And That's Why We Drink - E432 A Techno Western Hotel and a Moonlit Bobcat Crime

Episode Date: May 18, 2025

It's Episode 432 and we’re gonna yap and yap ‘till we don’t give a crap. Today Em brings us right back to Tucson for the haunted Hotel Congress which we just stayed in on tour! Then Christine covers the unfortunate case of Aliza Sherman, which just this month had a breakthrough. And please standby while we patch you through to the newly adopted Hank… and that’s why we drink! For a list of resources or ways to help those affected by the fires in Los Angeles visit: http://bit.ly/atwwdfirehelp ! A portion of all ATWWD merch purchases also go towards California Wildfire Relief so visit https://atwwdmerch.com/ to get yours today!___________________Go to http://helixsleep.com/drink for 27% Off Sitewide + Free Bedding Bundle (Sheet Set and Mattress Protector) with any Luxe or Elite Mattress Order — Exclusive for listeners of And That’s Why We Drink! Start listening and discover what’s beyond the edge of your seat. New members can try Audible now free for 30 days and dive into a world of new thrills. Visit Audible.com/DRINK or text DRINK to 500-500. This year, skip breaking a sweat AND breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at MINTMOBILE.com/ATWWD. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/DRINK to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know what speed dating is, right? You've done that. I have. I have not, but I'm sure you're the only millennial who has. And if you're the owner of a growing business, what if there was a feature like speed dating except for hiring somebody? Isn't that interesting?

I would do it 100%. Well, good news. There is, it's Zip Intro from Zip Recruiter. You can post your job today and start talking to qualified candidates tomorrow. And right now you can try Zip Intro for free at ziprecruiter.com slash drink. can try Zip Intro for free at zippercutor.com slash drink. Yeah, Zip Intro gives you the power to quickly assess

excellent candidates for your job via back-to-back video calls. We kinda, before this feature came out, we actually did do this at the local coffee shop. Yeah, we just hang up on people in person. Yeah, and be like, goodbye next. But no, it's, trust me. You know, the awkwardest one,

there was somebody next to us, remember, who was also interviewing, and it was a you know the awkwardest one there was somebody next to us remember It was also interviewing and it was not Eva the last person, but they you know they just had to go up against Eva There was no winning. You know yeah They came in right after Eva and they definitely heard us saying before their interview that we don't need to look any further She's the one we said Enjoy the benefits of speed hiring with new zip intro Intro only from ZipRecruiter, rated number one hiring site based on G2. Try ZipIntro for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash drink.

Again, that's ZipRecruiter.com slash drink. ZipIntro. Post jobs today, talk to qualified candidates tomorrow. What's better than a well-marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue? A well-marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue that A well marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue that was carefully selected by an Instacart shopper and delivered to your door. A well marbled ribeye you ordered without even leaving the kiddie pool. Whatever groceries your summer calls for, Instacart has you covered. Download the Instacart app and enjoy $0 delivery fees

on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries Hello everyone and welcome to And That's Where We we drink the podcast where we tell each other spooky stories and just yap and yap until our throats are sore. Yap and yap till we don't give a crap. That's right. We just talked about how that word was really banned in our house. That word crap. Oh, that was the word that I learned. That was the first bad word I was allowed to say at 10. And I abused that. You abused that power. Yeah, I, my stepmom said that was worse than she's like, you can say shit

all you want, but please don't say the C word around me. Little did I know there would be a new C word. I'm sure she would have hated that one much worse. I wonder what crap meant to her. What happened with- She also didn't let me save restroom because she said we're not truckers. And I was like, oh, okay. She said- Is she okay?ers. And I was like, oh, okay. She said, it's called. Is she okay? No, she, sorry, were you not aware of that?

Sorry, you're set mom, okay, yeah, sorry. It's called, she said, it's the powder room. And I said. Powder room. Okay. That, no one uses powder anymore, babe. Oh wait, I guess maybe people do. Like a setting powder maybe. I don't know, don't people spray that on now?

I know nothing about today's makeup. What if I just became a trucker and then I said, now I can say restroom all I want. Actually, that'd be such a fun little twist of events. I had a neighbor and their mom like had some weird fucking problem with if you would hiccup. Like she thought that it was she thought it was on purpose. She like for some reason to her hiccups were like if you burped openly at the table.

It's like had a saying. I was like, are you new? Like, that's not something you can control. But she had a big fucking problem with it. Like it wasn't funny. Like if you hiccuped, you had to leave the table. Wow. Anyway, couldn't be me. I was going to say gonna say uh i'm sure you never hiccuped around her no once i found that out i was like i'm i'm terrified of standing next to you because you never know what's gonna happen either it's like a drive-by it's like you know all of a sudden you've

just got a big old hiccup yeah yeah then you can't stop It's just the worst feeling, especially when you drink like two drinks and you're not drunk yet, but you start hiccuping and then you're like, now I look like a fool. Now I can't like now every time I talk, I go like, and then I look like a drunk. It really is frustrating. I've talked to you before about how my hiccup sound, right? They don't sound like normal hookups. I don't remember.

Is it like a scream or like bird squawks, yeah. That's probably why I would also ban you from my house if I knew you and I do. So you're officially banned. She's lucky she never heard it, but it's terrifying. Anyway, oh, why do you drink? She probably heard of it. She was like, oh, I gotta ban this before it gets

out of control. That would be so embarrassing to find that out yours later. If it was just you all along, you're the only one who got that rule. No, I'm certain that's not it. Why do you drink this week, Christine? Well, I drink, um, I'm mostly just thinking about your life these days, because your life is so exciting. Mine?

I don't know, because of just like developments. So I don't know if we're even allowed to talk about that. Are we allowed to talk about that yet? Oh, I see what's happening here. We adopted Hank. Not M and me, but M and else. Can you imagine that would be the funny, that's a plot twist.

Shared custody. I thought about announcing it by having him like coming on the camera, like a bandana that says I'm adopted or whatever. But then that would mean he's here in the room and that's the worst version of him is when I'm recording. That's the one big thing we're trying to figure out. Well also people were starting to notice because people would call in and the place would be like,

oh no, he's been adopted already. So, surprise, the rumors are true. I didn't even know people were finding out. I thought people just finally backed off of asking me every five seconds. I think that was just Megan said, hi, I got this DM. And we were like, that's odd.

And then the next day you were like, yes what I have news I'm very excited about it I'm Terrified, but I'm happy but I'm terrified. I don't know. I feel like I mean that feels like parenthood I feel like that's a fair thing to say. I'm not gonna sit here and Color it as like I'm the most excited in the whole world. I am I'm actively grieving the lack of freedom or the freedom that's been taken away, because all of a sudden it happens overnight.

Now I'm like, oh, well, I can't go out and do this thing. Basically, I'm trying to like now that we're about to not be on tour, I was like planning on never being home so I could like go explore and travel and now I've got to like be home at least a little regularly. So in that way I have been talking to my therapist where I'm like, oh this sucks. But I, other than that, that's, I think that's the only beef I got with it. Usually I've got a list of grievances. A list of grievances. Hank's a big list.

Is he, is Alison there with him now? For like a hot second, and then she's doing her three month trek away. I keep waiting for you to tell me that was a prank that you're pulling on me. I keep waiting for her to tell me it's a prank. Yeah, maybe it's not. It's not. The only, I mean-

You guys are out of your mind. What are you thinking, dude? Y'all are out of your mind. What are you thinking, dude? You all are out of your mind. For Alison leaving, that was not my call at all. I know, I know. That was not my call at all. But I think I just, I have to grapple with the fact

that like it's now gonna be an expensive thing to keep my original way of being. Because if I want to travel now, I have to think about the additional cost of like either boarding him or having someone come stay with them. So that's the biggest downside. Everything else is good so far. Of course, the day we adopted him, we were like, yay, let's see how long we can like not mess up.

And then he started throwing up for like four days and had pink eye. It's like he found out he could finally be himself. See, it's like when we get home from tour and we realize we don't have any more shows and then we just like fall ill with every type of disease we haven't let ourselves get sick with. I signed the papers and all of a sudden he just,

oh, oh, I signed the papers and as of yesterday he's now a humper at the dog park. I'm what the fuck is that one of the reasons we got you is because you weren't a humper and now all of a sudden I think he's feeling real comfy over there too so the humper that's what they call him that's what I'm terrified of I don't want to be known as like the person with the humping dog but I don't know other dogs do that it's it don't worry. It's not that abnormal. I Dominance thing thought we got away with it because for three four months of having him He's never done it once and now he's doing it every time we go. So I'm like, is it puberty? I don't know. He's neutered. I don't know what's going on. They figure it out and I don't know. Yeah, I hate it Yeah, anybody likes it. So anyway, I'm I am very excited that he's with us. I'm just at the same time

You know realizing what that means so I have been Overwhelmed, but that's fine weirdly the thing that doesn't overwhelm me is as high energy that part We like figured out a routine for him and everything and that's okay So if we could figure that out six miles a day is that feels like what you said you had to do and it Sounded like a nightmare. I hope you found a workaround We got it down to walking a mile a day and still an hour and a half at the dog park But like I said at the dog park, I've built a bit of a community so that doesn't feel too miserable Yeah, the the walking in the morning is not my favorite

But he also I'm very lucky that we have a dog that lets us sleep in so really it's whenever I get So the walking in the morning is not my favorite, but he also, I'm very lucky that we have a dog that lets us sleep in. So really it's whenever I get up, I start to walk him. So we're figuring it out. Still have this cough too, by the way. So that's another reason I drink. Why do you drink, Christine, besides me now being a parent?

I mean, I just on Mother's Day, Em texted out and I was just like about to cry about it It just made me so happy. Why? Because it was so sweet that like she has a puppy now and Allison you can text us on Mother's Day be like You're this is Hank, you know Yeah, I I did it to be Annoyingly sweet, but I promise I don't actually equate a dog. No, no, no, I didn't mean that I just meant no it was so sweet.

You were like, I had Hank tell Alison, happy Mother's Day. I mean, literally you were one of the first people to tell me, Em has like a whole like schedule on Mother's Day, like let me tell everyone happy Mother's Day. So that was part of a much bigger, I didn't mean to paint it like you said Alison

as a mom now, I'm not saying that. But it was really cute. You were like, ho, ho is Hank. Oh yeah. I called Allison and when she answered I went, hang on, let me patch you through. And then I went, boop boop boop boop boop boop. And then I went, whoa, was this Allison? I just want to say hello. I think it's so cute. I said, don't look at me, because they were like sitting right next to each other. Like, don't look at me. I'm hiding my contraband phone. Don't look at me. Don't look at me ventriloquism speaking into a cell phone.

My contraband. Okay, anyway, I'm just really, really excited about it. It's a fun development. We needed some good news, you know, on the podcast. I like that your reason why you drink is because I got a dog. Yeah, because I was like, it's like killing me to not talk about it.

And so I was like, I can't think of anything else that's bigger news in my life right now. I mean, what's the other news? I mean, I don't know, I just got home and then I leave again in two days. I'm basically gone. Well, how's your living creature? They're all alive, so that's good.

Leona was like, don't leave me again. And I'm like, oh gosh. Well, that's heartbreaking. Girl, you'll get used to it. Yeah. Not to be that person, but as someone, my mom traveled all the time when I was a kid. You really eventually just becomes second nature.

It's just not like a, it's not a trauma. I don't think you have to worry about her having a complex one day. Yeah. But I know in the moment it's sad. It's just like, oh, the working parent, you know, and she's like, when do you get home from your, I always bring her slime home.

So like, it's really not that bad. She's fine. She's fine. I also think it's because she has Blaze there 24 seven. So she can see what the other option is, you know, she's probably like, oh, this doesn't make sense. He doesn't believe me, but like he'll go out of town and she's like, I don't want you, I want daddy. And Blaze and blazes like she would never say that I'm like, of course she does

She says is that you know grass is always greener you you know, it's it's very true at that age too But no, it's very fun. She's just a delight. I'm just she's yesterday. She said hold on. Let me get myself situated and I was like She's like every day she says she's like where do you are obviously? Around enough in the house if she's saying shit like that. If she's saying shit like that, that is true. That is fair. She's clearly picking something up from me.

But apparently she asks, Blaze sometimes she asks to listen to a podcast and they have a lot of kids podcasts now, which I think is super cool. So like Work It Out Wombats, which Eva's partner Ray actually wrote for in the past. They have a podcast and it's like really fun. They have sound effects and like all the, they're all talking and it's like super cute.

And I was like, what a great thing to have. So if anyone out there with kids, like show them that PBS is a lot, well, for now, R.I.P. But you know, let's give them some support. There are a lot of good PBS podcasts and other like smaller shows. I just think it's so cool. Do you have a favorite kids podcast?

Like one where like when she asks, you're not so miserable about it? I'm not really, actually I do love the Work It Out Wombats one. Oh good. The Sesame Street one is annoying. But it's okay. Really? It's just like, I don't know, sass.

Really, in their time of need? In their time of need, Christine? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sure there's another one, maybe Daniel Tiger? I don't know, I can't think of who else has one, but. That should be our next adventure, is that we do scary stories for kids. Right, I mean, that's not a bad idea.

Don't, take that from us, we came up with it first. TM, trademark, copyright infringement. Don't take that from us. We came up with the first. Trademark copyright infringement. And that's why we play. That's why we drink chocolate milk. See, I've been manifesting it apparently since 2017. And that's why we drink dot dot dot anything but alcohol. You're welcome everyone. That would be an easy transition.

Let's get Maggie on the horn. Maggie, beep beep, let me patch you through. Beep beep beep boop boop. Hello. Oh no be an easy transition. Let's get Maggie on the horn. Maggie. Beep, beep. Let me patch you through. Beep, beep, boop, boop. Hello. Oh, no. This is Hank. Sorry.

I meant to call Maggie. Long number. It's not Mr. Guido Shoes. It's not Maggie. It's not that. It's Mr. Guido Shoes. Oh, gosh. Well, I'm glad that you're excited that I am a Poppy

parent. Christine already gave us our first gifts, which is very lovely. They were kind of lame, I'm sorry. No, they're not lame at all. Now Hank and I have matching clothes. Are you kidding me? That's like what I've wanted my whole life.

I mean, it was meant to be. I knew you were going to buy it anyway. So I figured here's a gift card. You pick and choose your, I knew you had colors already selected. I wasn't a fool in that way. You know me well. You know me well.

Yeah, so I officially have a puppy. I'm glad that you're very excited because I think reality just kind of bitch slap me. So That's why it's pretty well aware of the risks before you adopted him though I feel like you were very well like hey, this isn't this is like the this is what that's right I mean, I didn't do it like willy-nilly, but I I knew what I was gonna get into but I think the That's right. I mean, I didn't do it like willy-nilly, but I knew what I was gonna get into, but I think the finale like the finale I don't know what the right word is, but when I signed the papers and it's like, oh no turning back I like had obviously a bit of a panic attack because that's who I am but

We're figuring it out. I am very happy he's with us. I would be devastated if he wasn't with us I just have to adjust to the new life and it's tough, but I don't regret it, so I guess that's a good sign. That is a good sign. That's like the only real good sign. It's just the logistics of it all. If we're gonna record, and it's just like, now someone has to watch him all the time because he's so obnoxious at the table.

Yeah, things like that. These two finally figured out their shit. That's what I need. I need a little tranquilized puppy dog. That's right. You need to wait like six years and then he'll calm down. Oh good. Okay great. Anyway so I guess I drink for the same reason you drink. We have a new member of the family and that's that. So anything else we got to update people on? We're about to be done with our tour when this comes out

We'll be done with our tour. That's really wild That's really that's gonna be a sad day for me. I'm gonna cry Yeah, that's gonna be rough and especially because it's Boston that feels so big and then right after that it's like summertime and our birthdays and It's just so weird that we're already like almost halfway through the year it's really tripping me up a little bit. Maybe for our Yappy Hour we can announce to people where we went ghost hunting. Oh that's a great idea! Oh that's a great idea yeah we can finally talk about it.

I love that. Okay great well then everyone go send it for Patreon right now you have about an hour. Yeah I have an hour. Um, and yeah I mean it'll still be there where it's this is not like a limited time run Uh video, no, you have an hour you get to listen to this and then in an hour when this is over Then you can hop right over to patreon. I love your Your your optimism that this will be over in less than an hour, but uh, we'll try we'll try. Um, yeah I love this also this new trend where we come up with the Yappy Hour in the opening. It's kind of fun, it like gives us something to jump off.

Look forward to. Yeah, to jump into right after, I don't know. It's like an easier way to end the show. Well, I do have a story for you, Christine. However, we are in Trosmo territory, I'm still in Phoenix, and I need to warn you that as soon as it gets good I will Have to go downstairs and get the FLT will arrive. Oh And by the way, apparently this is like the news Tony Tony chuckle only so many people are tagging me with their Trosmo. Oh

I'm so excited. So anyway, chop tropical smoothie. I have loved you my whole life. Please sponsor us. Thank you so much What one of them will stick someday one of these will stick something one of these Tony wouldn't do it So we stopped talking Starbucks didn't do it with your fucking Look, I mean on these days. I guess I'm glad that I don't have a partnership with Starbucks But at the same time the best that was probably for the best you would think one tea company It would be like this is the moneymaker. Let's do something with this lemon fog. But nobody wants to fucking work with me. I'm not that horrible. Finally, they get it.

Anyway, TropicalsMovie, if you would like to give me- It could be because of that letter I send out every time someone offers to work with you. TropicalsMovie, ignore the letter. Are you sure? Here's a waiver, a liability waiver. And then they're like, nevermind. A lifetime supply of the blueberry bliss

with extra strawberries. Sub the mango for a banana. Thank you so much Wait sub the banana for mango. Don't fuck me up That's the curse that's like a that's like a Poe type curse. Yeah, it would be fruit in your smoothie for us your life That's finally get the partnership, but I don't get the right recipe. That could be the first story in our kids scary Wait a minute. Maybe it's too scary It's certainly horrific.

It's certainly life-altering. That is kind of like a bluey lesson, isn't it? It's like kind of getting what you want, but not really. Yeah. I would have to learn first how to handle that before I could write about learning the lesson. That's the problem. Oh, right.

You're like the child in it. And then I'll come in and say, let's find ways to work through it. And then we can write it like that. How do I gentle parent the phrase get over it? Because that's what I would have to do, right? Get over it. Well, there's a lot of ways to do that nowadays. You could say, well, ask Dr. Becky,

but you could say, I'll sit with you while you process this. Oh, okay. It honestly could just be a podcast where you say that and then I cry and then 45 minutes later the episode's over. Well, that's just like our day to day. Let's do it. Put a camera, put a microphone, we're in.

I'm telling you. And halfway through the tears, you'll just hear, I love Tropical Smoothie. They have the best blueberry bliss there has ever been. And then back to my crying. No, it'll be like something that's not Tropical. It'll be like Smoothie King. Blueberry Bliss there has ever been. And then back to my crime. From a good drink. No, it'll be like something that's not Trump. It'll be like Smoothie King. It'll just be like the wrong brand.

Oh, that would hurt. That would hurt, yeah. Oh, okay. Oh, I see. It says to go on a rant about previous sleep issues I've had. Well, I think we need to take the rest of the day off because I have so many that it'll probably take me three hours.

But in the interest of time, I want to tell you that Helix, thank God, is really the only way I can sleep well now. I feel like so old when I go to hotels. I'm like, I miss my mattress. Like, everything hurts when I don't sleep on my Helix mattress. If I don't sleep exactly the right way in the exact right place on the exact right thing, I will be a decrepit little skeleton the next day.

We we really do I bought I remember buying my helix mattress like when I first moved into the house It was the first big purchase we made for the house and it's still going strong. I'm sitting on it right now I just love this thing And they're just an awesome company during the fires They helped so many families, including people we know, by sending materials and supplies and comforting things to help people rebuild their lives.

So I'm just really thankful that Helix is a sponsor and we just love them. Go to helixsleep.com slash drink for 27% off site-wide and a free bedding bundle, a sheet set and mattress protector for any Lux or Elite mattress order. Exclusive for listeners of And That's Why We Drink. That's helixsleep.com slash drink for 27% off site wide and free bedding bundle, sheet set and mattress protector with any Lux or Elite mattress order.

Exclusive for listeners of And That's Why We Drink helixsleep.com slash drink. Christine I'm in the middle of an adventure right now and yet I'm always craving a new adventure. That's the most M thing I ever heard. Well, I have good news for you, M. Even when you're on your own adventures, you could take another kind of adventure with Audible because Audible delivers thrills of every kind

on your command, from electrifying suspense and daring quests to spine-tingling horror and romance in far-off realms and also the haunted road got road atlas. Just put that in the list. Yeah. You can unleash your adventure aside with gripping titles that keep you guessing exclusive captivating audible originals, hotly anticipated new releases and muslis and bestsellers that hook you from the first minute. Plus discover big releases like freedom McFadden's The Tenet.

Love freedom McFadden and Amelia hearts the sirens. Audible offers over a million audiobooks, podcasts and originals all in one easy app We love audible. I use it all the time I'm list like to listen to Stephen King's short stories because he reads them sometimes or he at least Chimes in every now and then and I feel like I'm you know, he's just like on the horn with me telling stories I just I love audible. I can't picture a life without it Start listing and discover what's beyond the edge of your seat new members can try audible now for Free for 30 days and dive into a world of new thrills visit audible.com slash drink or text drink to 500 500

I got me a story for you, and I think you're gonna like it. Do you have a guess what I'm gonna cover Christine? I think you do Well now that you say that, I absolutely do not. Well, that's not to be the right guess. Oh, is it? Yeah, you're right. You're right. The Congress Hotel?

Yes, ma'am. Yes! Oh, sorry, that was so loud. I didn't look it up. And you know how hard it was for me to not look it up. So- I think I knew instinctively. For those who gathered in Tucson

for one of our last shows Christine and I and Eva of course stayed at the Hotel Congress in Tucson and As soon as we're gonna talk about in a second We I promise I'll give you the floor to describe what that experience was but When we got there I looked around I was like this place is obviously fucking haunted I feel like I've covered this before because the word Congress is like in my goddamn head. Me too. And I was like, well, something happened. But I looked through my notes. I looked everywhere.

I looked everywhere. I was like, hasn't that's why we drink covered the hotel Congress at Tucson? Apparently, fucking no. But what I did note down for you is that episode 55 way back when, I did cover the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago. Maybe that's what fell, okay, maybe that's what it was. That's what I said and then I went, that can't be right, something else is going on. I agree. Bitch, I wrote about it in our book.

Oh, fucking duh. I was like, I know about this place and I wouldn't know about it. There's no reason, I've never been to Tucson. Oh my God, that explains it. I settled for the Congress Plaza Hotel argument until I was doing the notes. And I was like, I've read this before.

I was with you too, because I was like, no, Hotel Congress is what's in my head. Yeah, that's that. Of course, and we had to fucking, of course. Yes, okay. And the best part is I couldn't find the research that I did for the book So I had to redo the research this weekend. I'm just gonna read me the chapter like story time. I Thought about it

But it's actually I did a pretty good job condensing all the notes into those like two or three pages so I was gonna read it, but then that It will just kind of save it for the kids show. Yeah. OK. And I would like to say this is a first for me. It took only 432 times, but I did these notes while in the location. Oh, that's so cool.

We've never done that. Which talk about scaring yourself straight, because I was sitting there and reading about your story that are on the other side. Well, hang on now. I read researching ghosts that are maybe in the room with you is a fucking crazy feeling. Oh, God. Every time I heard a sound, I was like, what was that? I'm literally amazed you didn't just show up at our door and go, here's something horrible. Good night.

Well, that's why when we walked past that one room, I went, that's the really bad one. Like I was like, oh, thank God you didn't ask how I knew that because I didn't even notice clearly. But anyway, here is the Hotel Congress. It's in Tucson. It is not the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago, but it is on page 143 of our second book, another Haunted Road Atlas. Next stop! And you can listen to it on Audible, by the way. That's right. Just just shout out to the people who do have a partnership with us.

And then you can hear us literally reading the chapter out loud. You can yeah, you can hear me say it there and here and it will basically be the same thing. And you can hear my interjections, which might be also exactly the same. I don't know yet. We'll find out. That would be fun. Let's see. I always see that when I do chapters that I've written. I always test to see and your reactions are usually like completely different but like

also just as unhinged. So it'll be a good experiment. I still think about what was her name? Who did I go on a date with? I know. You were like, I wrote that? The hell was her name? I keep on saying Megan. Am I okay?

No, it wasn't. Am I okay? What the hell was her name? Everyone else knows it. She's your lover. Melissa? No, we didn't even hold, Michelle. Michelle. I was gonna say, we didn't even hold hands.

We went on two dates and that was it. Hi, Michelle. I was going to say we didn't even hold hands. We went on two dates and that was it. Hi, Michelle. OK. We have to say it every few episodes just to make sure. I still think you reading that to me as, oh, this is something you said and your brain created and I didn't even remember it. And I was like, God damn, my brain is funny. And I was like, I know. Oh, that was that's on social media, Megan cut that for us,

which made me happy because now we can go watch it. Well, here we go. This is Hotel Congress. Would you like to describe Hotel Congress to the people? Yeah, I must. So we have this guy, Scott, who helps us book our, he like sends us options for hotels and stuff. And so usually Eva's been picking them but lately like this past trip I saw Hotel Congress and for some reason and he he Scott is into ghosts and so every time like we go to Milwaukee he's like oh

tell me you're staying at the Pfister and like he just loves it. So he often includes a haunted hotel in the list. He didn't mention it. And so I was like, why does it sound so familiar? But I looked it up and I was like, it's really cool and historic. So I clicked it and then we walked in and I whispered to Eva,

I feel like Emma's covered this on the podcast. And Eva goes, yeah, something about it. It's just like, and then we get it- Well, it's just so obviously haunted. It looks- It's so obvious. And then we get up to the front there, like here's the layout of the rooms. And then some of the rooms have literal ghosts icons

on them, cause they're haunted. And we didn't get placed in the haunted room, but Eva did get placed in something worse, which was called the club room. And it was like. No, that was me. Oh yeah, I know, but we moved Eva. Yeah, but so. Oh, oh, oh, sorry. When we got there, they put Eva in the room

and they were like, well, I mean, it's pretty loud. And we were like, how loud? And they're like, well, till 2 a.m., there will be a DJ, like, basically shaking the whole building. And so for 20 bucks more, we moved her. But then we met up with Eminem and was like, yeah, I'm on the club side. And we went to bed that night and I'm not on the, I'm on the quiet side. And I swear to God, like the windows are rattling and it's like LMFAO

playing downstairs and I'm like, but the rooms themselves are wild. They're very old west, mine was cowboy themed and it had the sink was, the bathrooms are so tiny that the sinks in the bedroom. It looks kind of sparse like an old west hotel. It was cool, but it was definitely like Christine maybe should have done her research before picking this the night before we traveled and all that but

it was fun though it was cool. I didn't have any ghost experiences though. Eva did in the shower. Oh yeah I remember that. We can mention that later when I talk about the ghosts. Yeah yeah sure. My experience was I got there earlier actually Eva and Christine drove from Vegas to Tucson and I went I am gonna take a plane Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, and I got there. I got there in the morning and I Didn't know I could switch rooms that but they did they warn you immediately they're like oh just so you know you're above the club and would you like some complimentary earplugs and I mean that's how you know like if they're saying it that boldly like you know it's

gonna be bad because they probably wouldn't address it if it were just like a mild sound I was like I'm probably gonna be okay and they went no you probably want the earplugs and I went what is going on here like what do you mean I'm gonna need them why are you putting me in a room there then and yeah now to know that there were other rooms available why on earth did you put love that you could have gotten Eva's replacement room and nope I took one for the team I but it really was I at some point I dropped food off at Eva's room later that night when the club was jumping and I got to hear the difference and it was still loud where you

guys were, but it was, I mean, the subwoofer or whatever might as well have been in my fucking face. Yeah, that's what was crazy is like the walls were shaking and it was also like music from 2011 and I was like, this is such a weird throwback. Like I'm just hearing like iconopop like Day, I'm like, oh my god and for like an old haunted Western hotel and then you're just like hearing like Give me give me give me a man. It's like techno beat. I mean really it was a it was an experience Well for me great for to be fair. I slept really well for some reason so I slept weirdly well, too

But when I checked in they even like they don't have hotel keys like it's so old and they've maintained everything from the 30s and 40s They literally give you like basically like a skeleton key Yeah, like a big ass like embossed brass key, and're like, hey, so this is actually the original to the building So if you leave you have to bring it back to us and check it check it back in and then when you come back To the hotel later, you can get it again for your room. You can't leave with this key I was like I left with it every time they did not give me that warning. They did not give me that warning another thing that This hotel has by the way the telephones in each of the rooms literally connects to an old 1930s operator switchboard.

That was the coolest thing. The phone rang and I started going click, click, click. Hello, front desk. And I'm like, what's happening? They do a demonstration for you when you check in like, oh, see, it really does go to the switchboard. Well, the creepy part was then the phone rang and she was like, hello, front desk, hello. And she's like, there's no one on the other end

and hung up and I was like, why are you doing this to me? I'm so scared. It's such a weird old hotel. Yes, it was so weird. I'm so glad you figured out that it was in the book. I was feeling like a lunatic trying to figure out how I knew about this hotel. Well, fun fact, it is on the National Historic Register

and do you know how it got the name Hotel Congress? I don't. This makes me mad. Apparently it was named in a contest in 1918, which like I'm fine with the contest, but like why would you submit Hotel Congress? Like you couldn't pick anything else anything else that would be more fun. So who? Her name was Dorit Dinkle.

Oh, she submitted that name. Yeah, she submitted Hotel Congress for this contest. And that one? I'm like, what were the other ones? Hotel Boring? Like, yeah, I mean, even that's more interesting, right? At least that has a story behind it. Anyway, Dorit Dinkle Which I think is just the funniest name in the whole world I mean she obviously she was why didn't she name it the Dinkle Hotel that are you kidding that I would have voted for

So she won it in a contest through the newspaper This was a 1918 when it was being built and she won the contest were in the newspaper It's just really it just like gets bring it back It jazzes me up, you know what I mean? Like there's no, I just feel like in a newspaper contest today, someone would submit like their kid suggestion. It'd be like hotel dinosaur. Like why wouldn't you pick that?

It would be like so much more creative or like hotel coffefe or something like kind of like it's funny and you know, yeah, I agree. Dorit, and I'm hoping it's Doris and it just got dispelled in the in the source. But Miss Dinkle won $15 worth of bonds, which at the time was $320. Just so you know. OK. All right.

I mean, it's not terrible, I guess. In 19 in 1919, a year later, it was officially constructed and per usual, it's a tale as old as time, it was created because a train depot had just been built running through the area. And per usual, a train depot was built here because the area had recently grown in their cattle industry. And per usual, this train depot would be used by many businessmen coming through the area for that cattle industry, and a fancy hotel would be needed for those fancy businessmen when they got to their stop.

And per usual, and per usual, the hotel was the fanciest hub of the time, and it became a community space in town. Everyone came here and per usual, that included gangsters and gamblers and nefarious acts over time the who knows I Feel like at this point after so many episodes covering haunted hotels I should just tell you at the beginning just the phrase the usual and then like we don't have to do this You know lady in white check late. Yeah, go on

So in that same way as every other hotel story, there was a lot of violence in the area because so many, it was meant for fancy business people and eventually everyone's coming in, including the dregs of society, of course. No, no, no. Which leads to many people dying here. So the same year that Hotel Congress was built,

so was their little tavern bar area called the Tap House. Although at the time, it was meant to be a tavern bar, but it was Prohibition, so it became just a restaurant. Boring. And then as soon as Prohibition was over, it became a bar like that day. I think it was the first bar to open in town. I love, remember that story where they said they were like, they had all, I think it was the first bar to open in town. I love, remember that story where they said they were like,

they had all, I think it was in Milwaukee, they had all the beer like ready to go. And then the second it was repealed, they like washed in the town with the beer. Like the Grinch with his giant sled, you know. 100%. Here you go. They were 100% just waiting for the light to turn green.

And so then- Oh, beautiful stuff. Day one, people were pouring in to drink. Oh, my God. And so that does make it in town, or maybe in all of Arizona, the longest continuously ran bar. Really? I think so, yeah.

It's also, that means since... At least above board Above speakeasies aside and if you're counting just like the restaurant Which was probably there was I'm sure there was a speakeasy under that restaurant That means it's been continuously running almost every day since 1918. So yeah, that's really wild over a hundred years the Another fun fact is that I only saw this on one source, I don't know how true it is, but allegedly this area,

or the Tap House, was also a secret queer bar back in the day when people had to be undercover. That's good to know, like cool. Since 1919, when the hotel and the Tap Room opened, ever since then it has also opened a diner known as the Cup or what was it called? We were just yeah, we were just there the cup cafe. Yeah Yeah, the one that I could not fucking fit in by the way hilarious They were like get out get your suitcase out of the same server

every single spot I stood in was the wrong spot and The an employee would be like, I'm sorry You're in my way and then I have to move and then another employee go I'm sorry. I'm trying to get past you and then I go another. Oh my god I don't say I was like Christine eat your fucking potatoes. I'll be I'll meet you outside I was trying I just scooch him into a into a scooch all the wet eggs into a Tupperware. Okay, it's a long story guys anyway So anyway, there is that little diner area apparently there's

a the floor is made of pennies I didn't see that when I went in there I did not pick up on that there's a lot to look at though in that hotel there is so that's supposed to be like a 1940s kind of diner then they also have a jazz club they have them as you know a nightclub Called Club Congress. Yeah, it is nightclub. Oh It's like a music venue hall fun fact. I think it was like ZZ tops Guitarist said it was like his favorite bar. He's ever been to Yeah, I wish we had like had time to go to the bar. I mean, I guess I experienced it from bedtime, but Yeah, I like it was poppin

They didn't need us there. It was loud enough. They certainly didn't need us there now. It was truly the loudest hotel I've ever experienced, and there's just no way around it. Unbelievable. And I'm not even trying to sound like a curmudgeon. I can tolerate a lot of loud noise.

This was actually like play music on your speakers, and that was the loudness it was in your fucking room It was like I thought it was gonna be like a problem and then I fucking fell asleep so fast and slept through apparently M was at the door knocking because they got that they were Trying to get Eva's room and knocked on mine by accident didn't even fucking wake up I mean to be fair the subwoofers were so fucking loud Yeah, could you have heard my good never do knocking but it it's just like something about it man. I was out cold. Well the nightclub. Oh, maybe this is the Maybe this is just another superlative or maybe this is the one I was thinking

Club Congress the music venue night hall. Yeah nightclub area. It is one of the longest running venues on the East Coast Okay. Whoa, it's not on the East Coast is it? Oh My god West Coast. Sorry west of the Mississippi running venues on the East Coast. Oh, okay. Whoa. Wait, it's not on the East Coast, is it? Oh my God. West Coast. Sorry. West of the Mississippi. What is wrong with me? Can you imagine? That would be crazy. I was like, I feel like maybe I misunderstood. No, no, no. West Coast. Thank you for clocking that before other people did. Yeah. It's the least I can do. So because it is one of the longest running venues on the West Coast,

the governor heard about this and decided that they were going to come up with a celebration for this. And they created a club congress weekend where we I feel like we were probably there for that fucking. That must have been. But that's when they just go fucking balls to the wall, I guess, at club congress. And then there's a whole other event that's three days. I was really like yeah, right You guys didn't even get the half of it like try to get come here on Club Congress night And it's gonna be I can't imagine I can't imagine

There's also a three day three night live music festival that they host there to called Hoco fest Hoco for Hotel Congress And I can't imagine three days and three nights. Like the hotel has to be empty. Like the only reason people would stay there is because they're so drunk from partying downstairs. Which makes sense. I guess you would want to stay there if you were there for the...

It is smart. It's like, it's a certainly responsible drinking of like, I'm gonna get wasted and I'm just gonna like rent a bed upstairs. But nobody is there for like any other vacation. Oh my lord that weekend It could be or if they are they're they're leaving really soon. They're gonna get a hundred percent hundred percent there They came with the Christine who's like, I don't know why I picked this one. I'm so sorry. I just thought it sounded cool so the hotel like we said earlier has maintained its original decoration since at least the 1930s and

Christine nailed it that the hotel is themed I don't know if it's like I don't know if themes the right word, but they stick true to I Kept describing it as like feeling like I was staying in a living history museum exhibit. Yeah Yeah, because there are the bathroom and the showers are certainly, like the technology is up to date. We're like, you're gonna like flush the toilet and it'll be fine, but it looks like of a completely bygone era.

The sinks inside, it looked like the rooms look like, would I imagine someone from Newsies when they're like, I'm renting a room downtown. Yes, yes, yes. With the sink in the room and then like a shared bathroom, presumably. I mean, we didn't have shared bathrooms, but you could tell that it might've been that way

in the past. And yeah, it was like, oh, the shower, I don't fit in it. I had to turn sideways and put my head in it. Like it's kind of just like they had to retroactively make it work as a modern-day hotel Literally the beds are were made of iron. It was like all squeaky and old sounding They had they didn't have TVs in there, but they literally had vintage radios for you to listen to They like it just felt like you were sitting in a room in the 1940s. It was a very cool feeling I actually was so lucky that I came in early because I just felt like a kid again

because back in the 90s, I used to just lie in my bed and listen to the radio. There was nothing else to do back then. But as soon as I went in there, I just turned the radio on and just lied on that iron bed and washed my hands in that tiny little sink and I went, okay, well, here I am. But anyway, just to give you the vibe of the room,

everything is very old school, including how you get to your room, because I asked if there was an elevator for my heavy ass bag, and their exact words were, it burned down in a fire back in 1934. We just haven't gotten around to it yet in the past 90 years. Like literally everyone had to,

I'm not trying to sound like a diva here, but everyone had to manually carry. And we like, we came with like tour stuff. Oh yeah, that was, again, I feel that maybe that was my bad. But like the way that they responded, they could have just said, oh, sorry, we don't have an elevator or,

oh, sorry, we're not accessible, accessibility friendly. They could have We're not we're not accessible Accessibility friendly they could have said anything else But he said it as if he was setting up a story and he was like it burned down in 1934 and I was like Well, then why do? He's like you pick it up and you carry it. Yeah. Yeah, it was pretty wild so The fire let's talk about it The fire from 1934, the one that burnt this goddamn elevator down,

one source says it was a lit cigarette on a tablecloth that caused it. I don't totally know, but then I heard that it was a fire that started in the basement, which is where they store things like tablecloths, maybe someone was on a break and everyone's lighting cigarettes in the 30s.

So it's apparently cigarettes in the sixth in the 30s, so yeah, um it's apparently started in the basement went all the way up and The third floor was the one that was like fully fucking damaged and may she rest in peace the elevator So yeah, really we we missed her that I thought of her fondly. Yeah The third floor was never rebuilt, it was just completely incinerated, and they just decided to build from the second floor down and redo everything. Okay.

So by doing this though, they ended up losing half their rooms because there was 40 rooms on each floor. So they ended up going from 80 rooms to 40 rooms by only keeping the first and second floor. Oh, I didn't know that. And they were like well if we lose half of our rooms we're losing half of our rates and so how are we gonna make the money back so to keep the hotel of float that's why they opened up all these other fucking ventures like the

jazz club and the music hall and the diner it was all just so they can make money in different ways. To diversify. Yeah, yeah to diversify their portfolio if you will. And I mean it worked it's literally still working today but it was if you're wondering why this place wears so many hats it's because they were trying to just break even by losing 40 of their rooms. I get it. Everyone survived this fire for people wondering because all of them had big windows they could climb out of and they climbed right down the fire, fire ladders.

But here's where it gets interesting, as this fire also led to one of the most notable pieces of history at this hotel, because that night of the fire in 1934, there were some important guests here, including bank robber John Dillinger and his gang laying low from a robbery. See, that's what you said. Like I just booked a room. You know, I booked a room, tied up my horse.

Like that is the exact vibe of this place. I would like to know what rooms they were in. Like was I in a room that John Dilliger has been in? Now that would be cool. I wonder if those are the haunted ones though. Maybe not, I don't know. No, they're not. Oh, then maybe. They're certainly not mentioned.

Maybe they were in rooms on the third floor and they're just burnt away. That's true actually, yeah, good point. No, they could have been above us. Yeah. One could have been in the elevator. Someone had to be in there at some point. No, that stinks.

So, okay, they were trying to be discreet here because apparently the robbery was on the East Coast. That's how I had East Coast in my notes. And they were like, let's go to this tiny little podunk town in fucking Tucson, Arizona. I love that they went to like the most hoppin' happenin' place.

Yeah, let's go for it in time for the big music festival. Yeah, right, HocoFest is this weekend. So they, they decided they were gonna lay low, go to this hotel, hide out while people, while the dust settled on this bank robbery they did. And then of course, on that night, a fire fucking happens. They, nobody knew who they were because they came in under different names but firefighters remember a group of men being really hesitant to leave and really reluctant about getting out of

the building but the firefighters were like it's on fucking fire get out of here. Yeah yeah yeah yeah you shady motherfuckers. So in evacuating, they had to abandon their belongings, which was probably all the goods that they had just robbed a bank of. So they were acting really suspicious and paranoid about their belongings in the room and while waiting outside, one source said in their underwear, which I love. Oh, my God, I love that. That's the kind of detail we need, people, journalists. Thank you.

Although I doubt it, because if they were that hesitant and reluctant, how long did they have to react is my question. Was this fire not moving that fast? Good question. Were they like, did they have time to grab a few things? And they chose their gun instead of their pants? I don't know. See? I don't see I don't be

At any rate at some point they were outside and they were acting really fishy and they kept bugging the firefighters to like go get their Stuff for like hey, can you go check on my belongings? Suspicious you guys like cool it they knew how to lay low with their mouths shut but when you're in they Were pretty bad at their job. Seems like it. So they go up to some of the firefighters and say, like, I really want you to take care of the suitcase in there. I'm sure they said it like mobsters. You're like, I want you to do me a favor.

They take care of something. They decide that they're going to basically slip them a five and be like, do me the solid. Go get my bags. They really slip them a 12, be like do me the solid go get my bags they really slip them a 12 which in today's money is In today's money is about two eighty three hundred dollars, okay, all right It's a decent chunk of change I guess depending on what you're asking But it is silly to be like 12 you can't just give me a fucking tenner or like 12 is a wild choice

I feel like it was 10 and then the guy was like, not enough and they're like, anybody? I feel like it's like us using a valet where like all three of us are just trying to find any spare dollar. Yeah, exactly. It felt like scrounging for the extra couple bucks. Yeah, and one of them was like, I have another dollar, I have two. I'll contribute that.

So anyway, they hand the firefighters 12 bucks. The firefighters go get their bags. I don't know if they looked in the bags or if one was accidentally open. I don't know if they looked in the bags or if one was accidentally open. I don't know, but at some point the firefighters looked inside the bag on their way down and this is what they found in there. Several guns, several grenades, several bulletproof vests, several bottles of alcohol, which I think, I don't know if this was during ProBish or not, but interesting to note. Around, we don't know, around $40,000 in cash and gold.

And then they gave him a 12. Yeah, I'd be pissed too. I know, I'd be like, I'm taking this brick of gold actually, thank you. Seriously, this is my new cut, thanks. One source said there were also notes on the robbery itself and another source said- They didn't grab that on their way out.

Oh my God. It's just like all of them having like a yearbook photo in front of the bank they robbed. Yup, yup. It feels wrong, oh no. So one source said there was notes on the actual robbery. Another source said that in this bag was a fucking skeleton's hand and a glass eyeball.

They're like, that's actually something different. That has nothing to do with the robbery. That's actually a totally different story. Yeah, that's sorry. That's something from home. Don't worry about it. It's personal. So the firefighters were obviously like, what the fuck?

And one of them would have been in and that's why we drink early because he read True Detective Magazine and loved true crime. And he fucking squinted at them after enough suspicious things happened. And he was like, I fucking recognize these people. And he realized they were John Dilliger's gang.

Oh, my God. That that moment when you're like, oh, oh. Can you imagine being a fan of true crime and then you solve a crime? Really? You're just like standing there and you're like, wait a minute. It's happening. It's happening. So he told the cops the caps, the caps. Who am I? He told the caps. He told the capas.

Wicked caps. So he told the cops the cops ended up capturing them elsewhere. John Dilliger escapes again. And then, of course, he dies in Chicago. But the hotel congress now remembers this event of like John Dillinger escaping their hotel by celebrating not just Hoco Fest, my friend, not just Club Congress weekend,

but they also have the Dillinger Days Festival where they do reenactments of the escape and probably without fire. Reenactments. And they have a vintage car show too. So it's a whole 1940s day. That's really cool. I'll tell you one thing about this hotel

that they don't play with and that's an event. It seems like they've got an event on every day of the calendar. They're like, this is a holiday. And I really approve of that. As someone who's always looking for more holidays, it's very exciting. They also host, I mean, when I say they host several events while we were there,

I saw a list of like 20 events happening. We were going to be there for two days. They don't fuck around. And I guess if you've got five different parts of the building doing different businesses, you can always have an event at least one of them. But during Halloween, especially because they lean into the ghosts. I mean, they literally were telling Eva and Christine about the ghosts when they checked in. Yeah. They were like, we have them labeled. We were like, OK. During Halloween, they were available, though, which sucked.

During Halloween, they host Nightmare on Congress Street, which is apparently the town's biggest Halloween block party. And they also host during October. This is a quote authentic live recreations of Victorian era theatrical seances in the only third room to survive the third floor room to survive the fire. What is it up in the sky? Yeah I guess is it just like the chimney I don't know. The irony of it being a chimney. Is it on the roof? It's just on the roof. But apparently they do old school 1800s seances upstairs. That's crazy.

How cool. And like I said, they're very open about the hotel being haunted. They literally told Eva, oh, if you want to see a ghost here, just ask, which is crazy. They literally said that. They go, oh, well, I said, oh, bummer, there's no haunted rooms available. And the woman goes, oh, well, you know, all you have to do is say, I'm ready to see you. And I was like, okay, nevermind.

I'll never say those words. I'll never say them. I was gonna say, nevermind, nevermind. I did say those words on the stairs and I saw nothing. So. Well, maybe they don't like you. It didn't work for me. Maybe not.

Well, so when you think about the time that this building has been here since 1918, there have been many deaths here, including gangster violence. Also, I didn't mention this earlier, but there are allegedly like the old tunnels under this property of the city. So a lot of dark dealings happen there. There were talks of maybe people being kidnapped down there or being used for sex work, unfortunately, and being trafficked.

Oh, god. So there's just a lot of negative heavy energy. Plus, that one fire in 1934, but there were other multiple fires. There were many suicides here. And it was just a heavy, a high traffic energy space when it was like the hub of the town, too. So a lot of reasons for us to be haunted.

There are four main haunted rooms in the hotel, although I have a fifth bonus room for you. Ooh, is it the one on the roof? No, I actually, I would now like to look at a map because what the fuck was that? Seriously, where is that room? It's like, I thought that it all burned away. Where are we?

Is it just the elevator shaft that goes to nothing? Yeah, right? You just climb the fire escape? I don't know. Okay. So there are four main haunted rooms in this hotel, although there is a fifth bonus room, which I'll get to in a second.

But the first haunted room there that probably had a little ghosty icon on the map you saw at the hotel is room 212. Apparently in this room, guests will lock their doors and it will unlock itself and open anyway. So even if you lock the door, you'll look over and then the door has opened itself. Really one of the worst in a hotel.

Truly, or they will leave it open because there have been people who are fed up and they're like, fine, we'll keep it open. And then the door will slam shut by itself Oh great, so it's like even just whatever you don't want Yeah, yeah Similarly in 219 which this is the bonus room, but we're going to come back to it. You'll see why it's a bonus later

219 there's not a lot to be said but it it gets mentioned as like a blip on one of the sources. And it says that there's a ghost here who, just like how in 212 they will lock and unlock the doors, in 219 they will only lock the bathroom door and they'll lock it from the inside so you can't get in to the bathroom. Oh, that would stink. Staff will apparently have to take the door off its hinges to get back in there because as we said, it's like skeleton keys and shit. Like it's you can't. Oh, so you have to unscrew the whole. Oh my God.

Take the whole door off to be able to unlock it from the inside and put the door back on. Miserable. So if you have IBS, don't stay in 219. Well good thing I figured this out after we left. You did sleep two rooms away. I did that's true. Actually if we're doing the hotel thing where it's odd numbers you shared a wall with 219. 217. Eva was 217 I was 216. Oh so Eva shared a room a wall with 219. Eva was 217, I was 216. Oh, so Eva shared a room, a wall with two 19.

I think it went one by one because there weren't any across the hall. Oh, fuck. Alright, whatever. Three doors, three doors. Okay, so that's 219, the bathroom one. We'll get back to that though. So the main ones are 212, where the doors are all opening and unlocking themselves.

And 214, another one you were next to. That one I was very close to, yes. People will say that there's a man in a pinstriped suit and top hat that appears in this room. No. What's it like to know you were about 10 feet away from that? Well, you know what was in there? These two dogs that barked constantly those dogs were in that room

Maybe I love them. I have no problem with them, but they were barking up a storm, and I was like oh What do they see maybe they saw they saw them? I don't know They say that this guy was either a gangster or that he was killed by gangsters during like a bad poker play. But apparently he's a seersucker, pinstripe suit, sometimes a top hat. He is also known to quote, walk through the lobby and stick his head into the office door. To like, I guess, look at people.

Oh, to peek in. Yeah, I don't like it. Maybe related to the fact that he is said to be a victim of gangster violence, but people in 214 also see a bloody handprint in there. I wonder if the handprint moves around like Blue's Clues, or is it just one? Could be, like then it would be more like,

what is it trying to tell me? Yeah. I would imagine it's on one spot, but maybe not. You know what? Let's do the opposite of having a kids scary story hour and let's do a really scary story hour. And we could do, we could do Blue's Clues,

but instead of the blue paws, it's all bloody hands. So now instead of a children's show. Now we're solving a crime. It's now a children's show for adults. Like we're now making it, we're looping too far and going into children's content that's too extreme for children. It's like a murder mystery, but it's like,

where does the bloody paw print head take us? It does feel right for millennials, at least, you know, like they, we, the format might really work. Well, here's my favorite thing about Pinstripe Suit Man. You're gonna love this. I don't, I already love it. I already don't. No, you are gonna like this.

He hates the vacuum cleaner. Oh, me too. And so he will literally constantly unplug it whenever they have to vacuum his room. Wait, dogs like, dogs hate vacuums too. Maybe they were all hanging out in there. Maybe they were just all covering their ears. All barking at the vacuum

Apparently the only way they can vacuum in that room is if they played 1920s music to appease him But how can you hear it over the vacuum God? Good point. The next big room is there's two rooms left. That was so 212 214 those are the two big ones and then the next two big ones are 220 and 242 You don't have to know this but in case other people care. I feel like it's gonna be a pop quiz 220 I think 220 is my favorite 220 is there was a World War two veteran who moved in in the 60s and he lived here for the rest of his life For like 30 rented a room. I rented a room down down in a room down in the city.

Down south. Down south street. His name was Vince and he ended up I think dying of a heart attack later, although one source literally said he died from a bobcat in the alley under a full moon. That was- Was that Vince? That was him who said that. There's no way in the goddamn world that wasn't something he said, when I go tell my friends and family, this is how I went out.

You know? Christine, if I die in a boring way, can you please tell people it was a bobcat in the alley under a full moon? Like literally, obviously. There was, there's nothing I'd rather be responsible for than telling some sort of legend and lore about how you go out.

Thank you. A bobcat under the moonlight, I'm in. Here's why I like Vince so much. Every single day, he would, about how you go out. Bobcat under the moonlight, I'm in. Here's why I like Vince so much. Every single day, because he lived there for 30 years, he would go down to the cafe, the one that- And see his pet Bobcat. See his Bobcat, give him a pet, and he would go get a cup of coffee, a bagel,

and a butter knife, and he'd bring it to his room. Every day, he would return the plate that the bagel was sitting on and the coffee cup, but he would never return the butter knife. Oh, I remember this. Didn't you talk about this in your book? This was in your heart. In mine, yes. This was the part where I was like, I've fucking covered this.

Why doesn't it say yes, I remember this. And then I was getting not actually, but for the theatrics, I was getting mad at Megan because I was like, why isn't it listed in our episode list on our website? Like, what? What? I find it. Obviously, I covered it. Obviously, I covered this. I remember Butter Knives being a thing,

and it was because of the stupid book. So. Well. I also remember it, and I think you lost my mind, so. So he would never return his butter knives and part of me is like Why is a human being keeping all these knives probably knives? Yes? Apparently he would keep them around as like multi tools for likes to screw things in or like to pry things off like fix It was a bathroom door when it gets locked probably I imagine if he was there for 30 years He probably also saw the ghosts tricks You know the tricks of the trade,

how to deal with them, yeah. The lasagna layers of ghosts always gets me when someone knew it was haunted and then becomes a ghost themselves. It always trips me up. Agreed. But so anyway, he always kept the butter knives. Ever since he died, housekeepers regularly find butter knives

in odd places around the hotel. Oh, that's so cool. Which like, part of me is like, did he stockpile like 800 of them and now they're all finally being found? Or is he stealing new ones and then showing them off? Right, like are they reappearing? Or like, right, yeah, ooh, I wonder.

That's kind of cool though, if you like didn't know and then you kept finding knives and then your coworker was like, oh, you don't know about the knives., that's Vince. Vince, the knife guy. Yeah. He also likes to move people's things and prank them. He likes to sit at the bar. So people will still see him sitting at the bar. And he will also kind of like vacuum guy. He will mess with the jukebox based on if he likes the song or not.

Oh, okay. Well, that makes makes me nervous I feel like that's a lot of pressure. He'll just like crank the volume up. Right and you're just losing your money like okay. That's true a jukebox song these days is like $25,000. What the fuck does he think of Iconopop over and over and over again? I mean he can't be happy. Vince could you turn that down? Jesus. Seriously you couldn't be happy. I'm sure he's not happy with that Well the last room probably definitely the most haunted room It's 242 the one that I pointed out to you, and I said this is the really haunted one hmm I took a picture of it, so we can put that up

Anyone could Google it, but if you'd like my picture of it. We will put that up Room 242 is the most haunted room there was a. They always frame it as she was struggling in her marriage. Girl was also struggling with like severe mental health problems. So, yeah, well, so right. But she's a married woman first, of course. Maybe her marriage was part of it, but she was having like, I imagine it makes the rest of your life very difficult if you already have severe mental health.

Yeah, I don't know what came first, but she was struggling. That's all we need to know. She ended up deciding that life was not worth living and she apparently started acting weird in the hotel and so concerned that the staff were like, we need to call the police. The police show up.

There seems to be a kerfuffle where they find her locked in the bathroom with a gun and she ends up dying by suicide. No. I don't know how true it is now, but apparently the bullet hole is still there. And there are pictures on Google of people who have taken pictures of the bullet hole is still there and there are pictures on Google of people who have taken pictures of the bullet hole

Oh, wow, like it's still a very clear bullet hole. That's upsetting. Yeah But if you're like weirdly into paranormal and you forget the empathy side of things then I guess there's that fun fact for you I don't know, but it would be too weird for me Anyway, so she died by suicide there. There were a lot of people who died by suicide, but I think because hers is such a traumatic story, hers is now the most popular. Yeah. It's so tragic. Yeah. Yeah. Tragic, not traumatic. Sorry. It will both. Well, both. Yeah. So guests sometimes feel someone watching them when they sleep in there. People feel someone sitting on the bed. Some people say that they feel her or feel her touching them

and hear her whispering to them in bed. Oh, no. Guests will wake up from nightmares and see someone standing over them. They'll feel a weird heaviness in the room. Some will literally feel someone laying in bed with them. So, you know, that blanket's moving all the time in there. That's terrifying. Yeah. Like, one thing that terrifies me about a hotel room is like, is the blanket moving by itself?

You know? That, cause it feels so invasive, right? Like, I don't know. It feels like you're, you're already kind of, you're staying in someone else's space. It feels like already. And then to have somebody like pulling off your blanket. Yeah, forget it

there are so many times in hotel rooms i'll go you can do it ever you want don't touch please yeah don't um guests will also feel cold spots in here they'll see a woman apparently in white she's always got to be in fucking white i knew it people will see a dark cloudy shadow where she died in the bathroom. The SLS or stick figure camera has caught things in here when people have investigated. People will feel something grab them. They'll see mists in the hall. They'll see, oh, also in the hotel, there's not just a woman in white. There's a woman in black on the stairs, which is where you were asking to see someone. Oh, I was.

Yeah, I did not see a woman in black. No, a woman in black. they think she was like a supervisor because she apparently stares at the people in the lobby and they say, oh, she's still managing them. But part of me is like, maybe she was a Karen who's like just like being mean and critical of them. Maybe she's mean, she's just nosy and doesn't wanna go down the stairs yet.

Apparently, yeah, she's like, I just got all the way up here. She just looking down. She apparently smells like roses, which is nice. Oh my, OK. People hear voices throughout this hotel. They hear knocking throughout the hotel. They'll see children in the halls when children aren't there.

They'll see flickering lights. Apparitions appear and disappear. Guests will see a Phantom Bellboy. They'll see a maid cleaning. They'll see there's another employee in the kitchen. I've always wanted to see a Phantom Bellboy because that feels less upsetting to me than a lot of other characters at a hotel. Because a Bellboy, it's like even if he's just doing his job from the past, you know?

Yeah, and it's like you don't even want to mess with me, you just want to mess with my luggage. And if I throw you a $5 bill, you're going to be happy and you're not going to hurt me. Exactly, and you're going to be like, this is $8,000 because you're from a different time. So it's gonna be I'm just gonna look really I just need to flip you a nickel and go That's right. Here you go sport. Yeah find it behind your ear. Yeah No wonder you never see ghosts. They're probably like I literally don't have time for you They're like I actually don't even want a nickel. Thank you. Like actually, can you get away from my face? Thank you. There's another employee people see in the kitchen who always disappears. Some people have said that they literally talk to a woman who works there and then they can't find her

and they find out she's never been there. Oh, some guests have found their room tidied for no reason. And some have literally looked out the window and seen old time, old town Tucson with horse and buggies. That's my dream, Em. That's my dream. Forget the bellboy. It always freaks me out when people are like, I heard horses like clopping on the gravel. It's one of my favorites. It's like a time slip. Oh, I love it. I love it. I love it.

Most, if not all staff members have experiences here and many guests have left early because it was so scary for them. The second floor in particular is the most haunted because that's where all the rooms are. So that has like the added layer of all that history and energy. The best story I found online about Hotel Congress, though, was in the 90s. This guy came in really late looking for a room. He brought his own bottle of alcohol. And I think he just wanted to drink it,

but then they were like, you can't actually, you can't bring your own alcohol in unless you're staying here and you drink it in your own room. He was like, fine, I'll give me a room. He signs in on like this little like card. He like, or like a piece of paperwork. He signs in and he pays them in old timey money.

Oh. They're like, this is fucking weird. I don't know why in that moment they didn't go, in old-timey money. Oh They're like this is fucking weird. I don't know why in that moment they didn't go we don't accept this money Yeah, I'm like they're like Visa MasterCard. Wait, what's that? Yeah You can't pay for your room into balloons Ruby's wait a minute Ruby actually I will take that. Thank you So he checks in he gives them what what looks like old timey money, but then they just let him up in the room. They're apparently like all around the same age, I guess.

And they're all kind of vibing with each other. So the guy says, Hey, when you guys get off your shift, you guys can come to my room. We'll all get like fucked up together. And they're like, hell, yeah. These were obviously 20 year old employees. I was like, really? They're like, let's go to this strange man's room to drink.

OK, sure. So they all do a little drinking. And at some point, he says, like, things, I probably he says, oh, you know, like, I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick. So, you know, get out of my room while I go to the bathroom. But then when I'm done, you guys can come back and we'll keep drinking. So when the employees come back, apparently he's gone and all of the drinks they drinks, all the cups they've been drinking out of are cleaned and as if they've been completely

untouched, the trash can is empty, the bottle of rum is gone, he's gone. It looks like nobody has been in there the entire time. Yuck. And so they go downstairs and they're like, hey, that guy check out, and the desk clerk is like, I don't know who you're talking about. I haven't seen anyone all night.

And when they look at the paperwork that the guy signed, it's empty. And his old timey money is gone. So it's like they just had like this weird hallucination. Okay. So yeah, because also then I'm like, so do they feel tipsy at all? Like did the alcohol leave their system already? Like it just vanished, you know, also part of me is is like so were you just up there like talking to yourself and Drinking out of empty cups like how creepy like were you miming in an empty room? Oh and talking to someone who's not there

Oh, which feels a little possession. It does it feels very creepy so I say that to tell you that The only thing I have left to tell you is that there is an episode of GA where they very recently went to Congress Hotel. It was season 28 episode four. 28! I know. And fun fact, when this episode came out, the hotel Congress had a watch party in the

hotel. Oh, even better. They'll always find an event. They always got a reason. A watch party in the hotel. Oh, even better. They'll always find an event. They always got a reason. A watch party, that's so fun. To sit, to watch your own workplace or whatever be on an episode of Ghost Adventures and get to watch it with all your coworkers,

that is so cool. You know that Club Congress that night was playing Rhonda? Holy shit. Rhonda. They were playing immortal portal. Immortal portal. Oh my God. So here's why I mentioned that fifth bonus room, the one where the bathroom door keeps locking and they have to take the door off the hinges. That doesn't get mentioned.

That room gets mentioned, but no one mentions the bathroom or the door getting taken off the hinge, even though that was the only, I only saw one source about that room at all, and it was the bathroom and it was a one liner. And that was it. However. Even though there's four other major haunted rooms and two nineteen is like was like a throwaway line on one source I saw and barely considered a haunted room based on my notes. Ghost Adventures focuses pretty much solely on two nineteen. Weird. I feel like their researcher saw that one line on that one website and went,

this is the most haunted room, we have to go there. Yeah. And ignored all the main ones, like the one with the pinstripes and all this. And it wasn't even like the employees saying, hey, this is the room you gotta be in. Well, it was an assistant bar manager who told them that this is the most haunted room and people get

possessed here all the time. Oh, God. And that fucking hate this. And that they regularly have to call 911. What the fuck is 911 going to do? I am so sorry. What? So I maybe it's maybe it's true.

And there's just not a goddamn source any anywhere on the internet about this. But maybe also this guy was a Zach fan and just kind of said something. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe they wanted like a unique storyline, you know, sometimes it feels like they are like looking for their own angle so that nobody else gets to say the same. Like, you know, even if it's like fudging the truth. Well, so this bar manager told them, yeah, so a couple was staying here

and only the wife spoke English and then she came down in the middle of the night panicked and they were staying in 219, this obscure room I'm claiming to be haunted. And she came down and she said, something's wrong with my husband, he's speaking perfect English in a woman's voice and he doesn't speak English.

Ew! In a woman's voice too. That is fucking creepy. Fucking terrible. But also like, why is that not the headline on every single goddamn source about this place? You know what I mean? Well maybe because it's a new story, I don't know. Maybe. Maybe.

Maybe they just tell it on the tours and it just hasn't reached the internet yet, the blog sphere. Well apparently they're one of many and it is very regular that people get possessed in here. Then of course they tell Zack about the fire and the Dilliger gang and right after the guide says oh, yeah They were trying to keep a low profile. That's why they were here Of course Zachary theorizes that the gang members set the fire themselves to burn bodies that they had as evidence

Okay, he's really lost it. I mean sometimes I'm like, okay, I get the angle. This one, no. Oh, I have a quick update about Zachary because I was recognized at the Hot Stuff Slot Machine. Long story as to why I don't have the tattoo yet. I'm gonna get it, don't worry, but it's been delayed. But I was sitting at the Hot One Slot Machine and Hot Stuff Slot Machine and this person comes up and they're like, like oh my gosh hi like I'm not able to make it to the show but we're here for my husband's work and we went to the Zach And she goes, well, he already has a video up saying that Aaron's hitman situation was

due to like a possession or a demonic interference. And he literally has already put in the museum, apparently, a thing that says right after I touched the Dibbock box, Aaron's wife was arrested for trying to kill him. And it's like, Oh my God. Wait, why does that have to do with you touching? He's like, Is Aaron his friend in real life anymore?

Like that feels- I don't know. He apparently said like, my producer, Aaron, found out after I touched the Dibbock. So it's like, are you saying it's your fault? Is that what you're saying? If I were Aaron, I'd be like, can you back up for like a second, please? Can you just give me a month

to grieve this horrible situation? Wow. Like I heard that and I went, thank God somebody was able to check because I was sure of it, but they're very, they hold up, they hold their stuff close to the best. It stands true.

Yeah. Oh my God. Well, thanks everyone for that update. That's, and so sorry for your tattoo that it will be on the way eventually She was in a car accident that morning and then I said, oh my god when Zack touched the dip it box Yeah, right. That's true. Am you're right and I said like oh no worries like and they said I know you traveled for this appointment. So

We'll try to reschedule and I said like well, I live in Cincinnati and they said, I know you traveled for this appointment, so we'll try to reschedule. And I said, well, I live in Cincinnati. And they said, oh, well, is that anywhere near Northern Kentucky? Because she's doing a Northern Kentucky tour in August. And I was like, they're like, are you near Covington? And I'm like, yeah, only like five minutes. That's so weird.

Anyway, so a rescheduling. But a lot of weird synchronicities around it. It's very weird. Anyway, ghosts. Ghosts, yes. So the only room that they do pay attention to that I mentioned is 242 where the woman died by suicide. Of course, that's the only room they pay attention to.

And weirdly, as they're doing an interview about that room, um, a light turns off by itself. He says he feels weird. He gets up and walks away. He's having a whole moment about it. And at the same time, there's like, I guess a black shadow that was caught on camera next to him. So he of course runs with that.

But, uh, they tried going into room two 42. He says he feels like he got pushed. He feels lightheaded He walks out again. He does a lot of walking out of rooms That feels already like he was just really planning for a moody evening He yeah but I will say in the next spirit box session in that room where they're like Did you push Zack and can can we talk to you later? They asked can we talk to the ghosts later tonight? And the spirit box very clearly,

like as clearly as we speak, says no leave. Oh, uh oh. Terrifying. Later when talking about what's happened so far, and then they mentioned like, oh, that light turned off earlier. As they're talking about that, another light turns off. Ew.

It actually is kind of creepy. Yeah, I echo. And then they talk about EVPs that they've gotten. One of the EVPs is super creepy where they get a woman saying sitting on as they're asking, what are you sitting on? And then another voice comes to her and says, bed, I'm sitting.

And it's very clear. And it's at the same time where they're using the thermal camera and they actually do get something sitting on the bed It's very it is actually creepy. Yeah, it sounds creepy. Um, the next one I actually want to show you So I'm gonna send you the link to the episode lucky man and Hopefully that worked

But I'm gonna tell you the two I'm gonna tell you the time code Okay, got it. OK, time code. So well, to tell you to give you a context later, Zach, your footsteps and then he go. He looks out of the hallway and he goes, hello. And you can very clearly hear someone say hello back. Yeah. 2740.

Yeah. All right. Let's 2740. Yucko! All right, let's find it. 2740. We probably can't play this, right? I don't know, but I would like your reaction anyway. Okay. Oh! Like it's so obviously someone else going hello.

It sounded like me! Hello. Yeah. Yeah. What the fuck? That sounded like a producer Hello? Yeah. Yeah. What the fuuuuck? That sounded like a producer or something, you know? It sounded like a person, but then they show you the cameras, like, during that time and no one is there. That's actually really upsetting. He really goes, hello, and then you hear, hello? Ugh! Let me see one more time. Ugh. The hello, and it's a very high, it's a much higher pitched voice.

It's not like some sort of repetition of his. It's like, hello? He goes like, hello, and then you hear like, hello? Like totally different intonation. Oh, yuck. Even creepier, they then decide that they're gonna go investigate that. So they leave the room they were sitting in.

And when they, as they leave, like their foot leaves the doorway, the lights so they leave the room They were sitting in and when they as they leave like their foot Leaves the doorway the lights turn on in the room by themselves And them them freaking out about it is so funny It's exactly what you know like shit's actually happening because they actually get really scared. Yes, okay They're not they're not fucking with us right now that actually did scare them later on In that same room where the light turns on by itself They hear a thud and they go back and they realize that as you and I can attest because we were just there

They have like a box like a welcome box with like some snacks or something for a Piece of like a roll of like lifesavers or mints or something lifted itself out of the box and threw itself onto the floor What? They're like, what's that sound? I just heard something thud, and then they find candy on the floor that was definitely just in the basket. Ew, I wonder what that's about. Like, it was almost like to get their attention maybe?

Yeah. I don't know. Weird. But some other things happen. They find things on the SLS. I did want to let you know, though, that at the very end, the room that allegedly there's a lot of possessions in. Zachary ends the show by going in there, sitting on the bed, using a crucifix and trying to cast out the spirits.

While he's doing it, while he's doing that, there are EVPs of voices talking through it. So I like that they're unbothered completely. They're like, actually, can you keep it down? That is Hotel Congress. I'm sorry that was so long. I cannot believe you did the notes while staying there. That makes it so much more special. Did you watch the Ghost Adventures episode

while you stayed there? Yeah, it was actually Nightmare Fuel, because it was actually scary, and it happened in the hotel. Yeah, they're not often actually scary, so that's something. Wow. Well, good job. I feel like that was the most timely episode we've ever done, Yeah, they're not often like actually scary so that that's that's something wow I feel like that was like the most timely episode we've ever done, you know besides The hitman situation that Zack caused with the Divick box. That's true. That's true

Summer is just around the corner and the folks at Met Mobile have a hot spicy. Nope. That's not the Sun a hot hot take, a hot take, let's leave it at that. Getting a summer bod is out and getting your savings bod is in. My mother would say that for sure, and she would agree. Your mother would say, I'm getting my hot bod and my savings bod. Por que no los dos, Mint Mobile?

Mint Mobile offers premium wireless plans for just 15 bucks a month. So like you're already well on your way, okay? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And all plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5g network You can use your own phone with any mint mobile plan and bring your phone number along with all your existing contacts It was really easy

They just like mailed a little kit and it was like just call in and everything's transferred over the end now you pay 15 bucks a month instead of like however many bajillions of dollars and we we use it for when we were on tour too. Yes, the iPad has been a blessing. Eva doesn't have to run from backstage to bring me my notes because I can just look them up on the iPad. This year skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank says my mom and MetMobile.

Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at metmobile.com slash at wwwd. That's mittmobile.com slash at wwwd. That's mittmobile.com slash at wwwd. Upfront payment of $45 for three month five gigabyte plan required equivalent to $15 a month. New customer offer for first three months only then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra see mittmobile for details. Okay, I have really big news.

My friend Renee who's had spring allergies all her life and does all those sounds like that, like all the like horrible, oh, the horrible throat and ear sounds. She finally found an allergist and she went through ZocDoc, found an allergist, and then she showed me the picture and every single like little test needle was just like fully inflamed on her back.

Oh my gosh. Hey, you're desperately allergic to everything in Ohio. But thanks to ZocDoc, she knows that now and she can find relief. So I'm really thankful because they're just a really cool service and I've used them for years, but they're still making big changes in my personal life.

ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in-network doctors and click to instantly book an appointment. And we're compare high quality in-network doctors and click to instantly book an appointment. And we're talking about booking in-network appointments with more than a hundred thousand doctors across every specialty from mental health, dental health, primary care, urgent care, allergists. Once you find the right doctor, you can see their actual appointment openings. Choose a time slot that works for you and click to instantly book a visit.

I know I use them to get every single one of my medications I currently am on. And my life is significantly better. Thank you for that. And through ZocDoc, I ended up also finding my cardiologist. I mean, it has been a blessing. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and go to zocdoc.com slash drink to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's z-o-c-d-o-c dot com slash drink, zocdoc.com slash drinks, docdoc.com slash drink. Okay, so the story I have for you today is the story of Aliza Sherman.

And we're going to get into it. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1959 to Doris and Albert Zinn and was extremely close with her family. Her mom Doris was actually a survivor of Auschwitz and she came out of Auschwitz having lost both her parents and she met Albert, her husband, after the war in a camp for displaced persons and both of them had lost much of their families. So they bonded, they married, they immigrated to the US, settled in Cleveland, and they named Aliza after her maternal grandmother,

who had been killed in the Holocaust. So just to really tighten it and like, the kind of family where family is above all else, very tight knit. Aliza's friends knew her as someone very compassionate and kind. She became a labor and delivery nurse and really, really loved working with mothers. A lot of parents and families were completely

blown away by how just compassionate and what a good listener she was during labor, especially. Well, I imagine if your family has such like immediate ties to the Holocaust, all you have after that is compassion for others. Right, I mean, it's a beautiful thing that it can turn something so bad into something beautiful. And she really was a very, very, very, like the amount of people who have been just, even Saoirse said it like during research, like the amount of people who wanted to say something

just beautiful and positive about Lisa. And this is a great example here. Apparently, Lisa's presence had such an impact on one mother during labor that her own mother who was in the room, so the grandmother of the new baby, suggested she name the baby after Aliza and she did. Oh my God. So it's like she helped this woman give birth and she named her daughter after you. Like that's- Wow.

I know. That's like how great of a person she was. Like that's wow. I know that's like how great of a person she was. Like everyone aspires to be seen as that. Agreed right. Like just well not everyone but I do. I would love to be that well loved. Me too. Me too. Uh that's the dream and she really was. So at home in the suburbs of Cleveland, Aliza created a welcoming home. She was one of those people that let anyone in at all times. She always had like snacks and drinks ready to go for anybody who came over. She married this guy named Sanford Sherman and he was an eye surgeon. His parents were also survivors of the Holocaust, so they had very similar kind of ties in that way. And he could

understand the ways in which Aliza's family history shaped her life. And that was important to her. She was completely dedicated to fostering community in her life. Her house became a social spot. I mean, that made sense with all the snacks and things that she's always having out for kids. There was always candy around for the kids. And Aliza didn't just support her own family and community. She actually became the coordinator for in vitro fertilization at Cleveland Clinic. And the Cleveland Clinic is a big deal. I don't know if you know about the Cleveland Clinic,

but they are one of the top medical, I don't know, medical places, hospital? I don't know the right word, clinics, I guess. Yeah, in the country. Oh, really? Yeah, it's a really Cleveland clinic. They do a lot of specialized care. And so she became the coordinator for IVF at the clinic,

at the Cleveland Clinic. And just like her, when she was a labor and delivery nurse, her IVF patients and their families adored her. One person who knew her said this was, she had found her calling, helping families with struggling with infertility. So as Aliza thrived at work, she struggled at home with her life with Stanford.

Her brother Edward said there was always tension in the marriage that perhaps the two of them weren't right for each other. And Aliza considered divorce, but like what we were saying earlier about how family and compassion is everything, she really struggled with the idea of having to tell her parents that she was getting divorced

and that her, you know, she basically, somebody even mentioned on the show, on a documentary I watched about her, that, you know, her parents had gone through the Holocaust and she thought like, well, I can go, I can get through this for the sake of my family, you know, her parents had gone through the Holocaust and she thought like, well, I can go, I can get through this for the sake of my family, you know, if my parents- That has to be so tough though of like-

Right, like the bar is impossible. So, yeah. It's impossible. The bar is you should tolerate everything because- Right, it's like that pressure, yeah, that like internal pressure. And I mean, I'm sure, I'm assuming her parents weren't putting that pressure on her intentionally,

but I imagine that must be hard. No, but the comparison game must be a nightmare. And so finally, after 30 years of marriage, Elisa bit the bullet, she filed for divorce. It was June, 2011, and it took a while. The negotiations were slow going. She spent about two years going back and forth through their attorneys with Sanford.

And more than that, things had gotten very weird in her life, sometimes even menacing. Like really strange things started happening. So Aliza's brother Edward said that something heavy had been thrown through her car window while she was visiting their mother. Her tires were punctured on two of her vehicles in the driveway at the same time.

In 2012, she received a threatening message at work. Just a lot of stress inducing events that were causing her to lose sleep and feel very, very on edge. By the time negotiations were nearing an end in early 2013, Aliza was basically like, I'm so done with this. I need to move on. And everybody was thrilled for her. They were saying she was so ready for like a new lease on life. She had,

you know, these decades of tension and stuff. And now she was able to, you know, look forward and focus on her job and her kids. And she was so, so thrilled. So let's jump to Sunday, March 24th. This is a few days before the court date. And Aliza was scheduled to go over final details with her divorce attorney, Gregory Moore. So Gregory said, okay, you know, come to my office. It was downtown Cleveland. And Aliza said, okay, I'm gonna run some errands

and I'll be back this afternoon with pizza. But while she was out, Gregory rescheduled the meeting. And so she had to meet with him in the evening. And when she finally arrived, it was five p.m. And you and I talked about this briefly, but like. In towns like Cleveland and Cincinnati, when it's not like Monday, nine to Monday through Friday, nine to five. Downtown is dead. Like, there's nothing going on.

It's it's nothing going on. It's like empty. It's like industrial. Yeah, it almost just like, even like the restaurants all closed because there's nobody there. So this is, Cleveland's very similar. So she's downtown meeting her lawyer and she gets there around 5 p.m.

and realizes the entrance door to the building is locked. And she's already like kind of on edge and she texts him and he's like, oh shoot, okay, I'll come down to let you in. Meanwhile, back at home, Aliza's family doesn't realize that this has been rescheduled a couple of times. So they're waiting for her to come home with dinner. And when she didn't show up,

they start texting and calling her, getting no response. And they kind of all touched base with each other and realized nobody had heard from Aliza in hours. So it was about 9 p.m. They're all getting, you know, more and more nervous by the minute, and a police officer calls one of the family members and asks that the entire family gather at Aliza's home as soon as possible. Oh, shit. Police officers arrived to meet them and told them that Aliza was dead. She had been viciously attacked at the office door outside the building and a man in a nearby building had rushed to her side when he heard her screams.

He found her bleeding badly. She had been stabbed 11 times by somebody. Oh my god. And the killer escaped while the witness stayed with Elisa and she apparently tried to speak to him but he couldn't understand what she was trying to say. And she was transported to the ER where she was pronounced dead at 6.14 PM and she was just 53 years old

with a lot of life ahead of her. 53, wow. So this was a devastating loss. I mean, it wasn't just her family, but entire communities had lost somebody important to them. Her mom, they had to tell her mom. It's just a horrible thing. Her mom already, I mean.

Went through Auschwitz? Yeah. The, I mean, the incomparable and lost both of her parents to violence, probably other family members to violence in the same way, and now she's lost her mother. And then you feel like you're finally safe and have a stable home and a beautiful free life, and it's like, this just comes out,

it really, it's horrifying. I would never blame that woman for just being better for the rest of her life. I mean, I can't. Yeah, it feels like such a hard thing to even comprehend, let alone go through. And her brother had to tell their mom, and Elisa and her mom spoke every single day.

So they were very close. It was just impossible for anybody to comprehend. This was a really brutal attack. It was in daylight. The killer didn't take anything. She still had her purse and her jewelry on, so it wasn't a robbery. Investigators discovered surveillance footage

from a camera on a nearby building, which captured the suspect running to attack Aliza, like frantically, and then fleeing. And so it was like, they clearly had premeditated. This is premeditated, because they ran toward her, or at least it was targeted somehow. When Aliza stood as close as she could to the door to avoid the cold, an unknown person just ran directly

to her, attacked her in a frenzy, ran away, and it looked like the killer was just looking for her specifically, and that was the goal. And then they just peaced out because they didn't take anything, they didn't rob her, you know, nothing like that, no sexual assault. They were starting to think this may not have been a senseless random attack, but maybe premeditated. Do you think it could have been like a hate crime because she's Jewish like it's a really interesting point. I Don't know I feel like it'd be Probably because they mean that it's not that far away from people were just sure Yes, or something you know cuz yeah, no I that's an interesting

Angle I wonder if they did look at that. I'm not sure. Although the attack was captured on camera, the killer's identity couldn't be determined because they were wearing all black and it was a jacket with a hood over the face, long pants. They were like wearing these, it looked like lots of layers so you couldn't see their hands, their face,

just completely covered. And even though police did a wide search of the area, they checked dumpsters, sewers, alleys, rooftops for the murder weapon, but they couldn't find it anywhere. And when they checked all the blood collected the scene, it all belonged to her, even though she had defensive wounds on her hands. So just pretty crazy. There was not a single smidgen of evidence left behind. They somehow managed to attack her, stab her 11 times, and leave behind no evidence. And so investigators were shocked. They thought this was a big break in the case, getting this surveillance footage, and now they're realizing like, oh, we're kind of back to square one. Those close to Aliza went to group grief counseling because they were just so devastated

as a community. Edward said the grief was the worst pain he had ever experienced in his life. That's her brother. It was painful enough for Aliza's community to try and make sense of what had happened, but to realize they might not even get answers as to who did this was another blow. A year after Aliza was killed,

her daughter, Jennifer Sherman, filed a civil suit against her father. So Sanford Sherman was sued. In the suit, he was accused of forging Aliza's signature and using a fraudulent power of attorney to move and hide over $2 million from Aliza over a 10 year period. Aliza had apparently learned about the account

and the money during divorce proceedings when she hired a forensic accountant to investigate her family's finances. Hmm. So this was all kind of come into light. Okay. The civil suit also revealed other troubling truths about Aliza's marriage to Sanford. In emails to her lawyer, she said that she was terrified of him. In one email she wrote, Sanford will stop at nothing to hurt me. "'I don't think I will ever be safe.'"

Wow, okay. Hmm. In a deposition, Larry Shanker, a retired police officer and friend of Sanford's, stated that Sanford asked him repeatedly how a person could commit murder without being caught. Hmm. And I watched this questioning, or this deposition, and he's like, they're like, did he say it

repeatedly? He said, oh, he said it repeatedly. Like he asked a lot of times. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Larry claimed that Sanford asked this question more than 10 times and that Larry explained that a murderer should avoid. So basically Larry's like, yeah.

And then I kind of answered his question and I said, well, if you're going to murder someone, you should avoid using your car, which could be seen. You should conceal your face and hands. You should never use a gun because that can be heard. And you should never wear your street clothes because they'll be recognized. Sanford claims he never asked any of that and has no idea what his friend is talking about. Typical, typical, typical, okay.

The suit also revealed that police responded to over 15 domestic disturbances at the Sherman house in the years Aliza and Sanford were married 15 no wonder that woman was terrified. Oh my god exactly in 2011 Aliza told officers reporting to a domestic disturbance that Sanford said he was quote going to get her and that she didn't feel Safe with him. I mean am I allowed to fully think? Am I going to? Am I am I wrong to say out loud publicly that I got a hunch? You can say you've got a hunch.

OK, I got a hunch that I don't think it was a hate crime anymore. I think I think a completely different story. Before Aliza filed for divorce, she began sleeping downstairs in a separate bedroom with a bolt lock on the door. That's how much she wanted her privacy and safety. I mean, come on. Yeah.

Although things look bleak for Sanford, he was not named an official suspect in Aliza's death. He settled the suit for $110,000 in 2016 on the condition that his daughter release him from future civil claims unless he was charged for involvement in Elise's murder. So basically his own daughter was not able to sue him again unless it came out that he was involved with the death of her mother. So that same year investigators noticed a few discrepancies between stories. They were looking into everybody's alibi for that day, and they realized that her divorce attorney,

Gregory Moore, had lied about his whereabouts on the day Aliza was killed. Because if you think about it, there's one thing from that opening where she was killed that really also struck me as odd, which is why did a stranger from another building respond to Aliza's screams for help when Gregory was coming downstairs to let her inside? And why was he nowhere in sight when this all happened?

So they checked phone and key card records, which revealed that Gregory was not in the building at all that day. Well, ding, ding, ding, I mean. Before, during, or after the attack. So why would he invite her there, even after rescheduling twice, told her, oh, I'm inside, I'll come down,

when he was not inside, and told her to wait for him when he knew he would never come. He ultimately faced charges for telling the same lie to police about his whereabouts that day and was facing legal trouble for calling in, get this, bomb threats to courthouses when he was unprepared for a court date. I mean, this feels like a cut and dry situation here.

I don't even know why we're covering it. There's no mystery to be found. You had a hunch a minute ago, though. I had a hunch. No, the hunch is... Hmm. Well, now I don't know anymore. God damn it, keep going. So he was also, okay, so he's facing legal troubles for postponing trials that he wasn't

prepared for by calling in bomb threats. He served six months in county jail where he was uncooperative with investigators who tried to talk to him about Aliza's case. Meanwhile Sanford had moved away to a nursing care facility in Florida, and in 2014 he passed away. Apparently he had also been fully uncooperative with Aliza's case and wanted nothing to do with it. So in 2024, Jennifer, the daughter, partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to create the Aliza Sherman Fund, and according to the fund's webpage,

which is still accepting donations, at least originally when we did these notes a few weeks ago, all money raised through the Aliza Sherman Fund will directly support the needs of Cleveland Clinic patients and caregivers who have experienced violence. And I love that it includes patients and caregivers who are part of the Cleveland Clinic, I think that's cool. Now I'm gonna read you, this is like,

this might be a first also, M, in the Toy Drink history, maybe. I have the original notes and how they ended, and then last night when I was just doing one more sweep of the story, there had been an update on the case in like the two weeks that- What are the odds?

Between when Saoirse started the research or a few, actually it might've been more weeks, but since when I got them to today. So here's the original end of the notes. Aliza's case remains open with the Ohio BCI cold case unit and there is a $100,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction. Here are the new notes. There's an article from May 4th, 2025 on ABC. Authorities announced arrest in 2013 cold case murder of Cleveland nurse. Ohio authorities said they've solved the more

than decade old fatal stabbing of a Cleveland clinic nurse announcing recent murder charges against her former divorce attorney who already served jail time for lying to police during the investigation. Moore was indicted on charges for murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy, according to documents unsealed Friday. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Texas, where he remained in custody Sunday, according to online reports. According to Friday's indictment, Moore allegedly planned to kidnap Sherman as a delay tactic for her upcoming divorce trial. So like all the bomb threats he's calling in, he's going to kidnap her to like

delay the trial? I don't believe that. That's an unhint. The unsealed documents include messages between Moore and Sherman showing how he called her to the office, which was locked. She arrived and waited over an hour before deciding to return to her car, according to the indictment.

During this timeframe, an individual who was either Moore or an unknown co-conspirator approached Sherman, circled behind her, chased her, and then stabbed her over 10 times, the indictment reads. Moore swiped into the office later that evening and messaged Sherman to mislead investigators, according to the indictment reads. Moore swiped into the office later that evening and messaged Sherman to mislead investigators according to the indictment. And then this is the last quote I wanna end with.

By the way, those were direct quotes from the ABC article. I have a quote here. This is from the Cleveland Jewish News and it's her brother Edward who said, "'I'm in shock because after 12 years you don't expect it The best word to sum up my feelings at this point would be bittersweet glad they got the person but the memories are painful Yeah, I mean I am always blown away when after

Six months a case is still being paid attention to um yes, I would have thought for sure Well, it's just, I'm just never going to learn anything. And I was so confused. Oh, by the way, I'm so sorry. That was Harry, her brother Harry, not Edward, who said that. But I just also want to say it's so weird because I'm looking through the notes

and then I'm looking through the articles online and I'm like, wait a minute. And then I look at the date and I'm like, oh my God, Saoirse finished these like two days before all these articles came out. It really couldn't have come from only for us. Yeah, I know, I know. It absolutely could have come at a better time,

but for us, it came at a great time. Yeah, that was really wild. I'm just so glad I thought, well, and if we had put out that live episode, I would have posted it. Yeah, we probably would have recorded it before the changes. So, you know, at least that was able to be updated on time. So anyway, tragic, tragic story.

And I was talking to search about it and like, they said, oh, I wonder what the motive was. And it's like, I guess to delay the case, but that seems so extreme. And then I thought to myself, well, I guess if the husband was also not I mean who knows maybe he paid him like maybe they were in cahoots right like Yeah, maybe he knew that his wife found out about the two million dollars. He was stealing he I don't know yeah, he knew her lawyer was up to some shady shit. Maybe they work together. I don't know just a theory

We'll see maybe more will come out as the't know, just a theory. We'll see. Maybe more will come out as the trials and all that gets going. So we'll see. Oh, my gosh. Well, great timing for your little story. That's awesome. Yeah, I'm just glad I got. I do so many cold cases. It's exciting to get like an actual timely fix, you know, timely, timely answer.

I'm used to trying to crack the case as you read the notes You did get a few hunches so you were on to something there. I think I did have a few hunches, but Wow, okay Well, I'm glad that there's gonna be some justice maybe yeah, let's hope and maybe some more information Well, thank you everyone for another rousing Weekly episode of and that's Why We Drink. If you would like more of us talking and specifically us talking about our tour now that we can finally tell you our secrets, our dirty little secrets, you can head over to Patreon for a happy hour.

That's right. There's a lot to discuss, so we'll see you there. And that's why we drink.