Happy Anniversary! Part 2
I often write something painfully earnest here, and today will be doubly-so. This is a slight revision of something I wrote to owner Matt W on our staff group chat, and it feels important for you to read it, too. Thank you for supporting Free Parking!
Today is a huge deal. Not as in something you should be stressed about, but something you should be so proud of. To create a space like Free Parking is no small task. And of course you didn’t do it alone—all of us, all the folks who have worked here even briefly, your Kickstarter backers, your investors, your friends and family, our customers—this place isn’t yours, it’s ours. You didn’t do it alone, because humans never do anything alone. And that is something to be wildly proud of, that so many have signed on to this nerdy neighborhood bar, this third place, this team.
You’ve created a space of welcome across identities in a world that wants to separate us and make us fearful of each other. It’s not all wine and roses, we have our struggles, but we are trying to build something bigger, to grow something beautiful. Thank you.
Alice C, board game librarian
Our first year, by the numbers:
Most checked out game: A Gentle Rain
Second-most checked out game: Hues and Cues (we are on our second copy!)
Least checked out game: Dice Forge
Highest-ranked game in the library: Brass: Birmingham
Games in the library by local designers or publishers: 23
Times the library has been reorganized: 3
Day-one staff still working here: 5
Day-one celebratory balloons still blown up and bringing joy: 3
Beers on tap: 12
Best-selling cocktail: Luxury Tax
First dates that happened in the bar: 27?
Weddings that happened in the bar: 0, so far
Signature and chef special burgers offered: 7
How much we love our guests: infinite
Play Monopoly (the right way)!
Listen, I’m on record as not liking Monopoly much—it’s got a bad rap for lasting days and causing family strife, and I find other games about building an empire and bleeding your competition dry to be more fun (Catan, Cosmic Encounter, even Sea Salt & Paper). BUT, Monopoly is a classic, played all over the world and much beloved, possibly because of the strife!
The thing is, most people don’t play Monopoly by the rules. Our bar is named after the Free Parking space on the Monopoly board—the only space where nothing is required of the player, a space where you can rest, not owe anyone anything, and controversially, not receive anything either.
That’s right, I’m a purist about not putting fees and other money in the middle of the board to be received by the player who lands on Free Parking. It’s a house-rule that makes the game last longer and doesn’t make it better. Combined with most people not remembering that every un-owned property must go up for auction if the active player doesn’t want to buy it, players have less motivation to buy and build. There’s also too much currency in circulation which makes the game last much longer. The point isn’t to spend hours and hours getting increasingly desperate, but for players to run out of money and a winner to emerge quickly.
Are you playing it wrong? No, there’s no wrong way to play a game, if you’re having fun. But you could be having more fun!
And I recommend you look up The Landlord’s Game, the precursor to Monopoly—it’s a fascinating story!
Alice C, board game librarian
Try local brewery Brink’s Brinktoberfest!
Our neighbor down the street Brink Brewing has done it again: Brinktoberfest is a smooth lager, rich in malt, with notes of caramel. Crisp but filling.
“Good beer makes good neighbors,” is Brink’s motto—we agree! Meet some new friends here at Free Parking, have a Brinktoberfest, and play a (quick) game of Monopoly!
Click the images below for more on this week’s fun!
(No RSVP needed for Community Game Night!)
Did you know?
We have a menu especially for kids and a whole shelf of games curated for them? It’s true! Bring the family between naps (or anytime!) for tasty foods and easy entertainment. Games are educational, even the silly ones, so really, you’re ahead of the game!
Foreshadowing…
Links
See what fun events are coming up on our calendar here.
Give us feedback on your experience or a board game or event suggestion here.
Need a way to decide on a first player? Check out this fun randomizer site.
And of course check out our website here, our library listings here, and our social media here!