Where Adults (and Kids) Can Be a Kid

For the most part, my childhood was pretty serious.  Despite being an only child, I rarely got toys, we never went on vacation, did not celebrate birthdays and for Christmas, only the bare bone minimum with a 1 foot artificial table top tree.  Instead of the Teddy Ruxpin that was on my Dear Santa List year after year or the My Little Pony I would immediately make a beeline for upon arriving at the CVS only to have to put back every time we left, I would get $20 cash from Santa which I had to immediately deposit into the bank instead of finally getting my $6.95 pony.  The upside is the savings ended up helping with my down payment on a home 20 years later but the downside is I never truly got to experience what it was like to be a kid. 

Just like my lack of exposure to travel and the diversity of food growing up due to that sheltered childhood that makes me want to try it all as an adult, sometimes I find myself just wanting to be a kid, not again, but for the first time. 

Tilden Park Little Farm, Berkeley, CA

South Bay Yelp Community Manager Candice had done a segment on KRON 4 News a year or two ago and Little Farm was one of the places featured.  Although children would love the petting zoo aspect of it, it was the feeding part that immediately drew me in.  With free admission you just need to BYOL (Bring Your Own Lettuce) and BYOC (Bring Your Own Celery) making it a fun and cheap way to spend a good hour or so interacting and feeding the cows,

 

 

 

 

 

pigs,

 

 

 

geese,

 

 

 

chickens, goats,

 

 

 

 

and lambs

 

 

(rabbits although there for viewing are off limits to feeding). 

 

 

 

 

 

Over just two visits last month since celery was on sale for 79 cents each, I love already knowing the cows and goats prefer celery and lambs lettuce and that it is a good idea to bring at least 2 celeries. 

High Scores Arcade, Alameda and new Hayward, CA location - http://www.highscoresarcade.com

As expected, I did not go to arcades as a kid but did play some games on the computer especially when everyone went on the overnight middle school class trip to DC and Boston but I of course was not given permission to go.  Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, both of which I still suck at all these years,

 

 

 

Tetris, Frogger,

 

 

Atari Star Wars,

 

 

Space Invaders, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, BurgerTime

 

 

and what I was so psyched to see and the first game I ever played, Tapper!  As a kid, I think it was modified to sling lemonade or root beer and not beer but now as an adult, I get to sling Budweisers!!

 

 

At throwback retro prices from when I was a kid, $5 for an hour or $10 for unlimited play all day with your wristband, it was the best $10 spent in a long time.  Chuck E Cheese may be where a kid can be a kid but High Scores Arcade is where adults (and kids) can be a kid.  The jukebox blasting classics was just icing on the cake. 

With that $20 from Santa, I could finally go experience both Little Farm and High Scores Arcade for a full day of fun.  As the saying goes, better late than never!!