Must Do in the D....#1

Marvelous Marvin's Mechanical Museum

Remember in Big when the-boy-who-would-become-Tom-Hanks wishes upon that so-creepy-its-the-coolest-thing-ever carnival machine called Zoltar Speaks? Remember how you wanted one? Remember how it was frightening and mysterious but, at the same time, tantalizing and fantastic? Well, that's Marvin's in a nutshell.

I remember when I first walked into his cramped strip mall location in Farmington Hills, down the rows and rows of coin-operated machines from all eras. Things hung from the ceiling, the walls, and everywhere around you there were bells and sirens and beeps and sounds as the machines sprang to life before some delighted and possibly mesmerized patron. When I was locked in the movements of any given machine, I was immediately transfixed and I could almost be convinced that, yes, I did want to run away and join the circus and, yes, I could live without all modern conveniences if it could just be 1929 or 1899 or 1910 all over again.

I briefly considered how I could pull off the theft of Marvin's collection of Carter The Great posters so that I could covetously keep them with me for always. Although, after meeting Marvin, I suspect he has the power to command retribution for such an act, be it mafia-like or supernatural.

Walking through Marvin's is much like wandering the dusty aisles of an antique shop. The machines create a yellowed and outdated atmosphere that is at once comfortable and terrifying. Every time I slipped a coin into the slot of one of the giant wooden cabinets, I wished with every fiber of my being that something magical would happen to transform me.

Marvin's has remained one of my most special memories of metro Detroit. Everyone must go there at least once and play every game in the joint.


Marvin's Online