Key Locations

The following are locations that appear in the stories. All of them are real locations that readers can at least roll by (in the case of private homes) or explore virtually on places like Google Maps to get a feel for the experiences of the characters. Each home is, as written, based on an actual existing house that might actually be on the listed street but is, at minimum, consistent with the architectural norms of the period the houses on the street were built.

Homes of Characters

Arthur House - situated in the northern half of the stretch of Arthur Ave between Detroit and Hilliard, this stretch of residential street is full of "showcase" houses from when Lakewood first became a fashionable streetcar suburb. They are the nicest homes south of the train tracks but not the most expensive homes in the zip code (those are north along the lake, particularly immediately east of Lakewood Park and extending west of the park in modern day). Originally purchased by Charles Pallas inhabited by his granddaughter Temperance at the start of Uncle Lucius' Letters.

Elmwood House - a "standard Lakewood up/down double" across the street from Grant Elementary School, the school is visible from the front porch. Inhabited by Zofia Warren at the start of Uncle Lucius' Letters

Sun Home - another "standard Lakewood up/down double" on the western side of Victoria Ave between Madison and Hilliard, north of Victoria Court where the houses have extra long backyards creating a bit of a "secret garden" experience in the bonus space behind the garage (do not go trespassing in this neighborhood - there be dragons here!... and security cameras).

Vega Apartment - a one-bedroom apartment off Madison Ave near W.117th in Lakewood's Birdtown neighborhood.

Mei's House - large, expensive house just east of Lakewood Park along the lake shore.

Zio's House - a modest mid-century home around the corner from Mei's home.

Public Spaces

Most public spaces mentioned in the books are actual places that existed at some point during the 21st century, but some of them no longer exist. Some artistic license is taken with when certain buildings existed (for instance, the Detroit Theater never got torn down and replaced with a McDonald's in the Ahmieverse, Lakewood Hospital will exist at least a few years longer than it actually did, and Grant Elementary had construction completed a year earlier than in the timeline readers are inhabiting). This is because I really enjoy being able to experience real spaces that I read about in books, at least using Google Maps Street View, and I wanted to give that to my readers. It also conveniently saves my needing to create maps. I'm also intentionally trying to support local businesses (and maybe entice some people to be my neighbors) through this way of crafting fictional experiences.

Exceptions:

The veterinary clinic that will be mentioned (this will be edited once the name is rediscovered or recreated from old notes) is actually a dentist office in 2026 and was never actually a veterinary clinic as far as I'm aware, it's in Marc's Plaza between Marc's and Chipotle.