Pinball Wizard

Growing up, my best friend Pete introduced me to The Who, the iconic rock band formed in London in 1964 featuring lead vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend.  Of their many hits, the group’s 1969 concept album Tommy included the single cut, Pinball Wizard.

I was reminded of the track from this rock opera while visiting the Flippermúzeum https://flippermuzeum.hu/en/main-page/ in Budapest, Hungary this summer.

Located in a basement under a downtown residential building in Budapest is a heaven for pinball gamers. Founded by a pair of avid pinball enthusiasts, the museum is packed with rows of classic pinball machines, all in working order and free to play.  

Among the dozens of machines on display in the museum, one of the standouts is the rare Mesovonat machine, which stands as the only known Hungarian-made pinball machine. The owners of the museum are even trying to track down the mysterious designer of the hometown amusement. 

Purchasing a ticket gives visitors the opportunity to play the games as much as they would like for the entire day, ensuring that there will be more pinball enthusiasts for generations to follow. 

Long before video games were invented, pinball machines (in my youth) were the original test of “hand-eye” coordination.

As my wife and our friends journeyed from machine to machine in the museum, I found myself transported back in time to the 1960s and 70s when I would play pinball in pizza parlors and arcades.

My wife was so taken by the experience that it challenged her to find a local museum so that we could introduce our grandchildren to this experience when we returned to our home in Pittsburgh.

It didn’t take her long to locate Pinball Perfection a well-known, hands on, pinball museum, arcade and sales/repair shop located just north of downtown Pittsburgh in the community of West View, PA.  As a result, the other day, after lunch at Isaly’s (another iconic Pittsburgh institution) we took three of our grandchildren to play pinball.

If you’re looking for fun way to spend a few hours in Pittsburgh, I would encourage you to check out Pinball Perfection, 231 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15229.

If you live outside the Pittsburgh area, don’t despair, the website https://pinballmap.com/ can help you locate a pinball venue near you.