Read it and Weep

One of the most popular suggestions for the Summer Of Fun was Chuck E Cheese, but we couldn't go there because we didn't have a kid and it seemed weird to borrow one. So we went for a slightly more upscale adventure turning money into worthless tickets: Dave & Busters. Will it hold up? Or will we be beaten down by all the giant iPhone games?

Nothing is more important to power your summer of fun than staying hydrated. So we went back through all our favorite nostalgic beverages, mostly red sugar water, to see how they held up. And then we pitted them against each other to determine the official beverage of summer. The answer won't surprise you at all!

We're opening up a session of Summer of Fun sponsorships. Applications open tomorrow!

What's more summer than the smell of chlorine and falling asleep in the car while your wet suit ruins the upholstery? But hanging out at the pool feels decidedly more creepy without a kid present. Does it hold up for adults? Find out!

Another classic of my teenage years was laser tag. I spent many a party with a wrist band on going game-after-game at Qzar in Reno.

But will it hold up for adults? And can we beat the local kids? Find out!

Adam suggests Speed Golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFLF3G-ebg

Father-of-the-show My Dad recommends we watch Holey Moley, the Steph Curry produced miniature golf show.

New meat buddy Dee from Boston, MA sent us pictures of her cats! Would you tap that?

Reno had a thriving arcade scene when I was growing up, and I spent a lot of time in them. But I was quickly seduced away from the joysticks and TV screens toward the clanging physicallity of pinball.

My main compatriot during this time was Nick Delehanty, who's gone on to become a nationally ranked pinballer.

Watch Nick impress the broadcasters by hitting the hardest shot in the game and beating the greatest player of all time. Starts at 3:36:00.

Check out the all-female pinball league, Belles and Chimes.

We can all agree that full sized golf is lame. It's a giant business meeting ruining a perfectly good public park. But miniature golf is brilliant, it's got tiny windmills and minimal walking.

At least that's what I thought as a kid. But has my opinion changed now that I'm all growed up? Find out!

• Mike Bennett is an artist who's gotten a bunch of attention recently for hiding giant memes around Portland.
• Mike & Michele have a podcast about 90s cartoons called Killer Tofu.

When you're not old enough for bars, finding a place to hang out at night can be tricky. But one reliable place is Denny's. Sure, it's not better than literally any other restaurant, but it's better than a Walmart parking lot. So does the experience of hanging out at Denny's hold up? Find out!

We came up with a bunch of great new slogans for Denny's during this episode, collected below.

• Delicious. In a bad way.
• You can't wreck a Denny's!
• Whatever you're wearing, you're overdressed!
• No matter your relationship, you miss your parents when you go to Denny's
• Not good but perfect.
• You'll leave just as broken as you came in.
• Denny's. Who are we to judge?

I wasn't allowed much fast food as a kid, so a classic activity from my youth was driving to Carl's Junior (pronounced "Hardees" by east coasters), cramming a full 2,000 calorie meal in the middle of the afternoon, and then pretending I was still hungry when I got home for dinner. Other people got more fast food as kids, but the question remains, does that kind of dining hold up?

We brought on the Internet's favorite fast food reviewer Bill Oakley on to talk us through a feast of grease. Before he was the king of the 60-second food show, Bill was the head writer of The Simpson's during its golden age and the creator of Mission Hill, among other stuff. This is a really good episode.

And be sure to follow @ThatBillOakley on Instagram to catch all his great reviews.

Recorded live at Helium Comedy Club in Portland, OR.

The summer of fun continues with a classic activity from our youths: hanging out at the mall. Whether you're drinking smoothies or playing the games at Game Stop or stealing earrings from Claire's, it was a part of so many summers. But does it hold up? We brought in mall expert Paige Weldon to find out.

• Paige has a super fun podcast about the mall called Mall Talk. Check it out!

It's June, so it's time to kick of Read it and Weep's Summer of Fun! We're doing a bunch of stuff we used to do during the summer as kids and checking to see if it holds up. First up, we're going bowling! Grab your dorky shoes and let's get a lane.

David teaches jazz guitar. Here he is improvising a piece he calls Hail Bossa. If you like jazz guitar, you'll like it!

He also recommends you check out the podcast Jake This on All Things Comedy. It's hosted by the very funny Jake Johanssen. If you like comedy, you'll like it!

• Bjorn has an underwear for big guys called BearSkn.