Pinball!

Yesterday, Steve's dad took us up to Lyons to play pinball at one of the few remaining pinball arcades, Lyons Classic Pinball. Their selection is amazing! 36 machines (according to their website, I didn't count), ranging from classic Gottlieb, Bally and Williams machines to modern Stern machines, including a Pirates of the Caribbean one, can be found there. I don't think I've ever seen so many machines in one place, much less ones that are all functional. The arcade even has a pinball league! I don't know how a pinball league works, but it kinda sounds fun.

Of particular note is the "Hercules" machine, the largest production pinball machine in the world, which uses a billiard ball (or maybe a rubber billards-sized ball)! The cabinet is at least 3.5 feet across, maybe larger. Unfortunately, the game isn't very exciting; the size of the ball probably makes it hard to have much tilt, and the flippers were already weak. Also, there was a two-player machine, called "Joust", that pitted the players directly against each other, which was different but fun!

I definitely enjoyed myself, and it's been a while since I played much pinball. I may have to take another trip up there sometime soon, just for fun.