Search Results for: arkadia

Revisiting the Arkadia Retrocade

RobOHara2 Comments

While working on my end-of-2016 post earlier this week I realized I had not visited Arkadia Retrocade this year. This injustice will not stand, I said to myself. Wednesday morning, I hopped in my car and made the four-hour drive to Fayetteville, Arkansas. I’ve written and podcasted about the place before (and even sold them some of my arcade cabinets), but in case you missed it, Arkadia Retrocade is a retro-style arcade where customers pay a fee to enter, and all games are free to play. They aren’t the only arcade operating with this business model, but they’re the last… (read more)

Another Visit to the Arkadia Retrocade

RobOHara2 Comments

Last weekend the family and I drove to Bentonville, Arkansas to attend my buddy Brian’s 40th birthday party. The next morning on the way out of town we swung through Fayetteville and stopped by the Arkadia Retrocade. Arkadia has changed a bit since our last visit. There are more games now (close to 95, I think) and they’re laid out more logically now. All the Mario games are up front, all the space games are in a small island together, all the military games are in a row, and so on. On Sundays Arkadia is open from noon until 6pm.… (read more)

YDKF Episode 124: Arkadia Retrocade

RobOHara

This podcast is actually two weeks old, but for some reason this announcement didn’t go through. So, here it is. Episode 124 of You Don’t Know Flack is a recap of my visit to the new Arkansas retro arcade, Arkadia Retrocade. Our visit to the arcade sure helped cure my case of Pac-Man Fever! Link: YDKF Episode 124: The Arkadia Retrocade Facebook: You Don’t Know Flack (I have no idea why he is pretending to play guitar in this clip.)

Experiencing the Great American Eclipse of 2024 in Ozark, Arkansas

RobOHara3 Comments

Our trips involve equal parts planning and impulse. Case in point — last year when Susan first heard about the 2024 eclipse, she booked an AirBnB in Austin. Then, a month before the big event, our reservation was abruptly cancelled without notice. We received a refund along with a note that said “this reservation is no longer available” which, to me, sounds like they got a more lucrative offer. I’ve been told they’ll take a hit on their rating and that there may be other consequences for then, but none of that matters to us. With less than a month… (read more)

Vic Sage Bids a Retro Farewell

RobOHara1 Comment

Vic Sage — blogger, podcaster, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet — announced his retirement from the retro scene this week, bringing an end to multiple podcasts and his website, Pop Culture Retrorama. I met Vic through the Retroist’s website, Retroist.com. In the beginning, all the articles and podcasts that appeared on Retroist.com were created by a single person (The Retroist). Over time, a handful of like-minded individuals were invited to share their own nostalgic-themed content on the site. Vic was one of the earliest contributors to the Retroist that I remember seeing, and his articles were… (read more)

Visiting Friends and Barcades

RobOHara

Earlier this week my buddy Robb and his wife Mel flew in from Colorado to celebrate his birthday. The two flew into Arkansas, drove over to Oklahoma to visit me, and eventually returned to Arkansas to visit the Arkadia Retrocade in Fayetteville before returning home. While they were here we ate onion burgers, had Mexican food at Ted’s, and had breakfast at Hatch. We also did some shopping, sight-seeing, and even stopped by Bob Funk’s stable to check out the Clydesdales. I had a great time visiting with Robb and his wife, and I hope they had a good time… (read more)

A Look Back at 2018

RobOHara1 Comment

2018 was another great year for the O’Haras. Mason turned 17 and Morgan turned 13, making 2018 the first year for us to have two teenagers in the house. Susan and I both turned 45, and spent our 23rd wedding anniversary at a bed and breakfast cabin just outside Guthrie, Oklahoma. My biggest achievement of the year was graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a Master degree in Professional Writing. Staying enrolled full-time in a master program while also working full time is no joke. After five long semesters, I graduated Kappa Tau Alpha (National Honors Society) in May… (read more)

My Year in Review: A Look Back at 2016

RobOHara1 Comment

In 2016, the FDA once again announced that eating raw cookie dough will kill us all. Somehow I survived, and celebrated by cutting off Beardie, the beard I grew throughout the entirety of 2015. Everyone rejoiced. On January 1, 2016, our cruise ship docked in Ensenada, Mexico on our way back from Hawaii. Our vacation began in California where we watched Star Wars: A Force Awakens in Hollywood, and ended 2 1/2 weeks later. As of that trip, Susan and I have now been to all fifty states. Last year we also took road trips to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and… (read more)

The Toll of Roads

RobOHara2 Comments

In 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Marion Ravenwood becomes frustrated with Indiana Jones when he complains that it hurts everywhere she touches him. “Where doesn’t it hurt?” she asks, and the infamous archeologist is able to come up with four locations: his elbow, his right temple, his eyeball, and finally, his lips. I’m in worse shape than Dr. Jones. In addition to my feet, ankles, thighs, butt, abdomen, ribs, back, shoulders, and neck all hurting, my eyes aren’t all that good, my elbow is aching, and my lips are chapped — and I didn’t even get chased by a… (read more)

My Year in Review: A Look Back At 2015

RobOHara

The year twenty fifteen brought me lots of personal highs and only a couple of lows. In 2015, I celebrated both my 20th wedding anniversary, and my 20th year of working at the FAA. In October of 2014 I moved to a new department at work, and was promptly assigned to a different work detail, which I spent the majority of 2015 working on. I applied for a different position in the summer of 2015, which I got and began in November. I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels at work in 2015, but I am very excited… (read more)