Lincoln Square Lanes

11/10/08

DO NOT COME HERE! by Matt G. at InsiderPages

Contributor at Insider Pages

This was by far the absolute worst bowling experience of my life. If you don't have time to read this whole review at least heed this advice: NEVER EVER COME HERE. I am a college student who volunteers as a youth mentor for a program at the local YMCA. Usually, my little brother and I do things for free or very cheap because well, I'm not getting paid and like I said, I'm a college student: I'm broke, but today, for a treat we decided to take the train into the city and go bowling. We chose Lincoln Square Lanes because it was easy to get to and according to the web it was $4.50 per game. When we got there, it was dark and empty and the man behind the counter (at the bar) looked at us as if we were absurd. We kind of wandered around a bit to see if maybe we had missed something and there was someone else in charge of setting up the bowling. Finally, I went over to the man at the bar and asked if we could get a lane. He was cold and rude to us the entire time, and surprise, it was an additional $7.00 for shoes for the two of us. He gave us our score card (there are not automatic scorers) and sent us to our lane where we remained alone for the next hour. It was dead silent in the building. At one point, my little brother celebrated a strike by dancing to which the man working bellowed viciously from the other room Get off of there. There's oil on the floor your not allowed to do that. Within an hour we decided to leave. When the man wrung us up, he was once again rude claiming we were throwing around a lot of extra balls without writing them down (which was of course untrue as the game meter proved) and he gave us the price, $36.00 plus the $7.00 for the shoes, oh and the $3.50 I paid in ATM fees, making the grand total $46.50 for two people, for less than an hour, for charity, none the less. I still had fun with my kid, but everything from the service

07/15/09

This is a great spot for burgers

by Me100 at Citysearch

This is a great spot for a night out.

• Pros: Food is great
• Cons: Parking

05/18/08

$4.50 per game, not per person

by Shamontiel at Citysearch

Pros: I came to this location for the first time on a Sunday afternoon, and after figuring out from a local that the place is above a hardware store, I was surprised to find so many parking spots. I thought by it being next to McDonald's, that was going to be the only place to park (and McDonald's has signs saying not to park there unless you're in the restaurant). I liked how cozy the place is. I went in and there was only one other family a few lanes down from us, so with two groups total, we had more than enough privacy to concentrate on the game. I liked that I had to take score because the rare occasions that I bowl, I let the automatice scoring board do it and was too lazy to learn how to tally spares and strikes. Now I know because the forms provide examples!

Cons: The lane lights up how many pins you knocked down the first time but not the second time, so pay close attention (for scoring purposes). The light in the ladies room wasn't on, I couldn't find it, and it wasn't until I yanked the old school towel dispenser that the lights flickered. The other lady there said she just went to the bathroom in the dark. I was also disappointed that on two separate occasions, I called to verify that the games were $4.50 each. The employee there said yes, but when I got there, it turns out it's $4.50 per person although he insists that it's $4.50 per game. That's false advertisement, in my opinion, because a game is two people having two turns each for ten rounds. So, if it's $4.50 per game and we play 3 games, that should be $13.50, but I was charged $27. That would've been fine if I had that much with me, but I had to use their ATM since they don't take credit cards (another downer).

Would I go back? Yes. But I'd be fully prepared knowing now the location, the real price of each PERSON not game, and knowing to yank the towel to get the bathroom lights to come on.

• Pros: Parking, Comfort, Polite employees, no automated boards (learn to keep score!), quiet
• Cons: False advertising with prices, lights in bathroom hard to find, light doesn't show second score on lane

Upon finding this hidden spot, you will stumble upon a vintage bowling atmosphere.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
With its ordinary appearance, Lincoln Square Lanes has the feel of a hideaway - or a speakeasy. Located atop an Ace Hardware store, finding LSL can be a trying experience. Its generic "Bowl" marquee, which does not illuminate, is of little help. Lincoln Square Lanes squeezes 12 lanes into its cramped quarters, leaving little room for spectators. The alley is furnished in wood paneling with red trim around the alleys, creating a basement-type feel. On weekend nights, people of all ages are packed in behind the bowlers. It is not unusual to see infants sleeping in cribs as grandma tries to line up another strike.

The Experience
While the bowling area is cramped, the alley bar, of course, is spacious; there are several booths with large windows making it easy to watch the action. Drinks are served from behind a horseshoe-shaped bar, with vending machine snacks the only edible accompaniments.