Page 220 - WDT INTERACTIVE

as pepper for the poor. Now a good goulash can’t be performed on tour in Budapest. Whenever he was in
made without it. town, hordes of fans would gather in the park across
The saddest thing for me was The Shoes on the from his hotel, trying to catch a glimpse. When he
Danube Bank, a memorial honoring the Jews who died, his fans dedicated the tree to his memory. Each
were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in year on his birthday, flash mobs gather to perform one
Budapest during World War II. The Jews were ordered of his legendary dances.
to take off their shoes, were chained at the edge Later that day, I returned to the Aria and took the
of the water, shot, and fell into the frigid river to be elevator up to the High Note SkyBar overlooking St.
carried away. The memorial on the bank of iron shoes Stephen’s Basilica. When the doors opened, there were
represents the shoes of 4,500 people, 800 of them at least 15 paparazzi taking photos of me with bright
Jews, left behind. flashes. I was blinded. Then I realized it was just an
My sadness lessened when I saw the Michael electronic light board, part of the bar’s “Movie” theme
Jackson tree shrine at the edge of a park. Everywhere for the month. The SkyBar was glass-enclosed and
on the trunk were photos of the artist who had played Hollywood music in the background. The bar,

220 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018