I had lunch with my 94 year old cousin and her oldest child (my second cousin) today. She’s the last living member of the previous generation of my family. She’s in a let better condition than I will be when I’m 94 since I’ll be dead by then.
Lots of changes since my last visit. Crestwood Mall has been totally demolished. I used to do a lot of shopping there. I was shocked when I drove by.
I had a hell of a time getting down to the river front. The way I used to go was closed off.
I drove by my old four family flat in South St. Louis that I owned between 1980 -1985. In one of the houses on the street I saw a Black Lives Matter sign in the window. Looks like the neighborhood is getting some Diversity (All Hail Diversity!). Sad.
The house I grew up in in Webster Groves looks good. The first two apartments I lived in were unchanged.
Cunetto’s and Rigazzi’s on the Hill are both still in business. I had lunch with my old girlfriend at Cunetto’s. We ate there a lot when we were dating.
The neighborhood one of my great-aunts lived in that was destroyed by Diversity (All Hail Diversity!) has been rebuilt and it looks like it has been reclaimed by urban pioneers. Let’s hear it for gentrification.
It’s been a bitter sweet trip as have been all of my trips back to my hometown the last few years. When my mother was alive, I would visit twice a year so the changes would be gradual. Now that I only visit every three to four years, the changes are more drastic.
It’s true that you can’t go home again.
I was gonna see some other old IBM friends tonight, a married couple, but they had a big fight last night so it got canceled. Jesus! 50 years of marriage. You would think they would have been all fought out.
Tomorrow, it’s off to Jefferson City to see another old IBM buddy.