For Getting Lucky In and Out of the Gutter: “Lucky Strike”

Whenever I go out of town for my birthday, which I try to do every other year or so, I always make sure I have a New York City excursion too. This way my friends and family don’t miss out. Plus it makes my birthday a much longer production and who wouldn’t like that?

When I think about what I want to do in N.Y.C. I try almost always to avoid the typical night out at an average bar. What is the fun in that? Considering I spend most of my year trying to cross things of my to do list (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html) my birthday has to be better than a random Saturday outing in March. After all, birthdays come but once a year.

A few months ago I had a great idea of what I would do for this past birthdays N.Y.C. affair, I would go to Lucky Strike! It was perfect!

Lucky Strike is a place I have wanted to go for many months, probably a year or more. It’s hard to say. I drive past it so often on the West Side Highway and each and every time I pass it I say “I want to go there one day.” Well now I had the day picked out.

What is even better is the reaction of anyone I invited or told these plans to. They all wanted to know what it was like inside! This place has such an allure about it. From the street outside you cannot see inside. It looks like a nightclub and not a bowling alley. But that is the fun. It is equal parts nighttime lounge, bar, gourmet restaurant, and bowling alley. I couldn’t wait to go.

Since I was going to be a party of five people reservations were suggestion by the staff at Lucky Strike. I have to say this is the best route. Everyone that works there is incredibly helpful and friendly. Prepaying and planning is not only the easier way to go it is also the cheaper way to go. The more people you are with the higher the need for a reservation. They can accommodate any party size and any celebration. Once I selected my date and had confirmed who was coming, I had some hard decisions to make. I had to pick from an assortment of mouthwatering appetizers and mini dishes as well as selecting our bar menu. You get to choose an appropriate number of plates and beverages, including non-alcoholic choices which I loved, for your evening. The food and drinks are non-stop once your party begins. I should also mention another crucial point here your party price also includes bowling and shoe rental. You can’t get a better deal than that anywhere, especially Manhattan.

Initial impressions are always interesting. Here I was greeted by two men who looked and acted like bouncers. They wanted to make sure we were of age and it was funny. I haven’t been asked for I.D. in some time. Then I felt like Alice through the looking glass. I stepped in and moved back the curtain and I was in!

This chic establishment had thought out every design detail to within an inch of its life. The shoes, the décor, the screens, even the bathrooms were better than you can imagine.

You sit on sofas not those hard chairs like in the bowling alleys we all remember. For larger parties at the end of those sofas are larger leather couches. But keep in mind the more people you are with the longer it will take to bowl but you are not in a hurry you are there to have fun. While you stop and eat and lose yourself in your guests, don’t worry the clock on the bowling automatically stops until you begin again.

I started snapping my camera like there was no tomorrow.

I have never seen anything more creative or fun. I was so impressed and pleased.

I also MUST mention the food. I have never had such good “bar” food. I thought sliders and chicken kabobs would be good choices but I had no idea we would eat so much or want so much. We had an artichoke spinach dip I want to be smothered in. I to this day am still craving their chicken apple brie quesadillas. It is the best chicken dish I ever ate and if the Food Network calls me I will be sure to tell them so.  Honestly I had never allotted so much time for eating so that pause on the bowling worked out pretty great in our favor.

Though this is a pretty in depth review I do not intend to give it all away for free. I just want you to know what is out there, what you are missing, and how to do it correctly.

This is why I am not going to show too many pictures or reveal too many of the details. I feel like some of the fun lies in the big reveal when you get there. Not that it ends there though.

I had a great time at Lucky Strike and bowled much like I predicted. I aimed to bowl my age, thirty-one. As it turns out I bowled my age plus one for good luck!

Are you feeling lucky yet??

For all the info on getting lucky:

http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/locations/new-york/nyc/