Asheville, North Carolina.

Looking for things to do while we visited Asheville, we discovered the Asheville Pinball Museum. The museum is a haven for anyone who loves classic arcade games. Located in downtown Asheville, the museum boasts a collection of over 70 vintage pinball machines and classic video games that you can play for one set price! They also offer snacks, sodas, and beer for purchase.

In addition to the original steel ball pinball machines, an entire section is dedicated to classic video games like Space Invaders. Each game has a small placard nearby that tells some of the machine’s history, including the date of first release and often the estimated number of machines produced. Space Invaders was an instant success for Taito, a Japanese producer. Released in Japan in 1978, it became so popular that by the end of 1978, they had sold over 100,000 machines in Japan alone. In 1979, they licensed the game to Midway in the United States for worldwide distribution, and by the end of 1979, it became the world’s all-time best-selling arcade game.

Most of the machines are playable at a very reasonable rate. Visitors can wander through the museum exhibits for free, but $15, as of this writing, gives them unlimited time to play at no additional cost. Some of the oldest machines, like the pinball “Lovely Lucy” from 1955, no longer work. Those machines have a placard that notes “Display only.” The placard describing Lovely Lucy notes that it was an attempt to profit from the TV show “I Love Lucy” and avoid licensing fees.

On the day of our visit, there weren’t too many people in the museum, but several took advantage of the one-time fee for all-day play. The collection consists of a rotating collection of fully operational vintage games dating as far back as the 1960s, with machines on display from as far back as the 1930s.

The museum can be bustling at certain times of the year, and reservations are not allowed. However, if there is a waiting list, they will take your name and phone number and call you when your turn is ready. Since the museum is downtown, many nearby attractions are available to keep you busy while you wait. Only 65 people can enter the museum at a time, so an open game is always available.

Two historic machines are the Eight Ball from 1977 and the Olympics from 1962. The original Eight Ball machine was designed in 1977. A later version with more features was released in 1982. Eight Ball was one of the first pinball machines to feature a solid-state design, though the sound effects were still electro-mechanical. The unit on display is of the later release, as it had a digital scoring display, unlike the original 1977 version. The game was a significant success, holding the title of the most successful pinball game of all time until 1992.

The Olympics pinball machine released in 1962 was typical of pinball design in the pre-digital era. Pinball machines manufactured before the 1980s were primarily electro-mechanical, meaning they used electrical components to control the flippers and scoring mechanisms but relied on physical elements for most of the action.

Stepping into the video arcade section of the museum, I found this popular arcade game from 1981, which was developed by Nintendo. Universal Studios sued for violation of copyright because of its similarity to King Kong. The placard said that Universal had lost the suit.

The videogame area contains many video games that were entirely new to me. I thought I knew most of the video games of the era. These are more recent games; Virtua Fighter and NBA Jam were released in 1993.

Mortal Kombat was released in 1992, which caused much controversy for its violent depictions. Dragon’s Lair was a game I enjoyed on a home game console. Released in 1983, It wasn’t a traditional game with character controls but rather an interactive film where players guided the on-screen knight, Dirk the Daring, through animated sequences. Finally, Marvel vs. Capcom is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their own video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. I missed the placard photo on this game, but the Internet tells me it could be one of several versions, the earliest released in 1996.

I didn’t play any of the games; instead, I enjoyed a beverage from the museum’s bar as I explored the museum. The nostalgic glow of classic games and the friendly buzz of the players lingered in the air. Whether you’re a seasoned pinball wizard or a curious newcomer, the Asheville Pinball Museum offers a winning combination of fun, competition, and a delightful trip down memory lane. I have included these images in 2K HD on my Flickr site for pixel-peepers.

John Steiner

Asheville, North Carolina.

Note: As I’ve been reading and commenting on others sharing their own Cellpic Sunday images this morning, I’ve noticed that several of my comments on several pages aren’t showing up. I don’t know whether or not they are actually posting. This happened last week as well.

I read every post linked to my site and try to comment. WordPress isn’t posting what I wrote if you don’t see my comment.

The most famous piece of art in the Asheville River Arts District is arguably not even a building. It’s a painted silo located across the railroad tracks from the French Broad River just off West Haywood Street. This silo has become a landmark for Asheville, and its message has changed a few times over the years.

If you search in Google Maps for the Good Vibes Silo, you can get Google Maps to show you how to get to the site, which also has a long wall of graffiti. There is an extensive collection of images that show various iterations of the silo graffiti over the years.

In 2014, the silo sported the message “Good Vibes.” By 2019, local muralists Ian “The Painter” Wilkinson and Ishmael updated it to “Stay Weird,” a message that captured Asheville’s quirky and unique spirit. This became the silo’s most well-known iteration. Later, “Stay Home” was the message during the pandemic, and most recently, “Stay True.” During our visit, the Stay True message had been painted over with what appeared to be random graffiti. Those main messages were painted on the opposite side of the silo from the image I captured for this post.

Beyond the silo, the River Arts District features many artist studios and is a vibrant area reflecting the Asheville artists community. Just down the road from the silo is Old Lymon Street. Take a short drive down Riverside Drive to find some of the studios. Then, drive just past the roundabout to Lymon Street. There, you can soak in the ever-evolving canvas of murals and tags on buildings. Foundation Walls on Old Lyman Street is a particularly interesting spot where graffiti artists are actively encouraged to express themselves.

About the photo: Given the artistic nature of the area and the fact that on the day of our visit, it was cold, dreary, and rainy, I took some creative liberties with this photograph.

In the original image, the sky completely lacked definition. It was a flat cloud ceiling. The only advantage to my photographs that day is that the flat gray sky created a giant “soft box” that provided completely even lighting. After cataloging, straightening, and cropping the image from my Samsung S23U into Lightroom Classic, I sent the photo off to Luminar Neo for an altered reality treatment.

I started with Enhanced AI to give the image extra contrast and definition. Considering the soft available lighting, I was careful not to enhance the colors to make the image too vibrant. I then went to Luminar Neo’s Sky Replacement tool to look for a suitable cloudy sky with at least some definition to add character to the image.

I found a mostly cloudy sky in my collection, but it had some bright blue areas that simply didn’t fit the image as I imagined it. After replacing the sky, I used Neo’s Mask AI to select the sky from within the Develop module. Then, I lowered the sky exposure to darken it, but the sky was still too blue.

I copied the mask, opened the Color tool, and, after pasting the mask, selected the HSL Luminance tool to reduce the blue in the sky. Back in the Develop module, I created two linear gradient masks, a large one from the upper left corner that I angled toward the silo, and another from the upper right, again angled toward the silo. With each mask, I reduced the exposure to darken the sky in the brightest areas.

If you’d like to experiment with these techniques, you can find the altered and original images on my Flickr site here. Download the original image and experiment away. If you don’t have Luminar Neo but have Adobe Photoshop, you can try the basic steps I described from within Photoshop.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s also acceptable. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Asheville, North Carolina.

Our visit to Asheville, North Carolina was in less-than-ideal weather. We planned to spend some time touring the Blue Ridge Parkway via an app with driving directions and navigation instructions. The company marketing the app suggested that the views are best in clear weather, something we didn’t see much during our entire visit. Not only was it cloudy, but the mornings were mostly foggy. We resigned ourselves to the sights of the city itself for several days. When we visited the downtown area, we happened by the Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence the Deacon & Martyr.

This Roman Catholic church features the architectural flair of the Spanish Renaissance. According to Wikipedia, it is the only basilica in western North Carolina, a testament to its architectural and historical importance. Constructed in 1905, the church features a remarkable dome, inspired by the Basilica de los Desamparados in Valencia, Spain. From this angle, the huge dome isn’t visible as it’s above the altar area behind the central facade that rises above the large round stained glass window and main entrance doors. The dome spans 58 by 82 feet (18 by 25 meters), and is reputedly the largest unsupported dome of its kind in North America.

The parish church within the Diocese of Charlotte serves the local Catholic community. The term Minor Basilica confers special privileges to the parish. If you are interested, Wikipedia describes the differences between major and minor basilicas here. The parish is Listed on the National Register of Historic Places giving recognition for its cultural and architectural heritage.

About the photo: On the day of our downtown visit, the skies were gray and drab. After using Adobe Lightroom Classic to catalog and visually straighten the image captured from my Samsung S23U, I sent it off to Luminar Neo for minor touch-up and major sky replacement surgery. Neo recommended the sky I chose in the Sky Replacement tool, and after reviewing the many sky options I have on my computer, I couldn’t find any more visually distinctive than the one chosen by the AI application. Once completed, I uploaded the image in 2K HD to my Flickr account. If you wish to pixel peep, simply click on the image to go to my Flickr site.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

Last week we visited the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, however midway through our journey through the aquarium exhibits, we were encouraged to venture outside. There, we discovered the boardwalk and nature trail, which offered a fascinating insight into the ecosystem of the island marshes along the North Carolina coast.

At the time of writing this in February 2024, I noticed on the aquarium’s website that the boardwalk and nature trail are presently undergoing renovations that are scheduled to conclude in May 2024. By the time this post is made public in early April, I recommend checking the website here before your visit if the outdoor activities at the aquarium are of interest to you.

The boardwalk features many placards each detailing the unique aspects of the various viewpoints encountered along your path. However, due to the limits of my photo collection, I wasn’t able to capture the entire expanse of the boardwalk. This boardwalk extends behind the aquarium, skirts the edge of Bogue Sound and meanders through the coastal woodland.

We didn’t visit the Snakes building exhibit at Pine Knoll Shores, and I couldn’t find any information on their website about what was inside other than was on the sign in the photo above. I leave it to you, dear reader, to comment and let me know what you know about the displayed reptiles. It is a sidestep off the boardwalk.

Near the end of the boardwalk, a nature trail beckons. The short loop trail took us about 30 minutes to walk and brought us back to the boardwalk and the aquarium. There, we concluded our visit and took in the final few aquarium exhibits.

We saw only a few birds on our visit and a single ground squirrel. Even so, the short hike was enjoyable and allowed us to view the forest ecosystem on the edge of the island near Bogue Sound.

The suspension bridge is more stable than most I’ve encountered, and its short distance is probably the main reason for its stability. It is needed to transit a marshy area on the loop trail.

There is also a children’s play area with climbing equipment that marks the beginning and end of the loop trail. Given the many children engaged in play, I opted not to share a photograph to avoid any potential discomfort among parents who might be wary of an unfamiliar person capturing images of their kids. While I’m aware that it’s legally permissible to photograph public areas and that individuals don’t possess privacy rights in such spaces, I decided to exercise discretion due to the commonplace nature of the play equipment and the high volume of children present.

The cost to visit the outdoor ecosystem is included in the aquarium’s price of admission which, at this writing is less than $13 with discounts for seniors, military, and children. As I noted, if visiting the marsh here at the edge of Bogue Sound is a priority, be sure to contact them or check their website here, to see if the boardwalk and nature trail are open for the spring and summer season.

My entire collection of images taken at the aquarium has been uploaded to my Flickr site here, where they can be viewed in 2K HD.  The gallery there also includes the scenes I captured from our visit to the indoor aquarium experience I shared in last week’s Travel Tuesday post.

John Steiner

Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

The North Carolina Aquarium series comprises four distinct regional aquariums. While visiting Emerald Isle in January, we had the pleasure of exploring the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The visit offered a blend of fresh and saltwater aquariums, along with an outdoor area dedicated to the unique marsh ecosystem of this island setting. Our experience was so rich and varied that I’ve decided to split this post into two separate Travel Tuesday entries. This week, we’ll delve into the indoor exhibits, and next week, we’ll venture into the outdoor attractions.

You might remember that I previously showcased a couple of Cellpic Sunday images from the aquarium, including one of a freshwater tank inhabited by the ancient gar, repeated above. The informative placards positioned near each tank provided just the right amount of detail about their inhabitants. The tanks, illuminated perfectly, made for excellent photographs, captured with both my cell phone and my Sony APC camera.

The facility’s most prominent feature is the Living Shipwreck tank, a saltwater habitat with a capacity of 306,000 gallons. It contains a replica of the U-352, a German submarine that met its end off the North Carolina coast in 1942. This recreated environment is teeming with a diverse array of marine life, including sharks, tarpon, a green sea turtle, and various other species that call the ocean home. The large tank provides plenty of viewing space for visitors to enjoy the underwater views.

Another replica tank is the unique 50,000-gallon habitat that was designed to mirror the wreckage site believed to be the final resting place of Blackbeard the Pirate’s flagship – the Queen Anne’s Revenge. This habitat features species like the sheepshead, which are also found at the actual dive site. Replicas of the anchors that were used on the ship and can be seen at the real wreckage site are included in this tank. In a future Travel Tuesday, we will visit a maritime museum that focuses on Blackbeard and his famous ship.

The aquarium that seemingly houses the most vibrant fish, possibly koi or goldfish, was one of my favorites. Regrettably, I failed to capture the information placard in my collection of images for this exhibit, leaving me unable to recollect the specifics. There is no reference on the website to this specific tank that I could find, but I did enjoy watching the colorful fish.

The two jellyfish images featured in the above photo and my opening image were the most abstract in my gallery. The tank’s blue backdrop offered a vibrant contrast to the transparent marine life.

As I write this in February 2024, the entry fee to the facility is under $13 per individual, with special discounts available for seniors, military personnel, and children. This fee grants access to both the indoor and outdoor exhibits. However, I noticed that the boardwalk and outdoor activities are currently closed for refurbishment during the winter season. If the outdoor experience is a crucial part of your visit, I strongly recommend checking the website prior to your arrival. The wait will indeed be worthwhile if you can incorporate both experiences into your visit.

My entire collection of images taken at the aquarium has been uploaded to my Flickr site here, where they can be viewed in 2K HD.  The gallery there also includes the scenes I captured from our outdoor adventure at the aquarium that will be the subject of next week’s Travel Tuesday post.

John Steiner

Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

When we visited Emerald Isle in January, one of the highlights of our stay was a visit to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Located on the northern end of the island, it is one of four aquariums around the state that bear the name “North Carolina Aquarium.” Our visit there introduced us to both freshwater fish and ocean fish that are found in and around North Carolina. One such fascinating species is the longnose gar.

The longnose gar is a fish with a prehistoric past and unique features. Reaching 3 feet (1 m) or more in length, these slender creatures boast olive-brown or green backs and silvery-white bellies. Found in many North American lakes and rivers, the gar’s narrow snout, twice the length of its head, is fitted with needle-sharp teeth. Unwary fish swimming by are vulnerable to this predator. With a swift lunge and a side-to-side thrash, the gar impales its prey, then maneuvers it headfirst into its gullet.

But the gar’s adaptability extends beyond its appetite. They thrive in warm, oxygen-depleted waters, where most fish would suffocate. They have a unique ability to breathe air, gulping oxygen directly from the atmosphere through their swim bladders. This allows them to survive even when completely out of the water and can live out of water for a full day!

The gar’s skin is armored with tough, overlapping diamond-shaped scales, offering protection against most predators. These living fossils, with their prehistoric prowess and surprising ecological benefit, are a true marvel of freshwater lakes and rivers. North Dakota fishermen won’t find the longnose gar in my state’s lakes, but they will find a similar species, the shortnose gar.

About the photo: The aquarium is very friendly to cell phone images. On our visit, I captured images with both my Sony camera and my Samsung S23U cell phone. This image is one from the S23U. After importing it to my Lightroom Classic catalog, I sent it off to Luminar Neo for adjustment. I used Enhance AI, the Noiseless add-in (though there was very little noise in the image), and the Supersharp add-in to remove motion blur from the exposure. The original exposure was captured at 1/15 sec. and 1000 ISO prompting me to use the two add-ins to remove any negative artifacts. To view the photo in 2K HD on my Flickr site, click on the image.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

For two weeks in January, we rented a condo on Emerald Isle, off the coast of North Carolina. Compared to our stay in Saint Augustine Florida in 2023, Emerald Isle is a quiet place to visit in January. There isn’t nearly as much traffic and many of the condos in the complex are empty this time of year. January in North Carolina can be quite chilly, our first-week highs were mostly in the 40s or 50s. The lack of traffic is all the better for us and, despite it being the off-season, there are plenty of places to visit. One such place is the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Located on the northern end of the island, it’s a 20-minute drive from our rental on the southern end. In an upcoming Travel Tuesday post, I will feature a story about our visit to the aquarium.

One of the more fascinating exhibits is designed for children of all ages, myself included. Lynn and I watched as those much younger than us were allowed to reach into the water to touch and even pick up some of the creatures in a shallow pool. One girl was having so much fun exploring the pool, that she didn’t want to leave. Every time her mom took her hand out of the water and dried it off, the girl immediately dunked it back into the water. Eventually, the child gave in and they were off to the next exhibit.

A docent kept a watchful eye on the children to ensure that the critters in the pool weren’t harmed or even taken out of the water. The only creature they weren’t allowed to pick up was the sand crab. I must say that I learned a lot about the hermit crab that day. I’d never seen one inhabiting a shell before. I even watched one that turned itself upside down and then rotated itself upright again. Hermit crabs don’t grow their own shells. They scavenge for abandoned shells left by other snails or hermit crabs as they grow. It would have been fascinating to witness a shell “upgrade.”

About the photo: The water in the pool is less than six inches deep so there is no shortage of light to capture photos of the critters that live there. I put my Samsung S23U camera into Pro mode and captured a raw DNG image of one of the hermit crabs. Getting the images off my cellphone, though, was a bit of a challenge. I usually connect my phone to my laptop via a dual USB-C cable, navigate the computer to the DCIM folder on the phone, and then select and copy the images. Every time I opened the folder, the computer would start displaying thumbnails of the photos in the folder only to crash and close the window before it finished opening the folder.

After several attempts, I restarted my laptop, and the problem was solved. I imported the files into Adobe Lightroom Classic and went to work on processing images. For this image, I cropped it square and sent it off to Luminar Neo for final tweaks in Enhance AI and Structure AI. To help sharpen the image since it was blurred a bit by the diffraction effect of the water, I used the Supersharp module in Neo. A couple of minor exposure and contrast tweaks later and it was ready to share. To view the image in 2K HD via my Flickr site, click on it.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

A note to my regular commenters: It appears the SPAM filter on my site has gotten extra critical in determining what is SPAM and what isn’t. I noticed a few posts from regular commenters that ended up in SPAM during my usual monthly clean-out. I’ll check the filter more often now that I see that it is being extra selective. I do appreciate when a reader takes the time to comment, and I always respond.

Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

On New Year’s Day, we embarked on a two-week January escape to Emerald Isle, a charming barrier island situated on Bogue Banks, just south of the renowned Outer Banks chain. While geographically distinct, Emerald Isle shares much with its famous northern neighbors, earning its place among the “southern Outer Banks” or “Crystal Coast” for its dazzling beaches and relaxed coastal atmosphere. Unlike the peak summer season, January paints a serene picture, with many condo owners embracing mainland comfort, leaving their beachside havens to those seeking winter solitude. This tranquil setting, with its empty condos and whispering waves, became our haven, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the island’s natural beauty.

Two days during our two-week January stay at Emerald Isle were interrupted by official storm warnings. As predicted wind speeds neared gale force and the possibility of strong rainfall increased, the property owner advised us to secure the storm shutters in front of the large ocean-facing patio door. While the winds raged and before light sprinkles turned into a steady rain, I ventured out on the third-floor balcony to secure the shutters. Observing the turbulent ocean, I noticed an unexpected sight: a kite-surfer utilizing the wind’s power to navigate the waves with a kite-surfing wing. This intrepid individual rode back and forth along the surging waves, harnessing the wind’s energy in a display of skillful defiance against the elements.

About the photos: I captured about 15 seconds of video of the surfer going back and forth along the waves, sometimes being lifted into the air by the kite. From there, I pulled out two video frames to share here. I’d planned to share the entire video as well but with the high wind on the third-floor deck and the high zoom setting on the S23U, the video turned out to be too shaky to be useable. However, as I watched it in a video editor, I noticed that some frames were fairly clear with minor motion blur. I’d set the camera to 3X zoom, then zoomed to 10X while the video was running. That was a mistake. I should have created two videos, one at each zoom level.

On my Windows laptop, I used the Snipping Tool to copy and save two of the clearest frames and imported them into Luminar Neo. I used the same process for both of them and started with the SuperSharp tool set to remove motion blur. Then I added only about 20% of the Enhance AI tool to add contrast to the images. The Supersharp tool added a minor amount of banding to the sky, so I used the Structure tool, masked everything but the sky, and then set the Structure setting to minus about 50%, just enough to remove the “stair-step” effect of banding in the sky. From there, I exported the images to a Flickr album. If you’d like to pixel-peep the two images in 2K HD, check out the Flickr album here.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, and, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Emerald Isle, North Carolina.

We’ve been visiting with our son and daughter-in-law in Pittsboro, North Carolina after leaving Fargo for the winter on Boxing Day. In a few hours, we’ll be heading toward the Atlantic Ocean at Emerald Isle to spend a couple of weeks relaxing in a rental on the Atlantic Coast. This Travel Tuesday post is one day early so Lynn and I can wish you and yours a happy and productive new year.

John Steiner

Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

On our Spring visit to North Carolina to visit our son and daughter-in-law, one day Lynn and I went on our own to Chapel Hill when both of our hosts were busy living their daily lives. We arrived on time for lunch and then strolled along West Franklin Street. Walking on the south side of the street, we came upon a set of large revolving doors. From our vantage point in front of the building, we couldn’t see what the building housed, but looking in, it appeared to be a hotel lobby. With nothing better to do, we stepped inside.

Immediately upon entering, we saw the reception desk and a smiling host. We’d never heard of Graduate Hotels before, and the friendly lady behind the counter told us that they are a chain of hotels that basically serve “university-driven towns” around the globe. She said to us that each hotel is designed around the local culture of the city in which they are located.

I was enamored with the artwork in the lobby directly across from the reception desk. A mural on the wall features an image of a North Carolina beach. It is framed in an interesting fashion that I’m not sure how to describe, so I’ll leave you with your own thoughts as to how to describe the design.

Around the corner from the lobby, a $5 check is displayed and a nearby plaque tells the story. You can read the entire story on the plaque by visiting my Flickr site. As the story goes, in 1984, then-collegiate Michael Jordan got into a pickup game. He was up $25 when a second friend joined the game and started winning. Jordan called it quits after he was down to being owed $5, and the $5 check was the pay-off on the game. There was no mention of the name of the player who was beating Jordan just six days before his final NCAA game, and soon to become the number 3 draft pick for the Chicago Bulls.

The receptionist had one more surprise for us. She commented, “You should stop up on the third floor and look around.” Wasting no time, we headed to the elevators. Getting off at level 3, it looked very much like any third-floor hotel hallway with rooms on either side.

Walking a short way down the hall, the hallway opened up to show a large carpeted area complete with a carpeted basketball court. The basketballs on the rack in the background are not what they seem. When you pick one up, you will realize they are more like nerf balls, soft on the inside with a basketball pattern material on the exterior. No, I’m not ready for a pickup game with Michael Jordan. >grin<

Click on any of the images above to view them in 2K HD. Click here to visit my Flickr album to see the entire gallery including the plaque that tells all about that Michael Jordan pickup game.

John Steiner