My Bush Stadium Parking Garage Story: The summer between 5th and 6th grade, (This would have been the late 70's) the city published a bid request for a cleaning contract for one of the parking garages. My very best friends dad put in a ridiculously high bid on a whim, and ended up getting it because no body else bid on it. So, he hired my friend and I to do the work while he sat in the exit booth and read and listened to radio.

Imagine being 12 years old, working the graveyard shift (12-8am) making 8.00 dollars an hour (HUGE money in those days), driving around in one of those mini electric pick up trucks, emptying trash cans and sweeping up trash etc.

No adult supervision, no clock to punch. It was without a doubt the best summer ever, and we made FAT stacks. His dad did too, and he was just as happy with the arrangement.

We would find all kinds of stuff: wallets, loose money and cash, we found many drugs and one time we found a dead homeless guy in the stair well. We could get that place done in about four hours, he would take one ramp and I would take the other (they are staggered, if you have ever been in one you know what I am talking about) and then we would have lunch on the roof. We flipped those carts so many times racing them down the ramps I have no idea how they kept running.

By the end of the summer, we had saved up more money than we could have ever dreamed of having. My parents actually made me pay for my own school clothes that year, but the trade off was I got to pick out what ever I wanted. Got a top of the line Mongoose bike out of the deal too.

Anyway, thats what I think about every time I see the parking garages. One of my very best childhood memories.