Road Trip: Charlotte, NC
Day 3: Wednesday, April 17, 2024 - Roanoke, VA, and travel to Charlotte, NC
Day's statistics:
Weather: upper 60s
Steps: Steve 9,223; Linda 7,657
Travel: 217 miles
We awoke at our normal time - 7:00. Though the pinball museum didn't open until 11:00, we still had some plans for the morning.
First, breakfast. The hotel offered a hot breakfast with eggs, sausage, breads, cereal, juices, coffee, and more. They did not, however,
offer mapkins. I went to the desk to inquire about them and the clerk looked and couldn't find any. She offered tissues in place of them.
That was OK, we weren't messy eaters - though there were two puddles of coffee on our table because the cups had no lids and when one of
us put our arms on the table, it rocked - it wasn't level - and the coffee spilled. The clerk wiped down the table for us.
The breakfast was still enjoyable and tasty.
We returned to the room, brushed, packed up, and headed out.
Our first couple of stops were relatively close to the pinball museum, so we weren't traveling far.
The first stop, Basilica of Saint Andrew, was "on the other side of the tracks" and a bit too far to walk to if we parked the car and
left it. And it was drizzling a little too. So we drove over.
Just on the other side of the tracks was this interesting sculpture.
We pulled into the first, lower lot to get this shot of a grotto with the basilica in the background.
The we drove to the next lot up.
We parked right in front, having arrived about 8:50. The basilica didn't open until 9:00, so we sat in the
car and perused our phones while we waited. A couple minutes after 9:00, we made our way inside.
After viewing the inside, we proceeded to a wing on the right.
Then we exited into a courtyard and headed to the car.
Our visit to the basilica wasn't really that long. So we went to our next stop - the library.
Buuuut the library didn't open until 10:00, and it was only about 9:30. What to do.... COFFEE!
Linda pulled up the Starbucks® app, and tried to find a Starbucks®. We drove into ... let's just say a "less favorable
area" of the city. Hmm, something wasn't right. Try again. The next attempt had us go over the tracks to the other side of...
the tracks. Then go straight a little, turn right, turn right, turn right, and lastly turn right into the parking lot. Why not
just turn right then a quick left into the parking lot? It wasn't a oneway street. We didn't have to drive around the block.
Across the street from Starbucks® was an interesting looking shop called "La De Da" on a seemingly quiet corner.
We got a coffee to share, and sat and played the Spelling Bee® on our phones and talked for a bit.
Then it was time to go back to the library. Even by our local standards, this was a small library. Though in addition to the main room,
there was a teen room, a community conference room, a black history room, DVDs and BluRays, power towers, and the main section.
Our library at home has a much bigger audio book section.
We checked it out, looked around, and in the small black history room, Linda did a little reading, and I did some more Spelling Bee.
Then it was time to head to the pinball museum.
Yes, we were at the Pinball Museum (PM) in 2022.
All the PM pictures will be here in the first block, and not split up even though our pinball playing time was split up.
We parked in the same garage we did last year - but one floor higher as the corner spot we had last time was taken.
We made our way straight to the ticket office. This time we bought a PM ticket for Linda, and I got a combo because I also wanted to visit
the Starcade (SC) - a video game museum similar to the pinball one, except it was video games instead of pinball
machines. The two tickets (Linda's and my combo) were $35. Time to go play.
We made our way to the PM first. Right at the front was this unusual looking game.
We spied this sign too.
At the back of the room was a bar (visible under the TV in the first image in the next set below) seemingly there for display rather than use -
but the bar top was made of retired pinball fields with glass on top.
The layout was a little different and some of the games were repositioned, and some were replaced or added.
Though there were about a half dozen games that required repair, we still had five dozen or so more to play anyway.
I prefer to take landscape framed pictures rather than portrait. Pro: I view most of my pictures on a laptop or a TV screen and this orientation
matches those viewports better. Con: It isn't as mobile friendly to see the larger pictures of the playfields.
Rather than take 60 individual game pictures - especially portrait, I did them in pairs landscape. Let's see how that works out...
I played them, all (eventually, except for one), almost completely in order, from beginning to end (aisle one, two, three, then across the back).
Last time we were here, we were a little overwhelmed by the spectacle. This time we were able to focus a little more.
In addition to getting shots of [mostly] pairs of machines, I was able to get close-ups of more components of the machines,
and also make some observations about comparing and contrasting various differences between them.
Technology has clearly made pinball games significantly more complex - almost too complex. Sometimes the game was telling us what to
do - an advancement in itself - but figuring out what it was talking about was the challenge, such as "hit the yellow targets". But
which ones were the yellow ones?
Taking a look at the Munsters game, the last one I played, it is clear there is a lot going on: ramps, channels, rails, and targets.
First, the main field had an imbedded mini game in it that gets gets played / triggered / launched somehow.
There was a full small monitor / video screen that displayed information and even showed videos, included a "game over" video.
On the topic of imbedded things on the main field, there was an older game "Winner" that had a row of horses that would "race"
during the course of gameplay.
Most games are played by lanuching the ball from the right corner via a pull-back plunger. "Winner", referenced again, launched the ball
from the "drain" location, even moving the launcher aim back and forth with the direction of the launch designated by an arrow (nearly
straight ahead in this image).
And speaking of launching, while most games use a pull-back-and-let-go plunger to launch the ball, "Winner", again, uses a button. The "Indiana
Jones" game used a trigger (not pictured) and so does "Lethal Weapon" (not even present at the PM).
There was one game, "Beach Queens", that actually had no flippers (pictured above, but here again). Launch the ball and hope for the best -
though that takes place in pretty much EVERY pinball game... This is the lone game that I did not play.
Speaking of flippers, most games had 2, both at or near the bottom of the playfield. Some had additional flippers, usually in pairs, elsewhere.
"The Munsters" had four - two main ones, and two in the imbedded playfield. But there were others that had them in various locations.
"Captain Fantastic" had 3 - though note that there is a gap between the two on the left big enough for the ball to drain. "Beat the Clock" had
4 flippers, also with gaps big enough to drain the ball. "Humpty Dumpty" had 6 flippers.
Still on the topic of flippers, the "gimic" of this game, "Fireball", was to move the flippers closer together in order to make draining down
the middle harder.
One feature of some games was, similar to "Fireball" above, is to make ball draining harder so as to enhance gameplay and increase scores. While
"Fireball" moved the flippers, some of them have a post below the flippers, like "Space Mission", that the ball could hit and bounce back into play,
or there is a button, "", between the flippers that would pop-up to block the space.
Typical playfield layout is, near the flippers, the outer two channels drain the ball while the inner two direct the ball to the flipper. "Pacman"
(only on the right side) and "Embryon" (only on the left side) change that paradigm.
On some machines, the backstop isn't just for scores and ball counts. In addition to the video screen seen in newer games like "The Munsters",
"The Beatles", and "Gardians of the Galaxy", some even have game play functions too.
"Apollo" had a ball launch feature.
"Bonzai Hill" had an entire mini pinball game - the ball would be picked up in the upper left corner and carried up to the backstop for play.
Another area where technology has helped is with the ball feed. One game had a plunger - but also had an auto-launch feature so that
if someone takes too long to start the game, or during mulit-ball play, the machine would launch the ball for the player.
The older machines have a window / opening where the five balls are visible, such as with "Kings & Queens" and "Beat the Clock".
"Kings & Queens" was so old that it didn't have an auto-feed, rather one has to push a separate plunger to push the ball into launch position,
then the primary / typical plunger us used to actually launch the ball.
Speaking of launch plungers (again), most games games use the type shown above in the "Kings & Queens" game. Some games still do that, but
have TWO, like "Fun House".
Then there is one version of "Eight Ball" that has an actual 8 ball for a plunger.
Another focus on technology advancements - be it for the better or worse. Some games, such as "Mandalorian" (pictured), "The Munsters", and a
couple others, had a button on the bracket at the base of the glass that would light up and need to be pressed during game play for... something.
This is yet another complexity that makes playing some of the newer games a tad more challenging.
Some games have multiple buttons on the side where the flippers are. Usually when there are multiple sets of flippers, pressing one button causes
all the flippers on that side to activate. Don't exactly remember which game these two are from, but I do know that sometimes the extra buttons
activated magnetic spots on the playfield.
Pinball is frequently a game of aim, mixed with a little luck. Most targets - both literal and figurative - are stationary though sometimes targets
drop down when they are hit until all the targets in a set / row are hit, then they reappear. "Space Mission" has a target that swings back and forth
because just hitting the target wasn't difficult enough.
The "Pacman" pinball game had a "Pacman-like" video game in the playfield. At some point, when the game is somehow triggered, one flipper is used
for selecting the direction, and the other for moving in said direction. The goal is to fill in the grid whil moving the yellow dot and avoiding
the red dot (ghost).
On the playfield of the "Beatles" game was a 45-sized [vinyl] disk that would spin.
Speaking of things that spin on the playfield, "Whirlwind" has three disks that spin.
Those disks would spin simulating a wind storm. But the game also had a fan on top of the backstop that would blow at the same time giving
the player the feeling of an actual whirlwind.
Finally, some of the props used on the playfield were cute or interesting. They didn't provide any gameplay value, just a bling effect. These
should be self-explanitory, but in case, they are "Ghost Busters" Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man, "Star Trek" Enterprise, and "Mandalorian" Grogu.
Last time, Linda took a picture of me playing. This time I returned the favor.
I believe I covered all the interesting features of the games at the PM.
Some of the games were a litle difficult to play because they were dark and so was the environment.
While playing "Apollo", I won SIX free games (which, in of itself, is a joke). Each time the game knocked, I threw up my arms and shouted
"FREE GAME!". I won three for the score, two for lit trips, and one for getting the special with the game on the backstop.
We played for a solid hour and a half. Then we took a lunch break.
We left the PM, walked down the flight to the lobby, and crossed to the door. There was a sculpture in the atrium of the lobby.
There were also fish tanks in the lobby, but I only took pictures of one because the chronicle of the last visit has them all.
And a sculpture.
The street was still rather quiet.
We were considering eating at Crescent City Barbeque like we did last time. But they went out of business. So we walked to our second
choice, Nawab Indian. They too seemed to have gone out of business (Crescent City was physically there with signage, they just had paper
on the windows whereas Nawab was nowhere to be seen). So Alejandro's Mexican Grill it was.
We were seated and given menus.
We were also given chips. But no salsa.
The chips were tasty, but dry. Then I happened to notice a customer at this cart-like thing to my right. I got up to investigate.
It turns out there was a self-serve salsa bar available - it would have been nice if the waitress mentioned it...
Linda had the taco salad, and I had the two item combination plate including a chicken enchilada and a chicken Mexican taco with beans and rice.
We finished eating and returned to the PM building.
Rather than go straight to the PM, though, we took the elevator all the way to the seventh floor and visited the rooftop garden and koi pond.
There was an overlook spot. So we overlooked. And I made this panarama.
We went down one level to look into the skylight at the atrium, and the garden and koi pond.
After fifteen minutes on the roof, we returned to the PM and played for another hour or so and then headed to our next stops.
At this point, Linda went to the History Museum that was next to the PM, and I made my way to the SC.
These are Linda's pictures from the Harrison Museum of African American Culture.
All works are by David Ramey, Jr. His drawings and stories are among the most comprehensive documentation of a black community in America
with more than 200 lviely images and 125 short narratives on view for the first time.
Untitled (Still Life With Crucifixion Painting)
Untitled ("Downtown Roanoke Today")
Untitled ("Nick's Café on Henry Street II")
Untitled ("On Henry Street II Sandwich Stand")
Untitled ("On Henry Street II Record Store")
Name not captured.
Untitled (Walking With Jesus)
Untitled ("City With a Star")
Untitled (Arriving at Sunday Service)
Untitled (Attending Sunday Service)
Untitled (Hotel Roanoke)
Untitled (Engine 611)
Untitled (Te Bridge)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch - though I guess it would be the Starcade (SC).
I enjoy video games, played them as a kid (and still do today), and visited arcades regularly.
My first game was Asteroids. Then I started walking around and played various other games like Ms. Pacman, Off Road,
Rambo (shooter game), a couple different race games (one was even in Japanese), Gauntlet, more racing, and a few others.
I didn't take pictures of every game I like did every pinball machine, but here are the three rooms of games with the last room
having a few stand-up games and at least four game consoles.
I didn't get pictures of all the games I played - hardly any - but I did get some of these two. The first I thought was going to
be the game "Gauntlet" that I used to play a LOT, but it turned out to be a 3D reboot of the version I used to play and I wasn't
that big of a fan of this rendition.
The second was another shooter, but it was similar to the Jurassic Park® game with an Uncharted® vibe to it.
Linda's museum happened to be free, but it closed at 3:00. She came all the way over to the SC to find me. She texted me at first,
but I wasn't looking at my phone. Eventaully she talked her way inside to get an earbud from me so she could listen to something on
her phone while I gamed.
I played at the SC for about two hours. Linda had to wait about an hour.
Admittedly, I like video games but I was glad that I wasn't playing them exclusively this day, and that the combo ticket was discounted.
Not that there was anything wrong with the games or anything, and again, I like them, but this immersion was not as enjoyable as the PM
was. So... back to the PM!!
In all we played about four and a half to five hours of pinball. We eventually wrapped up a but after 6:00 and headed to the garage.
In the atrium of the Center, we saw that interesting looking pinball machine. We would have had to put quarters in to play and after having
just played all those games "for free", we weren't about to do that.
We made our way to the garage, next door.
We got in the car and drove to the exit level. Because I forgot to take the ticket with us, we had to pay before we left so I pulled into
a corner and walked over to the kiosk. While I paid, Linda saw this mural in the corner.
We left Roanoke and headed to our next city: Charlotte, NC.
On the way, another state line.
And some other sights, including a valley, and a sunset.
Almost two more hours later, we were at our hotel - the Sonesta. We grabbed our luggage, and checked-in.
Before heading to our room, I checked-in to Mind Games (MG). I got my packet, and we headed to the room up on the 17th floor.
I reviewed my game list, in preparation for MG. I wanted to see if I had any expectedly long games to play. I did - so I would want
to make sure I took care of those as early as possible.
Gameplay wasn't scheduled to start until 4:00 the next afternoon, so there were no actions I could take.
We relaxed a bit, washed up, and went to bed.