It’s that time again! Let’s wrap Chicago up once and for all by looking at what I took away from the journey. But first, some final thoughts on all ten arcades I visited:
- Funset Boulevard – It was so, so close to being an S-class arcade. I’d call it my favorite arcade on the trip, but there were so many arcades that were good in different ways.
- Garcade – I really, really like their variety of games here. If I lived near it, I’d never leave.
- Gameworks – This arcade made me glad I brought Tom along. It was packed with so many great multiplayer games that I’d have been missing out if I came alone.
- Level 257 – It was what it was. Fun to visit, but I really wish they still had a lot of the rarer machines.
- Galloping Ghost – I wonder if I’d have given it an S-class ranking if I had visited when the machines I wanted to play most were working. The world may never know.
- Round 1 – I hear this isn’t even the good Round 1 in Chicago. I really want to see the other one…
- Nickel City – I don’t know if I’d call it the best arcade I visited in Chicago, but it was definitely the most beautiful.
- Logan Arcade – I’m sorry Logan Arcade. You and I just can’t get along. You’re not a bad arcade, though.
- Replay – Not a spectacular arcade, but I like the cut of its jib.
- Emporium – Meh.
I’d rank them, but I feel it’s pointless. The best arcade would probably be a tossup between the first three, Nickel City, or Galloping Ghost (I liked Galloping Ghost, despite how hard I was on it). That’s most of them, isn’t it?
I usually walk away from these trips with loads of these, but there weren’t that many arcades I visited that use cards. Most of them that I had to forego because I was on a strict schedule did, though. It’s not like I actively collect these, but I end up with loads of them. Except for Gameworks. I am trying to get a card from all seven of them. Tom suggests they work like the Dragonballs. This is number three! Although I don’t know when I’ll ever get out to a few of them, like the Washington or Virginia locations.
Garcade had a lot of free merchandise of itself up front. I got a pin, keychain, and sticker. The trip was so abrupt that I didn’t get a refrigerator magnet to stick next to my Vegas and Funland magnets. I should turn that sticker into one!
After we left Galloping Ghost, Tom asked me if I needed a souvenir. I did but didn’t want to say anything, so we went back to grab something out of their class case of merchandise. There were lots of shirts and stuff, but I ultimately went with this shitty piece of cardboard that the guy behind the counter just handed to me for free. Even Tom was all, “…are you sure THIS is what you want?” Of course, I couldn’t imagine anything better.
For those who haven’t seen it before, this is my trophy shelf (and it desperately needed to be dusted when I took this photo). It’s a monument to the things I’ve done, places I’ve been, and people I’ve met! Of course, I needed something that would fit in here! Every year more and more things get added to it. It’s been a slow year, so there are only a couple of new additions. The most interesting one is Tom’s badge from that anime convention I talked him into coming to.
Speaking of Tom, despite what we talked about in the Galloping Ghost blog post, he won’t be accompanying me on the 2019 trip due to various circumstances (I blame him). This year I’m returning to the only road I’ve ever known: Peace, quiet, and moving at my own pace. I just so happen to know a town loaded with interesting arcades. It’s got everything from old mall arcades to super modern joints full of imports. The best part?
