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

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: 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

Bowl-O-Rama: Linbrook Bowl

Apologies for the complete radio silence - I have been BUSY!  The kid sis has gone legit and is a bonafide performer!  She will be playing the Wild Records pre-show at Viva Las Vegas 15.  In turn, I have been commissioned to make an entire wardrobe of clothes, so the only electronic device I have seen in the last week is my sewing machine.  I'm pretty excited about some of her get-ups so posts with those will be sure to follow.  Until then, I hope you enjoy yet another one of Southern California's premier bowling alleys.

I am so enamored with the glory of Linbrook Bowl's sign that I feel it alone is reason enough to stop what you're doing and wherever you are in the world, find your way to Anaheim, CA.  All the other pictures in this post are purely informational; they exist simply so you can understand that bowling is actually provided at Linbrook Bowl, but really, come on...the sign!!!  I haven't even mentioned yet that the pin spins, have I?

1958 seems to have been a magic year for bowling alleys.
You might remember that our last Bowl-O-Rama entry,
Palos Verdes Bowl, also sites 1958 as its year of birth

One of the other amazing features of Linbrook Bowl is the original coffee shop.

Apparently, the coffee shop is the "Cheers" of Anaheim.
If "sometimes you want to go where everybody knows
your name," then head to Linbrook.  I can't endorse their
 Friday fish special, but I can guarantee that it will be
packed with friendly regulars.

The coffee shop could stand some minor restoration,
 but Mary seemed to enjoy her milkshake in the
orange, vinyl booths.

According to some very reliable sources, the Kopa Room at Linbrook Bowl
hosts some of the best karaoke in Orange County!  The bar was too dimly lit
for me to get any good pictures, but don't you want to make plans to meet
at the Kopa?

Every table in the bowling alley features old pen & ink drawings about
Victorian bowling history

Strangely enough, I forgot to get a picture of the lanes, themselves.  Again, I assure you, Linbrook Bowl is a place for bowling; they have 40 lanes!  I just can't get past the sign.  Every time we drive by it, I want to stop and take more photos.  Neon, twinkle lights, a giant, spinning bowling pin - who could ask for anything more?

Linbrook Bowl

201 S Brookhurst St

Anaheim, CA

(714)772-2253

OPEN 24 HOURS!!!

linbrookbowl.com

"Ten Pins" - Sesame Street

Bowl and learn about subtraction!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny