Yeah it's funny. There are tons of hotels within 15-20 minutes of Allentown. No shortage if you hate some of the closer ones for some reason. Basically you get what you pay for. I don't live in Allentown anymore (moved to Illinois a few months ago) but I find myself now back in Allentown for the next four months on a project. I'm staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Bethlehem. It's about 20 minutes from Allentown. No big deal of a drive. Easton is only a couple miles farther. There are also a couple hotels near the ABE airport that are closer.

I'm trying to extend my stay in Allentown so I can attend Pinfest this year. Last year was pretty-good. I won't be able to bring any machines this year but I may be able to bring some of my parts if anyone needs any.

I make two sizes. One is for 1/8" thick backglasses and the other is for 3/16" thick backglasses. They are both 28.5" long but I can cut them to shorter lengths at no additional charge to fit other machines. You would have to measure the thickness and length of your backglass. I sell quite a few custom-cut lengths to guys with early EMs and other non SS bally/Stern/Williams pins which mostly used 28.5".

You have to take all the bad hotel "reviews" with a grain of salt. I do believe people on here when they say their reservations got screwed-up and other gripes and bitches about the Comfort Suites and other hotels but stuff like that happens in this world whenever there are human beings involved in the process. People screw-up. But I've stayed at the Comfort Suites probably more often than anyone on here and wouldn't hesitate staying there again. I actually lived there for 4-5 months in 2016 while working as a consultant before I moved to Allentown and never had any problems what-so-ever.

One the other hand, I've stayed at the much more expensive Hilton Hotels before and had bad experiences with screwed-up reservations and other BS. Doesn't mean I automatically avoid them for life just because some nimrod screwed the pooch.

I'm sure you could find any hotel in the world where someone had a bad experience or felt they were somehow wronged but if every customer had the same experience they wouldn't be in business long. I always like the Comfort Suites because of the on-site bar/restaurant. I could have stayed just about anywhere including the more expensive Holiday Inn Express next door but usually stayed at Comfort Suites. It's nothing fancy but if you notice no one I've ever seen has said there were cockroaches in their rooms or anything like that.

Everyone likes one hotel or another for various reasons. My colleagues I'm traveling with now like the Holiday Inn Express in Easton while I prefer the Courtyard by Marriott here in Bethlehem. They are both about the same as far as the rooms go and the price too. The Ramada in Whitehall has a bar and comedy club and it's cheap but the beds aren't the most-comfortable.

The bottom line is you usually get what you pay for and yes.... people do screw-up occasionally but it's usually not the norm. I'd be willing to bet that the Comfort Suites will be sold-out during Pinfest. They are sold-out a lot in the summer too because of their location right across the street from Dorney Park.

Once again I will be accepting orders for my parts to be hand delivered at the show for no shipping charges. Time to save some serious $ if you plan to buy some of this stuff for the upcoming year.

So if you need any parts delivered to the show you have until April 29th to let me know.

I'll probably do a separate ad this coming weekend as a final reminder.

Here's my parts flyer and contact info:

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That's a shame because there were several machines in the freeplay area that had no business being there. Machines that weren't even 50% functional and some that were 0% functional (as-in not even turned on). I didn't bring any machines for freeplay this year because I don't live in Allentown anymore but I did last year and made my best effort to make sure the machines functioned and were going to survive two days of play.

I understand that things happen and machines can break but there were some turkeys in the freeplay area that were turds from the second their owners placed them there. More of a project machine for sale than anything a paying attendee would get any amount enjoyment from playing in the "freeplay" area. These type of machines should have been moved out back to the flea market area to make room for people who actually wanted to support the show and brought working machines but were turned away .

That's the way to do it. Especially as the show grows to the point where they are turning games away. Anyone bringing a pin to the show for the freeplay area (in order to gain free admission) in addition to agreeing to leave it there or pay a penalty has to pass "tech" to ensure that it at least functions.

There are quite a few people who do actually support the show though. They bring decent games and take some pride in the fact that they are playable. Those are the people who are an asset to the hobby. A lot more than someone who brings a non-functioning machine to sell in the freeplay area and get in without paying admission. They aren't supporting the show. They are taking advantage of it.

I paid admission for both days. It was well-worth the price. I wish I would have ordered a T-shirt in advance this year though. They were all out of my size by the time I got there on Friday.

There are always a few selfish deadbeats that have to ruin it for everyone else. Some people simply have no ethics or really give a damn about the show. It's all about them. It's a shame.

As I mentioned earlier, sometimes there are issues after the fact and that is understandable. Last year I brought two games to Pinfest. One was awarded the "Grand Champion" ribbon. Both machines were solid and performed 100% throughout both days of the show and got a lot of play. I sold them both at the end of the show.

I always bring a small toolbox with me when I bring machines. Stuff like spare bulbs, a voltmeter, and the basic hand tools needed in case something fails. Plus a wrench to remove and install the legs. I bring my pinball cart too (which I usually end-up loaning to others bringing pins in and out).

There are usually plenty of people there with tools that will loan them to you if you need them.

Oh yes. Harrisburg had an awesome circuit. Far bigger and better than York or Carlisle although we used to go to those two occasionally too. Sometimes we'd go to grudge night at South Mountain Dragway to find out who's car was really faster.

When us Mechanicsburg boys weren't hanging out at and arcade or bowling alley playing pinball we used to go over to Harrisburg just about every Friday - Saturday night in our muscle cars and hot rods back in the 70s - early 80s. Down Front Street and back up 2nd Street for several blocks. A scene right out of the movie "American Graffiti". Most weekends it was wall to wall rods all looking for action. I had a '70 Chevelle SS396 4-speed. Bad to the bone.

We used to look for challengers to race for money and then drag race them on the Harvey Taylor bridge crossing the river over to the West Shore. At the end the exit ramp was one lane and everyone would stop so the loser would have to pay up. The Harvey Taylor Bridge is over 1/2 mile long and the Harrisburg cops rarely went on it. I can't remember the Camp Hill cops ever waiting on the other side either.

Looking back it was pretty insane really but All-American fun at it's finest. The first thing the city did in the early 80s to curb the massive cruising was to limit the number of times you could go around the circuit. Then they shut it down altogether around 1985-86.

The only other city left in PA that really had a decent circuit after that was Williamsport. It was awesome too and in many ways even better than Harrisburg. Similar set-up with the Susquehanna River on one side and the circuit on the other side. Down 4th Street from the Market Street Bridge and back around 3rd Street at Walnut Street. But a few years after Harrisburg was shut down they did the same to Williamsport which really sucked because the kids (and young at heart) didn't have anything to do after that other than get into trouble. Crime started to rise. Gangs, drugs, gun violence was on the rise so the city of Williamsport tried to relax their anti-cruising laws in the late 90s. I guess they figured it was better to hand out some tickets for chirping the tires than call the paramedics for the latest heroin overdose or homicide.

It's kind of dead nowadays but they have a big car show at the Burger King down by Pennsylvania College of Technology every weekend in the summer that usually wraps up with some of the rods making a lap of two around the old traditional Billtown circuit.

I'm surprised we never ran into each other. I lived about a mile away from Williams Grove Speedway and went to Cumberland Valley High School. I bought a 1964 Nova SS 4-speed in 1983 from a guy in Marysville and still own it today 35 years later. I put a 377 small block in it back in the 80s and is a full-blown pro street car now. Had it tubbed with a narrowed 9" rear by Ron Showers at Auto Weld Chassis in Danville back in 1994. I also own a 1965 Nova SS restored show car that is the "Johnny Lightning Muscle Cars USA Series" car from 1998 pictured on the packaging of the toy car.

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