Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Pinball in Santa Fe!

My girlfriend Claire grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and her parents both still live there, so we go back to visit at least once a year.  On my past three visits or so, I have asked around if there was any pinball in town, and I've always come up dry.  A common response is "Oh, there used to be pinball at the bowling alley, but it has closed down."

Well, I was in Santa Fe again this past weekend, only this time when I asked about pinball, one of Claire's friends, Noah, replied "Sure, there's pinball at the sports bar Stats."  !!?!

An hour later, Claire and I walked into Stats, and found a Family Guy and a Simpsons machine tucked into one corner.  Yee-haw!  All future trips to Santa Fe are looking better and better  ;)

Pinball at Stats

Family Guy cost a dollar (!)  so I only paid for one credit.  Luckily, I have watched enough PAPA videos of that game, that I somewhat know what I'm doing, and was able to start a few modes and a multiball, so I got a replay on my first try.  There's nothing quite like a free game of pinball  :)

Claire and I played Simpsons for about an hour (only 50 cents per credit!) although there was no ball saver and Claire was getting some harsh house ball drains.  After a lot of trying I finally started the Itchy and Scratchy multiball, which enabled me to get a replay, which felt pretty good.

Both of these games were in great shape.  When you see a well-maintained machine, it means there's someone out there who knows what they are doing!  So who are you, mystery Santa Fe pinball operator, and do you have any more machines around town?

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3 comments:

  1. Bowen KerinsOctober 4, 2012 at 12:12 PM

    A few years ago I ended up in Alamogordo, NM on a work trip. I was there for a few days and bored at nights, looked around the town a bit for pinball and nothing.

    ON THE DRIVE OUT OF TOWN, I look left and see a ridiculous arcade that just opened. It was even called Pinballz Arcade:

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pinballz-Gameroom-J-L-Vending/158636004202238?sk=photos_stream

    The ARCADE sign said ARCA, that's how new it was. And inside -- 30 pinball machines! Laser Cue! Dolly Parton! Royal Rumble! It was absolutely insane, like an oasis, and I could only stay for 30 minutes and nearly missed my flight home.

    I know Alamogordo isn't anywhere near Santa Fe, so this is totally not helping at all.

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  2. Alec LongstrethOctober 5, 2012 at 5:54 AM

    Alamogordo may not be close to Santa Fe, but it sounds awesome enough for a road trip next time we are in town!

    I once had a similar experience in some airport in the midwest. I was rushing to catch my connecting flight and out of the corner of my eye saw a bank of like five machines - but I had to rush to catch my flight! Very frustrating... Oh well, next time!

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  3. END OF THE WORLD DESIGNDecember 27, 2012 at 12:11 PM

    Just came across this while looking for pinball in Santa Fe - they have a Black Knight at The Screen - thescreensf.com

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