It's not celebrated. The mob is absolutely responsible for so many "bars & drinking establishments" for having amusement devices in the Chicagoland area in the 70's. How am I celebrating that? I am just speaking the truth. It can and should be talked about. We all need to quit burying our heads in the sand on how things really were and trying to change history.

My Dad, I do celebrate him, he is the "hero" of this story, no matter how you wish to look at it. The 70's were a different day and age than it is now. It's because of my Dad that I have a love for pinball and that's how it affected me.

I am certainly not condemning any of the operators or bar owners or any of their families, but back then they all KNEW what they were getting into. Doesn't mean it's right, but that IS the way it was. I condemn the Mob and the crooked Chicago, Cook Co, and State officials and police that all turned an eye in the name of payoffs.

that was the same in Boston too.......amazing back then how you could make money on quarters,today people don't even bend down to pick one up off the sidewalk

In the 70's, a quarter still had much value.

Shit man, y'all rich. I'll still pick up a nickel. Penny if the floor is clean.

I'll admit to throwing pennies out.

I'm just not digging one out of the dustpan after I sweep.

I think that's good they were told to stop running, that's the rules. Kids are often unaware of things until they are told otherwise, that's how they learn. It's the kids that are never told how to act properly by their parents or others that leads to more bad behavior down the road. Heck, maybe that's why I saw an adult side kick a game at a pinball show out of anger as they were never told as a kid to respect others property.

Anything but a quarter is going right into the give a penny take a penny tray.

Visited a casino in Reno with friends in my 20s but had zero interest in gambling. Its arcade was awesome. The pinball machines coughed up free credits like nobody’s business. Almost as if they wanted the kids to leave gambling parents alone for hours at a time.

In a field full of scattered pennies, suppose it takes 5 seconds to find and pick up each one. You can then collect that free money at the rate of $7.20 an hour, less than the federal minimum wage!

Tax-free, at least, unless you voluntarily report it, like you are supposed to...

Yes, found money is taxable income.

You'd be amazed at how much nickels took in after WW2 into the early 1950's. The gambling pin days.

LTG : )

Baller.

Kids Quest is a good option for parents. My wife and I go to Soaring Eagle Casino here in Michigan for a 2 day trip about once a month. I remember you mentioning a while back that you are from Michigan or lived here, not sure if have been up to the casino in Mt. Pleasant. They have a Kids Quest there and our friends with a baby like it for a quick 2-3 hour daycare. That baby has been to Soaring Eagle 6 times this year, more then me lol. I'm sure my wife and I may do something similar for a quick getaway every once and a while once our baby get here. As for a Vegas trip yeah we may need to bring Grandma or see if Grandma will take her for a few days lol.

Having dinner at a bar a while ago, playing a couple pins, mom drops some quarters in the pool table and leaves. The kids proceed to scream and yell, slam the balls around and when they're all gone, use the table as a jungle gym. Mom eventually comes back and stares at her phone while kids continue.....

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What is happening today in those areas is worse than when the Mob was in power.

Speaking of throwing Pennies, my buddy that I used to go to many concerts with always made sure he had a dozen or so in his pocket.
Once the music started if some drunk wouldn’t stop screaming song titles the band couldn’t hear or acted in an annoying way he would toss one and hit them in the back of the head.
They normally got pissed and left or stopped being obnoxious.
He is huge 6’-6” tall maybe 250 lbs and would just keep dancing and enjoying the music when they turned around all angry. I would struggle to not burst out laughing.

Hell, I'll even pick up the grimy pennies

...........and proves that she has zero mothering skills which is why Tim Arnold runs his place the way he does.

A friend of mine told me that I should not reproduce, Best advise I ever took.

Too bad he didn't take his own advise

Children are a full time job.

If you are going to constantly pawn them off on daycare, baby sitters and family members, don’t bother.

If you don’t make a decent living, don’t bother.

If you are an unhappy person, don’t bother.

If you are selfish, don’t bother.

I'll just note that my friend was not given an option to be hosed off with fabreeze, he was uncerimoniously poked in the chest, informed he reeked of pot, and asked to leave!!!

But this was at the old location. perhaps the fabreeze option was implemented since then

(hey not a big deal, like I said. My bud laughed it off and came back later. But I think he would have preferred the FaBreeze option! We both love Tim and gaze upon him as if he were a God.)

If cigarettes, beer and scratch off lottery tickets are more important than diapers, don't bother

Yet to see Febreze spelled correctly...

Come on, with all the money they spend on advertising, you consumers should try harder when citing name brands!

This doesn't bother me, though, anything like the spelling of "Unstopables" which under the rules of English ought to be pronounced "un-stope-ables."

I like febreze, but what I really love is fabuloso. If they made snow cones of that, I might just eat them!

I grab all money on the ground, including the $40.00 found on the floor at a recent casino visit....

Seems like a big deal since you keep bringing it up...

Yep, used to live in SE Michigan. We used Soaring Eagle's Kids Quest many times.
Four Winds opened with a Kids Quest and Cyber Quest Arcade as well. It did not reopen after covid though. We liked Four Winds over Soaring Eagle.

In Tim’s defense pot today is a lot different than what many of us grew up around in the 70’s and 80’s. Some of it smells so strong it’s like whoever smoked it got sprayed by a skunk!

Febreze to the rescue!

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Lol Jesus

I just think it’s funny. Like really funny. And it’s even funnier now that I hear about the new FeBreeze policy.

You’ll never see me slamming Tim or taking sides against him. It’s his place, everybody knows about it, and he’ll never change.

Also a very generous guy. Back in the old days he’d drive into town, pick up people and take them to the hangar to check out the collection.

Man I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. The current stuff is flat rancid.

I agree it’s hilarious !
Sir you Smell Offensive!
Either let us spray you with febreeze or LEAVE NOW!
If he stays and lets them spray him,he probably still reeks of weed but now it’s just slightly masked by the febreze.

Reminds me of the Police Station scene in Trading Places.

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True skunk smelling weed seems to be extinct since the late 90s, but I still frequently hear it referred to as being skunky. Maybe it is just my noise.

Not having a roach/bag/bowl in your pocket, don't hotbox a car, a breathmint, and wash your hands afterwards takes care of most of it.

Yes, it’s America and he has that right. Doesn’t mean he’s exempt from being called out for being a grumpy old man. (I’m being polite)

My neighbor's is fairly skunky. I just wished he smoked it in his backyard and not on the side of the house right next to mine when I've got the windows open on a cool night.

I received a picture this morning from my brother with his family outside of the PHOF. My first thought was I should reply "be careful inside, they don't like kids" but I didn't want to be negative and just said "Have a great time, be sure to play pinball circus!"

An hour later I get a text from him saying "We were kicked out by the headlamp guy!"

I just have to wonder how fucked up Tim's childhood was to make him have such a hate boner for kiddos. Perhaps some mushrooms would chill him out.

And I'm sure they did nothing wrong.

You might have mentioned read the rules and behave.

LTG : )

100% I see my daughter and her friends and I am shocked at how considerate they are. I tell my daughter and her friends stories from when I was in school and they are shocked. These kids actually try in school, they stand up to bullies, the volunteer for mission trips.

So they may run in the PHOF when they forget the rules. My generation would have been sticking gum in all of the coin doors and trying to carve out names into the sides.

Kids today are 100x better behaved than we were back in the ‘80’s.

Some of you might have great kids, and I'm sure they really are wonderful, but we're talking about hundreds of the general public per day coming and going through a giant arcade.

At minimum, 50% of parents are terrible at parenting. Just watch their awareness, that's if they aren't on their phones. They have no sense of understanding that others might be offended by their kids' behavior. 10% of parents are absolute shit parents, completely clueless of their own reality, making it literally impossible for them to offer any sort of guidance.

Then there's Tim's unique position. He doesn't have to kiss ass because he doesn't need to rely on repeat business. That's what makes these parents so baffled and angry: the customer isn't always right? WTF?

Knowing the public, particularly the tourist industry public, I'd be worse than Tim. He deserves a medal for not strangling the occasional parent and/or Kid. I'd kick a kid in the throat. They'd lock me up in the Las Vegas clink. What a relief!

My dad always took me along when he went to the bar on rainy days . I would just about always drive him home as he didnt really want to bug mom for a ride . They had a Klondike pinball machine and pool table shuffleboard free pop and candy i really didnt mind . I turned out allright no matter what my teachers used to say about me . Smartest kid in my class to

It is truly great to hear that some of you guys have awesome respectful kids. I have met plenty too.

But if I did what these girls did I would have learned real quick not to do it again. I would have got a slap on the butt, probably would have gone home and pick my own switch, and then would have been grounded. It taught me morals, respect and values. My parents didn't beat me. I deserved it and believe that I learned a lot from it.

In the kids defense they might be looking for attention from a mom that is more interested in her phone than them.

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well he's just like Steve Young at PBR .....you don't like the way I do thing's.... then GFY...........nuff said not that he would tell you that

and they are both pinball treasures, I love the way they do business.

Even English class? Wow!

Im terrible at english but when you go to a 1 room country school house and are the only kid in the class its easy to be the smartest

Oof just catching up on this thread.

-"HOF had mean staff"
-"staff is great, your shitty kids are the problem"
-"kids are bad bc their millenial parents gave them tablets in Italian restaurants"
-"yeah, I miss the days when you could solve all your issues with a quick slap to the back of their heads"
-"my dad beat me senseless with a belt and I turned out great, yelling at strangers on the internet bc children yell sometimes"
"I LOVE KIDS"

Pinside!

There's no comparison.
Steve would never get seriously angry at anyone who doesn't like the way he does things. He's a class act, and a gentleman.

Technically, the dumbest too.

yes he is and your his friend .....BUT I'm just a phone call, not someone abusing his store or property........from my calls to him he's a wealth of knowledge and fun to talk to, but if he had a public store where people could go in and touch his stuff, I really think it would be a different story........think he would flip too,again that's just me.......