Gina Venturino recalls that when she started out playing Magic: The Gathering in high school, when her family owned the former NuGames in Eureka, “I was often the only female in the room and it took me a really long time to ever actually start becoming comfortable just going to a game store and playing […]
Games
Posted inShopping
Geeking Out at the Scruffy Nerd Herder
As a kid, John Coombs loved nothing more than Batman and visiting game shops. Growing up in the cow town of Fortuna, he was mostly out of luck. After graduating from high school, Coombs hatched a plan to start his own game shop, joining the Navy to earn the start-up cash. After working on submarines […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Bagels & Boards
Let’s set aside, for now, the flea market with its displays of quartz crystals and circa-1973 Pepsi glasses, the craft fairs, wrestling matches, roller derbies and cannabis fests. Redwood Acres, that bastion of endless entertainment, is also a hotbed of handcrafted delectables. A few mornings a week, head to the old racetrack these days to […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Pulling Back the Curtain
Redwood Curtain Brewing Co. is the best-known secret in town. Tucked in an unassuming business park on the outskirts of Arcata, it’s become a popular destination for Humboldt County beer enthusiasts and tourists alike. But, says beer pourer Chris Galleron on a bustling Sunday afternoon, locals still frequently visit the tasting room for the first […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Market
Would you rather kick back in the sun, quaffing a draft kombucha and nibbling a Garden Goddess wrap, or hunker down and watch football amongst the barflies with a pint of local beer and a cheeseburger? Luckily, at Fieldbrook Market and Eatery, you can do both. Not to mention draft cider and corn hole, Diet […]
Posted inNews
Local Boy Garners Industry Award
Picture a joint where the pool table’s slanted and the jukebox skips. Your Twix just got stuck in the machine and the coin return doesn’t work. Oh, and the coffee’s cold. Nuh uh. Lucky for us, that kind of dilapidation is banished to the imagination ‘round here, thanks to the fine work of nationally recognized […]
Posted inBest Of Humboldt
Best Use of Your Laundry Money
In the alcove of your neighborhood restaurant, the apse of your favorite bar, there’s often one of Humboldt’s overlooked treasures. Pinball tables — “Machines!” argues a colleague, who smugly points out that “pinball machine” garners 1.45 million results in a Google search, while “pinball table” yields a mere 169,000. “Almost 10 to one,” he boasts. […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Five Things To Know Before Playing Cornhole
1. Why cornhole? Because socializing mixed with friendly competition lets some sunshine into the otherwise dark recesses of your brain — it’s science! And because tossing a sack in a hole is harder than you think, you need a challenge, and this is way less scary than skydiving. Also because you muck about on Facebook […]