A Basement Arcade

History, mine to be exact, has roots in the small northern town of Petoskey, Michigan. My home town offered the perfect combination for me. I could explore nature trails, go swimming off the break wall, fish for the day, or go and visit friends at the local hangout. One establishment I relished visiting was the Silver-Cue.

I am a proud member of the Generation X community. I have often felt that we were the generation in the middle of change. Growing up I witnessed the lunar landing in 1969 on a black and white T. V. screen. I was excited when the black and white screen turned into colored pictures. There wasn't any cell phones at this time but the telephone cord was long enough to reach a comfortable spot on the couch. Many families had only one car for the whole family to use. That meant that us kids had to walk everywhere in any weather. Not only that in 1982, Apple computers arrived at the school. We were lucky to witnessed a pretty big shift in technology as we grew. I smirk at the awe we, the Generation X community, held as we sent our allowance.

There were two establishments that I would frequent in my youth. The roller rink and the Silver-Cue. On the weekends, I would have a busy social schedule. During the day, my friends and I would frequent the Silver-Cue. In the evening, we would all gather together at the roller rink. Both places hold special memories because I practically lived at either place. Today, I will only focus on the Silver-Cue.

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Years ago, maybe four years, I came back to Petoskey. I had taken a job up at the local grocery store and ran into my friend from childhood. In the minutes I had to process his groceries, I learned he owned a coin shop down town on Howard Street. One day, I decided I would go and visit his store. Coins were everywhere for sale and with a smile, he told me of his son's interest that was hidden in the basement of his store. His son had a plan to restore and sell the old console video games that Tom and I would played as kids. Even though I was curious at the time, I did not go down stairs to see them. I just made sure his son would watch his father for a Pac-man addiction and left the memory behind for a few more years.

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Life sometimes throws you for a loop. I had to get answers to a burning question in my mind. Tom would be the only person I knew who might be able to give me answers, so, I called him. Upon reconnecting he told me that his son's project was up and running. One wouldn't know, that all snuggled in the basement of the coin shop, is a video game arcade. Who would have thought there would still be one in town?

The next day, curiosity got the best of me. I went to see all the video games. For a brief moment, I wandered around just visiting the different titles. I felt like I was walking into the Silver-Cue once again. I remember mornings, unlocking the door, cleaning the machines of cigarettes' ashes and butts, before I turned on the main breaker. I use to love the moment when the machines would jump to life. Each had their own songs they played at start up. Chimes, explosions, tires squealing, and pounding noises began all around the rooms. It was an odd symphony but I enjoyed it. To watch the machines jump to life was really fun to watch. Even though I am curious, I am okay with leaving that experience behind.

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Summer days are often hot and humid near the Little Traverse Bay. The Silver Cue had two great big pane windows and the sun beat through them. Some days, the heat increased inside to an unhealthy temperature, yet us kids still piled in. Kids with quarters clutched tightly in their hands, would brave the heat to see if their high score still held. Heat or no heat, if their name was not there, they devoted more quarters to regain their gaming status. What a good way to spend your allowance on a hot summer day. As I see it, it was good clean fun.

I lovingly call my team of friends, "The Street Rats". We would go out on adventures around our small town. At the time, cans became money. Each can gave us five cents which we cashed in and would play away our spoils at the arcade after the adventure was done. This was a very lucrative activity for us. Tourist would visit the town and throw the can along the side of the road. In our adventures, we would pick up the cans and turn them in so we could have fun later. The Street Rats, as I see it, were an asset to keeping the community clean.

One of my fondest memories was watching Tom play Pac-man. I would stand there watching as he maneuvered that yellow eating circle guy around the screen. When his score climbed, I would watch in anticipation to see if he would get high score. More often then not, I would see him smile as he plugged in his name on the leader board. I wonder, how many hours we would spend watching that dot run across the screen.

When I was seventeen, I went to work at the Silver-Cue. After school, I would go and tend the counter for the owner. With homework spread over the counter top, I would stop and flip burgers and warm hotdogs. I swear, at night, I would dream of the "Waka, waka," sound of Pac-man running through my head as I drifted off to sleep. My brain would dream that I had to shoot Centipede worms that were coming to get me. The sounds of the games would fill my head all day with their sounds and I would process them out of my brain at night. I liked working there. I was able to keep up with friend for I had a lot of catching up to do at school. The job kept me on task and I made up for the time I had lost.

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Kids today do not have social places to hang out like my generation had. It was a major social event to go to the Silver-Cue. On any given day, you were bound to see someone you knew. This was always fun when your whole tribe was there for a visit. The laughter and memories were always a part of the experience. I wonder, what do kids do now days for socialization? To me this video arcade is a good option for bored minds. At least it would give the kids something to do in this small town.

I know there are places for the kids to go for socialization. There is a bowling alley with a laser game option to play. I guess, that will do. However, it is way out of the way where accessibility isn't convenient. The Silver-Cue was smack dab in the neck of the city. There was no need to go far for a bit of fun and socialization.

If you ever visit down town in Petoskey Michigan, stop by the coin shop and visit the video game arcade down in the basement. For us Generation X people, it would be a nice walk down memory lane. For younger kids, the games might be outdated to them. However, an outing to do something different may be fun for them especially on a rainy day. So, for a handful of quarters, kids of all ages can have fun at the arcade in the basement. Just stop on by and say hello to Tom and his son and enjoy a little down time in a basement arcade in downtown Petoskey.

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