Play Pinball, Visit A Classic Arcade, And Grab A Scoop At Tuckers
Like a step back in time, Alameda offers many delights to families.
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying once social distancing isn’t the norm any longer.
Pacific Pinball Museum by Cody Tolmasoff
Social Isolation — Day 4
Our shelter in place started last night. Listening to the news this morning, traffic reports were lighter than a Burning Man weekend (when much of the Bay Area heads out to the desert). I managed to go out for a walk at my local park and walk a couple of laps around, which felt really good.
I nearly forgot it was St. Patrick’s day, then sadly realized that there wasn’t really anyone around to pinch me if I weren’t wearing green. I popped a corned beef into the oven and will cook some cabbage & potatoes this evening. Getting that ready felt good. I wish I had thought sooner about cooking the corned beef in my sous vide, but apparently I should have started that two days back. Noted for next year.
After my mild panic supermarket purchases over the last few days, it strikes me I should sit down and do some proper meal planning for the days to come, and maybe reorganize my pantry and refrigerator. I didn’t go too nuts, but I picked up more all at once than I usually do.
At Trader Joe’s in San Mateo yesterday, I really appreciated how they were limiting people in the store. We lined up outside and they allowed us in 5 at a time. The shelves looked like they were having the last day of a store closing sale, but I found what I was looking for, and grabbed a few impulse purchases while shopping. When I got to the register, the first thing I did was thanked the cashier and bagger. It surprised them when I did this. I said that I was genuinely thankful they were there doing their job today and that I knew how hard they were working in this uncertain time.
Who have you thanked recently?
Destination: Alameda
Pacific Pinball Museum
High Scores Arcade
Tuckers Ice Cream
Bonus Stop: USS Hornet
Today I imagined a sunny Saturday stroll around Alameda with old friends, visiting either the Pinball Museum or the Arcade, then maybe a scoop at Tuckers Ice Cream. Have you tried their mint cookies and cream, it’s fantastic!
I miss visiting Subpar Mini-Golf that has since moved to Ghirardelli Square. And I’m thankful my kids are patient with me when I drag them to visit the USS Hornet, which they usually enjoy once we get there. So much history took place on that ship.
Pacific Pinball Museum
What an amazing collection of Pinball machines! Entering the first room, you have the oldest games, funky machines that don’t really have electronics, everything is manual, and a lot of fun.
Then you realize that there are other rooms full of games, spanning the entire history of pinball. They include everything for the price of entry. I could spend hours here.
High Scores Arcade
Hello, I’m Cody, and I’m an 80s video game addict. I’ve spent more quarters than I care to imagine playing Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, Space Invaders, and so many others. These games suck all of my attention, and I find it difficult to stop playing.
That being said, I’ve not actually visited High Scores Arcade. I’ve walked by a few times, but have never been in the right space to play and walk away an hour later. Still, this place has been on my list for quite some time, and I look forward to visiting. Soon, one day soon.
Tuckers Ice Cream
Photo by Dana DeVolk on Unsplash
With around 30 full-time standard flavors and over 90 seasonal options, you will find something to love at this old-time ice cream fountain that dates back to 1941. A buddy of mine gets delicious ice cream cakes from here for his birthday every year. Admittedly, I’m a big fan of their cookie mint crunch, when it’s available.
Wow, I could go for a sugar cone right now!
Don’t pass up this local favorite.
Bonus Stop: USS Hornet — Sea, Air, and Space Museum
The first time I visited the USS Hornet, I didn’t expect much. Honestly, I didn’t do much research beyond finding out what hours it was open, when the tours were, and what the fees were. All I knew about it was this was where Checkov and Uhura snuck onboard the “Nuclear Wessel” to steal some photons to fix their Klingon Bird of Prey in the movie Star Trek IV.
Boy, was I wrong. Setting aside it’s decorated WWII History, this ship served three tours of duty in Viet Nam, and recovered the Apollo 11 & 12 Lunar Landers. Onboard you can find the airstream trailer the astronauts were quarantined in following their return from the moon.
Be sure to take one of the tours. We enjoyed a tour that took us up through the bridge and onto the flight deck. The ship seems impossibly big, yet so small to have fighter jets take off and land on them. Modern aircraft carriers are even bigger. The tours are often given by veterans with some pretty cool stories. Our tour guide didn’t serve on the USS Hornet, but had served on similar ships and shared some great first-hand accounts along the way.
About to tour the USS Hornet by Cody Tolmasoff
Alameda
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 17 March 2020