If you could pick up Baltimore and give it a good shake late on a Saturday night, a lot of the odd pieces would wind up at the Papermoon Diner in Remington.
Since 1994, when Un Kim and her partner opened the Papermoon, it has become one of the city's most popular after-hours hangouts. They turned this old coffeehouse in the 200 block of W. 29th St. into a child's playhouse where things seem a bit off-kilter. Ceilings are purple. Walls are green. Dozens of action figures, dolls and model planes line the interior. For reading pleasure, near the cash register there is a mini-library - with books such as The Wonderful World of Mathematics and Whales, Friendly Dolphins and Mighty Giants of the Sea.
It's no wonder the city's cool and quirky feel at home here. And it's a favorite spot for clubgoers who need a burger after the last round of drinks.
On a recent Saturday night, a man wearing a knee-length dress and brunet wig walked through the door. An older couple - dressed as though they were coming from the prom - strutted out of a stretch Hummer limousine parked in front. Two women in their early 20s sat at a table with their hair dyed in - as they would later say - all the colors of the rainbow.
"Everybody is welcome in here, young and old," said Aileen Foust, a frequent Papermoon patron for the past 12 years. "See the transvestite over there? He is totally comfortable."
Foust and her friend, Chris Barber, looking to satisfy a 3 a.m. sandwich craving, decided to come to one of the few spots in the city still serving. And with nearly all of the city's restaurants and nightspots having had last call more than an hour earlier, Papermoon, as usual, is buzzing with activity.
Night manager Daniel Walker has worked at Papermoon for seven years, watching it rise into one of the city's most popular after-hours spots. Patrons from all parts come here to extend the evening, attracted to Papermoon's inviting atmosphere, quirky art, quirkier customer base and array of omelets.
The three dining areas are near capacity as workers speed-walk to and from the kitchen as if they were on a treadmill. A steady stream of late-night customers starts a little after 1 a.m. and lasts for three hours.
On busier nights, such as a major festival weekend, Walker said the restaurant easily reaches its 90-person capacity and a line of customers can stretch onto the restaurant's patio.
Most of the time, Walker says, people are patient. Some, after having a few too many, might get rowdy, but the restaurant has security officers to keep order. They wear black T-shirts; Walker said they are off-duty city police officers.
"In the course of a month, we may refuse service to someone six or seven times," Walker said. "But you have to remember: We're open all the time."
No one is particular unruly on this night, leaving the staff to its normal duties.
Nine people run the entire show tonight, and all are skilled at a little bit of everything.
One waiter takes an order while another server brings out the food. Cooks come from the kitchen to bus tables. Walker cooks, cleans tables and works the register. A busboy seats guests.
"Here, people do all the work wherever," said Tara Murphy, 24, who was working officially as a waitress.
Joe Leloudis of Wilmington, N.C., was making his first visit to the diner. Chomping on sweet potato fries, Leloudis, his friend Nathan Wohlever and two others in their party discussed the ambience.
"Visually, this place is quite stunning in the sense that I feel like I'm 7. Because if I were 7, this is what I'd do with my room," Leloudis, 29, said.
Leloudis, Wohlever, Chris MacDonald and Allen Ascherl landed at Papermoon after enjoying the nightlife at a city club.
Rather than drive to Ascherl's place in Laurel, the foursome decided to extend the evening over a course of nachos, fries, sandwiches and inane debates.
A song on the jukebox catches the group's attention. It's 1980s pop song "Shake Your Love," and a disagreement ensues about who made it popular.
Leloudis: "It was Tiffany."
Wohlever: "I'm pretty sure it was Debbie Gibson."
This goes on for a minute before ending with no resolution. (For the record: It was Debbie Gibson.)
Conversations like this are plentiful at this place late at night.
Tim Dodge, his wife, Erin, and friends Mary Ricks and Jordan Lincoln came to Papermoon after spending the evening at Orpheus, a dance club on Pratt Street.
Lincoln is about to turn 21 and says his father wants to take him out for his birthday. That got Dodge thinking about an experience he had in Las Vegas.
"We went bar-hopping with my in-laws," Tim Dodge said to the group. "It was surreal."
"My dad and my uncle got into this conversation about boys not tucking their shirts in at school," said Erin, with the rainbow-colored hair. "It was awful."
A few tables away, Foust and Barber were deep in their own discussion when their sandwiches arrived.
The food was welcome nourishment after Foust and Barber spent a good chunk of their evening inside a police station filing a complaint against someone Barber says is trying to steal her dog.
The two shared other life experiences during a 15-minute conversation. Foust, 36, talked about studying for a career as an astrologer.
Something about Papermoon on a late night brings out the extrovert in an individual.
"It's the true Baltimore atmosphere, the uniqueness of the city," Foust said.
brent.jones@baltsun.com