Vapor

Jen & I went to Chicago this past weekend. I, being a nerd, was happy to find out that our hotel was just a few minutes' drive to Mt. Carmel cemetery. Now, that doesn't sound like a good road trip destination, but I knew from watching a documentary on the History Channel that Al Capone's grave is there.

So, I talked Jen into going to see it and take a picture and we went there. Thanks to findagrave.com, we were able to track it down fairly easily.


After looking at it for a minute and taking a photo of it, I was hit with the reality of the situation. Capone is one of the most infamous figures of 20th Century America. He has been glamorized, immortalitized and turned into a household name. He amassed wealth, fame, women, etc only to end up in Alcatraz and eventually die of dementia caused by syphilis.



So, here is this famous, famous man's grave. It's next to his parents. It's small, unassuming and in one of the largest cemeteries in the country. All of the notority has gone. There is only a decayed body in a box six feet below the ground.

As I left the cemetery I wondered, "was it all worth it for him?"