Mar Vista AMF Lanes

Perhaps you have a job you love. A job you actually look forward to going back to once the weekend is over. Your Bowling Bandit does not have such a job. In a fantastic twist of irony, Bowling Bandit landed his dream job only to find it wasn’t a dream! Oh horror! As a result, Sunday afternoons can bring on a certain brand of blues. These blues arrive late afternoon and are relatively impossible to shake. They read like something between dread and outright panic. After a couple cold beverages to mull over the situation Bandit formulated a plan and took action: BOWLING!!!

With a few compadres in tow we zeroed in on the Westside and chose the AMF Mar Vista lanes. Mar Vista is a traditional AMF that has kept up with the times including a multitude of color-coded balls, upgraded lanes, uber-rapid ball returns, and brand spankin’ new scoring consoles. SuperM, Hampster, Smudge, and your devoted Bandit hit the lanes around 8pm. At that hour $6 per person lane entry gets you one game, plus $1 shoe rental, and $1 games thereafter. Translation: $8 for shoes and 2 games = Super Deal! This price bonanza is a Sunday evening promotion.

After securing the lane, we hit the bar where $5.21 got me a Dos Equis Amber. Not bad. The décor is cozy, with red vinyl booths, inviting tables, and a sturdy bar running the length of the space. If two Koreatown favorites, The Prince and The Bounty, got together and birthed a smaller baby bar with a pool table -- this bar is what it would look like.

On to the lanes, where a trippy background wall motif of purple, orange, golden, and yellow pins explodes towards the eager bowlers. Other aesthetics include many, many flat screen tvs all playing Sunday evening NFL, an amenity which garnered huge points from SuperM. Music was a resplendent mix of top-40 including “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry and a “Behind these Hazel Eyes” by Kelly Clarkson (thank you Shazzam). Not up my musical alley but entertainment nonetheless.

While Mar Vista is a traditional AMF there lies a little gem tucked deep inside. Phil Yoakum’s Bowling Supply & Pro Shop. It has been a long while since I spoke with Mr. Yoakum. But when I last did, he went out of his way to special order me a pair of pink bowling shoes, and secured the goods at the same price as Amazon, allowing your Bandit to keep the business local. Bowling balls, shoes, bags, and other rolling necessities are for sale, in all price ranges. Call for details and hours.

After a couple of frames to burn-in your Bandit found himself in the zone -- massive amounts of focus and an afternoon of drinking pushed aside those Sunday-work-is-coming-tomorrow-blues -- and he took home nightly high scores of 135 & 145.

In addition to bowling Hampster and SuperM had a chance to sample the food at Pepe’s, which is attached. Both gave solid thumbs up stating the service was down to earth and the food (BBQ Sauce Cheddar Burger with Bacon and a Tuna Melt) good. If nothing else $5 for a burger at a sit down café is easily one of the best deals around. Inside tip: opt for the ruffles potato chips over the fries.

The tally on Mar-Vista lanes: we love this spot. While it is all types of AMF, plays top-40, and does not inspire even the remotest feelings of retro-coolness there is something that just clicks. It is probably because Mar-Vista puts the bowling aspect of the alley right where it should be: first.

Mar Vista AMF Lanes
12125 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 391-5288

Hours
Mon-Thurs 9am - 11pm
Fri-Sat 9am - 1am
Sun 9am - 11pm

All Star Lanes

Sidekick Smudge here. Calamity, Donny, the Bandit, and I ventured to All-Star Lanes in Eagle Rock. We were immediately taken in by the lime green walls, accented with cream diamond patterns, which lent a decidedly vintage feel to the decor. All-star is retro without even trying -- bonus points for style right from the start. The large space, with an open carpeted area walled in by a small arcade, would be a great spot for a party or even a wedding for those who really like to roll!

The bar was dark and comfortable looking, replete with a stage that sometimes has live music acts on Sunday evenings. We saw a local crew drinking and they had big cans of Fosters, and that was good enough for the Bowling Bandit!

Up to the desk we marched and chose the hourly “lane” rate: $18 dollars (maximum 4 people) for the hour, plus $3 per person shoe rental for some shiny new shoes. I also had forgotten socks, and was able to pick up a snazzy new pair that matched the green and white theme for only $3.

With four of us on the lane, we quickly grabbed our bowling balls and it became a race against time to try to bowl two games each. Despite keeping a rapid pace and Bandit’s insistence that each bowler stand “on deck” we didn’t quite make it. Just as Calamity was about to roll in the tenth frame of her second game the lane went dark. I think it was perhaps the funny animation on the video screens lining the top of the alley, which seemed to like pointing out that you hadn’t picked up the spare more than it enjoyed announcing your strikes, which kept us from narrowly missing completion. Regardless, $4.50 a person for just about 2 games of bowling is a really good deal.

Our tally for the night, Smudge took high game honors:
Smudge: 101 & 136
Bowling Bandit: 116 & 114
Donny: 128 & 104
Calamity Jane: 78 & *103 (9 frames)

Throughout the evening we were graced with XM radio’s easy listening station, tending towards favorites such as Billy Joel and Linda Rondstadt on heavy rotation. It was a Wednesday night, and our party of four made up half of the occupancy, which was nice because there is always a thrill in having an entire bowling alley to yourself. Other details include a small arcade, (sadly, no Ms. Pacman) and a beat-up pool table. Famed indie-rock Sunday nights, where bands play in the large open area while bowlers roll the night away, also occur but have not been scheduled in the last couple months.

Our verdict: charming, retro lanes with lots of character and Foster’s big cans! Chance we will be back: definitely, and hopefully on a night with rock bands to replace some of that Linda Rondstadt!

All Star Lanes
4459 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90041
(323) 254-2579

Prices & Hours:
Shoes: $3, Socks: $3
Games: Mon-Thurs, $18 p/hour (max 4 people p/lane) or $4 game
Fri-Sun, $24 p/hour or $5.50 game