Was That A Mouse Over There?

…or was it a tiny flesh devouring alien?

The Doclopedia #404

The Alphabet, Again: D is for…Dimm Street

In the city of Toronto, Canada, there is a very short street called Dimm Street. It’s very old, narrow, dark most of the day (it runs east to west between very tall buildings) and is just two blocks long. The entire two blocks are lined with 30 small shops selling everything from herbs & spices to shoes to comic books. There are also three restaurants and a bar. The whole street looks very quaint and neighborly. Tourists & locals just love it.

But, and you knew there would be a “but” in this piece of writing, Dimm Street is not quite what it seems to be. The truth is, every business on the street straddles the intersection of Public Toronto and Secret Toronto. It’s not the only portal to the Secret City, but it is by far the most popular and easiest to find. That’s good, because the only Secret City more popular with the Other People than Toronto is Secret San Francisco. Some estimates say that up to a quarter million visitors pass through Dimm Street each month during the spring and summer.

A full guidebook to both Dimm Street and Secret Toronto can be purchased at Secret Empire Comics if you quietly ask for a copy of “Super Secret City #1”. After that, you can use the back door of the shop to get into “Lost Games”, the game store that sells games and versions of games that never existed in the Public World.

If you are clued into the Secret World and go into the Green Rose Tea Room, don’t be surprised if you see several mutants. Miss Maxine, who runs the place, sells a variety of teas and snacks that appeal to those of a newer genetic code. Her Lavender Green Tea with Curare is pretty popular with some mutants.

Over at Hassad’s Spice Shop, you can use the restroom to get into the secret subway, but you’ve gotta buy some spices first. Old man Hassad is a cranky old fart, even more so than when he was alive. His son in law and daughter will let you through for free.

Dimm Street connects directly to the Secret Cities in Warsaw, Lagos and Valparaiso.