I remember the first time I picked up a bowling ball. I was 11 years old and in 5th grade at Mary Morrison Elementary School in Groton, CT. Someone in my classroom was joining a league at the local bowling alley and I thought it might be fun to give it a try. I had just finished up with Judo for the year and was looking for a new pastime. So I joined the league and have been bowling off and on ever since.
Back in the day bowling alleys were dark, musty, smoky places with beat up old pins, wooden lanes and loud, piped in music.
When I bowled back in the day, you really had to know a little something something about the game because you were truly on your own when it came to scoring and keeping track of your pins. To this day I’m quite sure I gypped myself and my teammate out of points due to sheer ignorance. Plus, quite honestly, focusing on keeping track of the score took most of the fun out of the game.
Conversely, what I like today about the modern bowling alleys (outside of the fact that they are both glamorous and sexy) is that everything is electronic and therefore soooooooo easy (smile). Music videos play on large wall areas in between the lanes. The lanes are now synthetic (low maintenance!) and feature automatic scoring systems which take the guesswork out of fully knowing the game. At these modern bowling alleys you simply put on your bowling shoes, enter your name(s) in the keypad of your assigned lane, take your photo(s) with the built-in camera and (this is optional) sign onto your social media account(s). By the way I tried signing onto my social media account and did not like this feature as it felt too intrusive as every spare, strike or pin I knocked over was instantaneously posted to my Facebook timeline so I shut it off…At the end of your games a tally of you and your bowling party’s scores are handed to you. Easy Breezy!
There’s even a snack bar with real food if you get hungry, an arcade if your kids need more stimulation, a bar for adult beverage recreation and a lounge featuring flat screen TVs.
I also like the fact that it’s a great way to spend quality time with family and/or friends. And it’s fun!
Here’s the best part: Check your Groupon app as there’s almost always a Groupon for bowling and shoe rentals at a location near you. For example: Two games of bowling for 4 people with shoe rentals included is just $25 dollars — you know how much I love Groupons :)) A real bargain compared to a lot of other entertainment options today…You’re welcome!
