I was sad to see an item in today's Detroit News about Greektown's former standout personality, Stella Paris, who recently passed on.
As a North Cass Corridor resident for a good part of the 70's and into the early 80's, Greektown was beacon to me. Back then, Trapper's Alley really had an alley, King's used books was the dominant store, and many interesting restaurants that have since closed or sold out were a second home for me.
Lamb chops at Grecian Gardens (the absolute best) and the excitement of the persistent rumors that it was a mafia hangout led me there when I had a little extra money. They were more expensive than most of the restaurants but the food was very good. The old International was a great and friendly place, even if you weren't greek. A couple of times I wandered into the coffee shop on Monroe where euchre was game and there was no pretense in furnishings or menu offerings.
Almost every visit, all year long, you would run into Stella, her crazy nurses attire intermized with other articles, ranting, yelling, at you or at nobody in particular. Sometimes I'd see her inside the old bakery. Over the years she just became part of the fabric of Greektown to me. In some ways, I miss that old Greektown. It's so much more commercial now.
The old Greektown had the Bouzouki Lounge - then a fairly classy place with *real* belly dancers. It has since transitioned into a 'Gentlemen's Club'. Of course, that was all before the casinos opened, not that casinos are bad. It was just a different time.
I've been aware of Stella's absence on Monroe for a while now, even though my visits to Greektown have become much less frequent. The story said that she's been living in a nursing facility for the last few years, that she had calmed down some, and that she seemed at peace. I'm happy for that because I don't think she had a lot of peace in her life.
For those of us that remember the 'old' Greektown, it just isn't the same without Hella's, Grecian Gardens or Stella.
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