March gift of the month was a smashing success!
As you can guess from the clues, we went bowling. This may seem like a typical date, if you didn’t know us better. I think the last time I bowled was at a birthday party in elementary school. I was so small that I couldn’t hold a regular bowling ball, my fingers didn’t fit in the holes and it was far too heavy. I put the ball down on the ground and would push it down the lane. I think this is how most small children handle bowling. The only problem was that I was not a very strong little girl. The ball wound up stopping in the middle of the gutter! We had to get an employee to come and push it down to the end. I’m sure you can imagine how traumatic an experience this was, in front of all my friends, at someone else’s birthday party, no less! That was my last bowling experience. Since then, whenever I found myself at a bowling alley, or in any remote way near a situation that would involve stylish shoes and bowling balls, I found myself suddenly feeling sick, or with a back ache, or short of money, or needing to run off. Or, I would just watch the fun and keep my friends company.
I figured that the only way to get over my fear was to face it head on. If I can’t have fun bowling in front of my husband and set aside my embarrassment, then this clearly is not the activity for me. Another temptation, being in New England, is the option to go Candle-Pin bowling. This is also known as skinny pin, or duck-pin bowling, depending on where you hail from.
The candlepin bowling ball is much smaller and lighter, it fits easily in you hand and has no finger holes. This also makes it marginally cleaner. The pins are very narrow, making it much harder to hit them. You get three tries for every turn. Otherwise, the rules seem to be pretty much the same as big-pin bowling.
And, like any good bowling date, pizza and beer would at least ensure the night wasn’t a total disaster (even if I bowled in the single-digits). Sacco’s delivered on all fronts. They have a large and constantly updated selection of beer from standards to local craft brews (Porter Square Porter anyone?) and delicious pizza and flatbreads. They accomodate the dairy-free, gluten-free, diet-restricted eaters and from the long lines and diverse crowds, it seems like they are satisfying everyone.
Although my arm and legs are still sore from the 5 games we played, I have found a new sport! I no longer feel ashamed or too embarrassed to play. We had a great time and the Date of the Month got us to leave the lazy comforts of the apartment and step out and try something new.
If you’re in the Boston area and are looking for candlepin bowling, try Sacco’s Bowl Haven in Somerville. They open early and stay open late. You can’t reserve a lane if you have less than 10 people. Call ahead* to put your name on the list and you won’t have to wait as long when you show up.
*By calling ahead, I mean call as soon as they open, at least if you’d like to bowl on a weekend.