Imagine Being Able To Be Magically Whisked Away To...

When I was a kid, I used to make a lists of just about everything.  One of those lists was the states that I have visited.  This list started when I was eight years old and I went to Hawaii with my mother and my maternal grandparents (the Hawaiian side of my family).  At the time, the list consisted of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois (we had a layover in Chicago) and Hawaii.  Two years later, I took a road trip with that same set of grandparents and Uncle Kuuipo to visit Uncle Sumo and his family in Provo.  This meant that I more than doubled my list, adding Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah to the list.  In the years that followed, I visited many other states for various reasons, but I never thought I'd ever have a reason to go to Delaware.  However, the quickest route from the Timeline Arcade to Citizens Bank Park takes you through Maryland and Delaware before looping you back up to Philly, so it was off to the first state of the Union I went.

Hi.  I'm in... Delaware.

I haven't thought about that list that I used to keep as a kid in a long time, but if I ever find it, I'll have to go ahead and add Delaware.  I was only here for about a half hour or so, and the only parts of it that I saw were the road and the rest stop, but what the hell... it counts.

Here's the rest stop.  Thrilling, isn't it?  Apparently, the state of Delaware doesn't charge sales tax, so a Pennsylvania boy like me can save 6% on any of the snazzy merchandise available for sale here at the Delaware House Travel Plaza.

 

Somehow I managed to resist the urge to search for a Welcome To Delaware sweatshirt, but I couldn't leave without some sort of souvenir.  Fifty-one cents and a few crank turns later, I am the proud owner of this genuine, handy dandy, deluxe, heavy-duty squished penny with a picture of a lighthouse on it.  Deleware... I'll never forget you.

Yars Truly

Howard Scott Warshaw
Timeline Arcade - Hanover, PA
Today, I had the opportunity to meet Howard Scott Warshaw at the Timeline Arcade.  Mr. Warshaw worked for Atari in the early 80's.  He designed and programmed Yars' Revenge, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and E.T. for the Atari 2600.  I had each of these games when I was a kid and enjoyed all of them very much... yes, even E.T.

In the years since his time at Atari, Mr. Warshaw went back to school and became a licensed psychotherapist.  I asked him about this, and he said that his career path was inspired by the need to provide therapy for gamers still suffering from E.T. falling into the pit.  He was a genuinely cool dude, and I'm glad to have had the chance to meet him.

Mr. Warshaw was signing autographs, so I asked if he would sign my Yars' Revenge record.  This album was released in 1982 by Kids Stuff Records and it plays a few songs and a story based on the one from the instruction manual from the Atari game.  You can listen to the record on YouTube.  He wrote "Yars Truly" above his signature on the album cover.

Texas Hot Weiners

Texas Hot Weiner Lunch
Carlisle St - Hanover, PA

I love finding small diners like this.  There's just something about them that I find very peaceful and relaxing.  It's always been a dream of mine to own a diner in a small town.  Nothing fancy; just a little place to call my own where folks can come for good food at a fair price, and that makes enough of a profit to cover my bills.  If given the choice, I would take that life over the life of a millionaire businessman any day of the week.

This diner reminds me a bit of Jimmy's Quick Lunch in Hazleton.  Like Jimmy's, you can have your lunch at the counter, or you could sit in one of the booths.  Also like Jimmy's, the specialty here is chili dogs, which they refer to as a "Texas Weiner".  Growing up in Hazleton, my family always called them Coney Island Hot Dogs, and we kept calling them that years after the Coney Island restaurant closed.

 

There are old signs hanging on the wall that show the prices of food and drinks from the past.  I'm not sure how many tourists come through Hanover, but I'll bet the wait staff could tell you just based on the number of jokers who cry "false advertising" when they can't order a bottle of Rolling Rock for 15 cents.

They sure don't skimp on the chopped onions here.  I'll always prefer Jimmy's to any other hot dog on the planet, but the food here was very tasty and reasonably priced.  I'll definitely make it a point to stop here when I'm in town.

Bob Ross Paints The Sky

The clouds above Turkey Hill in Hazleton are smiling.

Hashtag Chocolate

Hashtag Chocolate
Great Value Ice Cream
Wal-Mart Executive: "What the hell is a hash tag?"
Ice Cream Marketing Team: "I hear my grandson saying it all the time.  It means that it's really cool."
Wal-Mart Executive: "Think we could make this work for Great Value Corn Beef Hash?"

Actually, it does look like a pretty decent flavor, even with the baby boomer name.

Restroom Requests

Sunoco gas station bathroom
Route 93 - Hazleton, PA

Global Spirit At The Garden

Depeche Mode
Global Spirit Tour - New York, NY
I can't begin to explain how happy I am to have gotten to see one of my favorite bands of all time, let alone from what was, for all intents and purposes, a private box seat at Madison Square Garden.  It wasn't actually a private box or anything like that, but the section our seats were in was kind of isolated down a small staircase with a couple rows that were separated from the larger seating areas around us.

The show was incredible, with a mix of classic hits from their 37 year history and new songs from the Spirit album that was released this past March.  They also performed a cover of David Bowie's Heroes in tribute to the lives lost on 9-11 sixteen years ago.

I have work today and it's about a three hour drive home from the city, so we skipped the after party.  

Here is the setlist from the show:

Gas Station Mullet Prevention

Sunoco
Rt. 93 - Hazleton, PA
Cute sign, but I'm not going to start tipping gas station cashiers.

A Puzzling Billboard

We drove past this billboard on the way to the Timeline Arcade yesterday.  At first glance, it looked like an advertisement for an Exxon gas station.  I figured that it probably closed years ago and the billboard was rented out by other companies who put a vinyl sign or something on top of the original sign.  There's no paying client for this ad space at the moment, so rather than paint over the sign, whoever owns it decided to rearrange the wooden beams to obscure the message until someone else rents the sign and covers it up.

It piqued my interest, so I thought I'd try to put it back together like a puzzle to see what it originally said.

As it turns out, the billboard is for the Mountain Gate Family Restaurant, which is either 33 or 38 minutes ahead in Thurmont, MD.  It was open 24 hours a day, has parking for buses and trucks, and is adjacent to an Exxon station.

Based on the age and condition of the sign, I had assumed that the place must have closed years ago, but that's not the case.  They're still going strong, and are active on both Facebook and Twitter.

The restaurant is located on 133 Frederick Road in Thurmont, MD.  According to their website, the restaurant has been owned and operated by the McCleaf family for over 30 years, and is renowned for their delicious homemade cooking, fresh baked goods, catering, and unique gift shop.  All of this sounds right up my alley.  If I'm ever in Maryland, I'll have to check 'em out.

Back To The Timeline Arcade

Timeline Arcade
Hanover, PA
Three months ago, I discovered this wonderful arcade for the first time and I had to come back.  If it was closer to my hometown, I think I'd make this a weekly stop.  Unfortunately, it's a two hour drive and I have a little puppy at home, so I don't get to spend as much time here as I would like.

Here are a few more photos from the Timeline Arcade in Hanover, PA.

Gauntlet was one of my favorite arcade games when I was a kid.  I first played it in the arcades on The Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ, and it soon made its way to Aladdin's Castle to eat every quarter I could get my hands on.

It's a four player game, and you can play as either the Red Warrior, Blue Valkyrie, Yellow Wizard or Green Elf.  I pretty much always picked the wizard.

I wrote about Gorf the last time I visited Timeline, but here are a few more photos of the cabinet.  You start off at the rank of Space Cadet, and you move up a rank each time you play through all five levels.  I made it to Space Colonel this time.

The retro console section is one of my favorite parts of the arcade.  I know it's the same games I can play at home, but there's something about being able to play them with the sights and sounds of the arcade all around that make it a unique and fun experience.

If I lived closer to Timeline and was able to visit more often, I would spend more time parked in front of these two CRTs.  I spent a little time with Haunted House on the Atari 2600 and both Dr. Mario and Mega Man II on the NES before returning to the vintage arcade games.

This Time Line pinball machine was released by Gottlieb in 1980.  I'm surprised they don't have this machine more front-and-center considering that it's name is so similar to the Timeline Arcade.  It'd be pretty awesome if they did a yearly tournament to crown a Time Line pinball champion.

I'm no expert on this game, but based on the artwork, it seems as if it's based on the story of three nearly naked Dungeons & Dragons warriors (at least one of whom is female) using swords and shields to fight against an alien spaceship.  Give it time and they'll probably try to turn it into a movie.

These are closeup photos of some of the artwork on the Taxi pinball machine playing surface.  This game was created by Williams and made its debut in 1988.  You have to give them credit for the creativity behind the story of this game.  There can't be too many things in this world that found a way to involve Marilyn Monroe, Count Dracula, Mikhail Gorbachev, a giant robot, and a deranged looking Santa Claus in a story that's centered around a taxi cab driving to the airport.

This was on the inside of the Black Knight 2000 pinball machine, which was released by Williams in 1989.  I wonder if the t-shirts are still available.

Finally, these two games are off in a separate room from the main arcade.  The baseball themed one on the left is called Slug Fest.  It was made by Williams and first appeared in arcades in 1991.  At first glance, it looks like a pinball machine, but it isn't.  When you play, a "baseball" pops up from a launcher built into the pitchers mound, and you use a single bat flipper to hit it into the outfield.  After the game is over, a dispenser built into the front of the machine gives you baseball cards as a prize.  I know that I've come across this a few times as a kid (including Knoebels), but it wasn't something that I saw too frequently.

The game on the right was released in August, 1975 and is a traditional Gottlieb pinball machine.  This one is called "300" and is bowling themed.  I haven't often gotten to see, let alone play a pre-80's pinball machine.  In fact, I rarely saw machines like these back in the 80's, as they were quickly replaced by modern tables with licensed characters and new game play features that became standard.  It's very cool to be able to come to an arcade and play through three decades of pinball under one roof.

Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Nestlé Crunch Dark
We just got the sales samples for the new dark chocolate Nestlé Crunch bars.  Yum!

Super Mario Bros. 4 Watch

Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World game watch
Nelsonic (1991)
When I was 11 years old, my stepfather's brother gave me this watch as a Christmas present.  It was the only game watch I ever owned, and I played it quite a bit.  In the years that followed, the watch was lost, but I still remember it 26 years later.

Two things stick out in my memory about this watch.  The first, and most obvious, is the earphones.  The black box above the screen is a speaker, and on the left hand side is a headphone jack.  The game also came packaged in a box with an inexpensive set of earphones.  While the LCD game was actually pretty remarkable compared to many of the Tiger Electronics games I've played, the audio was the same blips and beeps as any other game of its kind.  The headphones seemed like overkill even to my 11 year old self, but it was a fun novelty.

The second thing I remember about this game was that the border around the LCD screen identified the game as "Super Mario Bros. 4".  This was the only time I ever saw Super Mario World referred to in this way.  Later in my adult life, I learned that the Super Famicom release in Japan was subtitled "Super Mario Bros. 4".  To the best of my knowledge, this watch was the only Nintendo licensed merchandise to use this title.

rAMESbow

rAMESbow
Photo by Mike Taylor
This photo of a rainbow was taken at an abandoned Ames (formerly Hills) store on Lake Road in Horsehead, NY.  Considering the Ames chain went out of business over 15 years ago, this store is in remarkable condition.

Five Nights At Phillies

Juan Nicasio (relief pitcher)
Pittsburgh Pirates  Philadelphia Phillies  St. Louis Cardinals
Last Thursday, the Phillies claimed right handed reliever Juan Nicasio from the Pittsburgh Pirates.  He made his Phillies debut on Friday against the Marlins, entering in the bottom of the 8th and getting Giancarlo Stanton to ground out on three pitches.  The Phillies were down 0 - 1, but managed to score two runs in the top of the 9th to beat the Marlins, earning Nicasio the win.

On Sunday, Nicasio came into the game in the 7th.  Facing the Marlins again, he retired Marcell Ozuna, Brian Anderson and Tomas Telis on 17 pitches, striking out Anderson.

Earlier today, the Phillies traded their newly acquired reliever to the Cardinals for minor league infielder Eliezer Alvarez, their 19th ranked prospect.

And so ends the Phillies career of Juan Nicasio.  Five days, twenty pitches, one strikeout, one win, no base runners allowed, and a quick flip to St. Louis for one of their top 20 prospects.  Not bad for a guy they plucked from the waiver wire.

The Iron Pigs Are Going To The Playoffs

Monday, September 4th, 2017

Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders @ Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs
Coca-Cola Park - Allentown, PA

Pitching: Henderson Alvarez vs. Jose Pena

Results: Iron Pigs defeated Railriders, 4-3

This was the last day of the International League's regular season.  The Iron Pigs entered this game having won the first two games of this series against the Railriders.  A win would not only finish off a sweep of the division champions, but also clinch a spot in the post-season as the Wild Card.

As an added bonus, the Philly Phanatic was in town for the game.  The best mascot in professional sports has a knack for making everything better.  I swear, he could make a funeral fun.  Phanatic or no Phanatic, going to see a game at Coca-Cola Park is always a very pleasant experience.  The ballpark is beautiful, they have an excellent selection of food, and there's really not a bad seat in the place.

 

The game started off well for Lehigh Valley.  Scott Kingery drew a leadoff walk and stole second, after which the Phillies top prospect, JP Crawford, hit his 15th home run of the season.  They scored another run in the top of the 1st with a Dylan Cozens RBI single.  The Iron Pigs tacked on another run in the second to go up 4-0.  They wouldn't score for the rest of the game, but it was enough.

Henderson Alvarez pitched well for the Iron Pigs, giving up only one run on five hits in 7 innings of work.  He joined the Phillies organization just two weeks ago after spending parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues with the Blue Jays and Marlins.  The sinkerball pitcher is best known for the last game of the 2013 season in which he not only outdueled Justin Verlander. but also no-hit the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers.  He was an All-Star in 2014 and was the Marlins Opening Day starter in 2015 before injuries derailed his career.  No one is expecting him to waltz into Philadelphia and pitch like he did in 2014, but he's definitely a bounce-back candidate.

The Railriders finally started to put together some offense in the 8th against Cesar Ramos and in the 9th against closer Pedro Beato, but each pitcher limited the damage to a single run which allowed the Iron Pigs to hang on to a 4-3 victory.

So, the Iron Pigs are the Wild Card team in the 2017 International League post-season.  Unfortunately for them, the team's biggest star, JP Crawford, was called up to the Phillies immediately after the game.  As much as I'm looking forward to seeing Crawford in Philadelphia, I'm not sure that this is the wisest move.  As much as Crawford would no doubt benefit from facing Major League pitching, I think he might benefit more from a post-season run in Triple A before he is called up.  I'm also not sure if he'll get as many plate appearances this Fall in Philadelphia with Freddy Galvis at shortstop.  Crawford's time in the big leagues will come, but if it were my decision, it would begin a couple of weeks later, preferably after an Iron Pigs championship.

Burger Mac Daddy

Burger Mac Daddy
Coca-Cola Park - Allentown, PA
Dinner at the ballpark today was a bacon cheeseburger loaded with a pile of creamy macaroni and cheese...

...and no dinner is complete without an ear of corn slathered with butter, parmesan cheese and a special blend of "aw shucks" seasoning as an appetizer.  It may have a corny name, but it was delicious.

Mind-Expanding Technology

Magazine Advertisement

Aladdin's Castle
I love 80's arcade marketing.  The fact that no games are mentioned by name in this ad reminds me of Brian Doyle-Murray in Wayne's World explaining to Rob Lowe that the biggest challenge in promoting his Noah's Arcade chain was that the technology moved faster than the advertising.  The focus here is on "mind-expanding, state-of-the-art technology featuring intelligence of up to a half-million bytes" and "laser optics" with graphics of "up to 80,000 pixels with 30,000 colors."

Citrus Cannibalism

Restaurant Menu Clipart
Jimmy's Quick Lunch - Hazleton, PA
Cannibalism has rarely looked this cute.

19 Years Later...

The End of the Harry Potter Story
Kings Cross Station - London, UK
Fans of the Harry Potter universe gathered at King's Cross Station to count down to the exact moment of the last scene in the original Harry Potter books and movies.  The scene takes place at Platform 9 3/4 where Albus Severus Potter, the second son of Harry and Ginny Potter, boards the Hogwarts Express to begin his first year of school.  Warwick Davis, who has one of the coolest acting resumés in the history of motion pictures, was on the scene to celebrate with the fans.