Laser Storm

This weekend, I took Ella to her cousin's birthday party at Laser Storm on McKnight Road north of Pittsburgh. The small structure is now dwarfed by much larger, newer chain stores, but entering the doors transported me to the same amazing world my cousins and I would visit as tweens. Behold its majesty: Just look at these wall paintings: Outside of the laser tag arena is the arcade area, equipped with many of the classics. For my money, things like this need to be protected at all costs. Sure, it's a commercial enterprise, but the lack of hyper-commercialized logos, franchises, and exploitative sheen is notable. One of the signs bordering the walls says it perfectly: "It's Not Virtual...It's REAL." My daughter romping around with her cousins and some random kids is real. Eating bad pizza, getting sugared up, and running around playing games is real. Smoothing out dollar bills and receiving clanging tokens is real. Winning physical tickets and trading them in for penny candy and…