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  #1  
Old 12-30-2008, 11:21 AM
Midsouth Jeff Midsouth Jeff is offline
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Location: Little Rock, AR
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Thumbs down Visited Hawthorne in Chicago for 1st time

I always try to visit thoroughbred tracks whenever I travel on business or pleasure. This past week I was in Chicago for Christmas and decided to visit Hawthorne Race Course on the south side. I have been to Arlington Park in north Chicago numerous times and enjoyed it each visit. Last week, Hawthorne offered live racing, so I spent half a day at the track.

Hawthorne is decent track. It was clean, well-lit, and laid out fairly well. Most of the employees I encountered were polite and helpful as is usually the case at thoroughbred tracks in my experiences. However, I encountered two of the rudest, impolite, impatient, and unprofessional pari-mutuel tellers in my life. Each was rude to me on more than one occasion and I just brushed it off until my wife commented to me that while she was placing some wagers with one of them that one of the tellers was rude to her. While she was telling me her story, I was distracted by raised voices and profanity nearby.

Surprise!!! One the two tellers was in an argument with an elderly gentleman who was there enjoying the live racing as we were. I heard both employee and patron engage in name calling including the use of profanity. I don't know exactly what happened, but after my experiences with those two tellers, it was a safe assumption that the employee was probably to blame. I was shocked at the exchange taking place between the two to the point that we left the facility shortly after that. I made a complaint to the management about their employees and told them that I had never experienced such behavior before.

I have been to 17 thoroughbred tracks in my life and this was the first time I ever left a track upset due to how I or someone in my party was treated by track employees. For the record, management was very apologetic and offered to make it up to me on my next visit to the track. They seemed sincere and if I'm ever in the south Chicago area again, I will make it a point to visit Hawthorne again.

Has anyone ever been treated unprofessionally by track employees to the point where you left the track? Maybe its common and I have just been lucky. I was curious enough to post this and find out.
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  #2  
Old 12-30-2008, 12:13 PM
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AeWingnut AeWingnut is offline
Atlantic City Race Course
 
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I've been to tracks where they try the "snap a $10 and drag a $5"

meaning they hope you leave the window before they give you all of your money
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  #3  
Old 12-30-2008, 12:18 PM
Scav Scav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Midsouth Jeff
I always try to visit thoroughbred tracks whenever I travel on business or pleasure. This past week I was in Chicago for Christmas and decided to visit Hawthorne Race Course on the south side. I have been to Arlington Park in north Chicago numerous times and enjoyed it each visit. Last week, Hawthorne offered live racing, so I spent half a day at the track.

Hawthorne is decent track. It was clean, well-lit, and laid out fairly well. Most of the employees I encountered were polite and helpful as is usually the case at thoroughbred tracks in my experiences. However, I encountered two of the rudest, impolite, impatient, and unprofessional pari-mutuel tellers in my life. Each was rude to me on more than one occasion and I just brushed it off until my wife commented to me that while she was placing some wagers with one of them that one of the tellers was rude to her. While she was telling me her story, I was distracted by raised voices and profanity nearby.

Surprise!!! One the two tellers was in an argument with an elderly gentleman who was there enjoying the live racing as we were. I heard both employee and patron engage in name calling including the use of profanity. I don't know exactly what happened, but after my experiences with those two tellers, it was a safe assumption that the employee was probably to blame. I was shocked at the exchange taking place between the two to the point that we left the facility shortly after that. I made a complaint to the management about their employees and told them that I had never experienced such behavior before.

I have been to 17 thoroughbred tracks in my life and this was the first time I ever left a track upset due to how I or someone in my party was treated by track employees. For the record, management was very apologetic and offered to make it up to me on my next visit to the track. They seemed sincere and if I'm ever in the south Chicago area again, I will make it a point to visit Hawthorne again.

Has anyone ever been treated unprofessionally by track employees to the point where you left the track? Maybe its common and I have just been lucky. I was curious enough to post this and find out.
Are you sure you were at Hawthorne?

There is one lady at Arlington that has some sort of management position. She doesn't show up all year until Million Day where she tries and changes all this crazy stuff in the Gold Room. This year, she REMOVED my dad and I's programs from our seats in the gold room, which essentially means someone is sitting there. Supposedly the seat was dormant for more then 15 minutes and her excuse was "There are tons of people that want seats" yadda yadda. She is just a real bitch of a person, just ignore her now
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  #4  
Old 12-30-2008, 03:55 PM
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brianwspencer brianwspencer is offline
Atlantic City Race Course
 
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Yea, it's not real nice.

Sorry about your experience, but Hawthorne is best enjoyed (if at all possible) from the safe and comfortable distance of an OTB barstool.
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  #5  
Old 12-30-2008, 08:03 PM
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Cannon Shell Cannon Shell is offline
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The Gaza strip is safer than the Hawthorne backside
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  #6  
Old 12-30-2008, 08:10 PM
Scav Scav is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
The Gaza strip is safer than the Hawthorne backside
You might be right, I didn't even have to wave like I have been there before when getting in the backside, there wasn't even a security guard......
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  #7  
Old 12-30-2008, 09:50 PM
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AeWingnut AeWingnut is offline
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The one time I did go they gave me a T-shirt

I didn't get anything to eat there. I was a little concerned
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  #8  
Old 12-30-2008, 10:56 PM
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Cannon Shell Cannon Shell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scav
You might be right, I didn't even have to wave like I have been there before when getting in the backside, there wasn't even a security guard......
They killed all of them
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  #9  
Old 12-31-2008, 12:45 AM
Coach Pants
 
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Classic.
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  #10  
Old 12-31-2008, 09:35 AM
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ateamstupid ateamstupid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coach Pants
Classic.
LOL, I read the entire thing in a huffy, "well I never!" puritan voice.
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  #11  
Old 12-31-2008, 09:47 AM
GPK GPK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ateamstupid
LOL, I read the entire thing in a huffy, "well I never!" puritan voice.

I'm not sure I would ever admit to visiting Hawthorne. It was hard enough for me admitting I went Turf Paradise once.
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  #12  
Old 12-31-2008, 09:56 AM
GBBob GBBob is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GPK
I'm not sure I would ever admit to visiting Hawthorne. It was hard enough for me admitting I went Turf Paradise once.
I don't think horses should have to visit there, let alone humans
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  #13  
Old 12-31-2008, 11:15 AM
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brianwspencer brianwspencer is offline
Atlantic City Race Course
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scav
You might be right, I didn't even have to wave like I have been there before when getting in the backside, there wasn't even a security guard......
And they gave me the time from hell trying to get back there when I was meeting up with Paul Darjean.

Not fair.
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