October 18 Setting Description

When Nick Deyman was a freshman at Schenectady County Community College, the Canal Side Café was his “home away from home,” a place where he could sit on one of the second floor couches, sip hot chocolate, and peaceably study with several other SCCC students, as well as those from Union College. In the winter, the owners would place hardwoods in the two fireplaces, giving the entire coffee shop and eatery a warm feel.

Now, as Deyman’s made his way into the business sector as a private investigator, he still comes to the place. The first floor is the original Canal Side, a small, stereotypical 24-hour coffee and sandwich shop shown in 1940s private investigator movies, a place where the late night crowd from ALCO and GE would go to get something after work before heading home. It was expanded during the War: the influx of workers to the two factories on either end of Erie Boulevard made it worth it. The second and third floors were designed to be like the 17th and 18th century buildings in the Stockade area: large, open spaces with hardwood floors and large windows.

He used the place as his auxiliary office, a place where he could speak with clients and operatives alike. He loved the smell of the place, the freshly ground and brewing coffee reminds him of his childhood, of being at his grandmother’s house on Sunday mornings. The aroma of freshly baking bread and pastries does something to his mind: He thinks outside the box when the café bakes.