The Bowling Alley for Playing Pool?

Yep, back when I was a kid all the bowling alleys had Gold Crowns. These days barbox only.
 
A number of pool halls in my area (Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton PA) have closed in the last 3/4 years but Jordan Lanes in Allentown - which has been around forever - is still going strong with over 40 lanes and a separate room with 10 - 9ft Gold Crowns - and they are always busy no matter what time of day or night -

Jackson
 
Boy, this post really brings back an old memory.

As a very young man I started playing in my friend's basement in Kankakee, IL on their antique Brunswick table with clay balls. Then came my first experience in a commercial establishment. The name of the place was Gala Lanes, and it was a bowling alley/billiard room located in that same small town. The room was equipped with 6 or 8 Brunswick Gold Crowns.

Now there is nothing special about this little story except that I learned years later that around this same time Gala Lanes became the temporary practice spot for another young man who would go on to become a world beater. I learned this, and the future champion's name, from my brother-in-law who had been something of a player himself and had had a few match ups with said champion. The champion's name: "The Rifleman," Buddy Hall.

The last time I went back "home" for a visit, I made it a point to go to Gala Lanes (somehow, still there) and take a few pictures for memory's sake.

Roger
 
Back in the 1950's to early 1960's in the Northeast when bowling was hot and alley's were going up everywhere, most had pool tables too. A lot of kids back then got their first taste of pool at a bowling alley, not a poolroom. Johnnyt
 
Metro Airport that served Detroit in the 70s had a pool hall. Went there on a Fri night and had to wait a hour to get on a table. It was all Gold Crowns and they had plenty of them.
 
I play out of a bowling center. There's little or no gambling going on there but there's only a few places in charlotte that there is. Northcross Lanes, in Huntersville, NC (10 miles north of charlotte). They have 6 nine foot AMF's. Keep simonis 860, they frequently (not sure exactly how often-but i don't leave with blue hands) brush the cloth, and they use a ball polisher often. they're by far the best kept equipment in town. However, there is a new place a couple of miles down the road that opened recently with diamonds, and knowing the owners, they will keep everything up to top playing conditions, i just haven't played there much since they opened to speak with any first-hand knowledge.

Anyway, im happy with my bowling center!
 
Bowling alley

I used to play out of Bowlhaven lanes in Alton IL. Its across the river from STL and about 1 a month STL Louie would showup with his backer to get a warmup from some local player before going on the road.
 
That's nothing. Look back at the old days (photo from http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org). The Bensinger establishments shown below were just a little before my time. I learned to play at Beverly Bowl, 94th and Ashland, Chicago (20 lanes, 7 pool and 2 billiard tables, long gone now). As best I can tell, only one of those four buildings that housed Bensinger rooms still stands (the 235 S. Wabash one).

1918_Bensinger_health_factory.JPG
 
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another bowling alley that was famous was in dorchester massachusetts on morrissey blvd. it had 8 gold crowns and was a 24 hr joint frequented by the likes of larry boston shorty johnson, nicky the indian vlahos . larry liscotti john fernandes, paul melnichek mark ramson bob ingersall along w/ joe "boston joey" kiley and half a dozen other open class players manny hamel, marty herman, skippy deprisco ron allerie eddy gregory. i hung out there for the better part of 10 years and the smoothest money player turned out to be john fernandes from rhode island . he started out playing an open class player and john was getting the wild eight and the cracks.after busting this guy 4-6 different times he ended up ggiving this same player the last 2 and robbed him again. after all was said and done SHORTY JOHNSON PULLED HIM ASIDE AND SAID ITS ABOUT TIME YOU WOKE UP. YOU WERE DONE 5 WEEKS AGO. TIMES WERE MUCH DIFFERENT THEM YOU COULD PLAY A MAN 5-6 OCCASSIONS BEFORE HE ASKED FOR WEIGHT. NOWADAYS AFTER PLAYER 1 RACE TO NINE , IT GOES HILL - HILL AND MOTHER- FUC**** WANTS WEIGHT. MY HAS TIMES CHANGED. THERE WERE AT LEAST 20 -25 ROOMS IN A 1 HR DRIVE FROM BOSTON AND YOU COULD FIND AT LEAST 5-6 PLAYERS IN EACH ROOM THAT WOULD POST UP THE CASH. I WAS A 2BIT B CLASS PLAYER AND MADE A LIVING ROBBING GUYS W/OUT A GUN. I GUESS IT IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES MY O' MY HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
 
Wow! Just up the road from many of these places was All Star Bowl in Skokie, IL. The pool room there had about 10 Anniversaries and there was action. All the alleys in the area had pool rooms including Orchard Twin Bowl and Howard Bowl on the border with Evanston. And you could get a game in any of them.
 
Cotton Bowling Palace in Dallas, TX

Another Bowling Alley that hosted plenty of pool action was Cotton Bowling Palace in Dallas, Texas. From the early 1960s until it lost its billiard license in 1966, Cotton Bowling Palace was the late night home to several strong pool players and a spot frequented by road players on their way across the country. Among the regulars who became well known was Jack Ruby, the man who shot Lee Harvey Oswald on national television. The place also had some of the most deadly characters you would ever want to meet in Stanley Cook (aka Creeper), George McGann, Charlie Boyd, and R.D. Matthews.
 
As a teenager I was insanely fanatical about bowling and virtually all of the bowling alleys around had tables. Closest to home was Lake City Bowl which had about three tables that were brought over by Christopher Columbus. Palladium Bowl had ten eight-footers of either Brunswick or AMF variety, I cannot recall (closed over 30 years ago); I shot quite a bit of pool there. Kenmore Lanes (which is almost next to the Golden Fleece) IIRC had eight AMF's way-back-when. And the list goes on. Real pool halls in the north end of Seattle were much, much rarer- the only one I frequented was Bill's Billiards up near 185th and Aurora in what is now Shoreline but I went there to play pinball- go figure...

As to where I live now, Park Bowl in Bellingham does have about a half-dozen eight-footers which have further inspired me to purchase my own (cost of play is $8.75/hour and the tables could be better maintained).

But this thread did bring back some wonderful memories...
 
I used to play at Coliseum Lanes in Charlotte when I was a teenager. They had a nice set up with about 6 GCs in a separate room behind the snack bar. It's pretty run down now, but was a great place in the 60s.
I've heard a few people say Northcross lanes is pretty nice, but I'm on the other side of town, and don't make it up that way very much.
Steve
 
Tropicana

Most of the road players have played at the Tropicana in Inglewood CA.
It had some interesting days.
I was gambling there in the late 60's.My opponent's backer was playing
a foxy chick $20 nine-ball on the next table - she had him stuck $180.
She said "Let's jack it up,I want to see you dog it even more." He was
already embarassed so he threatened to punch her in the mouth.She
quit.The whole room was laughing at him.
Then someone dissed players from Almonte.Popcorn took offense and
grabbed a rack cue and started swinging it like a samurai,hitting light
shades and tables and yelling "What do y'all think of the boys from
Almonte?"
He cleared the room,so we continued our session in a little bowling
alley in Hollywood.
....gotta love them bowling alleys
 
The biggest room to play in my part of the world is a bowling alley. Actually it has become a family entertainment complex, with 20 lanes, over 20 gold crowns, multiple big screen tvs showing all the big sporting events, and a bunch of acrade stuff for the kids, plus two different bars, one in the pool/arcade area, and another attached to the bowling area. Thankfully the karaoke seems to have been shut down, but it was popular for many years as well. They have frisbee golf outside during the short summer season.

There is a small pizza/sandwich/wings resturaunt in the complex, and they're about to add an ice cream parlor.

Pretty decent place to play, ends up hosting any of the big league tournaments for our part of the state too. The tables are kept in reasonable shape for a place that gets such a varied customer base, from kids to regular players.
 
pt109 said:
....Then someone dissed players from Almonte.Popcorn took offense and
grabbed a rack cue and started swinging it like a samurai,hitting light
shades and tables and yelling "What do y'all think of the boys from
Almonte?"
He cleared the room,so we continued our session in a little bowling
alley in Hollywood.
....gotta love them bowling alleys
Click to expand...

That could have been players from 5 Points in El Monte a haven for great pool on the easide of L.A.

Sterling aka Buttermilk shot at 5 Points and then settled in at Gardena Bowl waiting to matchup, several years ago. He moved to Vegas a couple years ago and died, there - last year - some here remember him. He was quite a characteer loaded with pool stories.

He shared one feature with Efren - they both have/had no teeth.

Back in the day, Lil Al Romero and Hawaiian Brian also shot at Gardena Bowl. Later Jesse Mojica, took on all comers and made $$$ off of many players who "short stopped" there.
 
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I went bowling last night and thought of this thread so here's what facilities are at my closest bowling alley.
 

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