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What Was The Name Of Your Arcade Growing Up? Describe it.
urbecrisch:
Just wondering what the name of your local arcade was growing up and what you remember about it. Mine was called:
Pinball Jack's
It was a small place and very dark with blacklights everywhere. Not sure if I ever met "Jack" but the owner had maybe around 8 pins and the rest were arcade games. Once in awhile he would bring in a Bubble Hockey game or Foosball but it mostly was pins/cabs. I remember there was always a worker walking around wearing a token dispenser cause PJ's did not accept quarters. My father would take us there on Sundays when he picked us up once a week for the day (parents divorced). I will never forget when PJ's got Dragon's Lair! WOW! I was floored that it costs 50 cents to play. I was horrible at it so I remember ordering a book from Scholastic News which walked through each level. I wish I still had that book! Gorf, Pengo, Mappy and Tron were some of my favorite games. I still live near the town I grew up in and each time I pass by the building were Pinball Jack's was, I take a second and remember the good ol days of gaming.
javeryh:
I can't remember the name of it (I always called it "The Arcade") but it was in the Morris County Mall in Cedar Knolls, NJ. It was a total dive - just a narrow store (with no door - it was completely open to the mall) and cabs lined both long walls. They kept the newer games in the front although I remember Operation Wolf staying out front for a particularly long time for some reason. The mall has been renovated and turned into a strip mall with a Walmart and Sears - the Foodtown is still there though. It was also the place where I saw Return of the Jedi but the theater is also long gone...
CodeWhite:
My arcade of choice was called Tewksbury Grand Prix in Tewksbury MA. The place was actually pretty nice and in addition to the games they had these cool go karts that you needed to have you driver's license to drive. I remember walking in there for the first time and throwing my quarters into a brand new double dragon 2 game. The owner was pretty good about the upkeep of his games and also getting the newer ones in.
I knew things were going downhill when I saw a N64 hooked up to a sit down cab asking for something like $5.00 a play. Also in the late 90's the redemption machines invaded and alot of awesome pins were taken out to make room for skeeball and those basketball shooting games. The building is now a child daycare. The go kart track is still there albeit overgrown with weeds. Damn I miss that place...so much fun...so much money spent. The smell of BO and cheap stetson cologne. ;D
NoOne=NBA=:
My "arcade" was several towns.
One place had this game, another that game, and we'd travel around town to play them all.
Ginsu Victim:
There were a few that I grew up with.
The main one: The laundromat
I would search the dryers for loose change. I don't remember most of what they had, but I do recall them having Tron, Frogger, Pac-Man, and Cloak & Dagger. Not bad at all.
Second place: The mall arcade
I don't recall the name of it, but it was dark, loud, and had all the classics. What more could you ask?
Third: Law office turned arcade
I think I only had the chance to go here once, but it was a law office that went out of business and someone turned it into an arcade. Each room had machines from similar manufacturers, so there was the Williams room, Namco, Nintendo, etc. May have had some pins.
Fourth: Pizza Inn/Pancho's
Nice to play a game while you wait. Pizza Inn had DK Jr and a Galaga cocktail, while Pancho's had a new game every time I visited. The only constant machine was a Nintendo Play-choice.
Fifth: $1 Movies
Cheap-ass, Mexican run movie theater in Houston. Popeye, Golden Axe, Choplifter, and maybe 10 others.
Sixth: Cafe
When I was in kindergarten, my dad would take me to this little cafe every day before he dropped me off at school. He was on his way to work and liked to grab a bite on the way, so we'd stop in and I'd have a slice of pie. There was a waitress that always played a game of Donkey Kong with me on a cocktail they had. I was too little to be any good, but I grew up to only be {---this---} much better. It's a nice memory, though.