A big surge in the Dow Jones Index this morning is a pleasant greeting, once again topping the 20,000 mark. As the economic roller coaster continues, it will undoubtedly be a different story this afternoon. Is there consolation in knowing that you only lost half of what you thought? A call to my financial adviser yesterday brought this temporary relief, but still a big chuck on savings have disappeared. Today I’ll make some more cancellation calls for upcoming travel plans. The good news is that someday I’ll get the thrill of re-booking these dream adventures. Even the Olympics have now been postponed for a year so that will eliminate the Trials date on my shrinking calendar of things to anticipate. Tomorrow, I will have a new episode of Curse of Oak Island to watch and then Ozark starts a new season. Watching TV is about the only thing left to do.
Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, issued the “stay at home order” yesterday as expected. Traffic on the streets this morning workday was spotty, making my run less of a challenge. The blossoming cherry trees lining the Willamette River at the half-way point are a welcome sight after avoiding the growing number of homeless camps surrounded by trash. Other than a couple of quick outings with our schnauzer Tally, it will be my only exposure to the outdoors today, with the expectation of rain. To ease the not-so-unpleasant boredom, I’ll do some work on my Ancestry.com tree, as I continue to look for DNA connections with the Ban(n)ister family that brought me into the world. With the current COVID-19 situation, that’s not such a good thing!
My son has managed to hold on to his restaurant job despite the difficulties in that industry, but his wife has lost some crucial paycheck hours. It’s a reminder of how lucky I am to no longer be in the workforce. I can’t imagine trying to sell advertising to businesses that are being discouraged from generating traffic. Although, it has been proven that maintaining a presence will help them recover quicker once things get back to normal. By the opposite extreme, my wife’s youngest daughter in healthcare is overwhelmed by the demands of her job. The money we planned to spend on travel this year will probably go to support our struggling families.
It’s hard to maintain the sense of humor that was my initial goal in writing this blog every day. Toilet paper jokes have already lost their appeal. Facebook posts show the desperation of those stuck at home. Watching the news and political upheaval only adds to the depression, so many have turned to music, uninterrupted by Coronavirus updates. Fortunately, I’m not yet aware of a single person in my circles that has been affected by the virus, although several have reported being exposed. This just makes the whole situation seem unrealistic, as we stay home and wait for the invisible enemy to show itself.
The world has drastically changed since we left home a week ago. The plan was to go to Spring Training and soak-up some Arizona sunshine. Our Oregon and California travel partners were more responsible and decided not to join us, but we were also joining friends who lived here. While we were on the plane to Phoenix, the games were canceled followed by everything else, and I began to feel guilty about being here. Although we found alternative things to do and visited with the people we had originally planned, there was still a disturbing sense of being socially irresponsible.
We are not doing our part in flattening the curve of infection risk. We could easily be exposed on the way home, a risk that should have probably been avoided in the first place. Obviously, our travel partners had a better sense of what could happen by venturing away from home. We’re also lucky that our route back to Portland is still open. More flights will soon be canceled and airports closed. Once we finally arrive, it will be a welcome homecoming filled with relief. Our dog-sitter can return to her home and Tally will be back in our arms. At that point, we’ll make some decisions on future travel plans.
Some of my weekly routine has remained intact despite the viral disruption. I’ve been able to run every day and watch my regular programs like Outlander and Curse of Oak Island. It will be great to get back home and settle into full retirement mode. By the same token, it will just be eerie to see the deserted streets of downtown Portland where even the movie theaters are closed. Thankfully, they are still doing carry-out at the Chinese restaurant at the entrance to our apartment building. Shortly, I will finish packing and we’ll head to the airport for what hopefully will be an uneventful trip home.
In the words of the Rolling Stones, we’re living in troubled times:
“When all I hear is doom and gloom
And all is darkness in my room
Through the light your face I see
Baby take a chance
Baby won’t you dance with me”
My baby and I are dancin’ off to Phoenix, despite viral threats, stock market woes, earthquakes, and travel advisories. “The Show Must Go On,” although there are rumors that the upcoming Rolling Stones tour could fall victim to COVID-19, as has Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, South by SXSW, Coachella, and the Pearl Jam tour – just to name a few big events. Many of my friends decided not to join us in Arizona, so I’m feeling the risk of leaving home. However, I’m just getting over a terrible cold and the sunshine is what I need. I’ve been foolish before!
It’s Curse of Oak Island Day, following an evening of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. I know what day it is only by the show I’m watching. It’s called boredom, that needs an occasional dose of travel. We have plans to be gone at least a week of every month this upcoming year. This of course is subject to the “doom and gloom” that surrounds us. Can you escape by living your life in a bubble? I’m already in the retirement bubble, enjoying the luxury of not reporting to the office every day. I’ve earned the right to be lazy when I want and adventurous when I’m not a couch potato.
I fulfilled my cooking obligation last night with a dinner of duck and cream corn. It was simply a matter of baking our Hoosier-state-based Maple Farms favorite that we frequently have shipped. Even I can’t screw that up! I’ll get next week off from what is typically the most stressful thing I do in retirement. After all, I’ve managed to stay out of the kitchen most of my life, so it’s both foreign and intimidating. Wine helps take the edge off before, during, and after the preparation process. It pairs well with duck!
Today will be spent printing boarding passes and packing, along with a couple of follow-up visits with vets. Our schnauzer Tally has a heart murmur and has hopefully fought-off some parasites. Pet.Vet. Debt. She’ll spend the week with a new dog sitter here in the apartment, still adapting to being an only dog after the loss of Tinker a few months ago. She’s now surpassed me in age at 70 dog years, while age naturally leads to more medical bills. Tinker lived to be well over 100 and was a constant drain on the pocketbook. Since canines age faster than we do, seven years for every one of ours, they become a reality check on mortality. I would like to think that I have a lot more to look forward to than “doom and gloom!”
I’m feeling my age today as every breath seems painful. Yesterday, I wrote of “my last breath” (See Post #1241) that I hope is a long time in the future. I’m back on the hot seat, a heating pad that will hopefully loosen the stiffness in my hip. I still think that it’s the remnants of my cold, having settled in my muscles. I’ve complained of “Banister Butt” (See Post #619) after hours of sitting in one place and searching through the genealogy records of my ancestors. In this case, it’s “Burning Butt,” referring to the inflammation in my hip. I really need to see my chiropractor, but that would require the energy to drive to his office.
With the exception of my morning run (now at 4,084 consecutive days), I did not leave the apartment yesterday until the final 10 p.m. dog outing. My energy levels are low, but did somehow manage to cook dinner for us last night. I went with one of my go-to recipes for pan-roasted brined pork chops. My wife picked-out some 3″ thick monsters at the store that got immediate approval from our dog Tally. She ignores her meal until we’re done cooking in anticipation of some samples. In her opinion, human food is far superior to what’s in her bowl. I agreed to cook once a week in retirement, but my wife still enjoys doing the shopping, so I’m really only doing half the job. Working in the kitchen is still the most stressful thing I now do.
I also did some travel agent work yesterday, ordering our airline tickets for Florida in June and adjusting my wife’s hotel accommodations for a “girls only” side-trip to Savannah and Hilton Head. Before we head back home separately, the goal is to make arrangements to build our retirement home somewhere near the Gulf. We also mapped out plans for a cross-country car trip in August to my son’s house in Florida. We will ultimately leave our car at his place and fly home, the first step in the overall move from Portland. In the process, we’ll make stops in California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. This will include overnights in San Francisco, Cambia, Desert Springs, Marana, Marfa, Austin, New Orleans, Mobile, and Tampa. This will keep us busy between trips to Bali and Egypt. We’ll then be down to only one car for our final six months in Oregon.
I’m still too lazy to make the drive for this morning’s “coffee club” gathering, but will get to Buffalo Wild Wings for I.U. basketball later this afternoon. Hopefully, I can get my Blazin’ Rewards points dilemma resolved (See Post #1240), and watch a much-needed basketball victory. The “Leadership Group” will include our recently absent friend who originally inspired regular Friday meetings. He’s involved in a new job that doesn’t allow much lunch flexibility anymore, so it will be great to catch-up on his plans to build a country home and unload his Portland property. As a fellow baseball fan and card collector, my other buddies and I will get him up-to-date on our upcoming Spring Training reunion trip that now dates back 21-years. Play Ball!
I needed to get this off my aging chest. Why is it that when a senior has a computer problem it’s assumed that it must be user error? I’m a frequent visitor to Buffalo Wild Wings, hardly a renowned senior hangout. In fact, they don’t even offer a senior discount, but they do have a rewards program. I’m in charge of accumulating points from our once weekly “Leadership Meetings.” The way this works is that our entire order is put through on my account and we split the check equally. All the points then go to one central point – my Buffalo Wild Wings app. We get points for checking-in, ordering food & drinks, and participating in store promotions. At the end of the year, we initially agreed to use all the points to pay for our group holiday luncheon.
I have always refused to clip coupons but for some reason have always loved points. In fact, my wife claims that I love my Marriott points more than her. I also have the Landry restaurant app, along with Outback, Starbucks, and Open Table to further accumulate dining-out credits. There are also the airline mileage programs that operate through an app that I take advantage of using. What’s the point? Points! They get you free stuff with little effort other than sometimes providing a phone number when you order. In most cases, it’s mostly hassle-free and can save a few bucks on a retirement budget.
“Leadership Meetings” of late have not been as regular. One member now lives near the coast, while another has a new job that does not allow lunch flexibility. As a result, our Wild Wing meetings have shifted more to late afternoon to watch basketball games and drink beer. This now happens only every couple weeks, rather than on Fridays like clockwork as they used to be. We had a lot of points sitting in the app bank with no plans for a holiday party and uncertainty on when the next get-together would be. We decided to splurge his past week for the Indiana vs. Purdue game.
I checked in on the app and placed an appetizer order for Ultimate Nachos. The game was not going well so our mood at the table was impatience coupled with frustration. We had close to 15,000 points to use, a majority of which was intended for our dinner order. The company had updated their app so I had trouble both logging-in and placing the order. Keep in mind, I’ve used it hundreds of times through the past couple years. I mention this because what happened next was not a “Senior Moment.” I placed the single order and then noticed that most all the points had disappeared. The app had quadrupled my order. I called the familiar manager over and explained the problem, so he immediately sent an e-mail to the corporate webmaster asking them to reinstate our points. However, it would take some time to correct the problem, so we had no points to use for dinner.
I’d had a few drinks and proceeded to remain calm, but just knew that this was going to be a hassle. The score of the game only added to my anger as I read his e-mail. “A guest of ours accidentally redeemed four ultimate nachos when he meant to redeem one.” Why was it suddenly the old guy’s fault? I didn’t do anything accidentally! In my mind, there was clearly a glitch in their program. Isn’t the customer always right? Instead, I’m now trying to communicate with a computer geek thousands of miles away, while having paid for our meal that was supposed to be free. This morning, I finally got a follow-up e-mail from the webmaster (wingmaster). It was nothing more than canned instructions on how to “log-on’ properly to correct my “log-on” issue. I could in no way blame this on age discrimination or elderly incompetence since there’s no way he could know that I’m retired with a feeble mind. He was just trying to get an e-mail off his desk and blew me off with a form letter, while I’m no closer to getting my points reinstated.
I wonder how long it will be before I get my points back and the associated free meals? I do know that the manager will eventually take care of us, but I’m not sure when we’ll be back for the next Leadership Meeting? Whatever happens, I’m sure it won’t be worth the hassle. In the meantime, I’m still wearing the label of elderly incompetence and hungry for free wings.
Like a true masochist, I’m back in front of the television for another chapter in the “Season on the Stink.” The Season on the Brink was the John Feinstein book about Coach Bob Knight and the 1985-86 I.U. basketball team that lost to Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 21-8 record. The 2019-2020 version of the team has played some really bad basketball but could still get to that respectable 20-win mark. They’ve been particularly bad on the road, with a trip to Illinois today. Fortunately, my wife and Tally are not here to witness the frustration that is sure to overcome me. Tally will not have to cower in fear as I scream about turnovers, missed lay-ups, poor free throw shooting, and off-balance bricks. I’ve already documented about how much they “stink” this year. (See Post #1237).
It’s been a build-up of tension that began with the dismissal of Coach Bobby Knight 20-years ago. Twenty seems to be the magic number in this sequence of events that began in 2000. It wasn’t until 2020 that he returned to the court. Twenty regular season wins this year would be remarkable considering double losses to a mediocre Purdue team that foiled Knight’s big day. Instead, it was arch-rival Gene Keady that left with a smile on both occasions. There are three games left to get two victories, but today’s game at Illinois is the biggest opportunity to return to tournament glory. The team lacks confidence in a hostile environment, so “winning ugly” is their only chance. Otherwise, it will be another blowout loss, adding to the stink that already prevails.
The Illini are 13-3 at home this year, so our chances are slim. In fact, IU only has 33% chance for victory, while it’s closer to 90% that the visiting Hoosiers will stink up the place and retired Chief Illiniwek will dance on their tournament grave. I’ve sat in only five different BIG venues in my lifetime, including I.U., Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, and Illinois. Illinois is by far the most hostile, with memories of Eric Gordon’s rude reception after flipping his commitment across the border. He thrived on the controversy and it will take a similar performance from someone like senior Devonte Green to keep us in the ballgame. We can only hope.
it was the most consistent half of basketball that the Hoosiers have played all year. I kept waiting for the wheels to fall off – but they never did! Does this mean that it will all catch up with us the second half? Can struggling coach Archie Miller lead his team to a strong first five minutes out of the locker room, or will they come out flat like they did in West Lafayette a few days ago? Then came the 7-0 Illini run, but IU countered with threes and got to 50 first. The race to get to the key 60-point milestone would determine the winner. Unfortunately, back-to-back turnovers destroyed any chance for Hoosier momentum, failing miserably to get us there first, while giving up one of our devastating 9-0 trademark runs. It was all seven feet of Kofi Cockburn down the stretch, as Trayce Jackson-Davis faded in comparison. Indiana played well and hit back-to-back threes before the broadcast signal went out and the screen turned to black. I had to quickly switch to my phone to watch the final :30 seconds. It came down to free throws and Indiana missing their first two of the game, as Trayce blew the chance to tie. From what I could see on the small screen, IU guard Rob Phinisee somehow muscled-away the rebound but slipped in the process, and Chief Illiniwek & Company put the game away at the charity stripe 67-66.
The only thing that “stunk” today was the outcome, although it was a valiant effort. Indiana has lost heartbreaking one-point games to both highly-ranked Maryland and Illinois, while nipping non-conference foe Notre Dame by a bucket earlier in the year. The other games haven’t really been competitive win or lose, while they are certainly overdue for a last second break. It’s tough to be both bad and unlucky in the same season. Also, TJ-D not only missed the clutch free throws, but also the head-to-head battle with Kofi for BIG Freshman of the Year. Will he come back another year? More importantly, will team fate change as they go into tournament play or does The Chief come back to haunt us on Selection Sunday?
I’m convinced that my cold has worked its way into my hip joints, and wondered if this was a common occurrence? Research tells me that it’s called Transient synovitis. I could feel the transition as congestion moved slowly from my sinuses to lungs to stomach and eventually into the buttocks area. It seems to have aggravated the nerves and muscles in my right hip, causing stiffness and soreness. It’s taken some time the last few mornings to put any weight on my right leg, as I limp in a hunched-over manner from bed to bathroom. It’s making me feel my age! It eventually loosens up and allows me to run without too much difficulty, but then stiffens-back-up again from inactivity. Cushions and a heating pad eventually allow me to sit comfortably at my desk. I’m on the hot seat right now!
I’ll be spending my tax refund today, as if it hasn’t been already spent. A couple of credit cards will be the benefactor. It always feels good to get those balances down to zero, only to push them back up again. It’s been a life-long cycle, justified by reward points. Somehow a free night or two in a hotel seems more valuable than the interest I end up paying. I love to accumulate those points by making a major purchase and quickly paying it off. However, it doesn’t always work that smoothly. Credit card bills have all too often put me on the hot seat!
I continued my mafia education yesterday by watching the movie Casino. It was “free” on Starz since I recently renewed my subscription to watch the new season of Outlander. Cable and credit cards seem to have much in common, as the fees slowly creep-up over time. When we moved into this apartment, I eliminated most of the premium channels to save money. Now, it’s only $5 more a month for Starz, but before I know it, other impromptu add-ons will have me scrambling for a new deal. It’s the cable hot seat! Sadly, I probably saw Casino when it first came out in the theaters, but didn’t remember a single scene. It was at least an added bonus for buying Outlander.
I took my first solo streetcar adventure yesterday to go to the dentist. Normally, my wife is the route guide but she had to take our pup to the vet. Pet. Vet. Debt. (See Post #351). Our schnauzer has been diagnosed with a heart murmur on top of a parasite. Tally’s been such a low maintenance companion, especially compared to her older sister Tinker. Unfortunately, just like me, as the years add up, so do the medical bills. I’ve got to go back to the dentist for a crown, and should probably see a chiropractor for my aching back. However, Tally is eating up all the funds, so I’ll continue to sit on the Hot Seat!
There have been several adoption twists in television shows of late to the point where I almost expect it. Recently, it’s been part of a Grace and Frankie episode where Coyote meets his birth mother but she does not want to expose this secret to her new family. This is common in reunion stories. In the Netflix series Safe, based on a Harlan Coben novel, a daughter stalks her biological father in an effort to reveal their secret relationship. This one thankfully turns out positive for both of them. Adoptees and bastard children have certainly risen to the forefront of modern entertainment drama.
I’m obviously more sensitive to these situations than most because I am an adoptee, but first a lovable bastard. I have admittedly stalked and written to my birth mother, but have received no acknowledgment. I even circumvented the scenario of keeping the secret discreetly between mother and son, by also writing her family. Still no response. On the other hand, the birth father has long passed, but his family was graciously receptive to my inquiries. I don’t know where to go from here?
I could have popped-up during a different chapter of their lives, but there were no inheritance issues, rights to the throne, or other claims that are too often Hollywood-ized. I want nothing except some questions answered and perhaps some insight into health genetics. I’ve tried to find some of this information by building an Ancestry.com family tree and finding common DNA connections. I have now identified about 200 DNA relatives on my Jerry Banister Family Tree, including a separate test that I took on 23andMe. There are now over 22,000 people that have been added to my branches just to find these 200 close connections. It’s a very cumbersome process that has taken over 3 years, considering that in order to find one match on the tree it’s necessary to add 100 more names.
The challenge is that most all the voluntary DNA testing has been in recent years, excluding those who are no longer living and never had access or reason for testing. This means that the majority of my DNA connections are with younger generations whose identities are often only revealed in the obituaries of their parents or grandparents or finding more intrusive sources. Ancestry was designed to maintain privacy for the living, so seeking information through other member trees is often marked as “private.” You need permission from family members to see the newest members. I haven’t really been accepted into the Ban(n)ister family, with a few exceptions, so my work might be considered to most as stalking – just like in the movies.
It was another welcome routine run this morning, day #4,069 – same distance, same route, same time. It’s always easier when you don’t have to think about it. This opposed to getting up in a strange hotel room, trying to find your running clothes in the dark, and navigating an unfamiliar location. I tend to check my watch more and relax less when I’m traveling. It’s funny how the same distance seems so much longer some days. I enjoy getting it out of the way first thing in the morning, and settling in front of the keyboard. However, there isn’t as much to write about on a routine day, in contrast to new sights and sounds when I’m on an adventure. Boredom is often a welcome luxury.
Today, Falco, my step-daughter’s puppy, is visiting for the day. She dropped her off before I left for my run, giving our schnauzer Tally something to do before my wife got out of bed. Normally, Tally just goes back to sleep out of boredom. She spent last week with Falco and seemed a bit depressed from separation once we brought her back home. She’s also still getting over the loss of her long-time companion, Tinker. It’s fun to watch the much younger Falco and Tally romp through the halls of our apartment building. The energetic twosome breaks up the monotony of our quiet retirement life.
My wife’s foot injury has healed and the weather is starting to cooperate, allowing her to spend more time outside. One of the reasons that we liked this neighborhood is the convenience of nearby retail shops, movie theaters, and restaurants. The other day she even hauled the cart that was partially responsible for her injury to the grocery store, carefully navigating it over the uneven sidewalks. I too have to be aware of these potential hazards when I run, in addition to the downtown traffic. So far, I’ve only tripped once, resulting in only a skinned-up knee. I’m lucky it wasn’t worse!
I’ll continue watching the Washington mini-series on the History Channel in an attempt to prevent my retired mind from going to waste. There’s been too much science fiction and not enough educational balance in my T.V. diet. I miss the Ken Burns’ documentaries that always seem to satisfy my cravings for knowledge. They are also promoting an upcoming series on U.S. Grant that peaked my interest. I do still enjoy Curse of Oak Island, but another season is coming to a close, and they never seem to find much of anything. There’s really nothing at the movies that has captured my attention, but Call of The Wild starts later this week. We also need to see Parasite that received so much acclaim, but I’m not excited about the subtitles. My reading has been limited to bedtime, but I have been chipping away at a history of the American Mafia – Inside Al Capone’s Empire that my wife bought to enhance our recent visit to the Las Vegas Mob Museum. It’s sometimes good to be quiet and bored.
I was caught in a slot machine massacre, taking the life out of my bank account. On the last night of our week-long Vegas adventure, I tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate my losses with one last flurry of spending. As we were leaving town on Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t help but think about the Mob Museum and the bullet-riddled brick wall that was reassembled to memorialize this famous Chicago shootout. I consequently pulled some information from Wikipedia hoping to learn mire a out this event exactly 91 years later. “The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre was the 1929 Valentine’s Day murder of seven members and associates of Chicago’s North Side Gang. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park garage on the morning of Valentine’s Day. They were lined up against a wall and shot by four unknown assailants who were dressed like police officers. The incident resulted from the struggle to control organized crime in the city during Prohibition between the Irish North Siders, headed by George “Bugs” Moran, and their Italian South Side rivals led by Al Capone. The perpetrators have never been conclusively identified, but former members of the Egan’s Rats gang working for Capone are suspected of a significant role, as are members of the Chicago Police Department who allegedly wanted revenge for the killing of a police officer’s son.”
The garage at 2122 North Clark Street, now the parking lot of a nursing home, was the site of the 10:30 a.m. shooting. Seven men were murdered by four unidentified killers. “Two of the shooters were dressed as uniformed policemen, while the others wore suits, ties, overcoats, and hats. Witnesses saw the fake police leading the other men at gunpoint out of the garage after the shooting. The victims included five members of George “Bugs” Moran’s North Side Gang. Al Capone was widely assumed to have been responsible for ordering the Massacre.”
“Capone’s lookouts likely mistook one of Moran’s men for Moran himself, probably Albert Weinshank, who was the same height and build. The physical similarity between the two men was enhanced by their dress that morning; both happened to be wearing the same color overcoats and hats. Two of the killers reportedly opened fire with Thompson sub-machine guns, one with a 20-round box magazine and the other a 50-round drum.” Later in the year, these guns and other related items were found in a St. Joseph, Michigan bungalow, although the case has really never been totally solved.
Victims:
-Brothers Peter and Frank Gusenberg, front-line enforcers for the Moran organizations
-Albert Kachellek (alias “James Clark”), Moran’s second in command
-Adam Heyer, the bookkeeper and business manager of the Moran gang
-Reinhardt Schwimmer, an optician who had abandoned his practice to gamble on horse racing and associate with the gang
-Albert Weinshank, who managed several cleaning and dyeing operations for Moran; his resemblance to Moran is allegedly what set the massacre in motion before Moran arrived, including the clothes that he was wearing.
-John May, an occasional car mechanic for the Moran gang
Massacre
A heart-felt message,
From Al Capone.
Meet by Lincoln Park,
And don’t come alone.
Bring your whole gang,
Those stealing from me.
Around 10:30 a.m.,
If you’re free?
There’s a garage,
On nearby Clark Street.
If you stop by,
I’ll serve a sweet treat.
Seven showed up,
And died that day.
As guns blazed,
Revenge to pay.
As fate would have it,
“Bugs” was late.
His date with death,
Would have to wait.
A Moran double,
The mistaken aim.
Their hats and coats,
Were both the same.
It was a killing,
Never solved.
Though many theories,
Soon evolved.
A brick wall,
Is all that endures.
Al’s Valentine,
A Massacre.
Copyright 2020 johnstonwrites.com
I remain intrigued with this mob mystery and will continue my retirement hobby of visiting related educational sites around the country, including recent visits to Frank Nitti’s Vault below Harry Caray’s in Chicago (See Post #1067), John Dillinger’s capture in downtown Tucson at the Hotel Congress (See Post #845), and the John Gotti Spark’s Steakhouse slaughter in New York City. The common theme is always a nearby Italian restaurant.
