance. The best time to come to Denny’s is the inverse. Of course, I haven’t been around to see a sunrise at Denny’s but I have certainly come close to it.
Denny’s during the daytime is a lot like a superhero’s secret identity. During the day it is prim and proper in the sense of how prim and proper Denny’s is ever going to be during the day. Normal people go there, get their meal, chat for a bit, pay the check, and leave. Its a regular restaurant during the day. But at night it become Batman. The atmosphere, despite any renovations, is dark and moody. There is something in the shadows that prowls.
For the evening denizens of Denny’s (Denny’sens?) it is not about being there quick. For me, I get there and I’m in it for the long haul. Even in recent years as the attendance has declined it is still a good idea to get there late and stay. We are vampires and the coffee might as well be blood.
Things that are unheard of during the day are not only acceptable during the night but are required and mandated as such. It is okay to be a little loud. It is okay to stay hours after your plate has been taken away and your waiter is telling you their shift is almost over and they have to cash out. It is okay to move to another table when one is getting too full.
I’ve written sketches and stories in these times. I’ve seen awkward dates, pissed-off waiters, and kids up way past any reasonable bedtime.
The Polis has a nightlife comparable to other similar-sized areas. There are plenty of open bars and restaurants. But there is an allure to Denny’s not afforded at other night spots. I may love the Raven but it can get crowded for the stupidest reasons. The amount of clubs that have the upstairs couches available on a whim is unfathomable. One time back in November I went there and the whole upper floor was closed off for some party. The downstairs was stuffed to the gills because of this. On the less sober-side, bars can get too loud and the people are given plenty of reasons to become full-blown idiots.
Denny’s has its share of such people as well. Its not like the management is telling the medical students to hurry up so the law students have a chance to sit down. And there are also plenty of loud, obnoxious idiots there as well. I remember once some kids smoking cigars there. Nothing screams “I’m a pompous ass” like smoking a cigar at Denny’s.
Denny’s has control. The good kind of control. If we want to be loud we do it on our own terms and stop when we‘re done. If we need to discuss some serious issues we can do so without having to shout over the jukebox that‘s playing Journey for the millionth time that night. If we need to make the 1,000th reference that night to Flight of the Conchords or continue to espouse positively about In Rainbows we can. Since the people there that late are going to be accustomed to that anyway there is no reason to stop us.
When I get to Denny's I am always with some people. It is usually the end of a day and I have some things to do. Over the course of a night I may have a writing project to develop. some personal issues to solve, or just stare into a cup of coffee and hope that something might arise from the steam. I will shift between all those areas as much as I will be shifting between tables to say hi to some people. Denny's can afford that. I cannot do that at a bar.
But once in a while there comes the time I have to be there when the vampires are asleep.
It was around exam time for SC4 5 years ago. For a stress-breaker the student government sought out the craziest, sweatiest, most liquored-up band they could. They called on Freudian Slip. Featuring RJ Mey, Rob Adamson, Matt Surline, and the enigmatic Mr. Andy, they were to make their public debut with this show. An EP had been recorded and assembled up to the minutes before they would take the “stage” at what was the West Commons of the College Center for an early afternoon show.
I introduced the band. I sold the CDs and watched the show. They did pretty good. But with so much rock all at once there was only one way to celebrate.
It was me, the band, and some of the fans/friends that came to Denny’s including Candice, a friend who had traveled out from Lansing to see the band. It was raining outside and was quite grey that day. But again, there was a lot of rock that we all had just absorbed so now it was time to absorb caffeine and French fries.
After being seated I looked around. I didn’t understand it. We were in Denny’s but it wasn’t the place where we go to confess our sins or succumb to new ones.
This was Denny’s, but what is with the natural light coming in?
Why can we see things outside?
What is with the old people here?
And why are the waiters attending to us so promptly?
I felt awkward being there and whether or not anyone cared to acknowledge it they did too. We may be awake during the day but day is not the time to be at Denny’s. We were scaring the straights.
We stayed for a little bit in order to bask in the glow of the after show but not as long as normal. Denny’s in the day is not our environment. In an early episode of Twin Peaks Dale Cooper points out that when someone is away from their regular environment they lose 100% control of their surroundings.
It was daytime and we should have stayed in our coffins instead of trying to survive the day. But that's what night is for; to recover from the day, survive the next, and repeat the cycle.
Showing posts with label batman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label batman. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Chapter 12: B.R. and A.R.
To focus a series of entries on Denny’s it is important to first define a timeline of sorts. Most commonly used is A.D. and B.C. in the Gregorian Calendar. Even Star Wars fanatics use Episode IV as a sort of “Year Zero,” defining which is before and after the events of the seminal film.
Here for the Fort Gratiot Denny’s I put forth a similar timeline based on the July 2003 renovation. Events pertaining to Denny’s will adhere to the B.R. ("Before Renovation") and A.R. ("After Renovation") timeline (sort of).
My first trips to Denny’s were in summer 2002. The last time I was at a Denny’s previous to that was probably elementary school. The first few times there I noticed there was an interesting crowd. But as Fall 2002 progressed the group was coming apart. I do not believe it was out of animosity but rather just people doing their own thing. By the time I became a regular in early 2003 this group had more or less vanished.
I wanted to become a regular. That group was pretty interesting when I first met them. But I didn’t like staying in Port Huron as late as them. I really had no reason yet other than the Rerun Film Series at Birchwood. But with the Winter 2003 semester going as late as it did (9:15 pm from Monday through Wednesdays) going to Denny’s seemed like the natural thing to do. At the time I was working in Utica on Fridays and would still make a trip up to Denny’s after work. Oh sure it was 50 miles away but I did the trip anyway.
I started going once in a while at first. My newly-acquired taste for coffee was fulfilled there.
I knew I would become a regular in early January. It was a Friday night and I had a date that didn’t go great. It wasn’t disastrous or anything; rather, it was just that nothing happened. I felt the night wasn’t over with so I decided to call RJ and see if he was at Denny’s. I was correct and I went there. I ordered a cup of coffee and an Oreo pie. I realized I had no more chances with the girl I went out with. But that was okay. I wasn’t that emotionally invested in her so moving on was easy.
After this, I became a pretty noticeable fixture in the smoking section despite the fact I’ve probably smoked 30 cigarettes in the past 6 years. When the 2002-2003 school year ended my attendance only increased.
Part of the reason I loved Denny’s was the ambience. The lights were just right. It was a soft, golden type of light. Going from school or work during the day to the night of Denny’s was comforting to the eyes. The color from those lights had the same type of character as the red light in the bar in Mean Streets. It was relaxing and easy on the eyes. I don’t like restaurants at night when they have especially bright or harsh lighting. There is a Chinese restaurant in Lapeer that would get my business more often if they turned down their lights once in a while. It is so bright in there it seems like they are using a fully functional Batsignal to light the space of a college conference room.
The lights made the difference at this Denny’s though. At other Denny’s the lights were a harsh florescent. The Denny’s by Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights has this kind of lighting. If the coffee didn’t keep me up already the lights would.
The lights at Denny’s Fort Gratiot though were great. I went there once with someone late after a movie at Birchwood Mall. Granted, Denny’s isn’t the first choice for trying to become the significant other in one’s life but it was her choice to go. The surroundings that night though could have rivaled any other romantic place that would have probably been more preferable. The atmosphere was great that night.
July rolls around and it is announced that Denny’s would be undergoing a renovation for a week. Rumors were abound that the place was going to close down but I thought that was ridiculous. If they were going to close they would close. Denny’s isn’t known for being coy. Denny’s is a place that’s going to tell you the truth but will be chain smoking hand-rolled smokes into your face as it does so.
As the renovation happens it is decided that we go to the Big Boy’s that is slightly across the street. At the time they were closing down at midnight and that was a problem. It wasn’t conducive for binges of creativity or complaining about the lack of feminine commitment.
Finally, the day came when Denny’s reopened. RJ and I returned that night. I saw that the walls and tables now matched in a sort of marble grey kind of design. But that wasn’t the first thing I noticed.
The first thing I noticed were the lights.
The lights now were those harsh florescent lights that I hated. The place had a whole different feel to it. The lights were as sterile as the emergency rooms that they were probably intended for.
There was also something rotten in Fort Gratiot with the coffee. To my knowledge it was not the same kind of coffee anymore but more than that was the service for the coffee. The refills, at one time quite plentiful, decreased considerably.
Part of the reason I dug Denny’s was the way it fed my growing addiction to coffee. I wasn’t expecting a refill within two minutes of me finishing a mug but I did expect a refill to come within a few minutes. Those first few months of being a regular I had that wish. But now the coffee refills were coming once an hour, if that. It has hardly changed in the nearly 5 years since then.
I’m pretty sure that part of the reason for this new policy was the amount of coffee being consumed was eliminating any sort of profit obtained by the sale of one cup. I know there were times I was there so late that I lost count of how many cups I’d had. I tried to offset the amount I drank by getting a meal or tipping well. I did both often but I still missed those refills.
Another problem was the placemats. Before the renovation the placemats were blank on one side. The people I sat with or would chat with could be pretty interesting. People would be working on some pretty elaborate drawings. I took to making funny lists or raps. I challenged myself once to rhyme the whole dessert menu. I did it too. I still have it.
Many of these examples of “Denny’s Art” I kept. I have most all the raps, lists, and doodles I did along with other works done by the late night demons of Denny’s.
But now the placemats are double-sided. Granted, if I want to write I have my notebook with me usually or I type on my laptop. Yet there was a certain aesthetic quality to creating something on a placemat.
It has been over 4 years since the renovation. At this point I know the place better with the harsh lighting than without. But like David Lee Roth with Van Halen, I still feel compelled to go back where I came from. Sometimes the best way to grease the engines of creativity and life is vegetable oil.
***
I will try to post uncensored Denny’s art here soon. For now, here is my comrade Mark’s page of his Denny’s art. This is the kind of good stuff one could see walking into Denny’s.
http://www.mdsc.info/art-dennys.htm
Here for the Fort Gratiot Denny’s I put forth a similar timeline based on the July 2003 renovation. Events pertaining to Denny’s will adhere to the B.R. ("Before Renovation") and A.R. ("After Renovation") timeline (sort of).
My first trips to Denny’s were in summer 2002. The last time I was at a Denny’s previous to that was probably elementary school. The first few times there I noticed there was an interesting crowd. But as Fall 2002 progressed the group was coming apart. I do not believe it was out of animosity but rather just people doing their own thing. By the time I became a regular in early 2003 this group had more or less vanished.
I wanted to become a regular. That group was pretty interesting when I first met them. But I didn’t like staying in Port Huron as late as them. I really had no reason yet other than the Rerun Film Series at Birchwood. But with the Winter 2003 semester going as late as it did (9:15 pm from Monday through Wednesdays) going to Denny’s seemed like the natural thing to do. At the time I was working in Utica on Fridays and would still make a trip up to Denny’s after work. Oh sure it was 50 miles away but I did the trip anyway.
I started going once in a while at first. My newly-acquired taste for coffee was fulfilled there.
I knew I would become a regular in early January. It was a Friday night and I had a date that didn’t go great. It wasn’t disastrous or anything; rather, it was just that nothing happened. I felt the night wasn’t over with so I decided to call RJ and see if he was at Denny’s. I was correct and I went there. I ordered a cup of coffee and an Oreo pie. I realized I had no more chances with the girl I went out with. But that was okay. I wasn’t that emotionally invested in her so moving on was easy.
After this, I became a pretty noticeable fixture in the smoking section despite the fact I’ve probably smoked 30 cigarettes in the past 6 years. When the 2002-2003 school year ended my attendance only increased.
Part of the reason I loved Denny’s was the ambience. The lights were just right. It was a soft, golden type of light. Going from school or work during the day to the night of Denny’s was comforting to the eyes. The color from those lights had the same type of character as the red light in the bar in Mean Streets. It was relaxing and easy on the eyes. I don’t like restaurants at night when they have especially bright or harsh lighting. There is a Chinese restaurant in Lapeer that would get my business more often if they turned down their lights once in a while. It is so bright in there it seems like they are using a fully functional Batsignal to light the space of a college conference room.
The lights made the difference at this Denny’s though. At other Denny’s the lights were a harsh florescent. The Denny’s by Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights has this kind of lighting. If the coffee didn’t keep me up already the lights would.
The lights at Denny’s Fort Gratiot though were great. I went there once with someone late after a movie at Birchwood Mall. Granted, Denny’s isn’t the first choice for trying to become the significant other in one’s life but it was her choice to go. The surroundings that night though could have rivaled any other romantic place that would have probably been more preferable. The atmosphere was great that night.
July rolls around and it is announced that Denny’s would be undergoing a renovation for a week. Rumors were abound that the place was going to close down but I thought that was ridiculous. If they were going to close they would close. Denny’s isn’t known for being coy. Denny’s is a place that’s going to tell you the truth but will be chain smoking hand-rolled smokes into your face as it does so.
As the renovation happens it is decided that we go to the Big Boy’s that is slightly across the street. At the time they were closing down at midnight and that was a problem. It wasn’t conducive for binges of creativity or complaining about the lack of feminine commitment.
Finally, the day came when Denny’s reopened. RJ and I returned that night. I saw that the walls and tables now matched in a sort of marble grey kind of design. But that wasn’t the first thing I noticed.
The first thing I noticed were the lights.
The lights now were those harsh florescent lights that I hated. The place had a whole different feel to it. The lights were as sterile as the emergency rooms that they were probably intended for.
There was also something rotten in Fort Gratiot with the coffee. To my knowledge it was not the same kind of coffee anymore but more than that was the service for the coffee. The refills, at one time quite plentiful, decreased considerably.
Part of the reason I dug Denny’s was the way it fed my growing addiction to coffee. I wasn’t expecting a refill within two minutes of me finishing a mug but I did expect a refill to come within a few minutes. Those first few months of being a regular I had that wish. But now the coffee refills were coming once an hour, if that. It has hardly changed in the nearly 5 years since then.
I’m pretty sure that part of the reason for this new policy was the amount of coffee being consumed was eliminating any sort of profit obtained by the sale of one cup. I know there were times I was there so late that I lost count of how many cups I’d had. I tried to offset the amount I drank by getting a meal or tipping well. I did both often but I still missed those refills.
Another problem was the placemats. Before the renovation the placemats were blank on one side. The people I sat with or would chat with could be pretty interesting. People would be working on some pretty elaborate drawings. I took to making funny lists or raps. I challenged myself once to rhyme the whole dessert menu. I did it too. I still have it.
Many of these examples of “Denny’s Art” I kept. I have most all the raps, lists, and doodles I did along with other works done by the late night demons of Denny’s.
But now the placemats are double-sided. Granted, if I want to write I have my notebook with me usually or I type on my laptop. Yet there was a certain aesthetic quality to creating something on a placemat.
It has been over 4 years since the renovation. At this point I know the place better with the harsh lighting than without. But like David Lee Roth with Van Halen, I still feel compelled to go back where I came from. Sometimes the best way to grease the engines of creativity and life is vegetable oil.
***
I will try to post uncensored Denny’s art here soon. For now, here is my comrade Mark’s page of his Denny’s art. This is the kind of good stuff one could see walking into Denny’s.
http://www.mdsc.info/art-dennys.htm
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