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Rachel Dratch Just Got An Unpaid Ticket Notice For Illegally Parking In Chicago 20 Years Ago

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 10, 2017 2:55PM

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Rachel Dratch / Getty Images / Photo: Brad Barket

We know Chicago has a chronic problem with budget deficits and all, but this is really going out of the way for revenue.

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Rachel Dratch, who of course cut her comedic chops in Chicago, tweeted on Wednesday night that she just received a reminder of her days in the Windy City—a costly one. The comic, best known for her Debbie Downer character (which is kind of ironic in this context), said she received a notice on Wednesday for an unpaid parking ticket from the City of Chicago for a violation from nearly 20 years ago: Dec. 8, 1997, to be precise.

"Chicago does not f around," she wrote.


The date and the location both dovetail with Dratch's tenure in Chicago. The ticket was cited for 150 West North Avenue, which is just a few yards east of her old training grounds, The Second City. She joined the company in 1995 and has credits with the improv school/theatre through 1998, according to her Second City bio.

So is Chicago that hard up? And slow? Could this be a postal-service issue? We left a message with a press representative for the city, and we'll update as necessary. In the meantime, watch where you park your Honda and beware the long, late arm of the law.