Results tagged “bowling”

It's been over a decade since The Big Lebowski first graced the big screen. Lauded as the first cult movie of the Internet age, the film has brought out a dedicated and undying following over the last few years. This has culminated with the touring, annual Lebowski Fest. The fest brings together Achievers from far and wide to celebrate bowling, White Russians, and everything else Lebowski. Seattlest chatted with (Co-)Founding Dude Will Russell, who was responsible for the first Lebowski Fest in Louisville in October 2002.

There was little real reason to expect anything different during Sunset Bowl's last night of operation. We read histrionic predictions somewhere that hipsters would swarm the place; this never materialized. There were perhaps a few more people--though that place was always packed whenever we went--and some may have stuck around later, but by and large the clientèle consisted of the same combination of loud, scruffy, tattooed, pierced, well-groomed, young, old, middle-aged, beefy, wiry, scrawny, trashy, nerdy, slightly-off-kilter, and unironic miscreants that one normally found there. In short, the place was filled with bowlers, drinkers, and karaoke singers.

The end is near for Sunset Bowl and its patrons. The local bowling alley, which has been open for over half a century, is set to close its doors April 13th. (Officially 1a.m. on Monday morning.) So take the time this weekend to say goodbye and get in a few last games at the old Sunset lanes. Don't be surprised to see a few more teary eyes than bleary drunk ones this weekend. It is a sad day indeed.

A citizen-led group has been established in Ballard to save the Sunset Bowl from imminent closure. Save Sunset Bowl has already received 2,500 signatures from local voters to keep the bowling alley alive....at least until the summer of 2009, when the new owners of the property plan to break ground on a multi-use development.

Studying changing urban landscapes involves frequent disappointment and depression. Gin only goes so far to numb the pain. Being a resident is often no picnic, either. Market forces and decisions by real estate developers don't often jibe with the interests of the people who will actually be using that real estate or the residents near the area of the proposed development. It's easy to demonize "greedy" developers and "sell out" property owners, both of whom are often absentees. On the other hand, if somebody offered you $13 million for your property, we'd slap you if you said you wouldn't at least sleep on it.

When ever someone takes the time to type up an email to Seattlest we're prejudiced from the start to believe its contents (Seattlest readers being an unusually truthful and informed bunch), but this one is hard to swallow: