So long, Boardwalk?

  • Monday, May 1, 2006 9:00pm
  • Life

Let’s admit now that most of us didn’t know the classic board game Monopoly was set in Atlantic City, N.J., until long after we started playing it.

We didn’t know a Baltic Avenue from the Baltic Sea.

A St. Charles Place from a St. Charles Cathedral.

A Marvin Gardens from any other garden.

And who knew “Reading Railroad” was pronounced “Redding”?

Don’t lie.

Herald file

Pike Place Market is one of three Seatte landmarks that could be chosen as properties in the new “Here and Now Monopoly” board game.

Herald file

Puget Sound is one of three Seatte landmarks that could be chosen as properties in the new “Here and Now Monopoly” board game.

In the past couple of decades, there has been a run on “Monopoly”-based games featuring random themes and areas, including the Seattle Seahawks, “Star Wars,” virtually every major university and even “Snohomish County-opoly,” as part of a local United Way fundraiser.

Hasbro, which now owns Parker Brothers, the original creator of Monopoly, is getting back into the action with a “Here and Now Monopoly” that will feature landmarks from across the country in place of the original 22 properties.

There’s no word on whether the new jail will be Guantanamo, the new Electric Light Co. will be Enron or the Luxury Tax will be rolled back for the richest players in the game.

Hasbro wants you in on the action, asking people to vote online for their favorite landmark out of three choices from each of 22 cities. Visit monopoly.com before May 12 to vote.

Everett didn’t make the cut, but Seattle did.

Its three landmarks are Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market and Puget Sound. Now, I know what you’re thinking: What about Dick’s on Broadway?

What’s also missing is the Space Needle, which initially was included on the Web site’s photo of Pioneer Square.

Oops.

It’s been fixed.

So while St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and Orlando’s Disney World are on the list, Seattle’s biggest icon isn’t.

Instead, you can choose from a bunch of water, a bunch of shops or an area with a bunch of bars known for riots and the near-death of one of our beloved pro football players.

More egregious, though, are some of the other choices voters have.

My apologies to anyone who is from any of these places, but there’s a reason you’re here now, right?

First, there’s Cleveland.

I think we found our new Mediterranean Avenue.

How this town made the list is as mysterious as why people think Drew Carey is funny.

How is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – perhaps the only thing in Cleveland that anyone who isn’t from Cleveland knows about – not among its three options?

Well, the inexplicability is similar to why Minneapolis is among the choices when its claim to fame is a big, honkin’ mall.

Ya, sure. You betcha.

The lesson here is one that not only board game manufacturers but movie studios should note: Stop trying to remake the classics.

I’ve never been to Atlantic City, but places such as Pennsylvania Avenue, Park Place and Boardwalk have held a special place in my heart since I was about 7.

Don’t ruin it.

The Kemah Boardwalk in Houston just doesn’t cut it.

Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

More in Life

A clump of flowering ornamental grass or pennisetum alopecuroides in an autumn garden.
My garden runneth over with fountain grasses, and for good reason

These late-blooming perennials come in many varieties. They work well as accents, groundcovers, edgings or in containers.

Dark gray wheels and black exterior accents provide extra visual appeal for the 2024 Subaru Impreza’s RS trim. (Subaru)
2024 Subaru Impreza loses a little, gains a lot

The brand’s compact car is fully redesigned. A couple of things are gone, but many more have arrived.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay walks into the Prohibition Grille along Hewitt Avenue in Everett Wednesday Dec. 5, 2012 while reportedly filming an episode of Kitchen Nightmares at the Everett restaurant. (Mark Mulligan / The Herald)
Even more films and TV shows filmed in Snohomish County

Readers point out projects previously missed in this series, from reality television to low-budget indie films.

Daniella Beccaria / for The Herald

15-month-old Kantu attempts to climb a pumpkin at Stocker Farms in Snohomish on Sunday, September 20th, 2015. Stocker Farms offers a U-pick patch, farm animals and a corn maze.
Best pumpkin patch in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied, here are the results.

A woman diverts from her walk on Colby Avenue to take a closer look at a pickup truck that was partly crushed by a fallen tree during an overnight wind storm Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in north Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / Herald file)
Storm season is coming. Here’s how to prepare for power outages.

The most important action you can take is to make an emergency preparedness kit.

Do you prefer green or red grapes? This antique Moser pitcher is decorated with enameled grapevines on shaded red-to-green glass.
Grapevine pitcher was made by renowned Bohemian company

Also, queries about grandmother’s coffee set and late husband’s Beatles records and memorabilia collection.

The city of Mukilteo is having a naming contest for its new $75,000 RC Mowers R-52, a remote-operated robotic mower. (Submitted photo)
Mukilteo muncher: Name the $75,000 robot mower

The city is having a naming contest for its new sod-slaying, hedge-hogging, forest-clumping, Mr-mow-it-all.

Death of parent with child. Piece of paper with parents and children is torn in half.
Helping children cope with the hard realities of divorce

I’s important to set aside one’s feelings and find a way to make this challenging transition as comfortable for children as you can.

In Belgium, each type of beer has its own glass – whether wide, tall, or fluted – to show off its distinct qualities.
Rick Steves’ Europe: Bruges brews lift a weary traveler’s spirits

The Belgian city is a mecca for beer lovers from around the world.

Most Read