TopPics

 Yikes, sorry for the weeks off, I thought I had scheduled some stuff to autopost, but it looks like I'm a slacker instead. Here's a thing we went to plus some other random pics...

Anybody ever been to Top Golf? Um, is that one word? Topgolf? Or like... TopGolf? They didn't put any spaces in the sign. So maybe I should have used all caps. TOPGOLF. Eh, whatever. We went there, so of course I got some pictures. If you have not been, you can see what it's like.

We got a parking spot right next to the "reserved for Platinum Members" spot so we're platinum-adjacent. Almost just as good. Like, their passenger side door is just as close as our driver side door, if they also back into the spot. 

Is $5.30 a lot for one golf ball? I have no idea. Sounds like a lot, but I don't know.

There's a bar, and a concierge. So if you need anything, talk to that guy. That's what the fancy word means.

They sent us to spot 227. They don't have hundreds of spots, the 2 is for the 2nd level. I'm not sure how many spots they had.

It's like a driving range, but with weird, colorful, target spots in the ground.

Looks like a map showing the targets. This is also where the ball comes out. You hold your golf club over the sensor for a moment, and a ball rolls out of that slot. And you can also see the little nub tee to put the ball on before you whack it. There's another one for lefties on the other side of the carpet.

You don't have to bring your own golf clubs. They have some for you. My friend did bring his own clubs, because he was used to them, and maybe using strange clubs would be awkward.

Annnnnnd..... nope. It looked like spot 227 had only tall bar stool seats, and several of our friends would need shorter, more comfy options. We made reservations! Here's some gingerbread houses they had in the lobby to check out while we wait.

While waiting for the better spot, we wandered into the bar area, too. Here's a fun specialty beverage that comes in a souvenir golf bag glass. Neat. I'm a fan of that kind of thing, usually. But we did not get one.

Comfy couches! That's what I'm talking about. So much better.

We are up one level from before, so a slightly different view. But almost the same. Let's go already!

One quick picture of the parking lot as the sun sets. This place in Virginia Beach is a little tricky to get to. There were new roads not yet in the map aps and so we circled around it a couple of times. If you know exactly how to get here, it's not a big deal, but good luck figuring it out that first time.

I was expecting a regular driving range, but this place is so much cooler. When you hit the ball, a computer tracks your specific shot, among all the other people, and displays it on this monitor! So much technology! With, like, a little trail replay, you can see exactly where your shot went! And you score points based on where and which target you hit, if any.

NACHOS! To be fair, we planned on going to diner afterwards, so we did not eat any, but our friends ordered some, so I snuck over and got a picture before they gobbled them up.

10 points! There are various "games" you can play around aiming for the spots, but we went for the typical 20 shots, count your score game. You can shoot all at once, take turns, in any combination, as long as all players hit 20 shots.

The scoreboard keeps tracks of how many points you scored with each shot. My friend who NEVER plays golf, beat the two others who play golf a bunch. He admits, it was all luck. But you can still tease them, a little, right? Oh, and here's a tip, you might want to take a picture of this screen, as the TopGolf place cannot print them out later. We asked and they told us it's not like a bowling alley.

329. We were on the third level. The signs glowed at night.

Here's the view at night. So much light! You can still easily see where your ball went, even without the fancy computer playbacks. We played for a couple of hours, which was more than enough. Since our friend was treating us, I have no idea how much it cost, but it was a lot of fun, so maybe try it yourself if you can.

Out at the Antiques Mall, to check out some old stuff. Here's a crossover they did with the Transformers where they all got turned into humans for an episode. I don't remember how or why, but they still made G. I. Joe style figures for them.

This looks like an ancient G. I. Joe Adventure Team guy vs a... yeti? But it's a more-recent throwback set from 2002. That's still pretty old, isn't it? Just not from the 1960's like you'd think.

This was the Daffy Duck figure; the back of the package says 1994. If you look at the other available figures on the back, it shows a Pepe Le Pew pouncing on that poor girl cat. Yikes. In 1994 that was still okay.

Thank you, Space 1999. That movie came out right before the original Star Wars, and since the concept sketch of the Millennium Falcon looked so close to the ship from Space 1999, they changed it to the much-better design we all know and love. Could you image Star Wars with the Millennium Falcon looking like this the whole time?

What's up with this oddly-girly deer picture? Printed on a metal sheet. Welcome to the antique store! You never know what crazy things you'll find.

Some more shocking crazy signs. Were these actually posted? Were they encouraging the illegal behavior? I guess this is some kind of history.

'MERICA! The bowling version of that. Does this ball always win?

I found this store called Treasure Hunt Liquidators, and was curious enough to peek inside to see what kind of treasures they have.

What an insane store. They have large bins with super-random boxes all over them. The most extreme randomness you could ever think of. I did not have any kind of patience to dig through the mess to see if there was any treasure. So I guess I do have a limit to my treasure hunting, after all. I mean, I did try for a hot minute, but it was just such a mess!

I couldn't decide if these Cotton Candy Balls sounded like they would be amazing, or terrible. I was not curious enough to try.

Quick! Where's this cow from!? I saw this happy cow and got the picture, but it took me a moment to remember where it was from. Do you want me to tell you? This is Elsie the Cow, from Borden.

Pop-up kiosk business last Xmas. It looks like you give them a picture, and they convert it into a Lego mosaic picture. Is that cool? Yep.

Look at all these colors! I don't think these were "real" Lego bricks, but the concept is neat. I don't think I asked them how much, but I probably should have asked, at least.

Glisten? Does Build-a-Bear Workshop get to make up new reindeers? Or is Glisten from some new cartoon or book that I don't know about?

The little Miss Minutes charm necklace has a "Hey Y'all" catchphrase! Cute.