An Open Letter to the Staff at Ravinia Park
To whom it may concern,
There are no words to describe the joy I felt, after last night's Ben Folds Concert, at being trapped in a drunken mob waiting to get on the Metra back to the city...for 90 minutes.
However, more enjoyable than reenactment of refugees escaping from Prague, was the display of absolute incompetence and apathy on the part the Ravinia Staff in the confusion of trying to get home at a reasonable hour. There were no signs, no guide posts, not to mention no handicap service. There was a gentleman in a wheelchair who was trapped on a grassy hill along with the rest of us. And when he finally DID make it to the platform, there was no interest from anyone in charge in facilitating his boarding of the train.
Oh, and the first train leaving the station with 3 empty cars was a nice touch too. Thanks!
For an institution that has been around for 30+ years, one that is HEAVILY funded by private donors, you came off looking like absolute fucking retards. I imagine that any of the season ticket holders (who choose to travel safely after a night of drinking) will think twice next year about their contributions.
The entire ordeal was frustrating, dangerous, and really just about wrecked an otherwise fantastic evening. Cuz, God knows I LOVE having drunk, angry teenagers scream in my ear while stumbling into me. Repeatedly.
So, thank you Ravinia. Thank you for getting me home at 1 AM, and thank you for my resulting sluggish day today.
Please feel fee to EAT MY ASS at any time.
Sincerely,
Irate Patron # 1,367
There are no words to describe the joy I felt, after last night's Ben Folds Concert, at being trapped in a drunken mob waiting to get on the Metra back to the city...for 90 minutes.
However, more enjoyable than reenactment of refugees escaping from Prague, was the display of absolute incompetence and apathy on the part the Ravinia Staff in the confusion of trying to get home at a reasonable hour. There were no signs, no guide posts, not to mention no handicap service. There was a gentleman in a wheelchair who was trapped on a grassy hill along with the rest of us. And when he finally DID make it to the platform, there was no interest from anyone in charge in facilitating his boarding of the train.
Oh, and the first train leaving the station with 3 empty cars was a nice touch too. Thanks!
For an institution that has been around for 30+ years, one that is HEAVILY funded by private donors, you came off looking like absolute fucking retards. I imagine that any of the season ticket holders (who choose to travel safely after a night of drinking) will think twice next year about their contributions.
The entire ordeal was frustrating, dangerous, and really just about wrecked an otherwise fantastic evening. Cuz, God knows I LOVE having drunk, angry teenagers scream in my ear while stumbling into me. Repeatedly.
So, thank you Ravinia. Thank you for getting me home at 1 AM, and thank you for my resulting sluggish day today.
Please feel fee to EAT MY ASS at any time.
Sincerely,
Irate Patron # 1,367
posted by LC Greenwood at 8:48 AM
11 Comments:
I don't know, you never really tell us how you REALLY feel about things...
Peace,
Dean
hmm. my ex works there.
i can give you her email address at work if you'd like to forward this on.
or I'll just send her the link.
email me if you want it
~bollo
Having worked as a greeter, securtiy sweeper and traffic controller at Ravinia when I was eighteen, I can plainly state that I never saw anything near the experience you encountered. Of course, I was too busy smoking doobies on the lawn, eating peoples bbq food (they're not allowed to do that!), making out with drunk chicks and hitting my flask as I stumbled backstage to meet Willie Nelson...Ahh, yessss.. Ravinia.. Heh.
Yes, welcome to Highland Park, where, if you must take public transportation anywhere, you really don't belong here...and, in fact, we don't want you here, so keep your miserable experience to yourself...until you can afford (at the very least) a Lexus, a VIP parking spot, and the property taxes...Yes, please come visit us soon, but ONLY if you are prepared to purchase a unit in one of our new luxury condo monstrosities...
Dear Irate Patron # 1,367.
So, I am very confused now. In past blogs you have said that you are "PORE", but you call your self a "PARTON" of Ravinia. PARTON meens that you have donated $$money$$ to them, and in return receive stadium tickets & parking (as you stated). So which one is it? Are you (a)poor like you claim, (b)OK with money when it is spent on things that you want but the rest of the time you cry "POOR", (c)a child of parents or family members who spend their money on things like summer homes and Ravinia and you act like it was yours all along, or (d)you just don't have enough to bitch about so you picked this event. I'm going to take a stab at it and say you are all of A though D.
And by the way, if you saw that person in the wheel chair in the grass & by the train and no one was helping, you sure spent a lot of time doing nothing while you were gawking at him. Why didn't you help him out? FYI...I hope you do realise that you just bitched about people that were doing the EXACT SAME THING your were doing. WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING!!!!! Maybe you should make a stand some time, instead of just standing.
I'm just not impressed. I guess you've never made lemonade before with all of your lemons. You just rub them in your wounds.
huh. Interesting, Anonymous. No- where in my letter did I mention anything about having parking OR stadium seating. As a matter of fact, for all YOU know, I had lawn seats, and clearly, I didn't have parking as I was taking the TRAIN. Hmmm. Interesting. Also, please note, lawn seats for Ravinia are 10 bucks, and seats in-doors can start as low as 28. So, it's not THAT big of an expense, even for "PORE" people. Especially if it's a band worth seeing. (I am confused by your spelling). Although, you are right. I concede, that it would have been better had I extended a hand to the gentleman in the wheelchair. However, how do you know that I didn't? I could have just left that part out of the letter. But, in truth, he had someone with him. And, honestly, I've been kind of trained to "mind my own business". Something I should take a look at, to be sure. So, thank you for that reminder. I will definitely keep that in mind the next time. I'm still curious however, as to how you came to the assumption that I had indoor seats and parking...hmm.
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A prime example of why I don't see those types of shows at Ravinia. They are simply not prepared and never have been prepared for jam packed style "Rock/Pop" concerts.
Back when I worked there (My first real job with a paycheck and W-2) from 14 - 16 in the parking lot the only appealing concerts to a young person were, "BB King, John Lee Hooker, Peter Paul and Mary, Los Lobos, etc".
I remember them saying there used to be rock shows, but they got too rowdy at one point. And over the last decade they sure have been bringing back some cool acts (Jethro Tull, Wyclef)
Anyway, the point is, although they have the capacity, Ravinia can only truly be enjoyed via non mainstream concerts that are generally not sold out. If they are sold out like the annual thing on Labor Day or something, there tends to be a larger air of civility there.
Here's my suggestion for those who take the metra. Walk about a half mile or so to the next stop Ravinia or Braeside(Depending on what direction you are going home in. You'll appreciate boarding the train much more, I would imagine, although have never tried it.
No more anonymous posts. Well you can forget it then.
Your post seems to illustrate that you always seem to see the glass as half-empty rather than half-full.
You are actually very fortunate to be in a place where they have a Ravinia, and where they have mass transportation. You should think about people who live in horrible places like Iraq, or Afganistan, or Red America.
My advice: 1. Don't go to concerts on weeknights when you need to get up for work the next day. Then you don't need to worry about getting home on time.
2. Avoid the rush: Leave the concert early, or leave the concert late. Then you won't have people barfing all over you. I hate crowds too.
It is inevitable, at all public events, that mass transportation, including car traffic, will be unbearable at the peak exit time. Its the same at baseball games, football games, etc.
Sincerely,
Jack W. Orf
uck. Good lord. I appreciate the fact that you read my pages and that you have me linked, but give me a goddamned break. I think you can go through these pages and find numerous examples of hope and half full thinking. Also, as far as Iraq goes, my god. OF COURSE. My brother is a veteran for God's sake. But the two are apples and oranges. Also, I understand, unlike some, ( most of the people living in and maintaining BLUE America), that the war in Iraq is an example of just WHY I am able to write these opinions. I do not claim to be saving the world here. I am an average person living my average life. Also, I'm not interested in a Red vs. Blue debate here, as both colors, last I checked, make up the flag we all salute at baseball games and football games.
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