Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Astroworld to Close

It's sad- the end of an era that spanned almost 40 years. Many people reminisce sadly at old buildings that used to be their favorite dance halls and movie theaters. I guess hubby and I now have a place like that too. Everytime I drive by the lot, I will sadly think of the highly visible roller coasters that would herald the fun taking place there.

Our class attended Physics Day at Astroworld but later that day, my boyfriend and I went to a dance. My sunburn from that day is bright and clashed with my lipstick. I still have the pictures on the wall anyway.

The night after prom, my boyfriend showed up way too early in the morning and dragged me out of the house. He then blind folded me and drove all around Houston for almost an hour in an effort to confuse me. Boy, was I surprised when we were in the Astroworld parking lot. As a prom gift, we were going to Astroworld! But it got even better when he dragged me over to get pictures for our season passes! So, my morning-after-prom status, with pins still in my hair, is eternally preserved in picture on my id. :) We spent all summer there, going on all the roller coasters constantly and eating funnel cakes.

And the only reason I can talk about old boyfriends is because I married this one!

The land that Astroworld is located on is now worth more than the park. Attendance is low and the parent company Six Flags is $2 billion in debt.

3 comments:

M said...

It's the pits, innit?

mokru said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
mokru said...

Yeah, the company had their business model wrong. They kept raising prices to increase profits, but the effect was the opposite. The higher prices become directly translated into fewer going to the park. They should have looked at things to get more people into and moving through the park. Disney World's model of "fastpass" works wonders. You don't have to spend hours waiting in line because you get tickets that have a time written on them. During that time that you would be waiting in line, you are free to eat, shop, or ride other rides. Keeping customers tied up in a line is just bad business.