What was 'your' arcade called?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

The recently posted classic arcade pics got me thinking again about my
favorite place to burn quarters as a kid. It was called Funway
Freeway. They always had at least 6 pins in excellent shape. The
techs really must have known what they were doing, as I never recall a
game being dirty or less then fully functional. Wonder what those
guys are doing now....

Cheers!!
Bob

 

[MikeO]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I used to play at The Cross Eyed Moose, Tommy's Holiday Camp, and
Flipper McGee's in Ann Arbor, MI. back in the 70's. Classic games in
classic places. I even had the pleasure of working at Tommy's Holiday
Camp for about a year.

Mike O.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

While going to college in Houston, I worked at a gameroom called The
Goldmine. As time went on, the name changed to Tilt. While working
there, we had a strict regiment of cleaning that we had to follow. That
included cleaning all rubbers on pins until we deemed a replacement was
needed. It followed that we also had to clean all vids by taking the
control panel off, lift out the glass and clean the glass and tube. We
used to have very good pins and I think that part of my life is what
made me love pins so much.

Doug

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Krazy Kats

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Oh, I forgot my true favorite place and that was the Space Port in
Maine. It was in the Bangor Mall. I believe it is still there to this
day as I visited Maine last year and went in there to play. Went to
college at EMVTI for a while and on breaks, we would zip over to the
mall for some games of Space Shuttle!!

Doug

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

All my lawn-mowing and snow-shoveling money went to "Game World" at
Palwaukee Plaza in a NorthWest Chicago suburb in the mid-80s. Before
that, when I was about 6 there was "Just Games". That would've been
around 1973. Both are long gone...

Game World used to have 10 or so pins. The only ones I remember
playing for sure are Back to the Future and Black Hole.

Later, in the mid-90s I remember playing at 'Just for Fun'. IIRC, that
was one of Williams' test locations.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I grew vp in Northern Virginia and there was a place called "Time Ovt"
that was located in Springfield mall. I was there in the late 1970s.
Pins, early video games like Tempest, Space Invaders, Galaga. It was
very large with classic black light illvmination. In Blacksbvrg
Virginia, the Virginia Tech Stvdent Union bvilding had an entire wall
of pins. This was all in the 1979 to 1982 time frame.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Galaxy World and Just Games.

Al

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

"The Wizard Room" in Tucson, because the guy that ran "The Lost Penny
Arcade" across the street was a pig. After hours, he'd set all the game
settings super low so he could get all the high scores, then set them back.
If he thought you had won too many extra games, he'd turn the machine off.
I would occasionally head to "Starbase 22" to play the Fathom.

-- Rich Fife --

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

On 12 Jul 2005 08:02:05 -0700, rwkeown@yahoo.com wrote:

>The recently posted classic arcade pics got me thinking again about my
>favorite place to burn quarters as a kid. It was called Funway
>Freeway. They always had at least 6 pins in excellent shape. The
>techs really must have known what they were doing, as I never recall a
>game being dirty or less then fully functional. Wonder what those
>guys are doing now....
>
>Cheers!!
>Bob


San Diego area...

late 70's through early 90's.

Aztec Amusement
Sega Center later became Time Out
Slices and Skills (pizza and games)

7-11 was another too really.
Played a lot of games that rotated in and out of the local 7-11.
Frogger, Star Castles, Mata Hari pin, asteroids, etc.
No more games in 7-11s now.

All gone forever.

I swear if I win the lotto Im going to open a retro-cade like anything
noone has ever seen before and go broke running it.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Well there was Aladin's Castle, Family Fun center (10 tokens for a
buck!), Astro Cade I and II, Apple Arcade, and Totally Amusing. I
forget the others, but there was a token war going on here. Most were 5
, 6 or 7 for a buck!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I've got so many memories--7-11 in Chevy Chase, MD had Flash and Time
Warp, the Host Farm resort in Lancaster, PA, had plenty of games,
including Airborne Avenger, the Southport bar in Ft Lauderdale, FL, had
a gorgeous Xenon, my college's dorms in MA had Fathom, Black Pyramid,
Kings of Steel, High Speed, the arcade in Penn Station (NY) had
Lightning, Big Game, Catacomb, Nat's stationary store on the upper East
Side of Manhattan had Firepower....

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Dream Machine at the mall in Lincoln, RI was the place to play the new
games from the late 70's to late 80's.

There was also a nickle arcade in the early 80's in North Dartmouth, MA
- can't remeber the name of that place. We could spend the day there
for $2.

Most of my pin playing was at a place in South Attleboro, MA called
Rose Pizza.

Ah, the good old days.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I grew up on the Jersey shore in the 60's-70'S.Walking distance was
Barnacle Bills in Ortley beach.And Biking distance (or hitch-hiking) to
Seaside Heights Boardwalk.Amusement Pier.What an awesome place to grow
up.Thanks,MOM & DAD!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

rwkeown@yahoo.com wrote:
> The recently posted classic arcade pics got me thinking again about my
> favorite place to burn quarters as a kid. It was called Funway
> Freeway. They always had at least 6 pins in excellent shape. The
> techs really must have known what they were doing, as I never recall a
> game being dirty or less then fully functional. Wonder what those
> guys are doing now....

Northwestern University student center. No, I wasn't a student (I was
12... ), but I was there ALL the time.

Other places... Aladdin's Castle, Devon Novelty Golf (still there!),
Diversions (recent, still there!), 7-11 (lots of 7-11...), Just For
Fun, Super Just Games (now a Capcom nickel arcade), The Abbey in Lake
Geneva had an arcade that was THE -->BOMB<--, pretty much every single
arcade in the Wisconsin Dells in the late '80s, and lots of other
hotels, bars, campgrounds, and the like.

It's a wonder I actually saw any of the sights my parents took me to as
a kid.

 

[unkn2232324]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

TheKorn@TheKorn.net wrote:
> rwkeown@yahoo.com wrote:
> > The recently posted classic arcade pics got me thinking again about my
> > favorite place to burn quarters as a kid. It was called Funway
> > Freeway. They always had at least 6 pins in excellent shape. The
> > techs really must have known what they were doing, as I never recall a
> > game being dirty or less then fully functional. Wonder what those
> > guys are doing now....
>
> Northwestern University student center. No, I wasn't a student (I was
> 12... ), but I was there ALL the time.
>
> Other places... Aladdin's Castle, Devon Novelty Golf (still there!),
> Diversions (recent, still there!), 7-11 (lots of 7-11...), Just For
> Fun, Super Just Games (now a Capcom nickel arcade), The Abbey in Lake
> Geneva had an arcade that was THE -->BOMB<--, pretty much every single
> arcade in the Wisconsin Dells in the late '80s, and lots of other
> hotels, bars, campgrounds, and the like.
>
> It's a wonder I actually saw any of the sights my parents took me to as
> a kid.

Barnacle Bills and Casino Pier along with all the other arcades on the
Seaside Boardwalk. Playland in North Lavallette.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Mine was called Del Mar Billiards. The name
of the local community college, and located
across the street from it.

Long gone.

Current occupant of the building: Pawn shop...

Fred
TX
CARGPB#8
===============

rwkeown@yahoo.com wrote:
> The recently posted classic arcade pics got me thinking again about my
> favorite place to burn quarters as a kid.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I spent many years at Fvnspot at the Weirs in N. H. It was the best
arcade I ever saw in its hayday. I still go there occassionally, bvt my
collection is better than theirs now-a-days. It still has tons of vids
and abovt 40 pins bvt the condition deteriorates over the svmmer so yov
have to get there early in the season. I really learn how to play at
the gameroom in the Movlton Union when i went to Bowdoin College in
Brvnswick, Me. As Frank Zappa wovld say, " the resvlts of a higher
edvcation". JR.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

"That Game Place" - Beloit Mall...long gone, I worked there for a
while.
"Aladdin's Castle" - Janesville Mall...still there too!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Just a few I remember around and in Marietta/Atlanta, GA during the
hey-day early 80's

-Gold Mine (the big daddy at Cumberland Mall), I remember playing
Hercules there
-Pinball Palace- 2 locations in Marietta
-Pheonix- On the Square in Marietta
-Space Land- Town and Country Shopping Center
-Red Baron's Arcade- off South Cobb Drive
-Crazy Eddie's
-Spinners
- Bat and Pac

Brian
atlfun

 

[ray]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

The Cave at the Bucks County Mall in Feasterville, PA back in the early
to mid 70's. 2 full rows of EMs (about 20-30 machines). Spent a lot
of time there picking up pointers from the pros. They had a high score
contest each week on several machines. The person with the highest
score at the end of the week received 5-10 free games on the machine of
their choice. Place was closed down because they said it was causing
too many brawls and fights. The brawls and fights had nothing to do
with the arcade but try telling that to the powers that be.

The back had a few pool tables and the front had some early video
games. The other thing I remember is that all of the machines always
worked and were clean. Whenever a problem did crop up, the guys
working knew how to fix it themselves. It was not uncommon to see a
machine proped open with someone working on it or cleaning it. I knew
some of the guys who worked there because one of them was dating my
friend's older sister. They just loved working on the machines and
keeping them clean and usable. They were also very strict about
abusing the machines. I saw kids thrown out for excessive abuse.

-Ray
Southern NJ
Who still only plays EMs (Yes, I have tried to go digital but always go
back to EMs)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

The Machine, Crystal Point Mall, Crystal Lake, IL

Sadly gone. You should have seen the fire sale they had when they
closed. Wow.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

SuperCade (One of a chain) in the Flemington Mall in NJ

Also Majors (local dept store) had a lot of good pins too.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

FUN & GAMES in Framingham, MA

It was akin to a kid and teenager nightclub full of loud rock and roll
and metal music and loaded with pins and vids.

As you approached the glass and metal front door, you'd hear muffled
Ozzy or Rush et al emmanting from arcade within.

Opening the door, you'd be blasted in the face with great music and
the sound of over 100 pinball machines as well as the din of over 70
video games. Your eyes would still blinded from the bright sunshine
outside going into the dimly lit 30ft ceiling room adorned with a
centrally located disco ball that would make the dark blue floor dance
with a swirling of littles "stars" inside.
I spent most of my paper route and first job(s) money there from the
years 1978-1983. Was so hooked on the place that I'd skip a day of
school or 2 to play all day on the meager $4.00 or so I had in my
pocket. It was fun and a challenge to try to "game-survive" all day on
this meager amount. On a bad day, I'd have to resort to checking the
coin chutes for a wayward quarter or so (often times with great
successs!)

Walking through the front door I'd gleefully see (once my eyes had
adjusted):

EBD, PHARAOH,BLACK KNIGHT,JUNGLE LORD,QUICKSILVER,STAR GAZER,
SEAWITCH,BIG GAME,MYSTIC,ROLLING STONES,HOT DOGGIN,EVEL KNEIVEL,6
MILLION DOLLAR MAN, MATA HARI, CHEETAH, STAR TREK, CAPTAIN
FANTASTIC.... to name just a few.

My collection reflects my favorites from what I played there "back in
the day". 27 Classic Bally and 13 Classic Stern pins as well as 3
Atari vids (battle zone, missle command and tempest)

My dream is to recreate my own version of this arcade in my gameroom.
I now own all the games and have done full restorations on the majority
of them, just need the space now to set them all up.......


DR
pinballdoctor.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

FUN & GAMES in Framingham, MA

It was akin to a kid and teenager nightclub full of loud rock and roll
and metal music and loaded with pins and vids.

As you approached the glass and metal front door, you'd hear muffled
Ozzy or Rush et al emmanting from arcade within.

Opening the door, you'd be blasted in the face with great music and
the sound of over 100 pinball machines as well as the din of over 70
video games. Your eyes would still blinded from the bright sunshine
outside going into the dimly lit 30ft ceiling room adorned with a
centrally located disco ball that would make the dark blue floor dance
with a swirling of littles "stars" inside.
I spent most of my paper route and first job(s) money there from the
years 1978-1983. Was so hooked on the place that I'd skip a day of
school or 2 to play all day on the meager $4.00 or so I had in my
pocket. It was fun and a challenge to try to "game-survive" all day on
this meager amount. On a bad day, I'd have to resort to checking the
coin chutes for a wayward quarter or so (often times with great
successs!)

Walking through the front door I'd gleefully see (once my eyes had
adjusted):

EBD, PHARAOH,BLACK KNIGHT,JUNGLE LORD,QUICKSILVER,STAR GAZER,
SEAWITCH,BIG GAME,MYSTIC,ROLLING STONES,HOT DOGGIN,EVEL KNEIVEL,6
MILLION DOLLAR MAN, MATA HARI, CHEETAH, STAR TREK, CAPTAIN
FANTASTIC.... to name just a few.

My collection reflects my favorites from what I played there "back in
the day". 27 Classic Bally and 13 Classic Stern pins as well as 3
Atari vids (battle zone, missle command and tempest)

My dream is to recreate my own version of this arcade in my gameroom.
I now own all the games and have done full restorations on the majority
of them, just need the space now to set them all up.......


DR
pinballdoctor.com