Chuck E Cheese's

Chuck-e-Cheese's ... Where a kid can be a kid!

Remember that place? I was thinking about it earlier today. We used to go there every month - myself, my sister and my two cousins - it was a ritual. Every month my aunt would collect all the bottles and recyclables and take them to be exchanged for some moola. It would always come out to about $20. Back in the days, that was enough to get us all pizza and 100 tokens.

My aunt was a cheapskate and this is where she proved it. They used to give us a cup with all of the tokens. So we would go back and ask for more cups so we could split our tokens. But then my aunt would take these cups and get free drinks in them. I was always so embarassed. Fast forward a year or so and there we are asking for cups. But this time ... the twist ... they poked little holes in the bottom of the cups!! Perfect for tokens, but not so perfect for free drinks!

So that's my memory of the day ... now chuck e cheese is just a grimy place full of germs that no one really goes to anymore. Sigh, the good 'ol days.