The Time Zone Arcade and other Arcades from back in the day

[xphillipjrx]

Soon after I read about that tanker catastrophe I remembered how I crossed that 9 Mile bridge a lot on my way to the Time Zone Arcade. Anybody else go there? Post your other arcade memories here.

FWIW I used to work at Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor.

[ASR89]

I don't know anything about Time Zone Arcade [[wasn't there one in Livonia Mall?), but I love Pinball Pete's! It's always a fun place to hang out with friends in Ann Arbor.

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out in Ann Arbor by myself. I went to Pinball Pete's and at one point, I was playing some Skee Ball - the game where you throw the balls down the lane and into cups for points. While playing, a guy came up next to me and started playing. I glanced over and he was doing really well. So I turned to him and said, "Hey. You're really good!" That's when I realised it was BILL MURRAY. We ended up hitting it off. We played a few games of air hockey - best two out of three. He was really good at air hockey too, and I lost both of the first two games. Afterward, I said something like, "Oh my God. It's been fun. What a coincidence it was to meet you here of all places!" He then chuckled and said, "No one will ever believe you." He then turned and walked away.

[royce]

Simply the greatest arcade ever. I remember that it actually had a DJ spining records. My favorite games were the hockey game with the dome, the football game with the Xs and Os as players, and the Star Trek game. My buddy and I would sweat profusiously playing that football game while spinning the control ball to move your main player. I loved the place so much I took a girl their for our first date[[I had talked it up so much that she actually wanted to go). I remember there was a sit-down pizza place nearby. Took her there afterwards. Wow, fun times.

[ja!mz]

Wizards on 8 mile, there was an arcade on Gratiot in Rosville as well, but I can't remember the name. I remember a place on Gratiot in Eastpoine, around 9 mile I think

[kraig]

2nd Flight Greektown. There were also two others that were right next door to each other on the South Side of Monroe on Greektown. Roscoe's on Woodward at Warren by Wayne State. There was also an arcade next to the movie theater in the Ren-Cen for a few years. The Butterfly/Golf & Games on Van Dyke between 14 and 15 mile. That one is still there and it looks like they haven't cleaned it up since the mid eighty's. The one on Griswold next to the used book store.

[Lferg]

Simply the greatest arcade ever. I remember that it actually had a DJ spining records. My favorite games were the hockey game with the dome, the football game with the Xs and Os as players, and the Star Trek game. My buddy and I would sweat profusiously playing that football game while spinning the control ball to move your main player. I loved the place so much I took a girl their for our first date[[I had talked it up so much that she actually wanted to go). I remember there was a sit-down pizza place nearby. Took her there afterwards. Wow, fun times.

The pizza place was Randazzo's. Back in the 80's, it sat between the arcade and Perry's drug store. In the 90's it moved to the other side facing 9 mile. There used to be a movie theater in the complex too, we would go watch the old horror movies for the Saturday matinees.

[DetroitPlanner]

There was also an arcade next to the movie theater in the Ren-Cen for a few years.

This one was called the Creation Station. It featured an IMAX ride and was the highlight of any trip to that part of Downtown for this Planner in his youngin' days. There was also one that was underground at Hart Plaza. My local arcade used to be the Joy Rd pet store.

[kraig]

This one was called the Creation Station. It featured an IMAX ride and was the highlight of any trip to that part of Downtown for this Planner in his youngin' days. There was also one that was underground at Hart Plaza. My local arcade used to be the Joy Rd pet store.

I always forget about the one under Hart Plaza. Thanks. You've got a good memory.

This is the kind of thread you need to start off the morning. I'm going to walk around with a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

[detrola]

Gramp's on W Vernor and Green was my arcade of choice. While everyone gathered around Defender and Stargate I quietly sat at a new game called Donkey Kong.

[sarge]

For me, it was Gamesters and Q-Master in Berkley, Creation Station at the Oakland Mall, the Space Station in Royal Oak and the Time Zone at 9 and John R.

[ggores]

Old time west-siders should remember Fun Factory at Plymouth and Outer Drive.

Gen X westies should remember The Zoom Room at 7-Grand [[band played there alot).

Western Ghetto-ites will remember the Schoolcraft Arcade, and its brief and tragic existence, located at Westbrook and - Schoolcraft.

[ImHere]

My Hangout was Bill's arcade [[I beleive that was the name). It was on Gratiot right by the East Detroit High School. As far as I know it is still there, just not as big as it used to be.

On the weekends I had a paper route so I would finish my deliveries and then head there for an hour or two before my Mom would wake up and wonder where I was.

There also was a small Arcade on Kelly road by Notre Dame/Regina High school. I don't remember the name, but I was only there once. Rode my brand new ten speed there and when I came out it was gone. That was the one and only time I was in that arcade.

[SMRJim]

Used to go to the Flipper Inn on Fenkell in Brightmoor back in the mid 70s. It was somewhere near Lahser if I remember right. This was at the very beginning of video games, so it was mainly a pinball place - they may not have even had video games, can't remember for sure. I only played pinball there. 2 or 3 games for a quarter back then. Some games wouldn't tilt easily, so it was easier to win free games on those. Still remember a game called Little Indian and another one that had a picture of pool balls on it. There was another place out Grand River, might have been near Middlebelt. Went there some in the late 70s probably.

[zitro]

My Hangout was Bill's arcade [[I beleive that was the name). It was on Gratiot right by the East Detroit High School. As far as I know it is still there, just not as big as it used to be.

On the weekends I had a paper route so I would finish my deliveries and then head there for an hour or two before my Mom would wake up and wonder where I was.

There also was a small Arcade on Kelly road by Notre Dame/Regina High school. I don't remember the name, but I was only there once. Rode my brand new ten speed there and when I came out it was gone. That was the one and only time I was in that arcade.

I hung out at this one and Wizzards quite a bit, I know it was owned by Tony Ingrao who's family owned Ingrao's Hall down the street on Kelly but I don't recall if the name was Tony's or something else.

[gazhekwe]

We liked two pinball parlors, Slap's was one, and Slippy's. One was on Grand River near Burt Road, and I think the other was on Fenkell.

[ImHere]

I remember the 1st arcade game I ever played. It was Pac-Man. The game was at the Handy Spot store on 8-Mile and Redmond [[Between Hayes and Kelly).

I had never heard of Pac-Man until a friend of mine came back from the store and told a bunch of us about it. We walked up there and had to check it out.

[Detroit Stylin]

Time Zone I'm glad someone else brought that up, for the last few years Ihave been trying to remember where that place was at? I keep wanting to say downtown but who knows exactly?


Oh and Roscoes was that spot for real in the late 80's early 90's.... I also remember an arcade that sat for a brief period on Curtis near Livernois.

[xphillipjrx]

Forgot about the Butterfly on Van Dyke. I went there more for go-cart racing, but we'd all wind up in the arcade once we either ran low on $$ or got kicked off the cart track for putting each other into the tires.

[Hypestyles]

ah... Arcades.. nearly extinct nowadays..

I guess the advances in home video game systems left arcades out in the cold by default..

I really don't relate to most of the games I see in the handful of arcades here and there in the area.. that arcade that's in Oakland Mall.. another in Universal Mall right next to the Cinemark Theater..

i see the straight up kiddie gopher-bashing stuff... skee-ball.. other carny games like that thing where you try to push coins over the edge..

The Dancing games I really don't get.. of course there's Drummer game, and a DJ Turntable game, too.. I think I just noticed an arcade-size "Guitar Hero" setup for the first time..

Anybody been to Marvin's Mechanical Museum recently? it may be over a year for me..

[Melody]

My friends and I would spend hours in the nerdy darkness of Olympia Arcade on Gratiot just south of I-696. It's closed now. The last time I was there was almost 10 years ago. I loved it. We played Guns 'n' Roses' "Appetite for Destruction" over and over on the jukebox.

We also went to Galaxy Arcade farther down Gratiot near Macomb Mall. That one stayed open longer. For all I know it's still open. Also, the East Pointe Cue Club had some games we played, along with pool. That place was kind of scary.

[detroitjim]

Up until about 1973 there was an arcade in warren, one block north of E Eight mile [[Rivard)on Van Dyke . I'm not sure how long it was in business[[as an arcade) before 69 since that's when I moved into the area. The city of warren recently bought out the porn shop that had been located there since the arcade closed, and razed the building.

[Islandman]

Time Zone I'm glad someone else brought that up, for the last few years Ihave been trying to remember where that place was at? I keep wanting to say downtown but who knows exactly?


Oh and Roscoes was that spot for real in the late 80's early 90's.... I also remember an arcade that sat for a brief period on Curtis near Livernois.

Roscoes was the spot in the late 80s. Honorable mention to the 2 coffee shops in Greektown [[no longer there), a nice mix of old Greek men drinking and smoking and young kids playing video games.

[Detroitnerd]

The greatest penny arcade, IMHO, was the penny arcade at Greenfield Village. For a dime, you could watch old hand-cranked Mutoscopes with films on little cards. [[One of my favorites was a little cheeky, called "The Keyhole Stripper.") Old fortune-telling machines, things that would turn your penny into a charm. Oh, I know it's innocent and old-school, but I have so many good memories of it. I was so bummed when I went back years later and it was gone. ...

[gibran]

I remember on Whittier and one on Morang or Caduex? any names? JGiels and foosball,,I remember hearing Aerosmith one day thinking here is another one hit wonder...my mistake.Blasted schools out for summer and Bob Seager...oh the seventies...

[gibran]

what was the name of the head shop and record store at the seven mack center? not an arcade memory...but the next level up