There were so many unexpected pleasures, I want to focus on those first:
1. The inflatable couches were really nice.
2. The games were top-notch, and when there was a problem it was dealt with immediately.
3. There was a huge row of great back-up pins, for when the fix would take a while.
4. The bands were absolutely amazing. Universal Beat Sounds was the first to lure me to the stage with their wicked tunes. Then I saw Bit Brigade and Caress of Steel City (Rush cover band). I got my $100 worth just from watching those 3 bands.
5. There were far more women participating than I expected, and I thought that was great
6. People mostly honored Bowen's request to "be excellent to each other".
7. Pittsburgh people are really nice to drunks stumbling around their city at 3am. But that's probably a post for the OT forum.
8. There are some great bars and restaurants just a block away. I love Ten Penny and Tonic.
9. Death Save Disciples are really fun to drink with.
Things I'll do differently next time:
1. Bring a premium comfort mat, cut in 2 for easy transport
2. Don't start drinking gin and tonic, just because the bar is named Tonic.
3. Bring a sweatshirt, just in case. Balancing A/C against 700 pins is a dark art.
4. Take a picture of each round's result sheet. An error was made on my last round, but it didn't really matter (I was still 3 wins short of qualifying).
5. Understand that a bank, a group, a set and a star cluster all refer to the same thing: a bank of 4 games.
