Posted on 09/13/2005 4:52:01 PM PDT by Michael Goldsberry
That was 35 years ago.
Time and things have changed.
I heard that very same rumor!
I loved the mini-bread! It was up to fifty cents by the time I started frequenting the park, but that was good bread!
A better question would be, how credible is the real estate broker trying to sell the land?
I checked the map and it's between Fannin and Kirby. Some of the Astroworld addresses are on Kirby.
They sell the basketball as Astroworld...complete with college or pro logos....kids seem to love them and do bounce them all over the park....
Sorry to hear about the closure, but I recognize that times change. I remember that there was some sort of commuter bus that went from La Porte (relatively close to where we lived, certainly much closer than the park itself was) to the Dome parking lot. One of the first occasions on which my parents essentially let me be on my own was during my junior-high years, when they let me (accompanied by friends) take it alone. We used to go 2-3x a summer, and the Apline Sleigh Ride, the Cyclone and the Black Dragon were always our favorites.
These were not new basketballs.
They brought them into the park.
They had no intention of riding the rides or buying anything. I was informed by a Cop buddy that many came in through holes in the fence.
They were just there to hang out as I guess they all graduated from highschool at 12 or 14 years old. I was suprised as none of them seemed too smart and really didn't speak English very well. Lots of cursing and slang too.
Did I mention that school was in session?
Exactly. The AstroWorld that I remember is a warm, fuzzy place from my childhood, and apparently the current reality bears no resemblance. It seems to be hitting a soft spot somewhere inside of me to hear of the closure, because so many things about life have changed, and there's "No Return" to the way things were.
Houston in general has that sort of feel to me -- though I still have affection for the place, and still have many connections to the area. Change is a way of life there.
Sharpstown, my hometown during elementary school and junior high, was considered "the suburbs" when we moved there in 1972. When Sharpstown was swallowed up by the city and began to show signs of decay in the late 70s, we moved to Katy. Now I go back to visit Katy (the Mason Rd area, not Katy proper) and it looks like it's being swallowed up by the city too. My wife gets annoyed when we drive around there, because everything we see causes me to say "Wow, look at that! I remember when that was nothing but a big, empty field...".
I'm flying to Houston this weekend with my daughter (who was born in Jefferson Davis Hospital in 1984, when I was just 19) to throw a surprise 45th Anniversary party for my parents. I think I'll have to load them all up in the car and take a drive along 610 to see AstroWorld one last time before it fades into the dustbin of (rapidly changing) history...
Probably had been up since midnight.
Maybe some of the basketballs aren't empty.
Got stuck in a gondola there in 1975. Only thing I remember about the place.
Too crowded and highly overrated.
2 good friends of mine went to Sharpstown High.
Too bad, eh? I have pretty good memories but it was starting to go downhill even when I was there the last time in the 80s. I think the last time I went, I saw Billy Idol perform! LOL!
Email me, Bucko...I can't find your email address. A certain card I sent recently was returned and I need to verify the address again! It looks right to me, but it said "Return to Sender".
?
;)
Man, oh man I'm getting by butt kicked at work today.
I remember you from the rally!
Please add me to the An enemy of islam -- ping list.
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