07-14-2014, 02:40 PM
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 The closest of the two was already outdated in appearance, poorly maintained and somewhat seedy.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
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 The closest of the two was already outdated in appearance, poorly maintained and somewhat seedy.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