Your Old Arcade Hang Out - OMG!!!

Alan173

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Somebody recently put up a thread on...."Your Old Arcade Hangout And What Is It Now?" and it was an interesting read about all of the long lost arcades where we spent our youth and what happened to them. Great memories for sure.

If you could jump in a time machine...how hilarious/interesting would it be to see the exact same arcade and see how close your memory was to what you actually remembered? Did you really remember the machines and how the walls were painted.....what kind of change machine was there....how were the games lined up....on and on.

While at lunch this past Tuesday I happened to be driving past an old hang-out where my many baseball teams used to hit the batting cages (now long gone).....where my golf coach would line up the practice balls to be struck on the range......where there were go-carts....a disco.....a putt-putt.....etc.....and of course...a GIANT arcade! In the 70's and early 80's much of my youth was spent there and a few other local arcades. For you locals....Butterfly Suite (The Butterfly is what I always called it).....VanDyke Sports Center....Golf & Games.....were all the same place as it evolved over the years. The entire complex (if you can call it that) has seen some better days and now almost looks a little rough around the edges...but back in the day...this one one of the places to be during the day for us youngsters. There was always a line up of the top EM pinballs and the latest video games as they came out. A drive-in was located next door....well....you get the idea....cool stuff for any kid growing up.

O.k....blah blah blah....I could tell 10 pages of stories but here is the most important part for you folks. Nearly 30 years later.....many of the exact games I played.....the exact change machines I fed dollars into....the exact stools I sat on.....the same paint on the walls....geeeeeesh.......it even smelled the same....IT WAS ALL STILL THERE! I have not walked into this arcade in over 25 years and it is hard to explain the feeling. I WAS FLOORED at what I saw! Anyways....'pics or it didn't happen'.....so here they are. I only had my crappy cell phone handy...and the blurry/low lighting is exactly how this 'well worn' arcade looks in person. The disco now has 'newer' games in it...the old arcade has a few newer ones as well....but WOW....what a strange site it was....
 

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I swear...the buttons on the Ms. Pac-Man machines (there were 3 of them!) appeared to be rounded off! How many clicks could possibly be on that coin meter in 2010? Look at the side art wear...simply unbelievable!...
 

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Here is the line up of pinballs...a pretty darn amazing list of titles. I guess keeping up with the pinballs must still be a priority with the owner....I spy an Ironman....
 

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Here are some more random shots. Too bad I missed a shot where the stripes on the wall turned into 'FUN & GAMES' in the typical 1970's script.....WOW......was that awesome. All I could think was somebody needs to duplicate that in their home arcade!
 

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There was only one single patron in the entire arcade when I arrived (around noon)....sitting in the former disco at the infamous 'sunken bar'. If you look close...you can see the lights in the floor where the disco would light up.....the mirrors still everywhere.....and the golden butterfly wallpaper still up. As a youngster....I was only allowed to peek in and was scared to death of the older crowd that hung out here in the 70's! LOL....
 

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Oh that poor Burgertime. And that poor Milli. And what's the gun game conversion of MK2? MK3? of? Neat story, neat pictures, the owner must be a major pinball nut, that's a great lineup. I nominate the Tetris marquee for most craptacular of 2010, anyone second the motion?
 
Some more random shots. Oh those old Rowe change machines...those workhorses are still runn'in. I swear...if you looked close enough...some of the games had grown roots into the floor....;)
 

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Now I expect you guys to not let me down and have this thread rocket down 40 pages in about 5 minutes. I need something to do tomorrow at work....so please keep me entertained!

Crazy to see the same Pepsi and commercial signs still hung up. The Putt-Putt was still there...the snack bar was identical....the pool hall looked EXACTLY as I remember it (from peeking in of course - LOL)...

Funny enough...the go carts still look operational....along with the original signs I read when I was about 10 years old. It also looks like the one sign has not been cleaned since hung up in 1974! ;)
 

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A few more random shots. I hope you guys enjoyed my 'journey back in time'!
 

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cool. Must have been a trip, for sure.

Always seeing the "what are your arcades now?" type threads is neat... but when it's "my old arcade is the same" is very cool
 
I hope you guys enjoyed my 'journey back in time'!

I'm extremely jealous.

I moved around a lot as a kid, and I decided a couple of years back that a cross-country drive for a friend's wedding would be a great excuse to see if any of my old haunts were still around. I found a store that sells oversized baseball hats, a dive bar named after a Bob Seger song, a store that only sells expensive tea, and a tanning booth wholesaler. You really hit the jackpot.

That Ms. Pac Man is a thing of beauty, it's got that "worn down guitar" look. Probably still plays about perfect, too.
 
You are so lucky that your old hangout from "back in the day" is still there. Most of us dont have that luxury.

as i type the old mall i hung out as a kid is bieng demolished or partially demolished
 
A W E S O M E. What a find, That would bring tears to my eyes if it was me. None of my old haunts still exist.

Dreamland Roller Rink- Torn Down
Skill Mill Arcade - Now a Pawn Shop
Long Prairie Arcade - Now a furniture store
RJ's - Now a cafe
Noah's Ark - Burned Down
Outer Limits - Now Mall Bathrooms
Melrose Arcade - went under in 1983, now a store room behind the gas station
Cinema 76 - Torn Down
Cinema 1-2-3 - Torn Down
 
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