Hot Springs Part Deux

I slept like a sweet baby cow last night, not waking til around 11 a.m. Maybe I needed it? I spent the morning taking care of details (unemployment/hotel reservations/oil change) and left the hotel around 2 p.m. Apparently today was the hottest day so far for Arkansas, and tomorrow is expected to be much worse. It was 98 with a heat index of 114. It was like everywhere I went there were 50 guys following me with hair dryers aimed at me on full blast.

I brought the hair dryer men with me to The Gangster Museum of America, which is well worth the $9 admission price. It doesn't look like much, but man, does it blow away your expectations. They profile Capone, Madden, crooked politicians...it's pretty great. There's video footage with some of the actual baddies, including Creepy Karpis and my personal favorite, Maxine, a legendary madam from the area who said, "I'd rather face a hitman than a politician any day. With a hitman, at least you know what you're gettin'." This from a woman in her 80s with an
intimidating bouffant. The guide gave an interesting overview of the history of the city (from the 1820s, when the first 'bathhouse' was a log cabin built around a spring to the 1880s, when the first bigger bathhouses sprung up, to the 1920s, when it was big business and a swell cover for casinos and bootlegging).

Next stop, ice cream. I tried the local shtuff--Ozark Black Walnut. It was weirdly tasty.

Ever the geek, I made my way to the Hot Springs visitors center to catch a free 15min video on the town's history. I liked the gangster version better, but they had neat period photos showing the early days.

I headed back to Happy Hollow to check on le Squirt, and she was fine. So, I booked myself an appt at the baths and got the works. I'd heard about bathhouses only from Raheli, who went to them in Bulgaria. Well, let me tell you, there are some giant ladies here who are Arkansas's answer to Bulgarian bathhouse attendants. I sat in a creepy tub (looked like it could easily double for an insane asylum set) and 'took the waters' and was scrubbed down by a big very unscary lady. Next, I was wrapped up in a toga and sat in a sauna. Then, I laid down and was
wrapped in very hot towels. After that, massage. And yeah, I was nudie kazoodie the whole time. It felt amazing, and I totally had revelations in the tub about what I want to do with my life. And by the time I was a mummy in hot towels, I had moved past the bad stuff that happened in Utah. Pretty friggin' cool.

Tonight I broke the rule about not driving the car, and went off in search of "town". It's there, but it's not that exciting. They have a WalMart bigger than their convention center. They have Kroger. And Lowe's. They also have some pretty decent radio. I happened upon a 'Top 5' tribute to MJ, and sang my heart out to 'Man in the Mirror', 'Beat It', 'Billie Jean' and 'Thriller' (I missed the first song.

Finally, for all you Seinfeld fans, I leave you with this quote from the Arkansas local news:
"Taekwando's U.S. headquarters are in Arkansas...because it reportedly reminded the founder of Korea."

Tomorrow is all about the boys--Clinton Library (Little Rock), Graceland (Memphis), and then on to Nashville. Don't you worry--I packed my cowboy hat.