AMF Midtown Lanes (Crenshaw and Venice)

Situated just west of the stunning Victoria Park neighborhood (strolling Victoria Park is a perfect Sunday afternoon activity, highly recommended) is AMF Midtown Lanes. Midtown Lanes primarily serves the surrounding community and is typically filled with local residents, plus a smattering of Koreatowners and gentrifying neighborhood types.

Upon initial entry you will notice the awkward, but often packed, parking lot. After navigating the oddly angled spots and walking through the door you earn entry to not just Midtown Lanes but also Maria’s Café. Maria’s offers typical diner fare. My one meal at Maria’s (couple years back) was good. Sticking to breakfast and diner-style food is the suggested word on the street.


Our Wednesday evening bowling experience began in the right place, at the bar! Drinks are served in a Vegas meets Swingers-style space. $3.84 Miller High Life and $4 Blue Moon make drinking affordable. Specialties include “Big Bowl” Cocktails served in some super sized plastic container. Popcorn, from an old-style movie popper, also available. Also, the bar closes when business slows, so grab ‘em while you can.

On to the bowling -- Hampster, Blue Moon, Smudge, and I were drawn in by the lure of “QuarterMania!” which promises 25 cent games from 9-11p. $10 per person entry covers shoes plus first game, and every game thereafter is 25 cents. If you bowl more than one game, “QuarterMania!” is the economist’s choice. Warning: opting for “QuarterMania!” means *everyone* on your lane must participate. So if your friend is late and only has time to bowl one game they could end up paying hefty price of $10, ouch! Our suggested strategy is to arrive early, secure your lane, and bowl fast. Three games, plus shoes, for $10.50 is a great deal. But you must arrive early and keep up the pace to make happen. League play ends promptly at 9p and clears out fast, be ready to pounce the front desk. High game of the night award to Smudge, with a come-from-behind-in-the-tenth–frame victory score of 119.

Other notable characteristics include new lanes, fast ball returns, nifty automatic scoring machine, color coded balls, and a clean and friendly atmosphere. 70s disco better left in the vault plus a smattering of Black Eyed Peas played throughout the night. For those wanting to augment their bowling with another nearby activity World on Wheels skating rink (yes, roller skating rink!) is next door.


After all these years our takeaway from AMF Midtown Lanes remains unchanged. Solid alley to enjoy a few frames. Play the “QuarterMania!” our way and you’ll walk away feeling like you just got the bowling deal of the century.

AMF Midtown Lanes
4645 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019

Prices & Hours
Shoes: $4.75

Day Game: $4.25, Evening, Weekend & Night Games: $5.50 - 5.75
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sun: 9a - 11p, Wed: 9a - 12a, Fri, Sat: 9a - 1a

Shatto Lanes

My first trip to Shatto was 4 years ago on a rainy Thursday. I was enjoying a delightful day of hookey from work while entertaining dad and sis, in town from destinations afar. We arrived lane-side in the early-afternoon to hear Tainted Love echoing throughout the 40+ nearly deserted bowling lanes, hits from New Order and Depeche Mode followed. Needless to say, it was love at first sight. Since that fateful visit I have been back to Shatto many, many times.

In the words of their home page, "The Greatest thing about this Bowling Alley is not only the location nor the fantastic pricing, but rather the memories of what a bowling alley once was. The above ground ball returns, the dozens of early arcade machines, and the basic architectural design of the building which houses this monstrous bowling alley." So I returned, armed with Smudge, and our companion Hampster, to enjoy a few frames and kick off this little blog.

As usual Shatto delivered and the outcome was typically rad. It was Monday with most lanes filled with eager league teams. Us non-league bowlers found ourselves situated in a nice corner with a smartly dressed Asian couple to our right and a gaggle of Silverlake / EchoPark-sters to our left. A lane beyond was an Orthodox Jewish father with his three children. The mix of cultures and ethnicities that always seems present at Shatto is definitely part of the alley's allure.

First thing you notice laneside is the old-school early 80s scoring console, followed quickly by the classic above ground ball return. Lanes are in good shape. After names entered in the computer I pulled a 14lb rock off the rack and started rolling. Game 1: 143 = awesomeness.

$3 shoe rental and $5.50 a game (evening rate) puts Shatto at the lower-middle of the Los Angeles bowling price-spectrum. Domestic beers are $3.25 making Shatto an excellent location to work on getting buzzed. And for the adventerous drinker, consider the Pin-Chaser, an $8.25 concoction I have yet to order.

A few other touches worth noting. Top notch late 80s, early 90s arcade filled with all the classics: Ms. Pac Man, Centipede, Street Fighter II, and more. Pool tables for rent. Bar. Small snack shack, fries can be hit or miss, but mysteriously the mozzerella sticks are always good. Additional points for the 1980s fountain spray soda machine, stocked with Fanta and Diet Rite. You remember the kind where you drop in a buck, cup falls into place, then the ice, followed by a jet stream of soda shooting downward. If not, think Dirty Harry grabbing a soda from police headquarters and you've got it. Also, be warned the parking lot is nuts, huge columns and odd angles everywhere.

The roundup on Shatto. This is a classic alley that does not dissapoint. Great for groups, couples, or a solitary night of rolling. Gets busy on weekends but you can call ahead and reserve. The price is right from the shoe rental to the beer to the food. A perfect place to bring your east-side friends, parents, or a first date. Easily one of our favorite Los Angeles bowling alleys.

Shatto Lanes
3255 W. 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Prices & Hours
Shoes: $3
Day Game: $3.50, Night Game: $4.50 - 5.50
Monday-Thursday: 10a - 2a, Friday-Saturday: 10a - 3a, Sunday: 11a - 2a

Welcome to Bowl-Your-Ass-Off!

We love bowling. We live in Los Angeles. We present to you candid accounts of every lane we can uncover.

Yours,

The Bowling Bandit and his sidekick Smudge