My Old Arcade Hang Outs! FAIL.

nesjess

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Reading the thread about someone finding his old arcade is still open made me think about my old spots and now I feel bummed (Thanks buddy :)). I can only reminisce about the past and the places I used to hang out. I wish I was camera happy as a kid as I have little to no photos of these places.

Here were my favorite childhood spots with a few pictures and news articles about their closing:

Fudge Alley - Rheem Shopping Center, Moraga, CA - The owner retired in 2009 at the age of 80 and couldn't find anyone to take over (stinkin' economy). I just found out the space was sold and is going to be a Mediterranean restaurant opening in Fall. I'm guessing they renovated the whole place. I'll have to check it out one of these days. News Article (right column).

Pictures of the front of the shop and the last games that were in there (Neo Geo 4-Slot, SFIII, Crazi Taxi). This was the place of many firsts for me. My first time playing: Double Dragon, SFII, Rastan, Championship Sprint, Taxi Pinball, Neo Geo, D&D, Golden Axe (1 & RODA), etc. Also, a picture of the booths and walls signed by thousands of people over the years. So many memories.:

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Rheem Valley Bowl - Moraga, CA - Demolished in the late 90s. Had about 3-4 walls lined with arcade games if I remember correctly. The land is now occupied by storage spaces I think. News article.

Picture just before it go torn down:

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Aladdin's Castle - Sun Valley Mall, Concord, CA - Closed in the mid-90s and is now occupied by food places.

Dome Theater - Concord, CA - The adjacent arcade closed in the mid-90s and I believe it is now a Bally Total Fitness. The theater is still open however.
 
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I'd be a little weary of a place called "fudge alley" in a place that sounds like ream center

on a serious note, I wish I had some of these old arcade spots to show off. Only place I really went was Funland in Long Beach, and it's still around.
 
Thanks fellas for making gay jokes about my childhood memory. Haha.

I added another picture of the seating area that shows a little more of the inside. I wish I had more shots. On the right side of that picture, there are cases full of candy, chocolates and treats. He had a jukebox next to the front door. I always got a milk shake (made with Dreyers) every time I went to visit and he'd give you the leftovers in the actual mixing cup.

He also had a scale in the front where he would charge bulk candy by the weight. I could get a small bag of watermelon sours for $1. Also, large jaw breakers (almost the size of a baseball) were like $1.50. Man, I miss that place.

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I know most probably don't care or could care less, but I actually got in contact with the reporter who did the article on Fudge Alley closing. She said she would get in contact with the current leaser of the property (who is turning it into a restaurant) to possibly get me connected to see if I can salvage anything that may have been left behind. It would be sweet if I could grab a booth, wall art, etc. I really hope he didn't end up dumping everything for renovation. Fingers crossed for getting keepsakes. :)
 
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I know most probably don't care or could care less, but I actually got in contact with the reporter who did the article on Fudge Alley closing. She said she would get in contact with the current leaser of the property (who is turning it into a restaurant) to possibly get me connected to see if I can salvage anything that may have been left behind. It would be sweet if I could grab a booth, wall art, etc. I really hope he didn't end up dumping everything for renovation. Fingers crossed for getting keepsakes. :)

That is awesome. And I apologize for my 'jounrey back in time'! LOL..... I also have no photos from way back when at all these places....funny....as now you don't seem to leave your house without a device that in some way can take a pictures or a movie.

Now go grab a booth......how cool would that be???

Alan
 
Aladdin's Castle - Sun Valley Mall, Concord, CA - Closed in the mid-90s and is now occupied by food places.

Dome Theater - Concord, CA - The adjacent arcade closed in the mid-90s and I believe it is now a Bally Total Fitness. The theater is still open however.

We had similar spots. :) Dunno if you saw my post in that thread. Although...I never heard of the Fudge place. Pleasant Hill Bowl suffered the same fate as Rheem Bowl (except PH Bowl has been long demolished and turned into a Borders and Century Movie Theater). The Dome's Starcade is between the theater and Bally Total Fitness...but it's now shitty storage. I dunno for which business. I'm guessing the theaters.
 
We had similar spots. :) Dunno if you saw my post in that thread. Although...I never heard of the Fudge place. Pleasant Hill Bowl suffered the same fate as Rheem Bowl (except PH Bowl has been long demolished and turned into a Borders and Century Movie Theater). The Dome's Starcade is between the theater and Bally Total Fitness...but it's now shitty storage. I dunno for which business. I'm guessing the theaters.

Yeah, I totally remember the PH Bowl. So sad. I also remember the Dome Theater arcade was called Starcade. I didn't know it was in between the gym and the theater. For some reason, I thought that whole thing was the arcade. It's been like 20 years, so my memory could just be off. That's what makes me sad is that I have no record or clear memory of some of these places. All gone.
 
Yeah, I totally remember the PH Bowl. So sad. I also remember the Dome Theater arcade was called Starcade. I didn't know it was in between the gym and the theater. For some reason, I thought that whole thing was the arcade. It's been like 20 years, so my memory could just be off. That's what makes me sad is that I have no record or clear memory of some of these places. All gone.

You might be thinking of Playland, which was the arcade for the movie theater down by where Target is (the theater is now a Lamps Plus...the arcade turned into a toddler's furniture store). Playland had a pretty big foot print compared to Starcade. It also survived long after the theater went away.

All gone though. Q-Zar is the only "old" place left in Concord...old as in, wasn't built in the 2K's. :p
 
You might be thinking of Playland, which was the arcade for the movie theater down by where Target is (the theater is now a Lamps Plus...the arcade turned into a toddler's furniture store). Playland had a pretty big foot print compared to Starcade. It also survived long after the theater went away.

All gone though. Q-Zar is the only "old" place left in Concord...old as in, wasn't built in the 2K's. :p

Oh, I totally forgot about Playland. It was near that Chinese restaurant on the corner (not sure if that's still there). Man, I dropped many a quarters there as well. We should stop reminiscing. It's depressing. Haha.
 
I know most probably don't care or could care less, but I actually got in contact with the reporter who did the article on Fudge Alley closing. She said she would get in contact with the current leaser of the property (who is turning it into a restaurant) to possibly get me connected to see if I can salvage anything that may have been left behind. It would be sweet if I could grab a booth, wall art, etc. I really hope he didn't end up dumping everything for renovation. Fingers crossed for getting keepsakes. :)

That would be so awesome. Just imagine going in there and finding some old games or something, and they say "you can take whatever you want, I just want it empty"

keep us posted, for sure.
 
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