The first time I really remember playing pinball was at the theater I worked at in Albuquerque, NM. starting in 1998 (there were probably earlier introductions - the memory is just not there). I'd come in to my shift early (or stay late) to hang out with my wife (well, girlfriend at the time) and end up spending probably too much time and money playing Scared Stiff. At the time we talked about how eventually we'd buy it so we could play it as long as we wanted.
I guess I didn't really expect at the time that that would end up becoming a reality or that it would spark a larger interest (and borderline obsession for a while). Well, years later, we found that we shared pinball interests with a friend and we began seeking out machines we could play around Atlanta. This endeavor proved harder than we expected. We found several places to play at, but it is kind of a rarity in the south it would seem.
In 2012 we flew up to Pittsburgh for a weekend of pinball at PAPA 15. It was a lot of fun, tons of machines and some tournament play to watch. I didn't get a shot of the outside of the building or its surroundings, but it's a warehouse in an industrial district; if you didn't know that it was there, you never would guess that it holds 400+ playable tables. Anyway, we watched some of the tournament play (there was a Scared Stiff in the tournament), but mostly we played as many of the other tables as we could.
PAPA 16
You probably thought I was going to launch into pinball talk, didn’t you? I’ll get there soon enough. First, I wanted to say something about Pittsburgh: I don’t think there’s a meal in that city that comes with less than … Continue reading
PAPA 16 – August 8-11, 2013
PAPA 16 is coming up in a few months so we’re trying to figure out travel plans for this year’s event. We were there for last year’s tournament with a couple of friends (and it turns out they’ll both be there … Continue reading
Pin swap update
Overall, the pin swap trip was a lot of fun. There were quite a few games there for play, and a number of businesses there selling parts and other items. We got a chance to play Wizard of Oz and … Continue reading
Atlanta Pin Swap
This Saturday, April 27 2013, there is a pinball event in the Atlanta area (Buford, to be more precise); I’m very excited. The Atlanta Pin Swap is a gathering of pinball vendors, owners, and enthusiasts who will come together to buy/sell … Continue reading