Category: Pinball and Games

Spent the week at Corolla, NC with my sisters, nieces and nephews. The weather was absolutely perfect – mid 80s and not a single drop of rain. We like to tempt fate and go in early September (at least until the grand-niblings are old enough for school) and we hit it perfectly this time.

We were in one of those huge houses, right on the beach. 18 of us, but the house had nine bedrooms and ten bathrooms. Lots of fish; lots of beer, and even a pinball or two at the Sunset Grille

I came back in one drive, but on my way down stayed in downtown Fredericksburg, VA. Nice town with some really good breweries. Red Dragon was excellent but I think I liked Water’s End best, if only for the name of their flagship beer – Damn Beer. I got to say ‘Gimme a Damn beer!’, and I’m sure I was only the 4,382nd person to do so. This year.

So took the train down from Edinburgh to London. Because of a whole bunch of AmEx points and a good offer, I was staying at L’Oscar London. This is not my usual type of hotel. And I probably wouldn’t do it again. But it was a fun thing to do once. Turndown service and all that.

The reason I picked this hotel is that it’s smack in the middle of London, right around everywhere you read about in books. Half a mile from the Charles Dickens Museum; quarter mile to the British Museum;

two blocks from the John Soane. Short walk to the Thames:

St. Paul’s:

and right next to the neighborhoods you always read about in London: The West End:

Soho:

The best thing about this? My first trip to the UK in 1994 was to Brighton, for the UK Data General conference. Back when I was a young boy. With this game I have now officially played the silver ball from Soho down to Brighton.

My favorite, though, was the London Science Museum. Everything from Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ to

It wasn’t in walking distance – but I have an Oyster Card, and the tube is simply wonderful.

Oh, yeah. I went to a pub or two. 🙂

Fantastic trip, and I will be going back. I flew Delta First, but the flight was actually run by Virgin Atlantic, so I got to take advantage of their lounge at Heathrow. This will give you an idea.

So I spent four days there. Nice time, but I don’t think I’m moving there. For one thing, everything is uphill both ways.

But nice time! Some recommendations, if you’re thinking of going.

Pinball. I looked at the Asheville Pinball Museum, and… meh. 35 whole old machines for $15!! Skip it. Instead, go to Level 256. Better machines; better beer; $10.

Breweries. They have more breweries per capita than anywhere else. Here are my favorites.

• Burial. Zope, if you go there this is where you will park yourself and never leave. Big, big NEIPAs. As in, three triples and five doubles. And then there are the 14% stouts…
• Dssolvr. My personal favorite.
• Zillicoah. Couple of miles outside the city on a real nice site with food.

Digression here. If you go to Asheville in the summer and decide to do something sane like use Uber to get outside the city – beware of Saturday afternoons! I took an Uber to Zillicoah for $7 at around 1PM; decided to go back at 3PM, and… it was $35. And not only was it $35, but there were no cars available. So I did the only smart thing.

At around 5PM, prices went down and things got normal. I asked, and got this explanation. All of the cool wedding venues are a half hour out of town. So two hours before the wedding, everyone calls an Uber; they all go away for an hour or so, and thus my issue. Makes sense.

• Twin Leaf. Small selection, but really good!
• Eurisko.

Food. As is true everywhere, there is a lack of staff. I went to one place and it was 2/3 empty – and yet there was a 45 minute wait for food. Luckily, it was a tequila bar, so I found something to do with the time.

• Mayfel’s. Excellent NOLA food. I had my weakness, the Oyster Po’ Boy.
• Sovereign Remedies. Cocktail bar with wicked good food.  And a killer Vieux Carre.  Two blocks from the hotel, thank God.
• Lobster Trap. What it says.  Great Cioppino.  Excellent live music 6:30 to 8:30. 
• Mountain Madre. Mexican with Agave/Tequila bar
• Red Ginger. Absolutely excellent traditional Chinese.
• Jack of the Wood. Irish.  I’m a sucker for Shepherd’s Pie made the right way – with lamb.  You do not see shepherds herding cows. 
• Wicked Weed. Beer was good! Food was… OK! Only time I ate at a brewery. With a city like this – drink at breweries and eat at restaurants.

Even though one of my sisters lives in Cincinnati, I’d never been to the city. Been to her place of course, but it’s a long way from downtown. Comparable, I guess, to someone living in Cranberry and saying they live in Pittsburgh. So in my summer of small trips I spent a couple of days down there and had a great time. Daily Beast had a great article about Cincy: https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-midwest-city-is-getting-something-rightso-dont-miss-it

Over-The-Rhine is the hot area now, comparable to Columbus’s Short North. Bunch of brewpubs, including Sam Adams – their main production facility is in Cincinnati – Rhinegeist, etc. A Pins Mechanical – I love the elevator notice:

But there are also some world class museums. The Taft Museum of Art was simply surprising. It’s a lovely old house, but doesn’t look very museum-like. No guards. And hanging in the rooms are paintings by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Hals, Whistler…

And, of course, food. Best tapas place I’ve ever eaten at, Mita’s.

Fun time! Not sure where next. Maybe Asheville.

American Express sent me a good deal for two days at The Industrialist, an absolutely wonderful hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, so I took advantage of it last week. I’ve been to the city a bunch of times, but all for a couple of hours – never spent any real time there. I had a fantastic time. Walked from The Point to The Strip a couple of times. Went to the Natural History Museum, Heinz History Center, and Fort Pitt.

Rode the Incline:

Played pinball at Coop De Ville, and ate dinner at Cioppino. I had, of course, the cioppino.

And on my way back stopped in at Dana and Lori’s for dinner. Great trip! 18,000 steps Friday, so I’m moving a little slow today.

Checked one off of the bucket list yesterday when I went down to Columbus to the Brewdog Brewery. Of course I’ve visited many breweries. But this one has something special: a hotel.

Yup. A hotel attached to the brewery. With features. So many features.

Like a tap in the room:

And a shower refrigerator:

Neon over the bed:

And pinball! Much pinball. Nine different machines.

A good time was had. Fun place with more different beers that I knew of; I guess only the IPAs make it up my way. But they’re doing a lot of barrel aged stuff:

I will go back there, and that is not something I expected to say.