Cincinnati was crammed with the descendants of German immigrants. The parking lots of Catholic churches smelled like beer and sausages and cracked under the parishioners abrupt, nasal sentences. Neighborhoods were made of houses that repeated themselves with few architectural variation, precise front yards with potted geraniums, and backyards with inflatable pools and littered back porches. Almost all of the house's insides (except for the alcoholics') were immaculate with cheap furniture and lacy table cloths.