Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, California

mpclemens

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Jun 26, 2013
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Just want to give a shout out to the fine folks who run and maintain the PPM in Alameda. I made my second-ever visit there yesterday, and left five hours later, and then mainly because my wrists had all but gone numb. The "DMD room" (as I like to think of it) is very popular, and fills up late in the day, but naturally I arrived at opening time -- OK, 20 minutes before -- and had the room practically to myself, playing Doctor Who for the first time, several times. Read that as "being brutalized by" Doctor Who, especially the video mode. Arrgh. Spent quality time with Addams Family, a table I played regularly 20 years or so ago as a student, and haven't encountered much since. There's a certain satisfaction in being able to hit the skill shot after so much time away. The sound design alone makes that table worthwhile. Where's the Kickstarter?

My unofficial mission of the day was to play every real-life version of the tables found in TPA. Dr. Dude is even less-forgiving in person, yikes. TZ was out of commission, sadly, as was Black Knight, but Funhouse was operating fine (except for one of Rudy's eyes... creepy). I'd forgotten how darn big everything is in FH; you lose the sense of scale when you're playing on a TV or tablet. Other tables I've seen mentioned around here got some playtime -- Earthshaker, Red & Ted -- and I was tickled to see tables that I'd spent countless quarters on during summer vacations at the beach with my family. Cyclone, High Speed... I was having some serious nostalgia trips.

The standout star was Stern's Seawitch, which either wasn't there last time I visited, or I overlooked. What a cool table! I see now that it's rated highly in the polls, and I can see why. Not a particularly deep rule set, but the layout is clever and the play is satisfying. I hope FS takes a hint from the polls and adds this to their non-DMD "must have" list. Pinball goes so much deeper than just emulated ROMs.

The high point of the visit for me, though, is always the EM room, right in the front, with lots of fine woodrails and other machines-of-a-certain-age. I love these: the sound, the feel, the smell even. By the end of my day the room was nearly full of players, old and young (PPM provides stepstools for junior pinheads) all desperately trying to get scores all the way up in the hundreds. A roomful of EMs all chiming and thumping and knocking and buzzing: a symphony.

I only wish my camera was better-behaved: the LCD screen chose yesterday to die, so I was shooting blind, and essentially in the dark. I blogged about the experience with what few photos were salvageable, but a memory card full of badly-lit and blurry handheld shots can't come close to canceling out the fun I had. Thanks, PPM!
 
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mpclemens

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Jun 26, 2013
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Your pictures far outdo my own, but I'm glad to see you agree about Seawitch! A fun place, and enough to keep any pinfan happy.
 

Pinballfan69

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Mar 28, 2012
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There's a pinball Museum in Cali? Alameda isn't for from LA I should have gone there when I was there 3 weeks ago. Bah. When I visit in December I will make an effort to go there.
 

mpclemens

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Jun 26, 2013
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This is in the Village of Alameda, which is just off of Oakland, near San Francisco. Not what I would call "close" to LA until that magical far-off day when we get a high-speed rail between LA and SanFran (just shortly after pigs fly.)

There's got to be more local places available. This one sounds promising: http://www.pinsandneedlesla.com/ and more cities could use something like this: http://pinballmap.com/la
 

sotie

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Aug 30, 2012
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I spent 5.5 hours there yesterday! When I first saw your post I was going to describe myself then I realized you were there Saturday. Every time I go (about 4 times a year) I arrive right when then open and beeline to the DMD room because it definitely fills up later in the day. TZ and BK were still out of commission yesterday too. I also put a lot of quarters into the machines in the public area in the front. Here's a tip: you can quietly ask the person at the front desk if they might give you a couple of credits on a public table and they will. I couldn't resist the Metallica in the public section and I had 5 games before I even entered the play area. By the way, there used to be a stained glass shop right next to them and now the museum has this space; they'll be opening it soon. More tables!
 
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Fungi

Active member
Feb 20, 2012
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By the way, there used to be a stained glass shop right next to them and now the museum has this space; they'll be opening it soon. More tables!

Wait. What about their plan to open up big in the Palace of Fine Arts?
 

Pinballfan69

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Mar 28, 2012
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LOL I was sure there was an Alameda in Southern Cal and I guess there is an Alameda BLVD. In any case Vegas would be much closer for me from Phoenix distance being Relative.
 

heddhunter

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Sep 29, 2012
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I spent 5.5 hours there yesterday! When I first saw your post I was going to describe myself then I realized you were there Saturday. Every time I go (about 4 times a year) I arrive right when then open and beeline to the DMD room because it definitely fills up later in the day. TZ and BK were still out of commission yesterday too. I also put a lot of quarters into the machines in the public area in the front. Here's a tip: you can quietly ask the person at the front desk if they might give you a couple of credits on a public table and they will. I couldn't resist the Metallica in the public section and I had 5 games before I even entered the play area. By the way, there used to be a stained glass shop right next to them and now the museum has this space; they'll be opening it soon. More tables!

I was there yesterday (sunday)! Tried to play pins that aren't in TPA, but ended up spending a lot of time on Centaur anyway. I just love that machine.

BTW, is there any other way to get out of there besides the tunnel? Took me 40 minutes just to get back to 880. ARGH.
 

mpclemens

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Jun 26, 2013
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Wait. What about their plan to open up big in the Palace of Fine Arts?

I'm not sure how current that plan is. Playland-Not-At-The-Beach is somewhat near the Palace, up in the North Beach area, though it's more of a penny-arcade type place (also well worth a trip.) PPM was making noises about moving into the Carnegie Building, which is in Alameda as well? I'm not sure.

I know the new space is being built out. It was being used for a comedy fundraiser the day I was there, and is available to be booked out for corporate events. (I asked.) I think they hope to get more tables in there, as I know they have a rotating selection available from their full collection:

http://pacificpinball.org/collections/full-collection
 

mpclemens

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Jun 26, 2013
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BTW, is there any other way to get out of there besides the tunnel? Took me 40 minutes just to get back to 880. ARGH.

It's an island, so choices are limited. I've gone through the Webster tube both times but there's bridges as well. The GPS doesn't steer me that way, though.
 

sotie

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Aug 30, 2012
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Wait. What about their plan to open up big in the Palace of Fine Arts?

I asked the same question yesterday and I didn't get a straight answer about San Francisco but he told me they are trying to get into a new location in Alameda. I would have prodded a bit more but I already had money in Metallica!

I was there yesterday (sunday)! Tried to play pins that aren't in TPA, but ended up spending a lot of time on Centaur anyway. I just love that machine.

BTW, is there any other way to get out of there besides the tunnel? Took me 40 minutes just to get back to 880. ARGH.

It was about the same for me.:( I've never had that problem leaving there before but every other visit has been on Saturday's. I think I remember you because I saw someone playing Centaur a few times. I was on it quite a bit early in the day.

I'm not sure how current that plan is. Playland-Not-At-The-Beach is somewhat near the Palace, up in the North Beach area, though it's more of a penny-arcade type place (also well worth a trip.)

You must be thinking of something else because Playland-Not-At-The-Beach is located in El Cerrito. It's a great place to take young kids.
 
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SKILL_SHOT

Banned
Jul 11, 2012
3,659
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Yeah I thought they wanted to move into the exploratorium but needed $1.5 million but after seeing the place in SoCal asking a considerable amount less to basically do the same thing maybe they rethought thier plan.
 

Fungi

Active member
Feb 20, 2012
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I've always wonder if there are pins there every time I go by. I can't tell from their website.

They had a TAF the last time I was there. It's more of an interactive museum than arcade, still hella cool tho'. Entry is free.
 
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jaredmorgs

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Staff member
May 8, 2012
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I will be going here (PPM) on the 12th April. Thanks to the tips in this thread, I know exactly where to go first.
 

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