The Secret Apartment: Vet Stadium, a surreal memoir

by Tom Garvey

If I overheard anyone telling this story in a bar or at a party, I wouldn’t believe it either. But I must confess, I’d probably “scooch” a little closer, eavesdropping, unable to walk away. I’d have to find out how this yarn unraveled.Let’s begin an implausible story with a seemingly simple yet complex question.If you were single, never married with no children or dependents, would you, if you had the opportunity, have lived “on the down low” in a secret apartment in Veterans Stadium? In this proposal we have an off the wall South Philly version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” but the larger notion this question begs could easily challenge the inner demons of sports fans anywhere. If you had an opportunity to live in a major sports stadium of a team you grew up loving, what would you have done?In my I could, so I did. “Truth, always strange, is stranger than fiction.”~ Lord Byron

Genres: Sports, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction

178 pages, Paperback

Published November 20, 2020

Reviews

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I turned my back on the game and looked up at the fans, every one of them on their feet, screaming in long-awaited joy as the Birds crushed the Cowboys on our home turf. I knew I would see this play countless times on film, but the rapture of all those Eagles fans would be something that belonged to the moment alone."

Vet Stadium was my childhood. It was a part of my life up until I graduated High School. The Vet imploded the year I graduated and I remember my heart being heavy that day with tears rolling down my face. I’ve had a lot of great memories over the years in that Stadium with my friends and mostly my family. Growing up in South Philly was a sports fans dream. Our summers were full of Phillies games, way up high in the nose bleeds and our winters were full of Eagles games in the snow.

Hearing that a gentleman lived in Vet Stadium was shocking but we all dreamed about doing the same. Tom shares his incredible life during his years at that Stadium and relays some of the best sports history that took place in the heart of Philly.

This was an interesting book full of short essays about a life surrounded by sports. They did jump around a lot and it can be a tad bit confusing but I’m glad I got to experience this book. A great book for Philly sports fans.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book for Philadelphia sports fans. Written by a Vietnam veteran suffering from a classic case of PTSD. I can only imagine someone with a mental disorder thinking it a good idea to live secretly in a sports stadium (the now demolished Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia). While living there the author, Tom Garvey, was manager of car parking so he had a good cover. He ended up with many stories to tell.

Not all stories were related to his time living there. For instance he once got 10 tickets for a Superbowl held in Los Angeles and decided that this would be a good excuse for a road trip with friends. On the way they picked up an Australian science teacher in a snowstorm while visiting the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

The book is self-published and a little rough around the edges. The author graduated magna cum laude from Widener University in Pennsylvania after returning from Vietnam and isn't any dummy. He just hit a rough patch in life for a while. He chose to save his Vietnam stories for a different book, Many Beaucoup Magics.

[Brannock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve decided to believe that these stories are real—that Tom Garvey really lived in a forgotten concession stand for years in Veterans Stadium, that he really used to roller skate around the 600 level in the middle of the night, with only moonlight as a guide, and that he really crashed into Dick Vermeil in an elevator while on said roller skates. And that’s just one chapter. Philadelphia area sports fans will get a kick out of the escapades of the Stadium Cat in the 70s and early 80s.

P.S. The Mike Schmidt story doesn’t surprise me.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet Tom Garvey, a Vietnam vet who finds himself living in a makeshift apartment in Philadelphia's sport venue, Veteran's Stadium. Having grown up in Philadelphia attending Phillies games at The Vet I was all in.

Unfortunately, how he comes to set up this apartment isn't that shocking and the book has little to do with the apartment. For the most part it is a collection of name dropping, self indulgent stories that you'd hear hanging out in a local dive bar. (if you grew up knowing the big names of Philadelphia sports of the 70's this might be for you)

It's a shame, book started off strong and with a good editor might have stayed on topic and been better organized.

[Andrew Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Vietnam War veteran Tom Garvey, a man living out every Philadelphian sports fans dream, living in a “secret” apartment from 1979 to 1981 in historic Veterans Stadium in south Philadelphia.

This book was a fun read. Tom has a lot of cool stories. It feels like you’re out having a drink with him while reading this book. Coming back from the war with PTSD, it’s interesting that his life post war living illegally in Veterans Stadium was a form of therapy for him. The people he met, the job he did and the scenery of the nights in the stadium in general. Stories range from “this didn’t happen” to “laughing out loud”.

4 stars for being a Philadelphia sports fan. If you grew up in Philadelphia or the surrounding area, you’ll find this book fun and relatable. Bonus points if you’re a Philadelphia sports fan!

[Andy Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book by one of those dudes with all kinds of stories, whose had a very interesting life, plus writes a little poetry. He acknowledges that it’s a compilation of quarantine stories originally written for friends, and reading at such, I enjoyed it! It’s a bit repetitive, but few people have had a set of experience quite like the author. Forgive him the imperfections in the book if you can, and sit back and imagine his wild ride of a life during his Vet Stadium days, you’ll enjoy the time.

[Christopher Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who spent a few nights sleeping in the oldest hockey arena still in use-Matthews Arena I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read. Writing wasn’t great but his stories were fun.

[Kendra Rothermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If I overheard anyone telling this story in a bar, or at a party, I wouldn’t believe it either.”

There was a secret apartment beneath the slope of the 300 level seats in left field in beloved Vet Stadium. Tom Garvey, a Vietnam Veteran, shares his tales from his time occupying a residence that most Philly sports fans would die for. He regales his audience with personal stories of his job as head of parking (which he sort of happens into), his relationships with players, amazing history, and some downright humorous accounts of pranks and antics involving beloved landmarks of the Philly sports complex from 1979 to 1981.

For those of you who don’t know, I grew up 45 minutes from Philly. We spend our Sunday’s and sometimes Monday and Thursday nights cheering on our Eagles. Opening Day was a celebrated holiday in our house. Calendars were marked off to count down the days to Spring Training. My dad and brother and now husband when they are lucky enough to have an extra ticket, spend every home game in the freezing cold or bitter heat cheering on their Eagles until they’re hoarse. (My brother is the one who told me I needed to read and review this book in the first place.) This book had so many cool stories of sports history that I loved. It made me appreciate the fandom and yearn for the good ol days. It’s true what they say- being a Philly fan is rough. You’ll have the highest of highs and lowest of lows, they’ll break your heart. But I wouldn’t want to root for any other teams on this planet.

[Ethnea Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book for my husband for Christmas - (and if the truth be told - I was interested in reading it myself) It kind of intrigued me. The author worked at Veterans Stadium and interestingly he had the only key to a vacant storage room- and he made it his home. The author lived on the ground level of Veterans Stadium (in Philadelphia) - his living there was "in no way authorized or legal". The author experienced a lot of interesting events in his time living in the Stadium.

I'm giving this a 3 star - but don't judge my rating as - I must confess - that I do not know much about sports - and the layouts of sport stadiums - but he did have some interesting encounters with a lot of people....

I'm sure that people with much more knowledge of sports and stadiums (and Philadelphia sports fans) will enjoy this much more than me.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needed an editor, which made reading it distracting. I rolled my eyes at some of the stories, too. But it did bring back memories of games at the Vet, so there's that.

[Sara Cuevas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

[John Bullard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book is like sitting down for a cup of coffee with Tom Garvey. surprisingly moving. Wonderful story of how finding a home in an unlikely place, Brotherhood, and the love of sports help a highly decorated airborne ranger Spec Ops leader and talented writer recover from the Hell that was the Vietnam war.

Thank you, Mr Garvey for your service. Thank you for this book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3.5 stars for me. It was mostly an enjoyable story but I found the endless tales about drinking a bit boring after a while (and I like my glass of wine or two, don't get me wrong) but they were told in a way that were sort of "inside" jokes that I didn't feel fully let in on. But the whole apartment seems like it was a very cool thing and wish that at some point someone had taken a photo of it!

[Shane O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny lil' memoir that any Philly sports fan will love. I only went to the Vet a handful of times when I was a kid but it was quite the stadium. Even more than the sports stories, I loved hearing about different bars and spots around Philly that may not be there anymore. I love learning about the history of the city.

[Roberta Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know a good story teller, you will like this book.

If you know Philadelphia, you will like this book.

If you are a sport fan, you will like this book.

I have known several very good story tellers. I have lived in Philadelphia for many years. I am not a sports fan but I still like this book.

[paula cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great job down memory lane.

Read the Secret Apartment in one afternoon, but will spend much more time enjoying the memories of experiences and friendships made. Thanks, Tom. Joe from 2-73

[Sandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Not So Secret Apartment

Tom Garvey takes the reader on a vivid trip back in time. His memories of working and living at the Vet are so engaging that the book’s ending leaves the reader wanting more. Mr. Garvey is a gifted writer.

[Richard L. Carbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a quick read and, since I am a lifelong Philly sports fan, the anecdotes about the players were great. I went to many games at the Vet and I could relate to much of what Tom talked about. And, I learned quite a lot about some of the players I have ling admired.

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: A CLASSIC UNHEARD OF BOOK… A BIG READER’S DREAM COME TRUE!
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As a voracious non-stop reader… I have an unquenchable appetite for classic off the radar unique telling and feeling books. They don’t come along too often. Well this week I found one. Not only is it humorously quirky… but it is dripping with empathetic feelings for the true soul and heartbeat of the everyday guy. I believe I carry that same gene within me… which I’ve always described as a “CATCH-22”… since to have that innate characteristic… quite simply means… being able to feel like that… means you get hurt a lot also. Another shared biographical trait the author and I have are that we are both **HONORABLY*DISCHARGED*VIET*NAM*ERA*VETERANS**. And to quote the author… Tom Garvey… he (we) could be charitably described as having “the wheels coming off”… as we entered back into American life at home.

This book is a masterpiece written in what I would describe as a true street-fighting-partying-demon-battling-true-friend-sports-fan-back-alley-poetic salute to life… with a drink in hand… and a dedication to hard work style. When Tom got out of the service he went to college but still had no real direction. Through family contacts (and one of many highlights… is Tom telling the reader how his family became a power player in the food catering industry) he got a job in the parking lot of Vet Stadium in Philadelphia… and what transpires from there is true “every-man”… recovering Veteran… sports fan… blue collar poetry.
Tom winds up finding a locked up and abandoned stadium vendor storage and office area that time and stadium administration has seemed to forget. Tom changed the lock and got a key… and moved into the bowel of the stadium. He even made a double hallway of boxes inside the locked door… so if someone of authority stumbled upon it and got in the door… the rest of his APARTMENT wouldn’t be visible to a casual intruder. Beyond the dummy box walls… Tom had a complete furnished apartment including ASTRO turf carpets.

With his clandestine IN-STADIUM-UNAUTHORIZED-APARTMENT now up and ready to serve as his home… the literary magic begins. The numerous short stories… are all either heart felt… humorous… incongruous… or all of the above. Tom’s writing style is to the beat of a machine gun on full auto. His deep… deep… empathy… for the common man down on his luck… either mentally… or financially… still shines through like a beacon in the darkest night… despite his devil may care… alcohol fueled adventures. Many a famous Philadelphia sports figure shares adventures… drinks and friendship with the author. Some nights Tom stumbles out of his “apartment”… into an empty stadium that still echoes with the anguish and excitement of a lifetime of Philly Fan experience… and simply collapses on the ASTRO Turf playing field… and as he looks up at the stars… gives in to the night as he passes out. (Unless awoken by a stadium cop). Other empty nights are filled with Tom roller skating at break neck speeds throughout the walkways going in and around the stadium.

As Lord Byron so famously said: “Truth, always strange, is stranger than fiction.” This book of gospel from Tom proves Byron’s point!

In the very beginning of the book Tom asks this simple and direct question of the reader: “If you were single, never married with no children or dependents, would you, if you had the opportunity, have liven “on the down low” in a secret apartment in Veteran’s Stadium?” My truthful answer is… I would have even if I was married AND had children!
As much as I enjoyed the levity in the book… one thing took center stage in my very heart and soul on a Pantheon far up beyond all matters and feelings previously discussed in this review. As I mentioned earlier in this review that the author and I are Viet Nam Era Veterans… and Tom includes a poem he wrote entitled SOUTHERN WIND. The last sentence of that poem has absolutely carved itself deep into my inner being… where no one else can enter. I underlined it… I put a piece of scotch tape on the page… I have written it on a piece of paper and taped it on the wall in my kitchen where my Honorable Discharge is displayed… I am going to put a copy in my wallet. Here are those illuminating… and haunting words.

*** AND IN MY DREAM OF WAR, I DREAM OF HOME ***

Thank you Tom… G-d Bless and please write more!

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

An article in the local Philly paper, a click on Amazon and a quick read a day later. For a while I thought I was getting “ Sidd Finched “ ( see Sports Illustrated April fools story). It seemed the writer was messing with us. By the end I am convinced that it was a real place. I decided though, that I didn’t care before the stories were fun, some poignant and when I drive by an empty stadium. Especially at night I wonder “who is in there”? Someone working in the stadium studio? An athlete using the gym? A poker game I. The locker room? A lonely security guard walking in the dugout? This book brings those thoughts to life. I was surprised the story took us across the country, but I was up for ones mans memories of his younger days. I would have given it three or four stars, but as a Philly fan who also teared up at the Vets implosion, the nostalgia is rich, fun and meaningful. Details like JC Dobbs, cheesesteaks, Bookbinders, Ovations, the Stadium Club, MAC cards, Dr J - the list goes on and on. Great stuff. I can still smell the Vet. My only question mark was referring to Schmidtty as number 32. Wasn’t that Carlton? MS was 20 I think.
There are people who will rip this book I suppose, but I can think of 10 people I want to lend it to. Thanks to Tom Garvey for a great weekend Philly fan ride.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift from a friend who’s related to Tommy and I finally got to it and am glad I did. A poignant and offbeat memoir of an important period in the author’s life, a period shared by me and many other Philly sports fans, in which long-gone Veterans Stadium (1971-2004) itself is a character of sorts. There are many cool insider tales of the sort you’d expect to hear late night just before last call. Some have a “you had to be there quality” - it doesn’t work as well when he’s telling other people’s stories- but most of it lands well. There were surprising details like Tom, the returning Vietnam Vet who wound up running the parking at the Philly pro sports complex, being BFFs with my favorite Eagle when I was a 10-year-old kid, “Super” Bill Bradley. One nit: Tom could have used an editor to clean up some fact and grammatical errors; maybe that would happen in a future printing? Anyway - for anyone who spent time in the “yellow seats” - or even the orange or red - this is a fun read.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally don’t rate memoirs because it feels rude to rate someone else’s experience. However, this book is the exception because the title is semi-misleading.
Tom spends the first portion of the book talking about his secret apartment in the Vet and the escapades he had during that time, but then things get off track. The second half of the book has a few stories that are Tom’s, but then he tells stories that aren’t his to tell and that he wasn’t there for. For example, Tom was not with his brother Kevin in the bar after the New Orleans Super Bowl. He specifically says Kevin went out alone, so why is this story in Tom’s memoir? The same applies to the whole chapter unnecessarily retelling Bill Bradley’s high school football career.

As a self-published book, yes, there are some areas where the writing can improve, but I still give Tom major kudos for writing and publishing it. It is a fun story to tell, and I’m sure his family appreciates having his legacy written out.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was. Tough book for me. I think right of the bat, I’m not a Philadelphia sports fan, just live in Philadelphia, so the stories, while interesting, don’t mean a lot to me. Secondly, the writing was poor. You could tell that the author wrote everything almost from a journal. Which is cool, but more of something you talk about while drinking at a bar, not read. Finally, some of the stories didn’t do anything to me. They weren’t entertaining or they didn’t impact the overarching theme of the book. They were like thrown in at the end to extend things.

If you are a Philly sports nut, you would love it. If this book was about the Kingdom (Seattle), I bet I would give it 5 stars.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable to read, but primarily because it reminded me of listening to my uncle talk for hours at a time. The author / main character / narrator, portrays a talented and capable man who consistently makes poor decisions, yet somehow manages to scrape through and continue going. It would have been interesting to have a few additional chapters or an epilogue to describe what happened once he managed to get his life back into some sense of order.

[Kristopher Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for sure, from undoubtedly an interesting character, especially if you remember going to Veterans Stadium. Not always consistent writing, but in a way that makes me believe the stories are true. It seems pretty clear that people have been telling Garvey he ought to write a book of his stories, and I'm glad he did it. The stories also make me long for what was undoubtedly a more freewheeling time. I'll be buying copies for friends this Christmas.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool idea - stories about the illicit apartment the author set up for a couple of years in Veterans Stadium in Philly, along with stories about the folks (famous and not) that he met along the way in his years of working at the Vet. It makes for a fairly entertaining book, but the natural habitat for these stories is a dark barroom. I would love to hear them in that setting.

[Furiousball · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a tough time with giving a favorable review after reading the chapter involving Mike Schmidt after the author referred to him as number 32. This book really could have used a few edits, but regardless, it's such a cool story.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I didn't love it. The author did a good job, and the stories were fun, but it didn't rise to the level of unforgettable. I was wondering why the apartment was eventually abandoned, for instance. But still, enjoyable read.

[charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

From 90 miles to the North

Reminds me of many great stories about Philly told to a New Yorker by my best pal from West Philly, Gabe. Crown Royal, shoebies and many more. Love Philly and its sports history.

[Alex Yurcaba · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a certain unvarnished warmth here that I really loved. This story reminded me so much of talking to my dad about his life. Completely earnest and surprisingly wholesome, if somewhat unvarnised.