Straddling a line between purely physical gaming components (such as foosball) and electronic gaming (traditional microprocessor controlled video games), pinball occupies a special place in the hearts of those who grew up in the era prior to computer and home console video games. Although I grew up with computer and console games, my first job was at a video arcade where I spent many nights cleaning and repairing coin-operated pinball machines.

Shortly after being reminded of this sentimental favorite, I embarked on a cross-town quest to play every pinball machine I could find.

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Earlier this year, uliveandyouburn beautifully documented the underbelly of the Boylan Avenue Bridge. Hidden from street-level view, the area serves as a transit point and temporary shelter for freight riders, hobos, and taggers. A few hundred feet away at the intersection of Mountford Avenue and Cutler Street is a smaller bridge, which tells many of the same stories.

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Above is a marker on the Hargett Street side of the Edmisten Building denoting the spot where Judge William Gaston penned the official North Carolina state song “The Old North State Forever”. Visible in the reflection is the Odd Fellows Building.

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A forgotten N.C. State University landmark, a 7-foot tall granite drinking fountain, stands hidden behind Primrose Hall on campus. The monument was a gift of the class of 1914 and originally stood in the quad between Holladay and Leazar Halls. Leazar was the dining hall back then, so it made sense to place the 4-sided fountain in a space that was essentially a student hangout. Photos in old year books show the fountain in the center of a well-worn network of paths running through the barren dirt yard. I’m not sure how or when it was moved to its current location, but it has been there for as long as I can remember. Read more »