Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Capital City Bar & Grill (Springfield, IL)

First, an apology to those of you who read last week's Empoprise-NTN High Noon installment and were puzzled by the title "Empoprise-NTN High Noon - where?" You see, I started to write the post before I had identified the NTN Buzztime location(s) that I was going to feature - which, in the end turned out to be the same two locations that I blogged about on November 14, 2008. (So if I'm ever short of ideas, I can write the "where can the Supreme Court justices play trivia games?" post and recycle the same two locations yet AGAIN.)

So anyways, I wrote the post, but forgot to edit the title and change the placeholder "where?" that I had put there. I didn't realize my mistake until after the post had been published. I'm just thankful that my editing error wasn't as serious as the "John Doe" letters that the U.S. Army accidentally sent out.

OK, now let's turn to this week's installment of this fascinating series about different NTN Buzztime locations. And once again, I'm thinking about politics - in this case poor Rod Blagojevich. I mean, in earlier times a guy like him would be praised as a "bastion of free enterprise" for his actions in (allegedly) trying to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. But now everyone, Republican and Democrat alike, is saying that this is a bad thing, and now even anyone who remotely comes in contact with him (can you hear me, Roland Burriss?) is shunned by everyone as having the super-duper cooties.

So poor Rod doesn't have anyone to pal around with any more, and probably is feeling a bit down in the dumps. What better way to leave your troubles behind than with a nice round of NTN Buzztime trivia?

I know that Rod's from the Chicago area, but I've already written a couple of High Noons dedicated to that area, so I'll concentrate on the Governor's worksite of Springfield, Illinois.

The Illinois Executive Mansion is located on 410 East Jackson, so I kept that in mind while using Buzztime's Site Finder.

Within 12 minutes, the Governor could drive the 5 miles to the Capital City Bar & Grill on Dirksen Parkway.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=15082

Who would he find there? As of Thursday, January 8, 2009, some of the players included "NOT U," "CUBZUK," "PADRE," and "STUPID."

Make your own jokes.

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - where?

Before I continue, let me wish a Happy New Year to the Empoprise-NTN readership.

I've published an on-and-off Friday afternoon series called "Empoprise-NTN High Noon" for some time now, which features various NTN Buzztime locations in the United States and Canada. After I had covered most, if not all, of the sites that I had visited personally, or wanted to visit, I began looking at NTN Buzztime sites in other areas.

For example, back on Friday, November 14, 2008, I blogged about two NTN Buzztime sites within walking distance of the White House. I figured that I'd help Barack Obama find some places to play after he moves into his new home.

Well, it's time to return to Washington again. You see, Obama has had to quit his old job so that he can take the new job, and all sorts of issues have resulted because of that. For various reasons, I have declared (under my Ontario Emperor pseudonym) my candidacy for Obama's U.S. Senate seat.

Which raises the obvious question - where are the closest NTN Buzztime locations to Capitol Hill?

Guess what? The two closest locations are the same two that are closest to the White House - Fast Eddies and the Hyatt Grand Slam. Those are the only two NTN Buzztime locations within the Washington city limits.

But perhaps this is a good thing, and will help to achieve a one-ness in the nation's Capitol that has not existed for almost two centuries - in fact, since the Andrew Jackson administration. Because I've lived not only in Illinois, but also in the Washington DC area, I'm privy to this little tidbit about executive-legislative relations:

The Main Treasury Building is the headquarters for the Office of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Departmental Offices. Its location is immediately east of the White House on the corner of Fifteenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. The Main Treasury Building itself has an interesting history. In the early days of Washington, the White House and the Capitol faced each other at opposite ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. However, President Andrew Jackson's relations with the Congress were very bad. Many people believe that he ordered the Main Treasury Building placed in its present location so it would block his view of the Capitol. Despite whether this story is true, it adds to the historic tradition of the Main Treasury Building.

They say that many marriages end in fights over money, so I guess it's fitting that the Treasury Building got in the way between President Jackson and Congress.

But if - I mean when - I secure a seat in the U.S. Senate, perhaps NTN Buzztime trivia can bridge the executive-legislative gap. Imagine how the wheels of Washington would turn more smoothly if President Barack Obama and the successor to his Senate seat could bond over a game of trivia and some Jack Daniel´s Sesame Chicken Fingers (see the Appetizers menu).

But if he's President, does that mean that I have to let him win?

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Eskimo Inn (Inuvik, NT)

When I started the Empoprise-NTN High Noon series, I concentrated on NTN Buzztime sites at which I had played, and which still had active NTN/Buzztime gaming. As time moved on, I branched out to sites that I might visit in the future, or sites that I had heard about.

This week I thought I'd take a different tack, and try to find a site in a relatively remote place such as Yukon.

As of right now, there are no NTN/Buzztime sites in Yukon.

But there are three in the Northwest Territories. The only one that had received a review was the Eskimo Inn.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=21553

And the review clearly establishes the Eskimo Inn as the best NTN Buzztime site in Inuvik. Well, it's the only site in Inuvik.

In case you want to play there, here's a map:


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Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Fast Eddies and Hyatt Grand Slam (Washington DC)

Yes, I failed to post an Empoprise-NTN High Noon last week. So I'm posting two sites this week, as a favor to our incoming President. When President Barack Obama wants to engage his mind, where can he go to play NTN Buzztime games?

Well, it turns out that there are two sites fairly close to the White House:

Fast Eddies: http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=5291

Hyatt Grand Slam: http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=627

Both sites have been extensively reviewed, with a range of positive and negative reactions.

How did THIS blog make the Oracle OpenWorld news rounds?

I'm in a hotel in Louisville, waiting for the concluding banquet for the conference that I'm attending. But things keep on happening that remind me of a conference that I'll attend next month.

First, I decided to make a presentation at next month's Oracle OpenWorld Unconference.

Then I found out that my blog writings have been cited in an Oracle blog. This in itself isn't surprising - my blogs have been featured by Oracle over the years - but what is surprising is that it's THIS blog - the Empoprise-NTN blog - that was cited.

This morning, Jack Flynn wrote a post entitled "Around the World." This is (part of) what he said:

Empoprise-NTN High Noon—Beale Street Bar and Grill (San Francisco, CA)

Worried about your trivia skills getting rusty while at the conference? Don’t fret. Blogger Empoprise has already found an NTN Buzztime location for you close to the Moscone Center—which is named after former San Francisco mayor George Moscone, in case you get asked.

The favorite part of the citation is the fact that Flynn managed to work a trivia question into the thing.

(Other possible answers include Dianne Feinstein and Willie Brown. Harvey Milk is not a correct answer.)

So, much to my surprise, I am going to add the openworld08 label to this post.

And you know what this means.

Yes, I'll have to write about Elvis Costello and Seal in Empoprise-MU.

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - O'Malley's Pub and Grill (Sylva, NC)

Ran across the blog for this establishment, which lists the following information:

Just the Facts

Telephone:
(828) 631-0554‎

Hours:
Mon.–Sat.: 11am-until
Sun.: Noon-until

Food Hours:
Food is served all hours!
Late Night Menu:
Mon.-Wed. 10-last call
Thurs.-Sat. 11-until last call
Sunday 9–last call

Television:
16 TV’s with 9 Satellites,
ESPN Game Plan and NFL Ticket

Amusement:
NTN Buzztime Trivia
3 Pool Tables
Golden Tee Video Golf
Silver Strike Video Bowling

Seating:
Smoking and non-smoking available

Location:
83 Asheville Hwy./Business 23, Sylva, NC

Be sure to see Empty Slate on Friday, May 8.

For NTN Buzztime trivia scores at this location, go to http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=29623.

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - McGillacuddys (Portland, OR)

For this week's installment, I figured I'd go back to my undergraduate stomping grounds. NTN didn't exist back when I went to Reed College, but I was curious - what NTN/Buzztime locations can be found in southeast Portland?

The answer - none. There are plenty of NTN/Buzztime locations on the west side of the Willamette River, but nothing in the southeast area.

So, assuming that all of the bridges across the river were washed out, where would today's Reedie go to play trivia (assuming, of course, that they were in an age-friendly area of the establishment, or were of legal drinking age if no such area existed)?

That's how I ended up on NE Halsey St.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=9959

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Paddy's Pub (Pahrump, NV)

Well, this one was a challenge.

I figured that I'd continue the Deep Springs College theme that I started in previous posts, and answer the question - if you're a Deep Springs College student and, at the end of a long week, you want to go off to a bar and answer trivia questions about Locke or alfalfa or whatever, where do you go?

(Ignore the fact that California and Nevada have a minimum drinking age of 21. Bear with me here.)

As I've mentioned previously, Deep Springs College is located in Deep Springs, California, a place so remote that Deep Springs' mailing address is actually in Nevada.

Not that this inconvenient truth stopped me from searching for a nearby NTN Buzztime site. Using the NTN Buzztime Site Finder, I tried to find an NTN Buzztime location within 100 miles of Deep Springs, California.

And found nothing.

So does this mean that Deep Springs students are out of luck? No, because, in the words of a student at a fictional educational institution: "Road trip!"

Bishop (42 miles away) obviously isn't the solution, and Beatty (105 miles away) isn't the solution either, but the dedicated Deep Springs triviac can travel to Pahrump (179 miles) and go to Paddy's Pub.

http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=29908


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Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Calypso (Panama City Beach, FL)

You'll recall that I previously mentioned Calypso, and that the person who mentioned it wasn't pleased with the place.

http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=29316

So I went to the Buzztime site to check out the reviews. One short 2006 review mentioned the large number of TVs in the place. The 2008 review also did, but seemed to echo the concerns I had already shared:

This place has the most TV's I've EVER seen in a restaurant or bar--and that's saying a lot, 'cause I've been to a lot of places all over the country! They don't really seem to promote NTN, though. I've been there before and found that not a single one of those hundred or so TV's was tuned to NTN.

And when you look at the leaderboard and see that the second place person has less than 100,000 points - MUCH less - it's clear that Calypso doesn't promote NTN Buzztime at all.

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Rookies Restaurant and Sports Bar (Oceanside, CA)

This week I took a different tack - which NTN/Buzztime location is closest to NTN/Buzztime's headquarters?

When I did a zip code search, this site came up.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=33195

Don't know if they get beta tests or any special privileges, but they're close.

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Laclede Street Grill (St. Louis, Missouri)

Here's a new feature for this NTN Buzztime blog, that will highlight various places where you can play NTN Buzztime games.

I visited the Laclede Street Grill a few years ago when I was in St. Louis, Missouri on business.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=28550

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Kelly ONeils and Shack Waikiki (Honolulu, HI)

So you're in Honolulu for the Pro Bowl, but you're interested in some REAL action.

There are two NTN/Buzztime locations in Honolulu:

Kelly ONeils: http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=12989

Shack Waikiki: http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=33250

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Buffalo Wild Wings (Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY)

I plan to take a trip to Louisville in August, and this is the closest NTN/Buzztime site to my convention.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=10088

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Calhoun's (Memphis, TN)

After Thursday's post, I guess you saw this coming...

It's interesting to see the leader board for an NTN Buzztime location that has just opened. As of 7:00 pm Central Time on Thursday evening, the trivia scores at Calhoun's looked like this:

1 WTDT 5,800
2 MAX 5,000
2 BENJIE 5,000

Presumably by the time you read this post, the figures will have increased. But look what this means - you have people showing up and playing multiple games. Impossible to know whether these were people who would have been regular customers anyway, but at least things are moving in the right direction.

http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=34144

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Blue Goose Sports Cafe (Sharonville, OH)

Remember the story I ran on Tuesday about the fictional Sharonville, Ohio bar that was infested with a so-called "Trivia Master"?

Well, it turns out that there is an NTN Buzztime site in Sharonville, Ohio. It's not called McSorleys, though; it's the Blue Goose Sports Cafe.

http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=31938

No word on whether a "Shawn Guase" plays there, but the reviews are positive.

P.S. This post marks the official end of my (almost) 36-hour "vow of semi-silence."

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Double Vision (Glendale Heights, IL)

There are a ton of NTN Buzztime locations in the northwest Chicago suburbs, but the name of this particular establishment caught my eye.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=31376

It appears to be a new site, so if you want to get on the leaderboard, this is the place to go.

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Kezar Pub (San Francisco, CA)

Here's the San Francisco NTN/Buzztime site that I didn't attend during Oracle OpenWorld.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=29258

Why not? Because the walking distance between 747 Howard St and 770 Stanyan St is 3.4 miles. And I'm not sure if the Haight is the place to go at night. (I was there once in the early 1980s, but that was during the day.)

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - McStews (Levittown, PA)

Since new NTN Buzztime CEO Terry Bateman was formerly CEO of Dick Clark Productions, I figured it would be fitting to feature a Philadelphia site.

The Philadelphia area site with the highest trivia rank is McStews Irish Sports Bar in Levittown.

http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=33394

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Beale Street Bar and Grill (San Francisco, CA)

I'm going to Oracle OpenWorld in a month, and figured that I should perhaps check out the gaming opportunities.

This is the closest option to the Moscone Center area, and one of only two NTN Buzztime sites in San Francisco.

http://players.buzztime.com/bt_site.php?sid=1387

Empoprise-NTN High Noon - Donovans Reef (Twin Lakes, WI)

As featured previously in this blog.

http://www.buzztime.com/players/bt_site.php?sid=29027