Orting, WA
I grew up in Tacoma Wa , born in the 80s (85) but the 90s are where most my memories were made. Lucky me I had the coolest mom to ever live. Single mom who loved her son she took me to every arcade and bowling alley she could find. Lucky for me Tacoma is/was packed full of places with games. Hoagies corner is where I play my first arcade games (street fighter and bad dudes) but Pizza and Pipes is a place I'll never forget. It had pinball machines and plenty of them not to mention pizza and a huge organ that played music. It's hard to remember the first pins I played but I can still smell the pizza in the air and hear the sounds and remember my mom smiling as I ran back and forth for more quarters. Narrows bowling alley was another place for pinball fun. Bowling was fun but I remember always wanting to play pinball more. Or maybe a few games of golden axe or simpsons arcade. Anyways fast forward to today and my mother is long gone and I'm raising a boy of my own now. Wife and I just got the game room setup and it's time to start collecting. Just thinking about pinball brings back memories of the best years of my youth.
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2 years ago
I share some of my same memories from that place. Smell of pizza, the sight of the big pink panther and the sound of the organ playing.
I was glued to Goonies arcade, in that row with like 20 other games. I wasn't much into pinball either but always managed to play a game of either, FH or TAF while there.
I grew up in Renton with a big family, so going to Pizza and Pipes was a rare and special event reserved for birthdays. Always seemed like there was never enough quarters to go around to satisfy my hunger for arcade games.
Thanks for the story. Best of luck in setting up your game room and pin collection
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Silverballbrain
Pinside member
10y 26,650 23 1
I can relate. So I am guessing you probably got to play late eighties games to late nineties era games. The best advice is to go to some pinball conventions/tournaments/pinball barcades and try to find the ones you like. (Don't buy it unless you've played, tried it, and like it :)
If that isn't an option, search pinside for games made from 85 to 99. You may find the ones you loved playing this way. Watch a couple of them played on Youtube and rediscover your faves :)
My faves of that era are Swords of Fury, sorcerer, Dr. Dude, Bram Stroker's Dracula, Theatre of Magic, and Tales of Arabian Nights
(90's era are really expensive though. Cheaper to buy machines, usually, if they are Solid States or Electro Mechanical machines made before 85. At least if they are not broken or project machines)
Good luck!