# Question regarding a scene in 'Road to Perdition' **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538 "2003-06-13T12:26:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/1 "2003-06-13T12:26:33Z")
(Instert standard warning about possible spoilers) In the scene where Michael and Jr. first go to the hotel were ‘Neddy’ (Netty?) is, Michael drops off Jr. in a large room filled wall-to-wall with people sitting and reading a newspaper. Not a cafe’ or bar, just a room. With people reading. WTF was that? Did people in the 30’s enjoy being near people when reading the paper? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/2 "2003-06-13T12:37:59Z")
I assumed it was a train station or something. ---
**Author:** ![Antiquarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Antiquarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antiquarian)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/3 "2003-06-13T12:50:58Z")
Don’t forget there was a depression going on. There was a surplus of people hanging around waiting for work, doing whatever… ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/4 "2003-06-13T13:08:12Z")
Yeah, I was pretty sure it was a train station, too. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/5 "2003-06-13T13:41:24Z")
Brutus! I asked this same question a couple a months ago. My husband said it wasn’t a train station because there were no announcements or something or other. [sub]Aren’t you the guy that likes the X5 4.41?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/6 "2003-06-13T13:50:16Z")
For what it’s worth (which isn’t much), [here’s the link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=178674) to my thread in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Short\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/7 "2003-06-13T14:13:48Z")
I didn’t ask any myself any questions about that scene when I saw it, but you’re right: that is sort of mysterious. The (un)employment office has my bet. ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/8 "2003-06-13T23:11:58Z")
When I saw it I thought it was a train station, mainly because of the architecture. If it was an some employment office, they sure do have nice digs. And the guy Michael went to see was Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s enforcer. And I think “the Enforcer” was his official nickname, too. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/9 "2003-06-14T03:12:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Brutus! I asked this same question a couple a months ago. My husband said it wasn’t a train station because there were no announcements or something or other. > > [sub]Aren’t you the guy that likes the X5 4.41?[/sub] \*\* I just don’t see it being a train station. No announcements, didn’t see any people with luggage. I am sticking with my ‘People from the 30’s were crazy, and enjoyed reading newspapers in public places’ theory. 😉 And ya, I am eyeballing a X5 awfull hard. My lease is up in a few months on my Trailblazer, so I have to start looking now if I want to order a new ride. And if I buy instead of lease, it will be something from Germania or the Land of the Rising Sun. My budget is pretty good, so the X5 looks good (although a bit more than I want to spend.) Dunno. May look at the new Volvo SUV’s. I get a miniscule vendor discount on those. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/10 "2003-06-14T04:05:46Z")
I assumed it was a train station. A train station would be a nice place to go sit out of the cold in the middle of a Depression-era winter. ---
**Author:** ![shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-a-scene-in-road-to-perdition/181538/11 "2003-06-14T11:42:13Z")
The film is set during the Depression, and during the Depression men would get up early in the morning, get dressed for jobs they didn’t have, and then go scavenge for the newspapers to find jobs advertised in them. Generally, this would happen at the public library, but I’m not sure what sort of place that particular room is supposed to be. Strangely, I watched this film just last night with my South African flatmate and he asked the same question you did.