After nearly a year of delays, the Defector Philadelphia bureau finally made it to the city’s F1 Arcade—an event that had been discussed, postponed, and anticipated for months. The occasion was marked by a visit to the arcade, a drunk-driving simulator, and the presence of DJ Jazzy Jeff at its official launch.
The journey to the arcade was not without its challenges. Kathryn Xu, a member of the team, admitted she had doubted the arcade’s longevity, assuming it wouldn’t survive long enough for them to visit. Yet, month after month, the arcade remained open, and each time Xu passed by, she would send a photo to her coworkers with the message, “We should finally go!”
Kelsey McKinney, another team member, shared her own pre-visit anxieties. Before arriving, McKinney had a hearty meal at Nan Zhou Hand-Drawn Noodle House, consuming so much beef noodle soup that she felt warm. Amid the meal, a wave of panic hit her: Was the arcade still open? Was it open on Tuesdays? She hadn’t checked. The team had talked about going for so long that they assumed it would always be ready for them. Fortunately, their assumption was correct.
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