Boutique Bowling: A Night in Washington's Fast Lanes

Step inside and the rattle of pins is like a low-fi rhythm section overwhelmed by the high-volume soundscape of the music -- indie, alty, dancey offerings meant to appeal to a slightly older crowd than the fare in college kid clubs. You spot the DJ in her command central before you spy the lanes themselves, and on Friday and Saturday nights she is Crystal "Deejay Mishalay" Gibson. She says it's an odd gig because in her club jobs she is the main attraction, whereas at Lucky Strike she's just one of the offerings.

"I've been waiting for a bowling alley the entire time I've lived here," says Carolyn Conner, 24, who works for an education nonprofit. Most of the people in her office have come here to bowl Friday night, the first time they could all agree on a place to socialize. She went home to the Chicago area over Thanksgiving and lamented to her family how there was no bowling in Washington. Then Lucky Strike opened Nov. 30.

"I like the movie theaters, too," Conner says. "Everything in Chinatown is making me very, very happy. And there's a Haagen-Dazs downstairs."

Oh, but why leave the lanes? There's a full restaurant with food devised by a Los Angeles catering company that specializes in movie premieres. Old bowling fare: greasy burgers, fries. Boutique bowling: tuna burger au poivre, ancho citrus chicken.

There's a long sleek bar with specialty cocktails ($9 and $10) and beer ($4.50 and $5.50) never served in pitchers, a strategic decision that sends a message: "It says we're upscale," according to assistant general manager Tim Woody. So does this: No one under 21 after 9 p.m.

There are plump couches and living room lamps, and everywhere are huge video screens designed to show images of contemporary art -- though on Friday the art satellite connection is out, so for the night we're back to ESPN.

Oh yeah, and there's bowling.

Walk up a short ramp, past the DJ, and there, regally elevated, are the 14 lanes. They are a shimmering blue, with tubes of colored lights separating them. You feel like you're bowling on the lanes of a swimming pool.

The urethane bowling balls are the bright fruity colors of gumballs. The shoes are new and glistening from the squirt of Lysol each pair gets after use. The overhead scoreboard is automatic -- no pesky arithmetic required -- and tells you the speed of your balls in miles per hour. Between frames, you sit on a couch facing a low wooden coffee table with a candle on it. Black-clad servers take food and drink orders.

Boutique bowling is an accessory to a bar, while a bar was an accessory to old-school bowling.

Friday and Saturday nights after 9 are the most popular and expensive times to bowl: You can call ahead and reserve a lane for $75 an hour for your group, or you can show up, put your name on the list, and pay $7.95 per person, per game, plus $3.95 for shoes. The wait can be three or four hours.

The trend was hot and new a few years ago, but new as it is in Washington, the capital is behind the curve. The first Lucky Strike opened in Hollywood in 2003. Now there are 12. Pittsburgh got one before Washington did. (Ouch.) Strike Bethesda, created in 2001 by another company, is another riff on the genre.