As a way to celebrate a friend’s birthday, a group of about eight people got together to go bowling. When I heard that the outing was at Spare Lanes (500 Pearl), I was excited because I had not had an opportunity to check the place out since it opened a couple of years back.
Upon arrival to 500 Pearl, home to ALoft, W XYZ Bar, Patrick’s Rooftop Bar and Lounge, Re:fuel, Fresh Catch, and V|ice, it took us a couple of minutes to get oriented, but eventually we found the winding entranceway to the basement bowling alley.
Spare Lanes is impressive looking. Ellicott Development hit a home run with the concept, for the most part. After ordering a round of drinks, we were told that our two pre-reserved lanes (out of 8 total) were awaiting us, and that we didn’t need bowling shoes – any shoes would suffice. That made the check-in process effortless.
When we got to the lanes (up to 6 people per lane), all of our names were already up on the overhead screens, which meant that we were bowling within five minutes of walking into the place. My, how times have changed since I last bowled – no paper sheets to fill out, no shoes to change into… no hassles all around, which meant that the only thing to do was bowl.
As we got settled into our bowling routine, I struck up a conversation with a family of three that was bowling in the next lane. The mother told me that they had been coming to the building for years, when it was the Buffalo Christian Center. It was interesting to hear her perspective about how it had all changed so much, but that they were happy with the new bowling arrangement. I also learned that there is a Sunday Funday for families, where two lanes can be reserved for family parties, from 12pm to 4pm, for up to 12 bowlers, with a sheet pizza, unlimited soda, etc. If I had children, I would certainly add this to my list of go-to activities in Buffalo, especially in the winter, on rainy days, and for birthday parties.
For years – almost a decade, in fact – we have written about the need for these types of activities in the heart of downtown. And now, we finally have something that we can be proud of – something that is as entertaining for college students as it is for young families.
There’s a lot to take in at Spare Lanes. There are flatscreen TVs, bowling-centric artwork, funky tunes (there’s a jukebox with a sound system)… arcade games.
Speaking of arcade games, I didn’t see anyone interacting with them, but that might be different when there are kids running around. While we were hoping that the bar would be bigger, so that we could enjoy the place before and after bowling, there are multiple bars within the building, so I suppose there’s really no need for an additional full bar setup, with barstools. On the other hand, Spare Lanes does have a great vibe, and we would have stuck around longer, because we didn’t feel like going anywhere else once we were done bowling.
I must say that Spare Lanes is a lot more fun than I expected. The effortless nature of the bowling routine means that I will definitely be heading back again, for another birthday celebration, or maybe to practice, because my game is very rusty. An evening at Spare Lanes is definitely different, which is exactly what we all needed. Wearing some outrageous bowling attire, sharing some lighthearted laughs at some very interesting bowling techniques, and bonding with friends over a good bowl… I am happy to say that for the first time since I was a kid, I am officially a fan of bowling again.
Spare Lanes | 500 Pearl, Suite 150 (basement level) | Buffalo, NY 14203 | (716) 382-6084 | sparelanes@ellicotthotels.com
Paid parking ramp located on site.
Wednesday:4pm – 12amThursday:4pm – 12amFriday:4pm – 12amSaturday:4pm – 12amSunday:12pm – 8pm
Parking, leagues, beer towers, pizza, kid-friendly, online reservations…
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