It's mid-term season at the UW, and the collective stress from thousands of students worrying about thousands of exams is beginning to take its toll. Everyone deals with the pressure in his or her own way. A lot of people say comfort food is a great stress reducer. I can't really say that a bowl of mac n' cheese will do much to release excess tension or lower your heart rate.
Another popular mid-term mellow-outer is a massage. Supposedly, University Health Services gives great massages for only 30 bucks. Problem is, the darn things are so popular it's hard to get an appointment for any time sooner than the next three years or so.
In my humble opinion, there's no better way to beat stress than with some good old-fashioned family entertainment. Nothing quite erases the frustration and worry of classes like an afternoon of fun and games.
A great outlet for such an excursion is the local Chuck E. Cheese's, 438 Grand Canyon Drive, one of the best places around for kids and wannabe kids.
Situated in a less-than-scenic business park between Odana Road and Mineral Point Road in the greater West Towne area, Chuck E's is not much to look at. Its neighbors include a Honda dealership and a neglected scenic pond. Still, beyond its tired concrete-and-plastic interior is a lively restaurant worthy of your business.
On a recent date, I traveled to Chuck E's with my companion in search of some innocent fun. It turns out quite a few parents had the same idea. Despite the fact that it was a Wednesday afternoon, the place was pretty busy. The parking lot, packed with station wagons and minivans, effectively summed up the situation. About 50 assorted children, parents and guardians milled about in a pizza and caffeine fueled frenzy.
While the games at Chuck E. Cheese's are a pretty good time, it's actually fun just to watch parents and kids alike blow their money in a heartwarmingly mad dash for prize tickets. It's easy to forget about study sessions and transcripts for a little while when you see people who aren't in their 20s doing something that doesn't involve much brain power.
Just as the clientele at Chuck E. Cheese's is not your typical campus demographic, the walls are adorned with weird decorations you probably won't see in Grainger Hall anytime soon. Mostly, they are a hodgepodge of pop-cultural references not so subtly tied together with the Chuck E. Cheese franchise.
There are some spoof album covers with Chuck E's band, like \Flabby Road"" and ""Yellow Submarine Sandwich."" Also, one wall features a mural of Mount Rushmore with Chuck E's mug next to the Great American Presidents. The fake movie posters are probably the worst example of decorations here. They are neither funny nor timely. A faded, sorry-looking ""Crocodile Chuckee"" poster probably hasn't been changed in the last decade and a half.
The place has the feel, more or less, of a kiddie casino. Although there are a few token windows in front, the low lighting combined with dark, motel-grade carpeting makes for a very disorienting entertainment experience. Still, you probably won't confuse the innocent giggling of Chuck E. Cheese's customers with crusty card sharks anytime soon.
Music and general visual distractions come courtesy of the restaurant's own channel, called CEC (short for Chuck E. Cheese Channel). Predictably enough, the shows all look like cable access with Chuck E. as a producer.
The main entertainment at the restaurant is definitely the Chuck E. Cheese house band, Munch's Make Believe Band. The animatronic creep-fest features a loony bird on backing vocals, a yokel dog guitar player, an ethnically embarrassing Italian pizza chef-drummer, a woolly purple keyboard player that looks like an obese Barney and, of course, Chuck himself on lead vocals. Their performances are looped, so if you stay long enough, you can eventually sing along with their pizza-themed covers of the Beatles and Britney Spears. Just remember, if you want to hear the music, don't sit too close to the stage. The robotic clicking and grinding of the band members tends to drown out their music.
Food is, to a certain extent, a part of the fun at Chuck E. Cheese's. The pizzas are decent enough, with a nice crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture and a neutral sauce that doesn't overkill on garlic or pepper. Our small Vegetarian Pizza, $9.99, had a colorful combination of green peppers, tomato slices, olives, mushrooms and red onions. On the downside, the crust had a bleach-like aftertaste, probably the result of some over-zealous dishwashing.
Nothing goes with family fun and pizza like soft drinks, and Chuck E. Cheese's has more than enough options for soda drinkers. There are no less than 16 different soda and tea varieties, all courtesy of Coca-Cola.
To get into the fun spirit of the place, it's fun to mix and match soda varieties and come up with your own crazy concoctions. I made a drink that tasted something like an orange creamsicle by combining Vanilla Coke and Orange Drink. My inner nine-year old child was very proud of my soda exploits.
Although Chuck's does serve beer and wine, I wouldn't go planning any liquor-fueled rampages there. Beer is $4 a pint and comes with a disapproving glance from the stern manager. ""Family fun"" it seems, really means ""alcohol-free fun."" It's probably better that you don't go blowing your money on booze. Otherwise, you'd have less to spend on the games. And let's face it, you shouldn't be driving out to Chuck E. Cheese's just for mediocre pizza and bad TV, the real attraction are the games.
There are quite a few to choose from, ranging from the typical to the obtuse. My date and I were able to rack up quite a few prize tickets while trying our luck at Skee Ball. Although the machines weren't registering our point totals correctly at first, the serious-faced manager was able to clear things up promptly. After the repairs, we were able to really rake in the fake dough.
I came for some innocent fun and I got it. Chuck E. Cheese's was definitely a fun escape for a few hours, certainly worth the time and money. After the ticket counting was all done, I got a spiffy set of Chuck E. Cheese magic markers and a Spongebob Sqarepants fridge magnet. Try getting all that at a massage clinic.
