Barcade = Geeking Out

In Philadelphia, there is a small, nondescript building in Fishtown on Frankford Avenue.  The brick frontage doesn't give away what lies inside, only a small neon sign indicates what you're walking into - Barcade.  It is a modern day mecca for every child of the 80s: a vast assortment of really good beers and a long line of old school video games.  Geeking out is not optional here.  

You will geek out. Hard.

Every child born in the 1970s and early 1980s holds a special place in their heart for the old arcade games.  We spent countless hours and nearly every cent of our allowances geeking out in dimly lit arcades. Remember the classics: PacMan, Mrs. PacMan, Donkey Kong, Arkanoid, Rampage, Frogger, Paper Boy, Punch Out, Galaga, Burger Time, Tetris, Final Fight, Double Dragon, and on and on.  There were never enough quarters and there was never enough time.  It was exhilarating and exasperating: just one more level, just one more minute, just one more checkpoint... just one more!

The ups and downs of geeking out is a lesson we all learned young.

When my sister, Kristen, told me about this place, I demanded that she take me on my next trip to see her.  She and her husband live just north of Philly; I stayed down on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where we were born and raised.  Kristen is now as fluent in city life as I am in the nuances of living on the coast.  (My heart will always belong to the ocean.)  But on my last visit to see my sister, she was true to her word and we made Barcade a stop on our run through Philly.

We walked in and I was immediately drawn to the old meets new interior: exposed bricks, wooden beams, metal duct work set against the pulse of neon lights and the shine of the multitude of taps at the bar.  Of course, we made our way to the bar first where I promptly ordered my favorite - a pint of hard cider.  We clinked our glasses to friendship and getting our game on.  I saw that little look in my sister's eye and we broke for the back room where old truly met new again: the arcade games.

As soon as I saw the rows of arcade games, I started taking a little road trip down memory lane.  Back to when I was just a kid.  My sister and I were regulars at Skateland, the local skating rink in Salisbury, Maryland.  The rink was the place to be - every kid, regardless if you were cool or not, was there.  Acid washed jeans, teased hair, jelly bracelets... skating along to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Phil Collins, Def Leppard, Tears for Fears, and on and on.  But, during breaks from the rink, we hit up the snack bar for pizza and sodas or we'd get lost in the back arcade.  Playing Skeeball on skates can be a difficult endeavor!  There were several racing games and I remember how awkward it was to use a roller skate on the accelerator pedal.  How I loved Pole Position and Out Run!

"You got any small bills?" Kristen yelled to me, yanking me out of 1989.

I handed her a five and she fed it through the slot.  Ah, yes, that lovely sound of a quarters falling out of the cash machine!  We scooped up the quarters and made our way towards the Rampage machine followed closely by Arkanoid.  These were two of our all-time favorites.  I wonder how much of our allowance was deposited into these games, probably enough to cover my mortgage for a month or two!  But this is how adults think, not kids.  No, kids just want to be happy... a lesson that I'd do well to remember more.  Kristen and I marveled at how bad we were at these old games now.  Weren't these games easier then?  We just smiled and kept plunking quarters in.

And then there was DigDug. Asteroid. Super Mario Brothers.  A hard cider in my hand.  A pocket full of quarters.  My sister's laugh.  Memories.  Wait, no Q*bert machine?  How sad.  More quarters - I found a $1.25 on the floor!  High-fives and smiles.  New memories. 

Oh, Donkey Kong!  How you have eluded me all these years!  It took me fifty cents to just remember how to reach the princess on the first level, but it was money well spent.  As I played and struggled to get my timing on jumping each barrel, I thought about the old arcades on the boardwalk in Ocean City and how much time I've spent in there, both as a kid with my little sister and as an adult.  No matter how old I get, I will always hold a special place in my heart for the pinball machines and Skeeball and air hockey games and how those sounds of the bells and dings and whistles mix in the salty ocean air.  And deep in my heart, I know that I will always love geeking out.

We killed our drinks and we spent all of our quarters.  It was time to head out and make our way to our next venture: The Blind Pig for dinner and then Union Transfer for a concert.  I took one last long look at the banks of old arcade machines and I embraced a little connection to something that felt long gone.  I was glad to be reminded of that.  We made our way passed the bar and headed towards the door. As the cold January air hit my face, I laced my arm through my sister's and looked up at the dark night sky... and I was happy.