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Meanwhile, Whitey Wilson was gradually moving ahead in the Transportation operations although his job remained head of Urban Transit sales. One feather in his cap during a period when there were few sales in his transit line, was his initiative in bring some submarine electrical equipment business into Erie. It seems that Crocker-Wheeler had a virtual monopoly on this and the Schenectady people who should have been in the competition, were unable to get any of this attractive business. Whitey decided that we could handle the business better than Schenectady and got permission to bid, with the result that Erie was low bidder and from then on, was very much in the running, bringing some previously unavailable business into the Company.
With the end of Prohibition and the advent of busier times which brought more customers and others to Erie, the restaurants and bars of the vicinity assumed greater importance in business life. Therefore, I'm going to close out this 1935 section with a sort of Restaurant & Bar Guide which covers the places that we patronized during the course of our business activities:

[[underlined]] Lawrence Hotel--Main dining room [[/underlined]]. High ceiling, wall-to-wall carpet, white tablecloths, uniformed colored waiters, genteel. Patronized mostly by the high hats. Too staid to be much fun. [[underlined]] Cafeteria [[underlined]]. High ceiling, red tile floor, dark furniture and woodwork, shadowy and informal. Good grub, good-looking gals behind behind the counters and roaming the rooms. More fun and less expensive. [[underlined]] The Commodore Perry Room [[underlined]]. Fancy bar and cocktail lounge done bright red, blue and gilt with lots of mirrors, deep carpet, leather chairs, plush. It was so plush that it was a bit stuffy to me and I never felt fully relaxed there. At either end of the huge mirror behind the bar, was a lifesize full-color picture on glass of one of the Commodore's sailors.

[[underlined]] Reed Hotel [[underlined]]--This was a Civil War vintage hostelry and famed for fine food. I can't remember when it was torn down but doubt that it was still there in 1935. Before the Lawrence, however, it was Erie's finest and a real treat to dine there right up to the time it folded.

[[underlined]] Ford Hotel [[underlined]]--This was definitely a second-rate place although the newest hotel in Erie. I recall it had two bedrooms with a common bathroom between them as more or less of a standard arrangement. This is where the Illinois Central crew stayed and it used to depress me somewhat to go to the place. It was the kind of spot that had neon lights decorating the dining room as well as the bar over in a corner. The food and drink were only fair, the rates correspondingly low, and one's usual reaction to the whole thing, one of wishing to goodness that you were somewhere else.