Schiess’ museum not only preserves an endangered piece of American history, but it could also be a huge boon to the island city, and to the East Bay. What else are we going to do with it?’ But before they’d even let me see the inside, they wanted me to draw up plans and see how much money they could get out of us.” “I thought when we asked about this old, vandalized space they were going to say, ‘Sure, fix it up. “For how many people we bring into the city, it’s amazing how much they ignore us,” Schiess said. So far, city officials have not responded to Schiess’ requests for support, or even to his invitations to visit the museum. The problem is, the City of Alameda doesn’t seem to give a damn. He pictures it becoming a recreational destination that draws people to the city the way Neptune Beach, the legendary beachfront amusement park, did in the early-1900s. Specifically, Schiess has his eye on creating a 40,000- to 50,000-square-foot “Smithsonian of pinball museums” in a long-vacant warehouse on Alameda Point. Seven hundred pinball machines are stored in a warehouse in Alameda because the museum doesn’t have room to display them.The Pacific Pinball Museum relies on volunteers like Christopher Nash, aka “The Pinball Doctor,” who travels to Alameda twice a year from his home in Portland, Oregon, to help repair and restore the museum’s collection.Pinball Mac still holds private pinball parties in his basement in Berkeley, but he thinks the game’s money-making days are over.Pinball art, such as this back glass, reflected the times.Michael Schiess wants to expand his Pacific Pinball Museum, but so far he can’t find a home for it.But he believes that the preservation of the collection depends on the museum expanding into a bigger and more permanent space. There are seven decades’ worth of playable pinball machines in his 4,000-square-foot museum, the first to publicly curate the games as artifacts of American art, science, and pop culture. See you later!”Īs a result of his dogged perseverance, Schiess now manages the largest collection of rare pinball machines in the world. When doctors recently informed him that his arthritic hip may need to be replaced - meaning he could never lift a pinball machine again - the 56-year-old electric mechanic responded, “No, thanks. A year and a half after starting his Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, he has never taken home a salary higher than $1,600 a month, so he and his wife make ends meet by renting out the bottom half of their house. He has driven across the country to collect them. It was a blast to share some of my Vegas musts.Since he was thirteen years old, Michael Schiess has been obsessed with pinball machines. At $3 per game, we got our entertainment dollars’ worth. On the other side of the casino is an Airstream trailer outfitted with two bowling lanes at 1/3 scale. Ya, it’s kitsch, but if I tried holding my breath underwater that long while acrobatic swimming, I would be worm bait. We lucked out that the mermaid show was just getting started. Moving on to the Silverton, known for its cowboy clientele, located past Mandalay Bay most people don’t even consider this on the strip. We play a couple of 75 cent games of pool and soak in the ambiance. We partake in their signature drink, Ass Juice, and a bacon infused vodka Bloody Mary with Slim Jim garnish. This is another fine establishment that I recommend you only touch yourself if you need to use the restroom. Time to wet our whistle at the Double Down. What a great entertainment for a small cost. Always fun to play machines from my youth to modern times. Changed a twenty into quarters for three guys to play for an hour. The boys settled in with $1 PBRs.įirst stop is the Pinball Hall of Fame. My $10 Don Julio 1942 is probably the most expensive alcohol in-house. We enjoy the friendly and good looking bartenders serving up inexpensive drinks. Stage Door recently remodeled, however, the little flies in the men’s restroom are a reminder that this place defines dive. Sidenote: I’m still sad that my best hotel fave, Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall, is now part of Vegas history, and the Cromwell lives in its place. The nephew and one of his friends meet me at Stage Door Casino, a dive bar behind the Cromwell. I fantasize how my casual stroll burns off all the calories consumed the prior day. Lots of desert birds and plants attracted to the streams and ponds. Most people never leave the strip, so they miss an amazing outdoor experience at Wetlands Park or Sunset Park. He was in town from Alaska as an Elvis Chapel wedding guest.īefore we get together, I take my morning constitutional. How do I create a list of my Vegas favorites, when there are so many and even more to discover? My most recent trip to witness the final implosion of the Rivera included a meet up with my nephew. Vegas Bright Reader Scott Klapman shares his “Vegas Musts” of Stage Door, Drinks, and Pinball
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |