Bowl-O-Rama: Gage Bowl

"Shop in Huntington Park: More shops than a shopping center"

What every city needs is a catchy slogan that takes less to time to dream up than it does to paint on the broad side of a five-story reservoir.  "More shops than a shopping center???" - brilliant!  If only the Huntington Park, CA Chamber of Commerce would do the PR for wacky tacky, we would be well on our way to super stardom...or at least solidly on our way to our own city charter.

Exploring local cities that get easily passed over for their brighter, shinier neighbors is a favorite pastime that almost always yields always a wacky tacky treat or two.  Realizing we hadn't devoted any time to Huntington Park, CA, I made the short journey, drawn mostly by the promise of a lovingly-preserved bowling alley, Gage Bowl (est. 1960).

Gage Bowl - Huntington Park, CA

Having recently enjoyed an earthy, full-color facelift, Gage Bowl is the city's go-to destination for bowling leagues and birthday parties.  As with most of these mid-century alleys, the scoring technology has been modernized from overhead projectors to digital monitors and some of the decor/carpet/artwork has been "updated."  It may not have the grandeur of bowling temples like Covina Bowl, but the tidy 22-lane operation still offers a glimpse into bowling's heyday and provides an ideal place to reflect on the epicenter of consumer culture that is Huntington Park.

Bowling, billiards, a barroom, and breakfast, the amenities at Gage Bowl 

provide a cozy round-the-clock experience; we would never have to leave!

We love the vintage lockers and the cases of endless bowling trophies!

Thankfully, Gage Bowl has their signage on lock!
Starbursts, neon, and googie letter blocks are speared
together by a fluted, boomerang beam that has been
towering above Gage Blvd. for over fifty years!

Open 24 hours a day and serving the community for the better part of six decades, Gage Bowl makes me think that I've got a new one for you, Huntington Park; how about, "Bowl in Huntington Park: More bowls than a bowling alley!"

Gage Bowl

3477 E Gage Blvd

Huntington Park, CA

(323)587-3211

gagebowl.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Bowl-O-Rama: Wagon Wheel Bowling

Much time has passed since we last brought you a Bowl-O-Rama feature; the reason being that we had visited so many beautiful, old, local alleys that it seemed we'd begun to exhaust our natural resources.  With just split seconds left before the wacky tacky fracking for bowling alleys began, we remembered a rich deposit of Bowl-O-Rama that was just waiting for our greedy exploitation at Wagon Wheel Bowling (est. 1953) in Oxnard, CA.

Alright, alright, the facade of Wagon Wheel Bowling is about as unprepossessing as
it gets, but do you really doubt our abilities to bring you the best in Bowl-O-Rama?
That multi-colored thumbprint glass alone was worth a little look-see.  

A landmark of a certain stretch on the 101 Freeway (of which I made mental note on countless childhood road trips), my backseat view of Wagon Wheel Bowling always elicited scenes of trail-weary pioneers so thankful to have reached the land of plenty that the only fitting expression of gratitude for their salvation was thirty-two gleaming lanes and tricolor shoes in every size!  However, it was never my fate to explore the realities of this minivan daydream.  In an axiom-shattering example of the early bird failing to get the worm, we always passed the Wagon Wheel long before the lights were switched on; by the time it was open for business we were already begrudgingly giving hugs to relatives in the northern reaches of the state.

One of the greatest things about Wagon Wheel Bowling is that it's the lone
survivor of Wagon Wheel Junction (a complex of offices, a restaurant, a motel,
and the eponymous bowling alley).  Fortunately the incredible, neon-stagecoach
sign for the demolished restaurant and motel still stands; in an era of rampant
"bulldozery," we hope that it continues to take pride of place along the freeway
or at least finds a good home! 

This trip to the bowling alley was no exception to our typical time-table folly; we arrived at Wagon Wheel hours before opening.  Pledging to come back during business hours, we took the opportunity to capture the bowling alley's gorgeous sign by daylight.

The details of this incredible, double-sided sign include the bent arrow, the ball and pin, the sign-painter
script, the faded turquoise-and-red color story, and that bold, bowling font all highlighted by glorious neon!!!

Well, we made good on our promise.
How's that for form and follow-through??!!

While there were absolutely no bonneted pioneer women tending to cast-iron cauldrons over a campfire, nor wagon trains, nor trail masters, Wagon Wheel Bowling provided all the comforts and charms that a mid-century bowling alley ought to offer.

We were thrilled to find an intact western motif (one of our favorites) and original fixtures - interior
shed roofs, old championship rosters, shingle signs, and of course, wagon wheel light fixtures.

The bar/billiard room/banquet hall came complete with vintage furnishings, a quaint brick-and-flagstone
fireplace and the queen of all pinball machines, Elvira!  Erika schooled us on how not to win at pinball...

Like any bowling alley worth its salt, Wagon Wheel Bowling is home to a coffee shop;
the current occupant is Doña Rosa's Mexican Food.  We had just eaten but that didn't
stop Ben & Erika from getting cozy in one of the original, naugahyde booths.  Wouldn't
it be a dream to have a space like this to make into a wacky tacky diner?

Mr. Tiny makes like a wagon wheel with the Wagon Wheel sign.

The Wagon Wheel holds a special place in our hearts because one of Tiny & Mary's signature tunes (an original) is titled "Wagon Wheel."  I can't say with absolute certainty but, having the sign stamped in my subconscious after so many road trip sightings, it is safe to say Wagon Wheel Bowling may have very well been the inspiration for the song.

"Wagon Wheel" - Tiny & Mary

(Filmed by our pal James)

Just like that old wagon wheel, we'll keep rolling along looking for the next Bowl-O-Rama.  Do you know of any beautiful bowling alleys that we simply must visit?  Have you ever been to Wagon Wheel Bowling?  Did you ever eat at the restaurant or stay a night in the motel?  Our high score at Wagon Wheel Bowling was just exploring its history but we want to know, what was your record bowling score?

Wagon Wheel Bowling
2801 Wagon Wheel Rd
Oxnard, CA
(805)485-4915

wagonwheelbowling.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Signs of the Times: Yucca Bowl

Pardon me, New Yucca Bowl - Yucca Valley, CA

We do our very best to bring you the best in bowling alley beauty that we can find.  Sometimes, even when an alley's bones are old, the rest of it has been updated, remodeled, or "fancified" and the last remaining vestige of its former glory is a lone sign.  New Yucca Bowl isn't a proud, boastful sign; it's the crown of a sun-scorched bowling pin shyly peeking out from atop a simple light box.  Yes, this sign has probably seen better days, but you'd better believe that when the desert sun goes down and the perimeter lights start their twinkling, there isn't a more glorious sign to be seen on Broadway (even with a few bulbs missing).  And as I always say, let ye who is without a few bulbs missing among you, let him cast the first stone.


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Bowl-O-Rama: La Habra 300 Bowl

I had this blog backlogged and thought I would bring it to you while I finish editing all of our pictures from Barcelona.  I have left you good people without decent reading material for long enough and I can't countenance one more day without a post...

Have you noticed that contemporary buildings have become so utilitarian by nature of their design that the only discernible difference between a shopping center, a suburban home, and a jail in Communist Russia is the generally good humor of the Russian inmates.  This was an abstract concept for me until they started building a new strip shopping center near my house.  As each new building went up, it was impossible to guess what would go inside the stucco, taupe-colored boxes.  Frankly, it could be anything - Taco Bell, auto parts store, bank, dentist office, shoe store, market.  I guess the idea is to make it as generic as possible so that when businesses cycle through, the only real change that would need to be made is switching out the outsized, plastic sign.

Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience of Target.  I love the abundance of food choices and the idea that with new construction comes new jobs and new opportunities for businesses to thrive.  But would it kill architects/contractors to give these buildings a little personality?   More than just boring, these buildings fail to serve as the landmarks that I so desperately need when driving or giving directions.  I live near and work in a certain community that is famous for being "beige" in every aspect.  I get lost there all the time because not only do the streets meander (I'm a firm believer in the grid), but when someone says turn left at the tan building, you could be driving in circles for hours without ever reaching your destination.  I say all this not to bemoan the foibles of modern society, but only express my deep appreciation for the masterminds that created the wonderful 20th Century bowling alleys that are still plentiful and ready to be enjoyed not just for their leisure activities, but for the distinct figure they cut in the skyline.  One such bowling alley is La Habra 300 Bowl in La Habra, CA.

La Habra 300 Bowl is so old-school that they don't even have a website (editor's note: as of December 2012, La Habra 300 Bowl has a website), so you'll just have to take my word as gospel on the information I provide you.  Situated just a few miles east of Friendly Hills Bowl (our last featured bowling alley), LH300 is just as famous for its unusual coffee shop as it is for its gleaming lanes.  Consider this, the most popular items on the menu are, if you can handle this, Chinese food!!!  Chinese food, albeit of the American variety, seems like an unlikely style of cuisine to be proffered in the coffee shop of a bowling alley, but it's true and every regular in the place told us that we had to come back for some Egg Foo Yung.  I think it's a fiendish plan by the management; everybody knows that when you eat Chinese food and then bowl, you'll just be hungry for another frame of bowling an hour later.

I think we had just eaten, but there's something about a
bowling alley coffee shop that makes Mary HUNGRY!!!

The nice folks featured in the center of this photo gave us a strange look
 when we walked in and promptly started snapping photos.  However,
when they realized we were bowling alley enthusiasts, they practically
 invited us to share a late breakfast with them.  The gentleman assured us that
 it was neither a special occasion nor was he being favored as a regular when our
eyes got as big as saucers looking at the humongous, 27-egg (or thereabouts)
 omelette that was set before him on the squeaky-clean formica table.  

My favorite thing in the world is authentic, vintage wallpaper from the 50's...
at least there weren't life-size cut outs of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe

My usual coffee shop favorites are still in place -
barstools, terrazzo, original fixtures and display cabinets, and a
pretty stellar color story of black, gray, and pinky salmon

Maybe not the best example, but don't you love the light-box,
"cocktails" signs with the block letters?

The 13th Frame is the bowling alley's bar/lounge and has
an entrance from the inside and outside.

Button-tufted oxblood leather, brass nailhead trim, beer pennants, stained-glass
 lanterns - it's such a totally different world than the coffee shop, but I'm so glad
these two worlds exist under one extremely-sloped roof!

The private party room is adjacent to the bar and reminds a little bit of
The Regal Beagle from Three's Company.

The hand-painted figure seemed to indicate that this alley was full of real music enthusiasts.
  The bar actually would be a great place for shows.  Hmmm...maybe I need to
 add booker/promoter to my resume and include La Habra 300 Bowl as a venue!  

You read that right, that's a pin-full of "Ball Polish."

I think my snickering at the ball polish combined with the consistent flash of my camera finally brought about the inevitable - a confrontation by the management.  We're always so distracted by our excitement over neat stuff (and taking pictures of said stuff) that it never occurred to me that anyone would question my motives.  Nevertheless, after a brief interrogation by the manager, where I told her that my intentions with her bowling alley were quite chaste, we were back in action.  Although, given her grimace, I'm sure I left her unconvinced that we weren't just weirdos with a camera.  Heck, I haven't even convinced myself of that.

It's become a bit of a bad habit, but I keep forgetting to remind you that these bowling alleys do indeed offer bowling services.

Just a question, before I let you go.  Is "300" a perfect game in bowling?  That is my guess as to the significance of the name, but maybe someone out there can clarify this small detail for me.  Oh, and one more question; who determined that a strike in baseball is a bad thing but a strike in bowling is the best?  Until I find out the answers to these, life's greatest mysteries, I wish you turkeys all the turkeys I can spare.

Hardy har har!!!

La Habra 300 Bowl
370 E Whittier Blvd
La Habra, CA
(714)526-2058

www.LH300Bowl.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Bowl-O-Rama: Friendly Hills Bowl

Do you ever just drive around looking at/for cool signs?  I'm pretty sure that every region of the United States still offers an abundance of interesting signage to inspire the natural marketer/advertiser in all of us - if we just keep our eyes open.  Many times my eyes are so wide open looking for cool signs that I miss what is happening on the road.  As we have discovered, some of the best vintage signs are to be found at bowling alleys and we were certainly not disappointed by the towering, skewered diamonds of Friendly Hills Bowl in Whittier, CA.

Like many of the bowling alleys around Southern California, Friendly Hills Bowl is a relic of Jet Age optimism and architecture.  The roof line looks like a jet taking flight while the structure is grounded by the weight of stacked stones; this juxtaposition of ultra modern angles and stone age materials always lends a dissonance that I find both confusing and thrilling.

Friendly Hills Bowl - Whittier, CA

I'm telling you, it's all about mid-Century optimism.
 I've always heard that a person whose writing angles upward,
 is a natural optimist.  Here, the script of the bowling alley's sign
follows the ascending flight path of the roof line, followed
by the diamonds repeated from the larger sign.

So a cocktail tray, a trifle bowl, a coffee carafe and a martini
 glass walk into a bowling alley; they start to juggle and...
I'm not exactly sure what this mural at the entrance to the bowling
 alley signifies, but please write me a hilarious joke that
 ends with the punchline, "Those aren't bowling balls!".

Anywhere we go, I'm always interested in light fixtures,
but the more interesting part to me was the muted violet color
that predominated the color scheme of this and the last bowling
 alley we featured (owned by two different companies).  Is there
some psychological effect that shades of purple have on bowlers?
  Eat more? Drink more?  Bowl a few more frames?

 Mary had to stop for a hip photo op in front of the color-blocked lockers.

The flooring, paint scheme, and  menu have been "updated," but the
 barstools and chrome prove that the bones of a cool snack shop are still there.

Is it the friendly barroom at Friendly Hills Bowl, or the popular,
 teen hang out, The Max, from Saved by the Bell?

A view of some fancy bowling balls
available for purchase in the pro shop
I wonder if they have any of these in 4.5 lbs.
 with extra large finger holes???

So Friendly Hills Bowl has all the hallmarks of a genuine bowling alley - Snack bar/coffee shop, check.  Bar, check.  Pro Shop, check.  Beauty Parlor, Check.  Beauty Parlor?!?!

Friendly Hills Bowl has a beauty parlor conveniently located inside the bowling alley.
 H-A-I-R, big "D," little "e," Big "S," Big "I," Big "G,", Big "N," spells "coiffure me!"
Now that's class!

I've always had a love-hate relationship with those Nagel-esque salon illustrations.
 This one is funny because it is a whole family and not just those smoky eyes, razor
cheekbones, and single, red rose.  They always seemed so creepy but now they leave
me a little nostalgic for stylized, 80's cartoons like "Jem."

Come to think of it, I'm not sure that Jem, herself, isn't
 a product of Hair DeSign's gifted team of stylists!
(Source)

Just in case you had any doubts - this ain't no salon; this is a beauty parlor.
 I can only assume that this is some kind of combination potty chair/hair dryer.

It seemed so strange to have a beauty parlor inside a bowling alley until we remembered that Covina Bowl had a beauty parlor as well, called Hair'em (adhering to the ye olde Egyptian theme of that establishment).  Some of you more informed types out there might be able to fill me in; was it de rigueur to have a beauty shop as an obligatory addendum to the greater bowling experience?

Hair'em at Covina Bowl

All I know is that it must've been nice for Marge and Leona to know that they needn't worry about getting all dolled up before the big tournament; they could simply show up in curlers and a scarf and leave with a bubble flip and the league championship!

Considering getting a permanent, Mr. Tiny was feeling pretty
 friendly himself standing in the in the atrium-like
setting of Friendly Hills Bowl's entry created by the
sun-drenched horticulture filtered only by the architectural beams.

If you're looking for a fun day of bowling or just a slice of pizza and a finger wave, make your way down to Friendly Hills Bowl in Whittier.  Look for the diamonds in the sky.

Friendly Hills Bowl

15545 E Whittier Blvd

Whittier, CA

(562)947-3815

www.amf.com/friendlyhillslanes

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Bowl-O-Rama: Covina Bowl

I guess when you're hanging out at a bowling alley wearing overalls, you just can't help but be a weirdo magnet.  Why can't I just sneak around the bowling alley taking photos of light fixtures and terrazzo flooring without being solicited into beating up a group of thirteen-year-old boys by a 28-year-old man playing shoot 'em up video games who is admittedly the father to no less than fourteen children of his own but has nothing better to do than play video games and threaten minors in the middle of a weekday?  To echo my sentiment from an earlier post, I sure am grateful for the neat places that are still here.

The other day we took a short drive to a veritable temple of the bowling arts, Covina Bowl in Covina, CA.  

What an entrance!!

Built more than thirty years too late to cash in on the Tut-mania of the 1920's, this bowling alley is inexplicably, if only very superficially, Egyptian themed.  The roofline speaks much more to mid-Century tiki architecture and the references to ancient Alexandria are scarce.  Whatever the thinking behind architect George Powers' 1955 masterpiece, we didn't even make it inside before we fell in love! 

In various states of repair, the signs were beautiful in their simplicity!

A taste of Egypt on an exterior wall

Once inside, our options for discovery were plentiful,
 but who would want to get bored in a board room,
when one could just as easily play urban Indiana Jones and
explore the wonders of the Egyptian and Pyramid Rooms!!! 

The Egyptian Room was definitely my favorite area of Covina Bowl.  Completely trapped in time, it is the coffee shop that must have served thousands of ravenous bowlers over the years.  Although it is completely outfitted to operate as a functional coffee shop/cafe, it now sits empty just begging for a wonderful entrepreneurial restaurateur to come along and fill the seats.  Given the means, I would love to run a wacky tacky eatery in the space; it just needs a little bit of love before it could be the coolest place to grub in Covina!

Mary sits at the counter where the stainless steel display cases are longing for pies, cakes, and Jell-O.
Behind the window, there is a huge commercial kitchen.  All of the facilities/utilities are in place and seem to be in good shape;  I guess there must be a reason why the Egyptian Room is is non-operational, but I can't think of a good one!

A detail of the stained, textured glass wall behind a booth in
the Egyptian Room. 

We poked our heads into the Pyramid Room and found
 a rather spiritless banquet room that was being
 prepared for a quinceanera  later that evening.
Instead of a bunch of tables covered in white table cloths,
here is a photo of Mary, walking like an Egyptian.

As ever, I find delight in terrazzo floors and light fixtures and Covina Bowl did not disappoint!  The building is enormous and it must have taken a whole quarry full of marble chips to make the miles of flooring.

I wonder how many other bloggers include pictures of the floor wherever they go?
The floor was much more green than this photo could capture.

I love light fixtures!  

I was particularly fond of the pendant lamps with stripes of coral, lavender and blue.

We couldn't leave without visiting the arcade (the site of the near brawl between man and children).  Any time I have the opportunity to trade my hard-earned money for tokens with the slight chance that those tokens might translate into paper tickets that I can then swap for plastic prizes that I could have simply purchased for mere pennies on the dollar, I'M IN!!!

We stayed as far away from the "Flamin Finger" as we possibly could.
It seems like no amount of antibiotics could cure flamin' finger.

I'm much more of a speed demon!
I am game challenged and in too much of a hurry to read
the rules.  Even after reviewing them in the photo, it occurs
me that, "1. Get a Speed Demon Here" and "2. To play here,"
weren't quite explicit enough for me.  Huh??? 

Nevertheless, I was triumphant!!!

We actually won enough tickets for only one of these rings, but having
clearly gained the favor of the ancient bowling gods, the machine that
 dispensed arcade prizes gave us each one!  Jealous?

Sometimes you don't realize how similar you are to a bowling pin until the side-by-side comparison.

All that separates us is a crown and some bowling shoes.

Oh yeah, did we mention that they offer bowling at Covina Bowl?
50 lanes of gleaming hardwood!

Covina Bowl is a definite feather in the cap of Southern California bowling alleys.  Maybe next time we visit, we'll actually bowl a few frames!

After all, the first step in that best seller "Bowl To Stay Slim," is BOWL!

Covina Bowl
1060 W San Bernardino Rd
Covina, CA
(626)339-1286

www.bowlbrunswick.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny