Just for fun: Pre-Cell Phone Stories

[Anonymous]

I'll start: My best friend and I were supposed to meet for coffee after work at a Starbucks neither of us had been to. She was often late so I didn't think much of it. But then it was a really long time. Suddenly, I had a lightbulb moment. I asked the Starbucks barista if there was another Starbucks on that road nearby and they said yes. They called the other location for me and there she was! We bought our first cell phones the next week together.

[Anonymous]

Lol! 🤣🤣🤣

OP, that story is hilarious!!

Here’s mine:
A neighbor/friend & her family had planned on going to Disneyland w/my family.
Since our kids were close friends - they were all super excited + couldn’t wait.

Well we decided to follow each other there on the freeway.
On our way there, my friend suddenly and unexpectedly pulled off the road prior to entering the freeway.
I was confused yet by the time I actually took notice > there was no way for me to pull off the entrance to the freeway so I continued on my route, assuming they would eventually catch up.
I even drove in the right, slower lane.

Well we arrived at Disneyland & still no sight of them.
We all entered the amusement park thinking we would see each other eventually, right??
W-R-O-N-G!
We spent the entire day there + never ran into them.
My kids were bummed out and wanted to leave early since they had wanted to spend their time there hanging out w/their friends, not boring old Mom.

Well the next day I asked my friend why she had not entered the freeway when I did.
Her response?
That while driving she had noticed that she was low on gas and had to stop off at the gas station before entering the freeway.

Looking back, I think to myself….
“If only we had had cell phones back then….the trajectory of our day would have been so much better.”

Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

I was in college, and my ex-flame who had moved away was in town. I knew because my friend and I saw his car while heading out. So I left a NOTE on his windshield with my landline number (I had moved 2x since last seeing him) and where we were going out that night. This is significant because now we are married. In another instance, he called Information with my name and town to try to get my number again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol! 🤣🤣🤣

OP, that story is hilarious!!

Here’s mine:
A neighbor/friend & her family had planned on going to Disneyland w/my family.
Since our kids were close friends - they were all super excited + couldn’t wait.

Well we decided to follow each other there on the freeway.
On our way there, my friend suddenly and unexpectedly pulled off the road prior to entering the freeway.
I was confused yet by the time I actually took notice > there was no way for me to pull off the entrance to the freeway so I continued on my route, assuming they would eventually catch up.
I even drove in the right, slower lane.

Well we arrived at Disneyland & still no sight of them.
We all entered the amusement park thinking we would see each other eventually, right??
W-R-O-N-G!
We spent the entire day there + never ran into them.
My kids were bummed out and wanted to leave early since they had wanted to spend their time there hanging out w/their friends, not boring old Mom.

Well the next day I asked my friend why she had not entered the freeway when I did.
Her response?
That while driving she had noticed that she was low on gas and had to stop off at the gas station before entering the freeway.

Looking back, I think to myself….
“If only we had had cell phones back then….the trajectory of our day would have been so much better.”

Sheesh.

Confused- Did they get to Disney or not? And had you really not set out a couple meeting places and times prior to the trip? You really thought you would make the whole trip without getting separated?

[Anonymous]

In 1990, my DH had a car phone! He was in sales. I was pregnant then so he rented a beeper in the event I went into labor.

My DS is now 30. (see paragraph above). He had a flip phone for a few years in high school. Prior to that, I gave him a roll of quarters to use in the pay phone if his sports practice times changed.

[Anonymous]

I went on a teen tour one summer for several weeks. In order to get in touch with my parents, I had to find a payphone and call another family member during business hours on her office's 800 number, and then she would 3 way call them for me.

[Anonymous]

I think people were more punctual before cell phones. Now you just text that you're running late but it used to be "meet me at the mall fountain - the one near Aeropostale - at 3:15".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in college, and my ex-flame who had moved away was in town. I knew because my friend and I saw his car while heading out. So I left a NOTE on his windshield with my landline number (I had moved 2x since last seeing him) and where we were going out that night. This is significant because now we are married. In another instance, he called Information with my name and town to try to get my number again.

I have a note I wrote 30 years ago, which I left beside my landline telephone for my sisters. It reads, "*VERY IMPORTANT* If a guy named Larlo calls, please tell him I will be home at 4pm and to call me then!!! Be NICE to him!!!" We had a first date a week later and have been happily married for 25 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There used to be like a parking lot on the shoulder of the BW Parkway near Jessup, MD that was lined with pay phones. Like a dozen of them.

People would pull over off the highway and make calls

And banks of them at conferences where everyone would go on break to phone the home office for their messages.

[Anonymous]

Some of you older dcumers may remember this fun fact: pay phones had their own numbers. I memorized the number on the pay phone at a store up the street from my house. I'd give this number to guys with soecific instructions on when to cakl and to let it ring once, hang up and call back so I'd know it was them. Their was exactly one phone in my house and it was placed on a side table next to my Dad's chair. There was zero expectation of privacy.

[Anonymous]

I always carried a book so I would have something to do.
Now we have phones.

At a party you can pull out your phone so that you don’t look lonely. Back then you had to go find their pet and play with their pet. Or just drink a lot and wedge into groups. Or just go home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in college, and my ex-flame who had moved away was in town. I knew because my friend and I saw his car while heading out. So I left a NOTE on his windshield with my landline number (I had moved 2x since last seeing him) and where we were going out that night. This is significant because now we are married. In another instance, he called Information with my name and town to try to get my number again.

I have a note I wrote 30 years ago, which I left beside my landline telephone for my sisters. It reads, "*VERY IMPORTANT* If a guy named Larlo calls, please tell him I will be home at 4pm and to call me then!!! Be NICE to him!!!" We had a first date a week later and have been happily married for 25 years.

[Anonymous]

If you dialed 867-5309, it connected you to a party line where you could hear other kids calling out their names and towns in hopes of making a connection.

[Anonymous]

In the days before caller id, my friends and I were prolific crank callers. We'd flip through the White Pages, pick out a number, call and ask for the person, tell them "This song is dedicated to you!" and then put the mouthpiece by the cassette player and play a ballad. 🤣

[Anonymous]

Calling friends at college on the one phone in the hallway, and some rando picking up, then having them find friend to get on the phone.