The orange and black pixelated sign for Arcada (660 K St., Arcata), reminiscent of Space Invaders, hung as a question for the past two years. The retro arcade bar for grownups opened in the last week in February of 2020 only to shut down two and a half weeks later when Public Health declared a shelter-in-place order in response to COVID-19. To pass the lavender building that once housed the Other Place was to be reminded of thwarted plans and nostalgia for old times — whether the 1980s or just three years ago, when we couldn’t imagine hanging out with friends or strangers for a beer and a couple rounds of pinball could ever be fraught. Kristen “P-Nut” Thompson and her wife Amber Saba, who also co-own Slice of Humboldt Pie, reopened Arcada May 10 after a little more than two years closed. The virus that shuttered the place is still with us, making their mission of low-key escapism more of a challenge. Still, Thompson says, “We want you to come and be a kid for a moment and not have to worry about everything. Be 12.” “They would not let this place be open for a very long time, which I totally understand,” says Thompson of the restrictions on bars and restaurants over the course of the pandemic thus far. She adds that, truth be told, she and Saba weren’t ready, either. They’d pared down to themselves and one other staffer at the pie business, which has a patio they were able to seat customers in once outdoor dining was allowed. “We really took it step by step in terms of our comfort and our employees,” says Thompson. Takeout sales, selling pies and empanadas at Eureka Natural Foods and other restaurants, along with Payroll Protection Plan loans kept Slice of Humboldt Pie running and even allowed Thompson and Saba to gradually add more staff. But Slice of Humboldt Pie, which they started in 2013, required their full attention and takeout sales from the bar menu at Arcada weren’t worth keeping it open. So they shut it down, using the kitchen for dispersed prep work, and waited. Inside, under a black tin ceiling, the walls are crowded with arcade games housed in vintage cabinets, most with drink stands beside them to hold your choice from among the eight beers on tap and a wide breadth of cans that includes 11…