Ball Square bowling alley

[ron_newman]

Has anyone here ever been inside the Ball Square bowling alley? It's on Boston Avenue, on the Medford side of the square. When I've occasionally walked by it, it never seemed to be open, and no hours were posted on the door. It is not listed under "Bowling" in the Verizon or Yellow Book directories. When I call its phone number, (781) 306-0716, I hear one or two rings followed by silence (not even a click).

Is this place actually open? If so, when?

Comments

[frederic.livejournal.com]

I don't know when the last time the bowling alley was open -- I believe that sign and the one for the veternarian's office on the same corner are vestigial.

The only bowling alleys I know of within a few miles are the one in Davis Sq, the one near Rt2/16 junction, and the one in Kenmore near Fenway. There used to be a lot back in the day including one under the Somerville Theater.

[leighjen.livejournal.com]

Last Saturday on my way home, I saw people coming out of it and could see through the windows that there were still people inside bowling. That was not the first time I have seen people in there but I have no idea if they have any schedule.

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

I've heard from locals that it's only open to leagues....

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

There's also one right near Alewife.

[frederic.livejournal.com]

That's the same as the one that's at the Rt2/Rt16 intersection. I have taken the T there to play, but usually when I see it lately, I'm driving by...

[ron_newman]

That's the same as "the one near Rt2/16 junction" - Lanes and Games.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

And of course there's Sacco's (http://www.saccosbowlhaven.com/) right in Davis Square. Of course, it's candepin bowling, but it's still fun!

[ron_newman]

Oh yes, I love Sacco's, which is just down the street from me. But I've long been curious about the Ball Square place.

(Say, perhaps we should have a davis_square meetup at Sacco's some time soon?)

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

Ah. I take the T everywhere so I have no idea what roads anything is near. It's all landmarks for me. :-)

[georgy.livejournal.com]

OK, I wrote for The Somerville News (dodgy in its own right) a couple of years ago, and I decided to do a story about the bowling alleys of Somerville. So I went to the Ball Sq. lanes and tried to talk to people.

Everyone in there was smoking and drinking beer. It was a very rowdy, working class environment, and I -- as an outsider -- was eyed very suspiciously. And yes, I was told that it was league-only.

I talked to a guy who was "in charge," and I got the dodgiest of answers from him... he wouldn't tell me anything about the guy who owned the alley/ran the leagues, even his name, and he sure wouldn't give me any contact info. I couldn't get a straight answer from him. The whole thing was sketchy beyond belief. Maybe it's a mob front, who knows (much like I and a friend speculate the former Mitchell's Convenient Store in Ball Sq. was). But yeah, sketch central.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

It should be noted that my story fell apart due to said sketchiness and some other external reasons, and was never published. Alas.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Why do you speculate Mitchell's was a mob front? I went there many times to buy cold cuts or whatever and never saw anything sketchy (other than an occasional jar of mayonnaise past its expiration date).

[georgy.livejournal.com]

- rarely open with any sort of regularity in hours
- no customers, yet it stayed open for a good long while
- low shelves, dusty stock, etc.

This is mostly joking speculation, but, who knows. :-)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

A few years back, a friend and I rather cluelessly wandered in there one afternoon. It was like a scene in a movie at a hick-town diner -- all conversation stopped and suspicious heads turned toward us. It was grimy and poorly lit, very tiny with just a few lanes and a lot of middle-aged guys smoking and drinking and kinda bowling but not really.

My friend was a long-haired male, and a burly man said to us "Not open to the public, ladies. We vanished, fast.

Which is to say, don't bother yourself about it. It's not a public business, whatever it is.

[ron_newman]

From your story and plumtreeblossom's, sounds like at the very least they do not like women walking into their establishment.

The True Grounds calendar page says:

Interested in getting some exercise before the big winter? Leagues are still open at the Ball Square Bowling alley behind True Grounds! Leagues open are Weds/Thurs/Fri nights. Contact: Charlie

However, this calendar page hasn't been updated since November. (What's up with that?)

[ceo]

A friend who lives above it told me that "convenient" in this case meant "when it's convenient for the owner". Which apparently was noon to 2pm on alternate Thursdays in months ending in Y.

Now it's "Salon Cu". Because the thing Ball Square needed most was another hair salon.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a story!

[kalessin.livejournal.com]

Lanes & Games used to be known (until sometime in the 80s I think) by the awesome name spelled out in huge letters across the entire length of the top of the building:

T U R N P I K E B O W L A D R O M E


:-)

[ron_newman]

That's because the official name of Route 2 is "Concord Turnpike". Even though it hasn't had a toll gate for at least the last 150 years.

(Somewhere at home I have a book called "Turnpikes of New England" which details the history of all these early 19th-century toll roads.)