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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Robert A. Caro

Five Easy Pieces

If you are still using Netscape 4, please stop, for the love of Pete, and for the sanity of web designers everywhere.
Timothy Luoma

We arrive in Rome. Our luggage is almost the first off the plane, since we were last on. A short hike to the connected station got us a train to our hotel. It was very near the station; however, we didn't know where and we had a ton of luggage, so we found a taxi. Our first mistake is that we didn't get one with a meter. When we got to the hotel, about six blocks away, the driver asked for 80,000 lira, about $40. We told him we only had 50,000, which he took without hesitation. Still pretty expensive.

We were in Rome, at the luxurious Hotel Tirreno (three stars). It was a simple small room, but all we really needed was a bed, toilet and shower. Only 130,000 lira a night, not bad for downtown Rome. Hell, all of Rome is downtown Rome. After we showered of a days worth of travel slime, we went for a walk. The hotel is situated in what seems to be an alley off a main street, being only wide enough for one car. However, there are many other businesses and residents here, so it's an actual street, probably hundreds, if not thousands of years old.

At the intersection of the "alley" and a main street is a terrific little pizzaria that has insalata di pollo pizza --- chicken salad pizza. Delicious! We have some calzones with it and then take a short walk. There are pizzarias and ristorantes and trattorias and gelterias every other shop. We don't go far, since we've been awake for about a day straight. We return to the hotel and sleep for about 18 hours.