SPARE TIME-LATHAM

Bowling league on a Saturday night? What? Not a good community draw! Very disappointed! We were looking forward to a good night dangit!

Quite decent modern bowling venue, with two sides around a core that has a snack bar and a party room. This is more family-​friendly bowling than the usual shot-​and-​a-​beer-​and-​complain-​about-​the-​government joints we’ve been to in the area. One side typically has the disco-​laser-​lighting, the other conventional lighting. Both sides have bunny rails (is that really what they’re called? Well, it’s what I call them) for littler kids, and also ball launchers (the ramps for the really really little kids). They have the modern computerized scoring with the animations in between, but I’m more than a little annoyed they’re clogged up with advertising; is it possible we can have some kind of activity which we’re already paying for that is not completely wrapped up in selling you more stuff? Apparently not.
The snack bar has acceptable hot dogs-​and-​burgers fare, and the eating-​and-​drinking-​behind-​the-​lane tables are in reasonable shape and set up so you can move back and forth easily. I have no idea what this place is like during adult bowling time/​league bowling, but there was a minimum number of lingering drunken reprobates hanging out both times we’ve been. The kid party room is nice, and the bowling alley supplies pizza and drinks for the parties which was standard issue.
The shoes were a bit on the careworn side, but we didn’t find any chips or nicks in the balls. The lanes are well-​maintained although have the occasional predictable mechanical difficulty, but the staff hop right on it to fix it for you. I’m going to blame the lane on my left hook, though, and not myself. Yeah, that’s the ticket. It’s the lane’s fault, not mine, totally.
Bowling two games with shoe rental for two people will set you back $ 24; not the cheapest entertainment around but comparable in terms of time-​amused-​for-​the-​dollar to miniature golf.
If you go, tell them you’re a first timer and they’ll swap you free bowling for four for one game for your email address.