Seattlest Bowls, Part 3: Sunset Bowl

“The sun never sets at Sunset Bowl.”

So says the ad in the Stranger, though if the present trend of alley closures continues, we fear the Ballard alley could also go the way of Leilani Lanes (and, uh, the British Empire).

The questionable slogan refers to the 24/7 hours at Sunset, which is always hopping whenever we’re there, though we don’t bowl at 4 a.m., either. Still, it’s probably Seattle’s best known, most beloved, most visible bowling house, with its rotating sign near the busy intersection at 15th and Market. It also has a box-shaped rooftop structure painted with another, indisputable slogan, “Bowling is Fun.”

Such was the case at Sunset during our work’s recent holiday party, though we observed a new, presumably un-fun ritual. Bowling alleys don’t allow their rental shoes to be worn outside, to protect both the shoes from undue scuffage and the lanes from tracked-in filth. So, due to the recent ban, the smokers in our group would periodically remove their bowling shoes, don their street shoes, bundle up, and step outside for a spell. Once sated, they’d reverse the process and resume play ‘til their next craving hit. Seems like a hassle.

Still, bowling alleys are a great place for such people watching, and Sunset’s the best. Like fingerprints, everyone has a unique bowling style, which often includes all manner of body-English contortions. Off the lanes, there always seem to be crusty Ballad old-timers staggering around Sunset, and we often see this odd woman loitering around with a live chinchilla.

Since Sunset is owned by the same parent company as Leilani, it features many of the same amenities, like the hand sanitizer and the Brunswick Frameworx scoring system (the one with the animated pins and balls frolicking around). As with any good alley, it also features scads of coin-op diversions: driving, dancing and shooting video games, Elvis and Terminator 3 pinball games, toy crane-grabber games, and vending machines dispensing stickers, small toys and other cheap novelties. For $1.50, the Brunswick Lustre KLEEN Custom Ball Conditioner will give your ball a “Super Gloss.” They also have free Wi-Fi.

Sunset’s purple/green/blue color scheme is actually quite attractive, and though the place feels relatively intimate for a bowling alley, it still has all the essentials: a pro shop, lounge, and coffee shop. Our only gripe is that, for whatever reason, we always play horribly there.

Still, we hope the sun never sets on Sunset, our favorite bowling alley in town.

(This is the third part of an eight-part series. Here are parts one and two.)