After recently expanding its hours, Greenpoint’s Sunshine Laundromat (860 Manhattan Ave.) is spicing things up with some friendly competition this summer.
Sunshine is a full-service laundromat, bar and arcade that recently reopened in a more stable fashion. The laundromat, bar and arcade are now open everyday, including the newly added Mondays. The laundromat offerings include laundry machines, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning, while the bar and arcade section offers four pinball machines and taps with local beer, including Grimm.
Every other Wednesday, Sunshine hosts “split flipper” pinball tournaments. “Split flipping” is a style of pinball where one player is on the left and the other is on the right, using only one hand to play the machine together.
“It’s like pinball but with more anarchy,” Sunshine’s Gina Collecchia told Greenpointers. “A lot more randomness is added to the already chaotic sport, and it has a way of leveling the playfield such that even novice players can do quite well or win!”
Collecchia, a bartender at Sunshine, and her friend Greg Poverelli are the tournament organizers and directors. Collecchia told Greenpointers that Poverelli “has been on the scene for over a decade” and was crowned the NY State Pinball Champ twice.
“Pinball tournaments can sometimes feel a little stressful, and that prompted us to create this split flipper format,” Collecchia explained. “There are about 200 people in the NYC pinball community, and it’s growing fast…It’s a really warm and welcoming community.”
Sunshine’s tournaments are $5 to enter with all contributions going toward the cash prize payout. Players can enter with a partner or get paired up with one at Sunshine.
Collecchia said that the summer’s recent tournaments have included about ten people, with five teams of two. The prize payouts have gone to the top two teams, but if the tournaments saw a larger turnout, the payout could go to the top four teams. “We can accommodate quite a few people in these tournaments, so it would be amazing to double that number to twenty people showing up,” Collecchia said.
Sunshine’s next split flipper pinball tournaments are at 8 p.m. on Wednesday 8/9, Wednesday 8/23, and Wednesday 9/6.
Check Sunshine’s website for more information about its hours.