It’s week #3 of summer break for NYC public school students. So far, it has been pretty fun. We are trying to do at least two especially fun outings each week for the 10 weeks of summer. Since bowling was on the kids’ “summer fun” list, we agreed to enjoy some summer bowling fun when we were invited to go and review Bowlmor Chelsea Piers. I simply expected to go and bowl a couple of games and call it a day, but we were treated to so much more. It was super hot the day that we went to Bowlmor so the cool air conditioning was the first thing that I appreciated! Below, is the rest:
Bowling
We played a couple of bowling games and really enjoyed it. Bowling is bowling for the most part, but the atmosphere does make a big difference though. At Chelsea Piers, it was a little dim, but I personally liked that. I also enjoyed the music and various cartoons that were playing on the screens while we were waiting on our turns to bowl. One thing that we really like about the Chelsea Piers spot is that you can set which players have bumpers and which ones don’t when you input the players name at the very beginning of the bowling game. Once it’s in the system, the bumpers are automated and you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the game. Another cool thing is that the scoring screen shows you how many miles per hour you are rolling your bowling ball each time.
Menu
If we would have known the variety of dishes on the nenu, then we would not have eaten a light lunch before we arrived! It was definitely not just your standard bowling alley food. For standard food, try the “Alley Sampler”” (Crispy Onion Straws, Chicken tenders, Buffalo Wings, Mozzarella sticks and Burger sliders). You won’t be disappointed. We were not. However, if you want something especially memorable, try the Big Mess O’ Nachos (with avocado cream!) and the Garlic Parm fries (with garlic oil and covered in Parmesan). Both dishes were extra special. I never thought to combine garlic, Parmesan and fries together before, but the next time that I bake some french fries, I will definitely be adding some garlic and Parmesan. They were SO good. One other menu item that grabbed my eye, was the Avocado Hummus. I didn’t try it, but this was my first time seeing avocado hummus on a menu. I wonder if it tastes the same as my avocado hummus recipe…
Laser Tag
Before I went to Chelsea Piers, I did not realize that they had an Urban Mission Laser Tag course. It’s actually the only laser tag arena in Manhattan. The images were so vibrant that I wasn’t shocked to learn that a graphic artist had hand painted them. Once one of the kids showed me how to correctly hold my laser gun (oops!), I actually had a really great time running around, hiding and getting people by surprise. I have written in the past about my internal conflict when it comes to kids playing games with guns but this felt different…and better. Perhaps it was the beautiful NYC imagery or that no one really dies (your gun is just inactive for a while once you’re hit) or that the ultimate goal was to take the opposing team’s base. Then again, maybe it’s just that I’m making up the boundary lines on certain “matter of opinion” things as I go along and as the boys grow up! Either way, all of the kids and adults playing the game seemed to have a blast.
After bowling, eating and laser tag, it was time to go. The guys were going to do the ropes course – an obstacle course in the air – but they decided not to do it. I like heights so I want to go back (with the right shoes on) and try it myself on another day.
In any event, if you want to stay cool and have fun at a reasonable rate, then I recommend Bowlmor Chelsea Piers (in general) and bowling (in particular) as a fun way for your family to beat the heat this summer. Definitely consider Bowlmor for bowling because they are offering a summer games program for kid. For the one-time price of $29.95, school-aged children can bowl (shoes included) for three games a day for the entire summer. To learn more and to purchase a summer game pass, visit BowlSummerGames.com.
Bowlmor Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers
Pier 60/23rd & West Side Highway
New York, NY 10011
(212) 835-2695
Disclosure: Bowlmor Chelsea Piers sponsored this family his outing. As always, all opinions are my own.