My old man didn't want me to move to Pullman. There's nothing over there, he'd say.
And he's mostly right. We don't have grocery store or a place to grab a quick sandwich, except for McDonald's or the Cal Harbor restaurant, the greasy spoon. There's only one bar. The neighborhood's crown jewels included what's left of Market Square, a burned out shell being SLOWLY restored or the Hotel Florence, which is rarely open to the public and no longer has its popular Sunday brunch. And don't get dad started on the area crime stats.
But Historic Pullman has something few city neighborhoods can boast about ...

Mike McGraw traveled the world as a flight attendant, made candy at a South Side factory and served dinners on refurbished Pullman train cars on the East Coast.

He's waited tables at Smith & Wollensky downtown, mixed cocktails at fancy rich-people parties and done some house-sitting at Barack Obama's place. He's worked so many odd jobs he can't remember them all.

These days, McGraw's a treasure hunter in Pullman. He stalks flea markets and salvage shops, raids his aunt's barn in the country and searches alleys in the city.