A couple of weekends ago, the crew decided to venture downtown to check out this Pins Mechanical Company that everyone keeps mumbling about. It was Brandon’s birthday, and he was looking for somewhere new to celebrate. I had been hearing about it for awhile now, but honestly, that jaded Nashvillian that you hear on every episode of The SoBros Power Hour makes absolutely no effort to travel downtown these days (I’m beginning to soften my stance on this as I’m beginning to get back out and discover new pockets surrounding the city, but that may be a different story for a different day). So, I just hadn’t found myself in that neck of the woods prior to us making a concerted effort to try it out. Honestly, if it wasn’t a special occasion, I probably would’ve passed just hearing “downtown.”
All I knew was that there was bowling, games, and cocktails. Glorious cocktails. That part of town looks completely different than it did several years ago. I was surprised to walk up to the place and see what looked like an abandoned warehouse converted into a haven of games on a city block that was completely forgettable the last time I was there. The vibes were trendy, but the vibes were right. The decor was modern, it almost felt like a New York City train station, or a depot in San Francisco that’s going for those east coast vibes. But, we were far enough out of the downtown madness, that it felt a little more chill than most spots you’ll visit in the area. I nodded, thinking to myself “okay, Pins. I see you.”
Upon walking in, I noticed a good old fashioned hook game – the one in which you toss a ring and try to land it on a peg on the wall. Old school, but fun as hell. Pro tip: these are the types of games that are still fun after you’ve been drinking because they don’t have a lengthy rule book. We moseyed on in to the counter, and discovered that the bowling is what they call “duckpin bowling.” I had never heard of it, but I was very relieved to learn that I wouldn’t have to wear some community bowling shoes. The lanes (pictured below) were much shorter, the pins smaller, and the balls like softballs. Being the dumbass meathead that I am, I had to fight the urge to just throw the things as hard as I could. Luckily, my proper side was able to quell my inner caveman, and I handled the game like the big boy that I am. We played two games – I got my ass kicked each time.
But, let’s circle back to those cocktails – $10 a pop for a quality drink feels like a steal in this city these days. The birthday boy and I tried the maple old fashioned, before I switched over to The Dude (vanilla vodka, kahlua, rum chata, and chocolate bitters). I settled in on that one and had a couple (it was perfect for a Sunday morning (and yes, I was drinking on Sunday morning because I’m a degenerate)) before shifting gears and drinking a couple of tall #Basic Pumpkins from Tailgate. I spent a grand total of $80 (tip included), and that was getting two beers, and three rounds for myself, plus a couple of other random drinks for the group. That ain’t bad at all! Hell, I’ll take that.
Word of warning – Pins isn’t going to serve you any food, but they gave us the green light to order whatever we damn well wanted and have it delivered to the establishment. So, we had some Emmy Squared pizzas cooked up and driven over. We started playing some bocce (I got my ass kicked there too), and made it into our second game before the pizza showed up. After our pizza break, we finished the second game, during which I got my ass kicked yet again. Looking around, I noticed giant Jenga, giant beer pong with dodgeballs and trash cans, and some ping pong tables. We simply didn’t have enough time to work it all in, but it’s impossible to grow bored at this place.
Rows of pinball machines and an arcade were available for more gaming activity, but we didn’t hang in that part of the place. It looked like a hell of a place to chill out and watch some football, too. When we were letting our food digest and finishing our last round of drinks, we ventured upstairs and sat in front of about nine screens showing all of the NFL action. It was a blast – the most fun I’ve had trying out a new spot in Nashville in a long time. For more on Pins Mechanical Company, check out their website here.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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