AMF Bay Shore Lanes

Truth told, despite the pull of certain forces, your Bowling Bandit does not make it to the Westside very often. Thus, it was a surprise to end up in Brentwood, early one Saturday morning, in the company Señor Delphi and Smudge. After fueling up at the delicious Amandine Cafe (highly recommended) a decision was made to do something unusual: bowl a few frames before 11am! Morning bowling, a splendid idea. Splendid not only because the idea involved bowling, but also because of the nifty bowling-drinking loophole created. Loophole: it is acceptable, almost expected, to drink beer while bowling. Therefore, it is acceptable to drink beer while bowling before 11am! Genius.

Back to the Westside, where our party strolled into AMF Bay Shore Lanes. Bay Shore is located on Pico Blvd near Main Street, in Santa Monica. Nearby landmarks include Santa Monica High and the ever formidable RAND. Bay Shore is a high-class AMF geared towards family-friendly bowling by day and tween/teen/twenty-something bowling on weekends and evenings. We stepped up to the desk and *bam* were immediately greeted by staff. At $5 for shoe rental and $7 a game Bay Shore doesn't come cheap, but with a remarkably clean alley, new equipment, and quality staffing you do get what you pay for. Weekdays before 5p, games are $5.75.

In walking from desk to lane we passed no fewer than three birthday bowling parties, all entertaining large masses of children. We also noted a metal ramp contraption which stood at the foul line of one of the lanes. This ramp is for the youngest of bowlers who have trouble hurling the bowling ball; youngsters push the ball off the ramp where it picks up good speed and then travels pin-ward and smashes the pins. Extremely customer-service-oriented bowling staff assisted each party grabbing errant throws, fixing incorrect pin counts, and retrieving balls that hit the sweeper bar with vigor.

As we queued up for our round of pin-punishing, Respect (Aretha Franklin), Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi), and then Celebrate (Kool & the Gang) played over the sound system. It was clear from the get-go that this was Smudge's day, and possibly assisted by the early hour of the day, she spanked Señor Delphi and BB into submission with a 128 and then an overwhelming 150, big game Smudgie!

With 24 lanes, clean, well maintained, kid-friendly atmosphere, killer location, and newer equipment Bay Shore is always a nice place to roll. While it lacks the unique flare of either Shatto or PV Bowl, Bay Shore delivers consistent bowling in the Santa Monica price-range. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, consider a visit.

AMF Bay Shore Lanes
www.amf.com/bayshorelanesca/centerHomepage.htm 
234 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-7731

Hours and Prices
Mon - Thurs: 9a - Midnight
Fri - Sat: 9a - 2a
Sun: 9a - Midnight

Shoes: $5
Game: Weekday $5.75, Nights / Weekend $7

P.S. Has anyone eaten at Michael D's Cafe inside Bay Shore?