On April 30, 2011 I woke up at 4 AM and couldn’t sleep so I left my house by 6 AM and headed to Georgetown.  I arrived about 9:30 and paid my $18 to park underground. There were few people around.  The Museum opened at 10 AM and I was the first and only one there.

Mixed feelings about the place.  Being a fanatic, my opinion may not be the same as for most.  I was not too impressed with the place as a museum, or as a place to play pinball. I was happy to see a few rare machines, and to have the chance to play them. There are a ton of old wood rails and older if that’s your thing.

The museum is located in a mall on the main drag in Georgetown.  It was once a busy and fancy mall but now seems half occupied with very few people venturing off the street to go inside. Nothing outside would indicate the presence of such a valuable National treasure inside.

Paid $13 admission and a few extra bucks for play credits. It goes on a credit card type card. Each swipe to play a machine is $0.50. A couple machines, including Big Bang Bar, required the feeding of a dollar bill to play. The  sign said they were earning money to help fund the school.

Windows in the mall.

Artsy but wasted? space.

Some history.

Some Big Bang Bar. Only around 200 made.  17 were original prototypes ready to go into production before CapCom went under.  About 190 were made later (2007) by a different company.

Some near mint rare machines to me.  Guns & Roses was cool.  Creature from the Black Lagoon was near mint, but too easy to beat.  Fun house was... fun. I beat the Banzai Run but was disappointed the music didn’t work.  I went to play a High Speed and the upper flipper was dead.  There are about 35 machines in the play room. Some newer.  Some old. The machines are too close together so you will get friendly with a strange butt across from you if you try to play machines across from each other.  (If Victor was playing one, you would literally get your ass kicked......)

Progression of silk screening a back glass.

I was there for a couple hours, left for lunch and to walk around some, then came back to play.  The entire time there I saw three other older couples and one woman with two kids. The gift shop is pretty baron.  A pinball cost $3.  A hat I got cost $20. Strange they had a few tools like contact bender and bulb extractor, and Novus 1,2,3.

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