Pin #280: Go For The Gold

This pin has a nice look to it.  I like the white background because it makes the red and blue really pop.  And the image of the waving flag is nice.  Once again, I don't recall where I got this pin, but it must have come with some of my other Olympic ones.

Pin #279: Austin

I have a few pins from Texas that take the shape of the state.  I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that Texans are fans of their state.  This pin is from Austin and not only features the state itself, but also has the state flag as the background.  It's a neat looking pin.  I don't remember where I got it though, because I've never been to Austin.  I do want to, though.  I've heard it's a great city.

Pin #278: Puerto Vallarta

Look, it's a mermaid!  I'm not sure if this pin is advertising that Puerto Vallarta has mermaids or not, but if they do, I'm there!  I've never actually been there, so I know I didn't buy this pin.  I don't actually know where I got it, but it has a mermaid on it, so it's all good.

Pin #277: Space Mountain

First, let me say that Space Mountain is my favorite ride at Disneyland.  I can't get enough of it.  I bought this pin during a trip to Disneyland in the late 90s.  I remember because it was right after they renovated Tomorrowland and painted everything, included the Space Mountain dome, a weird chrome and green color.  I didn't like it.  This pin featured the Space Mountain dome that I loved, clean and white.  They have since made it white again.  Now if only they would stop doing that stupid Ghost Galaxy every October.  I have a few more Space Mountain pins as I make it a point to look for any cool ones every time I visit the park.  Also, I find it kind of ironic that this is pin #277.  Space Mountain at Disneyland was the second Space Mountain to open, after Disney World, and opened in 1977.  Weird.

Pin #276: Disneyland Castle 1955

I love Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland.  And I love the history of Disneyland.  This pin features both.  In the entry to the castle there is a picture of Walt Disney that I assume is from 1955 when the park opened.  The pin also has the Disneyland crest hanging from the drawbridge.  I fell in love with this pin when I saw it.  I still love it.

Pin #275: Minnesota Moose

Minnesota Moose sounds like an old Hanna Barbera cartoon character.  I picture him as a Sam Spade-like detective, complete with fedora and all.  But that has nothing to do with this pin, which features a moose standing regally against the backdrop of what appears to be a sunset.  I think I may have bought this pin when I went to Minnesota for the Final Four in 2001.  It has a moose so I was immediately attracted to it.  Those of you who read my blog regularly know about my moose obsession.  For those of you who are just tuning in, I have a moose obsession.

Pin #274: Atlanta Olympics Basketball

You didn't think I was done with the Atlanta Olympics pins, did you?  This one showcases basketball as an event.  I really like the torch logo featured on this pin.  It's cool with the Olympic rings and the 100 making up the hilt.

Pin #273: Pinocchio

This is a pin that my parents brought back for me from Italy.  It's a cool Pinocchio pin featuring the colors of the Italian flag on his shirt.  It's a very unique pin.  I like it.

Pin #272: Rose Bowl

This is quite possibly my favorite Rose Bowl pin.  The picture doesn't do justice to just how beautiful and well crafted this pin is.  It shines and glitters in the light.  It showcases the iconic Rose Bowl logo in the simplest and most beautiful fashion.  Simply put, I love this pin!

Pin #271: USA Team Partner

This is probably the most generic Olympic pin I have.  I assume it was given to a company or organization who sponsors the Olympic teams, but it doesn't say who.  I don't know how I got the pin.  And there's not much else to really say about it.

Pin #270: Bath

My grandma brought this back for me from her trip to England.  I guess she went to Bath and saw this pin and thought of me.  That's pretty cool.  I don't know who this little dude is or what he represents, but he looks like some sort of warrior guy or something.  I like it.

Pin #269: Chicago

My mom brought this pin back for me after a trip she took to Chicago.  I've never been to Chicago, unless you count the airport.  The pin is kind of cool with the Chicago skyline featured.  I assume the really tall building is the Sears Tower.

Pin #268: Northwestern

This is a Northwestern Wildcats pin.  I'm not sure why I have this.  I don't have any connection to Northwestern and I didn't consider going there when I was looking at colleges.  Either way, I'm a fan of any team called the Wildcats.  Actually, that's not true at all.  I don't like Kentucky.  But I have no issue with Northwestern or this pin.

Pin #267: Irish Olympic Team

This is another 1996 Olympics pin.  This particular pin represents the Irish Olympic Team and presents a countdown to Opening Day.  It's kind of cool with the green trim and the clovers.

Pin #266: Tron

This pin is from the Countdown to the Millennium series featuring one of my favorite movies, Tron.  I absolutely love Tron and I used to watch it all the time as a kid.  One of my favorite parts of the Peoplemover ride was going through the Tron section.  So as soon as I saw that this was one of the pins being released I was first in line to get it.

Pin #265: 2006 National Championship Game

This was quite possibly the greatest bowl game ever played, and it happened to be for the National Championship.  As much as I wish I had actually gone to the game, I didn't.  I just have the pin.  It's a pretty standard Rose Bowl pin featuring the helmets of the two participating teams.  I do like the gold outline of the stadium in the background, though.

Pin #264: Los Angeles

This pin features a film camera over the title of Los Angeles.  It's a really cheap pin, which is hard to tell in the picture.  It's not a pin that I bought myself and I don't remember who gave it to me.  The gold on black color scheme is kind of cool, though.

Pin #263: Edgewater Laughlin

This is another pin that my mom bought me on one of her trips.  This one is from Laughlin.  I've never been to Laughlin.  I don't know anything about the Edgewater Resort.  At least I'm assuming this is a resort.  Who knows!  Either way, it's a fun pin with a kokopelli.

Pin #262: Team USA Sydney Olympics

This is a Team USA support pin from the Sydney Olympics.  It is probably the most bland of all my Olympics pins.  The flag is a great symbol but this flag is just sitting on a white background.  It's kind of boring.  But that doesn't mean I don't support Team USA!

Pin #261: NBC Peacock

I bought this when I visited the NBC Studios in New York.  I mean, honestly, how could I not buy the NBC peacock when I'm at NBC?  It's such an iconic logo, and it makes for a really cool pin.  I don't think there's much else I need to say about this.

Pin #260: Bill Shoemaker Farewell Tour

I remember going to a race track once when I was a kid.  Perhaps that is where I got this pin.  I'm not really sure.  I do recognize the name Bill Shoemaker, though.  He was a pretty famous jockey.  Maybe I actually got to see him race.  And if not, I have a pin that recognizes him.

Pin #259: Luray Caverns

In the summer of 1995 my family took a vacation to Washington DC and Virginia.  While in Virginia we visited two cavern sites, Shenandoah and Luray.  Luray was the more well known and bigger of the two, but, honestly, I thought Shenandoah was more impressive.  However, I was only able to get a pin from Luray Caverns.  It's a nice pin showing the stalactites and stalagmites.  This pin also reminds me of the Luray Petting Zoo and Reptile Farm, which we stopped at on the way back from the caverns.  Between the llama attack and alligator encounter, that was the most memorable experience of the entire trip.

Pin #258: Solvang

Apparently, Solvang is the Danish capital of America.  Without this pin, I may never have known that.  And chances are you wouldn't have either.  I don't actually remember ever going to Solvang, although I'm sure I have.  Either way, I like the windmill.

Pin #257: Queen Mary

I remember going to the Queen Mary once, back when the Spruce Goose was still housed down there as well.  I went with my dad.  It was cool to see both of those.  I don't recall if I bought this pin during that trip, but I don't think I did because I don't remember any Russian submarine.  In that case, I'm not sure where I got this pin.  I did want to go back to see the Queen Mary for the 75th anniversary celebration, but I wasn't able to get out there.  As for the pin itself, I like it because you are immediately drawn to the image of the ship and the distinguishable smoke stacks.  It's very iconic.  I almost with the submarine wasn't featured on the bottom though.  But it's small enough that it doesn't detract too much from the rest of the pin.

Pin #256: New York Knicks

I'm not really sure where or when I got this pin.  I am by no means a Knicks fan, and I've never been to a Knicks game.  Nevertheless, this pin has made its way to my board.  It has a nice design with the logo and the basketball.  And the orange and blue are really classic colors that work well together.