It was definitely in Penn Station and it wasn’t huge. I used to bowl there in the 80"s.
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The bowling alley was huge; it had 48 lanes.
Some hoped there would be a practice rink for the Rangers at that space instead.
“There always was something,” Halligan continues. "Even in the new Garden, which opened in 1968. There was a plan to have a practice rink, full-sized, as part of the building. Then the Garden management noticed the bowling boom. Bowling was a cash cow. The practice rink was scrapped, and 48 lanes took its place.
The bowling alley was described in a 1986 article in The New York Times, with a quote from a then-unknown Candace Bushnell:
Madison Square Garden seems to be the most modern-looking of the city’s alleys, with screens that keep score flashing above each of its 48 lanes. The sound of pinball machines ringing and tenpins crashing makes shouting a prerequisite for conversation.
‘‘The lanes have unique style,’’ said Jeff Carpenter, an artist who was wearing white pants, a white blazer and a T-shirt that said See Spot, See Spot Run. ‘‘It’s a kind of nostalgia that makes you feel good.’’
‘‘It’s America,’’ said Candace Bushnell, a writer, who scored a six, danced a jig of triumph and added: ‘‘It’s like eating TV dinners and sitting around the house with your hair in rollers. Living in New York, you can lose touch with that.’’
Bowling alley pictured in 1987 article in NY Times:
In 1991 the Felt Forum was totally redone, and the stage moved from the east side to the west side of that particular theater. That means the lobby, where fans entered, was no longer on 8th Avenue but instead at Two Penn Plaza. Probably the site of the bowling alley, which closed in the late 1980s, was turned into the entrance area to the Felt Forum.
Here you can see where the bowling alley was in relation to the forum:
source: Madison Square Garden Says It Will Not Be Uprooted From Penn Station - The New York Times
Also, it seems at one point it had chandeliers? A quote from the 1987 NY Times article suggests that, although I didn’t see any in the 1968 photo in the Journal News:
In Madison Square Garden, the 48-lane bowling center seems a peek into the future of an industry that is surging in places like Florida, where land is affordable and people plentiful. Scores are kept automatically and displayed on television screens, and carpets are clean and thick. The only reason there are no chandeliers is that elephants severely shook the ceiling during circuses in the overhead arena and they had to be removed.
Some 1.5 million people come to the Garden alleys annually, Mr. Roballey says, suggesting this huge flow of people is the Garden’s principal advantage in maintaining a bowling center. A sampling of the league entries indicates bowling’s upscale appeal: Drexell Burnham, Chase Manhattan, CBS, Wall Street women and Calvin Klein.
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I guess I’m just too old and not remembering it properly. LOL.
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Thanks for finding that article Waymond.
This looks awesome!
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Token booth at the 1/2/3 station has been remodeled into a “Customer Service Center.”
Penn Station CSC by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Penn Station CSC by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Penn Station CSC by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Penn Station CSC by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Penn Station CSC by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Penn Station CSC by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
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First step toward total elimination.
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deleted
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Enjoyed this. Thank you for putting together.
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Amtrak’s proposed Scranton-NYC Line:
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I do wish they could get travel times down!
NYC’s affordable housing problems would be helped a lot if you could make it further outside of the city in an hour or so
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aren’t getty pictures banned?
Yes, I deleted them. I am extremely sorry to the entire YIMBY Forums community for disrespecting copyright laws.
I sincerely hope that you do not decide to sue me!
I am so sorry!
I have decided as punishment for my sins I will refrain from posting further here.
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