It was a pleasant sunny late morning when I arrived in Portsmouth. I googled a place to stay. Only one real option was a Holiday Inn. As I pulled up, I was surprised at how nice and fairly new it was. A restaurant, and a large bar, the lobby stretched wide with a high ceiling and revealed the indoor pool. This was way-above-average and seemed a little out of character with the rest of the place. Located on the end of what was a main street across from the police station, and I think next to it, was a municipal building. All very tidy, newer brick structures. I checked in, and then headed out to a place called Patsy’s Inn.
Patsy’s had some history going back to the late 1930s. The founder had started a sandwich cart to serve the workers in the shoe factory about a block away. With demand for more, he opened a real place and started serving meals. He also made wine—part of his Italian heritage. He became sort of a legend. I found the place on a far end of town near the railroad tracks.
Listen to the recorded conversation notes that summarize what I learned at Patsy’s and later found to be true further exploring the rest of that day and evening. I think I connected the dots on why the Holiday Inn hotel was so nice and I was sent to a place to get some apple pie? A town taken over by drugs and the ensuing corruption. A conversation did confirm that pills were used as currency. Watching a few episodes of the popular streaming series Ozark might be a good primer before visiting.
Some of the things I talk about in my just released book. BOOM! It’s a Big Country for an Old Man. Find it on Amazon.
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