Rachel Carle/Twitter
When a visitor appeared at the New England Aquarium with a 38-year-old ticket, employees didn't know what to do. However, in the end, they decided to honor the old ticket, as it had no expiration date. That's right!
A 38-Year-Old New England Aquarium Ticket
Rachel Carle/Twitter
Back in the late '70s, Catherine Cappiello bought her grand-niece Rachel Carle a "late-gate" return ticket to the New England Aquarium. The ticket allowed a visitor to return "at anytime in the future." However, when the Aquarium created the ticket, they certainly didn't think that someone would return 38 years later with a ticket! Still, since it said "at anytime in the future," Carle decided to test the ticket, even though the Aquarium stopped creating the tickets in 1983!
How did she keep hold of the ticket for so long? "I probably changed it from one wallet to another and just kept it in the new one. It was one of those things, I thought that maybe someday I'd get back there but I wasn't sure," she said.
As Carle approached the New England Aquarium ticket booth, she rightfully felt a little nervous. However, it turned out she had nothing to feel uneasy about! "They took a look at the ticket, laughed, and said 'well, it says come back any time! There's no expiration date!'" Carle recalled.
As Carle approached the ticket booth at the New England Aquarium, she was nervous. At first, she had to explain the story of the item and see how the worker would react. Thankfully, the outcome was pretty positive! "They took a look at the ticket, laughed, and said 'well, it says come back any time! There's no expiration date!'" the girl said. Carle was proud that the 38-year-old ticket is still up and running – after all, he promised to test it to her great-aunt. Now, she had great news to bring home!
Honoring The Ticket
Rachel Carle/Twitter
Carle says she would have been okay with the New England Aquarium denying the ticket - after all, who would blame them? But she's glad they honored it. "Whether they honored it or not, she and I would have been glad just to see the story through. We're so glad they honored it!" Carle said. Afterward, she felt the need to share the Aquarium's good deed with the rest of the world.
"Some feel-good news: My great aunt kept this ticket in her wallet for ~40 years and gave it to me when I moved to Boston," she posted on Twitter. "Today the New England Aquarium honored it as my admission ticket. Thank you @NEAQ staff for being so sweet and having a laugh with me!" Soon enough, the Aquarium even responded to the story!
"We honor each valid admission ticket, and this was one," Aquarium President and CEO Vikki Spruill said. "Forty years is a long time to be carrying that ticket around, and we're so glad she did... We've loved learning about how much you love the Aquarium and what you've kept in your wallets over the years. Glad this gave us all a chance to laugh and connect!"
