Clem Heckman

Off Commor, in the alley between Sobieski and Klinger, almost smack in the middle of the block, is a place called Hamtramck Disneyland. It's a spectacle, it's an attraction, it's indescribable, really. It's a work of art and it's Clem Heckman's backyard.

The creation of Dymitro Syzlak, Hamtramck Disneyland is wheels and propellers and a dense mash up of figurines and wooden cutouts suspended in the air between two garages. It rises into the sky like a church steeple, giving it an almost religious feel.

"I don't even notice it anymore," Heckman says, who rents one of the houses from Syzlak. "Unless it's windy, those propellers make so much noise."

Even something as intriguing as Hamtramck Disneyland loses its luster if you're looking at it day in and day out. But the 34-year-old is glad that his backyard is Hamtramck Disneyland. He likes the oddity of it and says it's quite beautiful. Those two words, odd and beautiful, could be used to describe the dense, little city of Hamtramck as well, interestingly enough. A city Heckman loves and, in the year he's had Hamtramck Disneyland as a backyard, has got to know.

Heckman, a manager at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, is originally from South Bend, Indiana. He first moved to Hamtramck in 2004. He came to Michigan for the music scene. South Bend just didn't cut it for him when it came to seeing live shows. However, this and that happened, he went back to South Bend, stayed for longer than he wanted, had a quick stint in Chicago before Hamtramck started calling his name. Now he can eat as much dill pickle soup as he wants.

Eating

"I'm in love with dill pickle soup," Heckman says. He makes his own, he says it's pretty easy. But the best place to grab a nice hot bowl would have to be the Polish Village, he says.

"It's not just good, cheap food but it's the atmosphere, it's the experience at that place," he says. "The waitresses are short and sometimes gruff and might say, 'Get the hell out of my way!' if you're in there way, which I absolutely love."

His mother, brother, and sister-in-law recently visited and the Polish Village was the first place he took them. "They enjoyed the Polish Village and for the four of us it was only $31," he says.

He tends to work late at the theater, getting home late, so his schedule is a little different. There isn't much breakfast in Heckman's life. However, he does stop into the bakeries when he can.

"I get up late so usually I'll just grab something at the local bakeries on my way to work," he says. "I'll go the New Palace and grab a cinnamon roll or a croissant. Well, it's sorta like a croissant with a sugar coating on the top. And it's less than a dollar. And they have donuts for 50 cents."

And though he usually gets off of work late, not everything is closed in Hamtramck – like the Bengali restaurant Aladdin's (pronounced al-LA-deen).

"Aladdin's is great. I like the food and the people there are really nice," he says. "But I especially like that they are open to later midnight most days of the week. Sometimes when I get off work late they are still open. That's great."

Shop

Heckman says he does a lot of cooking at home. And, though there are a lot of restaurants in Hamtramck, there are quite a few markets for Heckman to make some of his favorite dishes. And yep, dill pickle soup is one of them.

"I'll go to the Polish Market or the International Market on Caniff," he says. "The International Market is the one with the parking lot and no driveway." He laughs. It's true. This market has a parking lot but you can only get it by driving in the alley. There is no driveway off of Caniff. The oddity of Hamtramck.

"I'll go to Al-Haramine for falafel mix," he says. "The prices there are good, too."

Heckman says the Polish Art Center on Jos. Campau is perfect for gifts. And the dollar stores, which there are a lot, are good for weird and odd things, he says.

Bars

Heckman says that Hamtramck is a perfect place for seeing live music.

"There is a bar on every corner and on any day you can probably go into one and see a live band," he says. "It's a good music scene, with good bars, and good live music. Something that Indiana isn't."

And a few of his favorites?

"The Belmont is great," he says. "Or the Painted Lady for a Blatz beer. It's an old man beer and it's cheap. I also like the Atlas bar. It looks like it's someone’s corner house. I love that it looks like that. And there is a sign on it that says, 'Yes, We're Open.'"

Heckman also says that everyone should rent the Polish Wedding, which was completely filmed in Hamtramck and stars Claire Danes (Romeo and Juliet and My So-Called Life). He says he likes to point out the scenes to friends when driving through the city. "I love that movie," he says.

But, for Heckman, the real life Hamtramck is much better.