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Remember when shit started popping off in Boston on King Street, and George and Martha ran off to Ecuador to escape the turmoil? Yea, me neither. Stay and be part of the solution. Get your mug on some currency in 150 years. It is now time for all good men....ahh nevermind, I just got a Zillow notification about some fly beachside pad in Dominical.

What's the point of saving democracy if you keel over before the inauguration? But looks delicious tho.

Took my 18-year-old daughter with me to vote this morning. Was cool to be in the voting station next to her as she went through her choices.

Steam-powered chori-pan dude needs to throw some handsoap in the milk crate.

In capitalist America, Fruit Loops loop you.

Joust sayin “what up?”

My dumb ass thought the grocery store was out of Fruit Loops because of damn port strike hoarders.

Watched Bama beat Aggy by like 50 from somewhere in China about 10 years ago. Had my wife set up her IPad on a TV tray in front of the TV at home. Then I just FaceTimed with her. She moved the IPad until the TV screen filled my IPad screen and then she went shopping. Worked surprisingly well. No VPN needed. Just a good wifi signal in a hotel.

I may do Battista's tonight and sit at the bar since I am solo. Last time I sat at the bar there was this huge old guy sitting next to me and we started chatting as we were watching a baseball game. He had worked in casino management in Vegas and was working for a casino in Reno but here for a meeting with some mothership casino. Super interesting stories--but the best was that he had pitched in college for Arizona or Arizona State (can't remember); he also had a short stint in the pros. He was like Randy Johnson tall (not near as ugly). I suspect his release point was 9 foot when he pitched. He said he always hits up Battista's when he comes back as do most of his casino buddies.

Anyone conferencing out here this week? Fairly dead. But it's Tuesday....

Here are some more thoughts on things to do in Berlin. I will be a bit more succinct. Fight the urge to go to Check Point Charlie. You won't listen to me and you will go anyway. It's a waste. (There is a bit of an outdoor museum thing there that salvages it a bit). Tourist trap. Skip it. Berlin is spread out. I would do the Hop-on/Hop-off bus tour on my first day to get a lay of the land. The accompanying audioguide is fairly educational. From Brandenburg Gate you can walk west through a nice green area to the Victory Column. It's a nice stroll. You can also walk east along the main road and go past Humboldt Univ., the museum area, the cathedral, the Neue Wache monument and probably some book sellers. It's a nice stroll as well. You will eventually come to Alexanderplatz and the TV tower. There is a restaurant at the top of the TV tower. I have had several work functions up there. The food is not terrible and you get a nice view. It won't be your best meal, but... If you keep walking you will come to the Hofbrau Wirtshaus. Yes, it is a chain-type thing. It is also a lot of fun. The house band is fantastic. It gets rocking in there on Friday and Saturday nights. It is a fun stop. The big fried pig knuckle is pretty dang good with a beer. Also along that walk is another pretty good place for traditional German food. The Treffpunkt--on the corner of Friedrichstase and Mittelstrase. https://www.treffpunktberlin.com/ It's somewhat of a cross between a bar and a restaurant. They do traditional German pretty well--and it is fairly priced. Good lunch spot. The bathrooms are downstairs--go check out the markings on how they differentiate the men's from the women's rooms. Good stuff. There are many cool beer gardens in Berlin. I am not sure there are any I haven't visited. One of my favorites is Schleusenkrug. https://www.schleusenkrug.de/ It is near the zoo and is nice and green with a river view. Great place. Highly recommend. Prater Beer Garden is the one you hear about a lot. It is huge. It is a bit more difficult to get to but is somewhat iconic. All beer gardens have good beer-drinking food. Have beers and get some snacks. The museums are first class. Hit up many of them. The Pergamon is my favorite, but I think it is closed. Most of the museums are in the same area down by Alexanderplatz The one museum that is great that is off by itself is the Gemaldegalerie. It is the old masters museum and is fantastic. Near the Brandenburg Gate is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. It is impressive. Go see it. The Wall Museum is good. Maybe get a private guide if you can. Stopping here for now. I will add one more thing. Go to Potsdam by train if you have an afternoon to kills. It is really nice. Beautiful grounds. Finally, carry some change. Many of the public bathrooms are pay-for-use.