Chicago folks: best way to get to Logan Arcade

mc300baud

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ok, so i'm stuck near downtown for the next week and a half working a big corporate show and i have some free time in the evening. i'd like to make it to Logan but i also don't want to walk a whole lot. i'm also cheap(ish).

i could take the Blue line to either the Western or California stops and walk it but dang that looks like a long way and i have no idea how safe it is. i'd rather not try to transfer to a bus or call an Uber, but what is the likelihood i'll find a cab right off the train? should i just suck it up and get a cab the whole way?

and at the end of the evening, how hard would it be to get a cab back at least to the station? should i be planning to call one?
 
ok, so i'm stuck near downtown for the next week and a half working a big corporate show and i have some free time in the evening. i'd like to make it to Logan but i also don't want to walk a whole lot. i'm also cheap(ish).

i could take the Blue line to either the Western or California stops and walk it but dang that looks like a long way and i have no idea how safe it is. i'd rather not try to transfer to a bus or call an Uber, but what is the likelihood i'll find a cab right off the train? should i just suck it up and get a cab the whole way?

and at the end of the evening, how hard would it be to get a cab back at least to the station? should i be planning to call one?

I always make John from John's Arcade drive me. :)

 
Get out to Brookfield and the Galloping Ghost arcade. It's got over 500 games and is one of the best arcades in the country. You won't regret it.

You can take the Metra train to there and back.
 
Lyft is better than uber, and it's cheaper. Most drivers are on both these days and answer the Lyft calls first because they make more money.

So, yes, take a Lyft to Logan Hardware (both locations) and add a day to your trip for galloping ghost.
 
i didn't realize that GG was that accessible via public transportation. looks like it would take longer but be easier to get to than Logan Arcade. hmmm. maybe i'll try to do both while i'm here.

i talked to one of my local co-workers (who's husband used to work for Bally/Midway back in the 80's, btw) and she gave me some good advice for getting to Logan. if i go i'll probably just suck up the cab/Uber/Lyft fare and skip the L and walk, especially if i go after dark.
 
Don't hesitate to walk from the Blue Line. Walking from either stop is safe. I had lived in the neighborhood for the last five years. It's the hottest real estate market in the city, don't let its looks fool you.

I prefer the walk from the California stop, personally. Make a right out of the train station onto California, a right onto Fullerton Ave (the second light) & then straight down to the corner of Fullerton & Western.

And, yes, Galloping Ghost is incredible. I wish I had gone more while I lived there, but the hour commute was tough for me to commit to.

The other two barcades in town (four locations) are kinda garbage from a hobbyist's perspective.
 
i figured it looked pretty hip and trendy when i passed by on the L coming from the airport; lots of neon and roughly refurbished brick buildings. i just didn't know how far that stretches.

it's looking more and more like my free time is short so i think i'll try hitting Logan tonight (might even just suck it up and cab it) and save GG for next weekend before i fly, assuming i can fit it in. i really want to hit Logan since i'm considering buying Skycurser for one of my locations and it's one of the few places that has one to try.
 
You won't regret a trip to Logan, that's for sure. I haven't been since my trip back in February.
 
i ended up cabbing out to try to save time (i'm not sure it saved a lot since traffic sucked,) and taking the L back from California. i felt safe on the walk back, especially since there were a number of younger women walking alone. if they ain't concerned, then i ain't concerned. the cab ride was about $20 with tip.

i liked it and i think if i didn't already spend my time in numerous arcades and barcades near home i'd have loved it. the spacing of the games was good; even when it started to fill up with hipster kids it wasn't hard to get around, though the jerk who played on the end of the six-player X-Men with his ass blocking the GB for almost a half hour was kind of a dick (hope it wasn't any of you!) most of the games were in reasonable condition, though there were a few monitors that needed focus or brightness adjustments, and i understand not having the hall-effect stick in Food Fight but it just doesn't play the same. it was cool to see Beastie Feastie and Skycurser (which i'm thinking about buying,) and i was unaware of VEC9 though i suppose i should have known about it. cool game and if the clunky controls could be smoothed out i'd be interested in owning one of those as well for location use, though i don't know if they are looking to sell more.

i enjoyed that there was a good selection of pins, and having several of the early solid states (Centaur, Blackout, Big Game) was a nice touch. interesting that it jumped from MM to really new Sterns without much in between (no TSPP, Nascar, RCT.) several of the pins i played had flipper problems and there obviously some lights out on older games but otherwise condition was mostly good to great. once the guy moved his ass i got in a bunch of games on GB since i had yet to play the LE or premium (i own a pro that's on location) and i'm not sure i think it's any better, especially not for the price difference. and yeah, i'm now sure that Whoa Nellie! is kind of a dog.

overall a nice experience and if i come back to Chicago i'd try to swing by again. hopefully a trip to GG will work with my schedule next weekend before i fly home on Sunday.
 
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oh, one thing i forgot to do (the bartender seemed constantly busy) was to check to see if they have t-shirts or stickers. any of you regulars know if they do?
 
I've never seen shirts for the bar, but their record store with a gaming shrine (consoles and arcade stuff) in the back has had shirts. The story behind that VEC9 is pretty interesting. Brooklyn maker-types just found an old Asteroids monitor and a real tank control and they were like, "Well, what can we make with these two things?"
 
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