When I'm trying to impress a boy I generally tell them one of three facts about myself: I was Fan of the Game as chosen by the crowd at a Brewer game once, I won Bob and Brian's Pigskin Picks competition a few years back, and that I own my own bowling ball and shoes.
The last one always gets the best reaction. I'm not sure if the dropped jaws and wide eyes I get with my ball engraved with "SARA" that I carry in a leopard print bag with shoes with hot pink laces are because it's impressive or incredibly dorky. Either way, it shows my love of bowling is one to be reckoned with.
Unfortunately, despite growing up in a small town where bowling was apart of gym class (it's true) and being the proud owner of my own equipment, I still suck. But I suck in style.
These days when I'm looking to practice sucking I do so at Bay View Bowl, 2416 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. I've been coming to this quaint 12 lane alley for years. It boasts all the modern conveniences: such as computerized scoring (complete with a ball speed read-out), shiny new shoes and a colorful selection of balls. The lanes are bright and clean and the seating is comfy. Get there early to plug the state of the art juke box with all your favorite tunes.
For those not looking to perfect their gutter balls, there are pool tables, a foosball table, darts, and one heck of a bar. If you go to Bay View Bowl on Sundays you can indulge in two for one games and one of the best Bloody Mary's around. For $4.50 the bartenders will handcraft you a bloody from scratch, an art form that is all but lost these days. They're garnished with a pickle spear, a couple olives, and a florescent hot pepper which makes for great "I dare you to" eating competitions. The bloody is spicy and smooth and accompanied with a chaser of your choice of beer. If you order a Bud Light it comes to you in a bowling pin shaped bottle. Does it get any better?
It sure does. Back when I was learning the fine art of bowling in gym class, cosmic bowling or glow bowling wasn't around. Now it's a tradition around these parts. The lighting on the lanes are replaced with black lights & disco balls which make for a trippy fun time. Glow bowling is what's up at Bay View Bowl every Friday and Saturday nights. If you get a strike while the head pin is glowing you get to spin the prize wheel. I have a great photograph of my grandma, who at 84-years-young is an amazing bowler on a winning league, spinning the wheel and winning a hefty prize.
Mike and Andrea Kosinski have been the bar's proud owners since 1999. Mike says when he bought Bay View Bowl 11 years ago there was brown paneling everywhere making for a less than impressive space. The outdated decor has since been dumped, but the cozy small town atmosphere never left. Whichever day you venture into Bay View Bowl, you'll find it's nothing less than a strike in both character and sport.
To say Sara is a woman of many hats would be like saying sour gummy worms are delicious: an epic understatement. Besides blogging, vlogging, tweeting and designing, she is a gal about town. Hopping, skipping and jumping all over this fair city to seek out the latest and greatest.
Since moving to Milwaukee right after high school, Sara's ADD has led her to reside in nearly every ZIP code Milwaukee has to offer. She recently moved from the Third Ward to Shorewood, and though the quieter scene isn't sucking, she vows to prove the burbs' swagger is right up there with the city's.
The Milwaukee area is one of many hats. And Sara's determined to try on each and every one of 'em.
