There is something that stirs my soul when I return for a visit to Madison, WI. Maybe it's the 5 or so years I spent there going to college... and occasionally studying. Even though the landscape has changed and many businesses I once frequented are no longer there (not to mention campus buildings like dormitories), I still love to reminisce as we wander the campus(mostly because it really annoys the kids).

I have learned to accept the changes that are bound to occur as my college days fall further into the past... but this last visit I came across a change that really sent me into an all out funk. The Plaza Tavern, home of the addicting Plaza Burger, had not one pinball machine!! For close to thirty years I have counted on them for my pinball fix while in Madison.

In talking to the owner he commented that he was the last holdout and that they had just removed the pinball a few weeks before. He said they just didn't make money- but he also said video games did not make much money either. As I walked down State Street, which is lined with similar establishments, I came to the horrifying conclusion that he was correct... not one pinball machine!

When I arrived at Memorial Union, the student union, I tried to ease my depression with Babcock Ice Cream (a must eat if you are in Madison) but was stunned to find that the arcade had been turned into a coffee shop!

My daughter saw my pain...she suggested a game of Pinball on the Wii...