Alhambra Bowling Center

Smudgie here, this time to report on a recent trip to Alhambra, mecca of of dim sum palaces and other yummy Asian cuisine. After a disappointing meal at a highly recommended restaurant (that will remain nameless), we sought and found redemption in desert: ice cream at Fosselman’s. For those who have not yet experienced the delight of Fosselman’s, head east with gusto and great speed, Fosselman’s is homemade ice cream to write home about. And should you, like Hamster, watch your two scoops roll off the cone and go splat on the sidewalk, fear not, the kind staff will replace the scoops free of charge, provided you have cleaned the wayward melting cream off the sidewalk. Redemptive desert in stomachs, we took the evening up a notch with a trip to our true destination, Alhambra Bowl.

Walking through the entrance, there was a distinctive 1970’s rec-center-esque feel, similar to the high-school hangout in which the kids played pool and drank beer in Dazed and Confused. Because we were there for nighttime bowling, the overhead lights were out with only the lanes lit up. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see there was a certain grunginess masked under the cover of darkness.

Aesthetics aside, the price was right, and there was no wait to start bowling. After being greeted and helped immediately at the front counter, our names were entered for us by the friendly bowling staff, and we only had to pay for shoes before we were given our lane assignment. 

The Bowling Bandit immediately hit the bar, where there were numerous signs proclaiming, “No outside alcohol is allowed,” as well as one that said, “And NO, we will not give you a cup with ice.” Too funny, as it seems some patrons not only want to sneak in alcohol, but they also want cups and ice to cool their tasty beverages! Oh, to be young again. A fantastically under-priced $7.50 snagged the Bowling Bandit not just one but TWO imported beers, a New Castle and Tecate. Is Alhambra really just 10 minutes from downtown? Can drinks really be this inexpensive? Bandit’s mind was bending. Drinks in hand, now we were ready to roll.

Once we arrived laneside, it was so dark that the only thing my eyes could see were the guide lights built into the lane to help see where the arrows were. Usually, night bowling involves flashing strobe lights and pulsating rock hits, but that was not the case on this evening. Perhaps to fill the void caused by the lack of customary disco balls, strobes and black lights everywhere, the large crew of college kids bowling next to us punctuated each throw of the ball with extremely loud screams and the occasional shriek. Their excitement was infectious, even though I couldn’t get a strike to save my life.

The lanes were smooth, and featured an old-style ball return that alternated between sending the ball back with great speed and then not such great speed. The mixture of balls to choose from was haphazard and mixed together in terms of weight and finger size, which made our bowling-ball-less compadres have to hunt for a while to find something that worked. Looking around, the lane was probably two-thirds full with an overwhelmingly Asian clientele on the Saturday night we visited.

The snack bar offered an assortment of sodas and nachos which we did not sample. The bathrooms, despite a few warnings on Yelp describing them as “being like something out of ‘Saw’ ” were not as scary as they could have been.

Bowling newbie Tiger Pants took high game of the evening honors with a competitive come-from-behind win of 129, by marking in his final four frames. Music was an upbeat mix of popular rap and R&B featuring Missy Elliot and 50 Cent, and appeared to be a big hit among the Saturday night crowd.

Despite the slightly down-on-its-luck feel, Alhambra Bowl garners high ratings for low prices on everything from bowling to beer, ease of use in terms of not having to figure out the computers or wait for a lane, and authenticity -- no gimmicks, no strobe lights -- just honest-to-goodness bowling.

I’m sure we’ll be back to Alhambra Bowl, perhaps next time during the light of day.

Alhambra Bowling Center
1400 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 289-5168

Gable House Bowl

It's Smudge here. In the waning days of vacation, one tends to get a bit grumbly and there is no better antidote than to pick up the nearest bowling ball and chuck it at some pins. The Bowling Bandit and I visited Gable House Bowl in Torrance to do just that and I was surprised to find one of the most welcoming alleys in town tucked away in otherwise unassuming environs, surrounded by office parks and strip malls galore.

Upon walking in to the building on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I was pleased to find a bright airy space instead of the usual dark cavern . Initially, we were told it would be a half hour wait, but after wandering around for fifteen minutes outside and then checking back in, we found our name had already been called and were put on top of the list for the next available lane. We were assigned to lucky lane 13 and the attendant tried to give the Bowling Bandit complimentary socks with the rental shoes, which he gently declined--but it is good to know that if you show up in flip flops, you are covered!

When we got to our lane, the first thing I noticed was that this was definitely not an AMF bowling center--no fluorescent lights and balls, but rather cream and teal blue beach scene backdrops across all of the lanes. The forty gleaming, polished, nick-free lanes have a huge, open feel to them. Each set of two has a table and chairs with a table you can eat at right behind your lane, too!

The ceilings are extremely high with exposed air ducts and metal rafters lending a warehouse-y feel and the whole place was immaculately clean. It was unusually quiet when we were there, with no music playing at all. When we bowled, the only sounds were the Bowling Bandit's pins flying and crashing everywhere. Then a loud rumbling signaled that the 1960's era "bowling machine” was doing its work and putting all the pins upright again. New Brunswick ball returns quickly sent back the ball. Speaking of bowling balls, there was a huge selection of every finger size, weight, and color imaginable, without the usual color-coded divisions. It was more like an Easter egg hunt, searching until finding the perfect ball to chuck down the lane. Our Bandit scored well, carrying him to the highest scores of the day for both games.

It was not busy during our visit, but there was a large birthday party going on, with an upstairs room for the festivities, and quite a few families rolling games as well. Another welcome surprise was the environmental consciousness of the entire establishment, with recycling boxes behind each lane, no-flush urinals, and to our shock (and delight), solar panels covering the building’s entire roof which are able to provide all the power to the alley during the day, and even make a surplus to sell back during some slow weekdays. Back to the bowling, though--there was an auto-coach on the television screens which provided instructions of how to pick up the pins missed on the first throw, and although this didn't help me on what was a decidedly off bowling day, it was a nice feature.

Other notables included a bar that we did not check out, and a Pizza Hut express/snack bar combination with an extensive menu. The arcade had an assortment of pinball machines, video games, and Dance Dance Revolution, where I watched a kid work up a sweat with the fastest footwork I have ever seen. He was a blur, and quite a crowd gathered with their mouths hanging open in incredulity. At the end of our play, the friendly staff asked if we had fun, and were very helpful in answering our myriad questions. In case you were wondering, Gable House owns the entire mini-mall plaza. It appears family-owned and operated, and the whole experience made me feel at home. We will come back here and play again soon!

Gable House Bowl
www.gablehousebowl.com
822501 Hawthorne Blvd
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 378-2265

Hours and Prices
Mon-Thurs: 9a - 2a
Fri & Sat: 9a - 3a
Sun: 7a - 1a

Shoes: $4.50
Game: Weekdays $3.75, Nights $4.75, Weekend $5.00

El Dorado Lanes

It should come as no surprise that this Bandit much prefers the local, unaffiliated lanes, to the monster that is AMF (American Machine and Foundry, creator of the first automatic pinsetter). Well, never say never; thanks to our Alaskan guest, visiting by way of Mexico, we found an AMF worth its lane grease: El Dorado Lanes. El Dorado is located in Westchester, CA near LAX and just down the road from Loyola Marymount University.

Our crew of three arrived ahead of Monday’s rush hour and waited until 5 pm for Dollar Mania to begin. The usual Dollar Mania deal is touted: $5 entry gets you $1 shoe rental and unlimited $1 games. Monday equals “deals” at the El Dorado and for those hard-core bowlers there is another super-special running from 3:30p-5:30p featuring unlimited bowling.

We passed a couple of minutes in the large bar adorned with an exposed, red brick wall and 70’s wood paneling, reminiscent of low-end Vegas. A jukebox, French bartender, chilled Patron shot machine, and one lonely pool table completed the scene. $5.21 gets you a 16oz Budweiser in the shape of a bowling pin! $6.75 for a 20oz New Castle on tap.

At 5 pm sharp we hit the mostly empty lanes. Emptiness did not last long as the alley filled up quickly with a mix of folks including LMU students, die-hard bowlers, kids, single moms, and small groupings of balding men. We are pleased to report a nice mix of races and ethnicities present, lending a balanced feel to the Monday evening crowd.

On to the bowling where the words from "The Big Lebowski" rang true: “Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well, he eats you.” Your Bandit was spanked into submission by his female counterparts: a 148 first game garnered last place, with Smudge knocking down 151, and AK Mama pummeling an outing high of 153 pins. The next three games were dominated by the Alaskan, as there must be something in the water up there (see full scoring below). Props to the ladies who rolled extremely strong games.

Other details about El Dorado include the typical AMF setup replete with fluorescent flying pin backdrop, new, fast ball-returns, a wide open feeling, and 32 well maintained lanes. Helpful staff also provided an interesting piece of information. Look far down the lane on the gutter rail and you will notice a small piece of plastic on top. Housed in this plastic is a camera with a mirror that feeds information to screens above each lane. That is how the automatic scoring works and why it is sometimes wrong -- the camera gets tricked!

Final verdict on El Dorado: this is an AMF lane that kicks butt and we love it. Will we be back? Definitely!

El Dorado Lanes
www.amf.com/eldoradolanes/centerhomepage.htm
8731 Lincoln Blvd.
Westchester, CA 90045
(310) 670-0688

Hours and Prices
Mon-Thurs: 9a - 11p
Fri: 9a - 12a
Sat: 9a - 1a
Sun: 9a - 11p

Shoes: $4.50
Game: Weekdays $4.50, Nights / Weekend $5.75

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?

Jewel City Bowl

Superbowl Sunday. In many people this day stirs desire to watch gifted professional athletes compete at the highest level of football. For the Bandit and Crew desires were stirred in an altogether different direction. Instead, our team broke from the proverbial huddle and descended on Jewel City Bowl.

Entrance to this majestic bowling gem reveals a sparkling clean, colorful, and superbly maintained alley. As our eyes adjusted from the bright SoCal daylight, huge pastel-like graphics of bowling balls and pins “exploring the jungle and having adventures” revealed themselves on the far wall. Flashbacks of mind-bending college activities immediately glitted through this Bandit’s mind.

With Miley Cyrus's “Party in the USA” doing something quite distracting in the background our crew chose the $28 p/hr all-you-can-bowl deal. The positive spin on this deal being Jewel City prorates the 2nd (or 3rd) hour. If you have 4 people and are bowling 2 or more games the hourly rate with the pro-rated extra hour is the cost-effective choice.

On to the bowling, where W, and his crazy-right-hook-curveball, took home high-game honors banging down 125 pins. Kit-Kat posted a solid 117, while Smudge and I spent the game in the gutter. Calamity joined for the next round and we found ourselves comfortably situated around the cozy restaurant booths situated at each lane.

Other enticing elements of Jewel City include the “Java Hut” with what appeared decent grade coffee, an espresso maker (yes, really!), and a fancy professional coffee grinder, a solid pro shop with good selection plus lockers for use (not quite Buffalo ’66 style but this is Glendale), and best of all, $12 pitchers of beer. What to avoid: the sweet potato fries which arrived with an inexplicable white cheese topping and the unsavory reheated frozen pizza.

And if you enjoy Karaoke or Rock Band then Tuesday or Wednesday are your nights to visit. Also, free game(s) available if you fill out a little form on the Jewel City website.

Our rubdown: great alley, especially for families and kids; adults looking for clean, wholesome, and well-priced bowling will find themselves equally satisfied.

Jewel City Bowl
www.jewelcitybowl.com
135 S. Glendale Ave
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 243-1188