Reunited with a Forgotten Love

Loved pinball as a kid. I grew up in the tail end of the era where every town had at least one arcade, and pinball could be found in a good number of restaurants as well. My earliest memories are associated with Back to the Future and Time Machine, which were on location in a local Italian place. I was a bit too young to understand how to play either machine strategically, but loved playing them whenever I had a chance.

Not too long thereafter, I found the first machine that really pushed me to understand pinball strategy. Surprise surprise, it was The Addams Family. My family made yearly trips to Florida for vacation, and instead of trying to soak up the sun, I spent most of the time in the game room at the hotel, which was always empty except for me, allowing to to really dive into the meat of the game. Even after all these years, stumbling across a TAF triggers an incredible wave of nostalgia.

Other machines that played a big part of my pinball history are Bride of Pinbot, Funhouse and Taxi (from the game room at the ski resort we frequented) Fish Tales and World Cup '94 (local arcade) and Theatre of Magic (local pizza place.) 

My departure for college coincided with the industry's crash, and somehow, I didn't even notice that pinball had fallen completely out of my life. For the better part of a decade, my thoughts rarely landed on pinball, which in retrospect, is kind of shocking.

But everything changed when I moved to Chicago. Suddenly, it was like I was back in the 90s: Machines all over the city, and plenty of multi-pin destinations close by. Almost instantly, I was back to my glory days as a kid.

I've since moved to Philly, where options aren't as great, but I'm always on the lookout for machines and love following discussions.

And I am now the proud owner of a TSPP and a WWFRR.