Chinatown Fair: The Last Day

Via NYC the Blog

Yesterday the Chinatown Fair arcade, really the last of its kind in the city, shut its doors after weeks of rumors regarding its demise. NYC the Blog made it down for their last night, saying, "Some games were removed before the last token was dropped and the space was nearly empty by yesterday afternoon. The end of Chinatown Fair unfolded with players battling each other in fight games until the very end."

Manager Valentino Ventura previously mentioned plans to look for a new space in Williamsburg, but so far nothing's been finalized. For anyone who wants to remember the space as it was, regulars and fans have set up the Chinatown Fair Archive, complete with pictures of the original location across the street, photos of the games and the neighborhood, and eventually including an oral history from the gamers who made it their second home.

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By Jaya Saxena in Arts & Entertainment on February 28, 2011 11:00 AM

Comments [rss]

Sikbug

I went, not often, but I liked knowing there was a place I could go. I lived in Japan for a few months and it's great seeing packed arcades on almost every block there. The games are more advance, but I think the big difference is the arcades in Japan make a lot of money off of "metal" and "ufo" games in the same way a casino makes most of their money off of slot machines.

Ivan Yeung

VALENTINO IS NOT THE FUCKING MANAGER......... He's only an employee

GregJG

I was like wtf when I read that

John Reese

Good riddance. Arcades haven't had original or even new games in about a decade and a half, never mind the fact that they're about one step below robbery with what they charge. The only overhead those places have is electricity, rent, a few minimum wage employees and MAYBE a semi skilled electrician; they have no way to justify the prices they try to extort out of people.

GregJG

Oh please stfu. I'm sure you say that when you walk into Starbucks.

JesusGrundel

Maybe you should douche that sand out of your vagina, Sandy.

Guest

STFU and go play your dudebro first person shooters.

Gregory Maxim

RIP to the last place in NYC where you could get dinner and play Bust-a-Move for under $5.

thinprep

How many of you assholes complaining about this place closing actually went there to play games in the past decade? The Xbox 360 and PS3 have killed the arcade. I'm as a big a video game geek as any of you fuckers, but I havent stepped into an arcade since they closed Playland in timesquare, and I don't miss it one bit. I like playing games in my own home without worrying about black kids trying to pickpocket me while I play Street Fighter 2.