America's Vanishing Bowling Alleys

[Racer X]

I've got big balls.

[Markintosh]

I've seen somewhat of the opposite trend. Bowling has become very hipster. Two nearby towns have seen their bowling alleys completely redone and several of my younger friends have joined leagues.

That's not to say that technology isn't killing off many sports and family activities...

[mrbigstuff]

Markintosh wrote:
I've seen somewhat of the opposite trend. Bowling has become very hipster. Two nearby towns have seen their bowling alleys completely redone and several of my younger friends have joined leagues.

That's not to say that technology isn't killing off many sports and family activities...

ayup. converted one dive-alley in my city to a hipster/craft beer/gluten-free joint with high prices and it's packed every single day.

[Zoidberg]

I used to bowl a lot with a bunch of friends about once a week; problem was that we just wanted to go bowl, and almost every alley in the area was league-only at night, so we eventually gave up on it. I don't fault the bowling alley; that was their bread & butter, but it was frustrating. And, no, we didn't want to form a league.

[davester]

Bowling started going downhill when they started having the computer figure out the scores. It used to be that keeping score on a piece of paper was a major social part of the game. Nowadays there's nothing to do while waiting for your next turn.

[Robert M]

Mark,

Exactly. As a kid, I used to attend bowling parties and, occasionally, as an "outing", my mom or a friends mom would take my friends and I bowling. At that point, there were two local alleys. The closest of the two was already outdated in appearance, poorly maintained and somewhat seedy. Many years later, before I was out of high school, that alley closed. The only other alley was nicer, better maintained and had superior parking. But, it was still somewhat seedy.

I can't speak for leagues but that never proved a problem when I went bowling as a kid. We took our chances. Definitely a problem the few times I've bowled as an adult. It's one of the reasons I stopped going. I didn't want to always call in advance to see if lanes were available. And, when they were available, I had no interest in waiting more than a few minutes.

Alcohol was a problem, too. Way too many people couldn't control their alcohol intake and it resulted in conditions that took away from my enjoyment of the game. The staff refused to do anything about it. Clearly, the people were regulars and they didn't want to upset them. Eventually, the alley was reinvented as an entertainment complex with bar, bowling, video games and go-karts. I visited it a handful of times but it proved too expensive and didn't like the atmosphere at all.

The only other alleys I've gone to over the years were just like in the old days. Aging, somewhat seedy (or totally seedy) and definitely not the most pleasant of places to visit.

Robert

[raz]

Diane Chambers wrote:
Ah, the alleys . . . It's really a sensory experience, you know. The scent of Aqua Net on a beehive hairdo. The roar of polyester rubbing against old Naugahyde. The site of a cigarette stubbed out on a patty melt. All this plus the anticipation of placing your feet in shoes only seven thousand others have worn before you.

[Robert M]

Raz,

The shoes. I forgot to mention the shoes. Just touching them made me feel like throwing up. BLECH!

Robert

[AllGold]

The sounds of a bowling alley are unique. The smells might almost be in that category too but definitely the sounds are unique.