When I moved to the Miami of Canada a few years ago, it quickly became obvious that I needed to find a slew of indoor activities to keep me sane during the 6-month siege Old Man Winter throws down here annually. After a random date night of bowling with my then-girlfriend, joining a bowling league seemed to be an obvious choice given its unique blend of athletic competition, laid-back camaraderie, and pitchers of beer. Then the question became, “where?”
After much experimentation, Diversey River Bowl (DRB) is now the only alley where I bowl. Here are the 4 reasons why:
1. Most Diverse Selection of Leagues in Town. DRB has seemingly every type of league you could want. From the goofball Funtimers League to the super competitive APA Pool League, you’ll find a league whether your team is comprised of semi-pros, beginners, kids, night owls, whomever. Diversey even recently started Chicago’s only $100,000 league where the top team wins $10k!
2. Your Balls Don’t Get Beat Up. Once you’ve graduated beyond using the super-awesome neon pink, yellow, or orange house bowling balls and purchased your own ball or two, the last thing you want is to roll your smooth one-of-a-kind 8-ball-lookin’ rock down the lane and it gets returned with a divot or scar worthy of a Proactiv commercial. Diversey’s lanes are incredibly well maintained, and in my experience the in-house pro shop will often fix the damage to your ball caused by their lanes for little to no charge at all.
3. Impressive Bar and Restaurant. Sub-standard (at best) carnival food is the usual bowling alley cuisine, but not at Diversey. There’s a quite impressive sports bar/restaurant located just inside the main entrance, and their menu is much more than junky corndogs and curly fries. You can even place an order for delivery right to your lane. The bar highlights a rotating selection of microbrews in addition to the old standbys on special. Finally, DRB boasts the best looking bartenders you’ll find in a midwestern bowling alley!
4. Welcoming to People From All Walks of Life. This is a place where anyone and everyone feels comfortable. It’s just cool to see lanes with yuppies, hip-hop heads, punk rocker wanna-bes, geeks, middle-aged suburbanites, and college preppies rolling together. Go during the day and you’re sure to see some cute little families bowling together on bumper lanes. Get there around midnight and you’ll see why the “Freaks Come Out at Night.” While DRB is also known as “Diversey Rock and Bowl,” I’ve heard everything from Guns N Roses to James Brown to Journey to Outkast and beyond played there. Gary, the owner and operator, really has created the atmosphere of a family-run business that caters to anyone looking for a good time with no drama.
While Chicago does have some chic, hyped-up, and pretentious bowling alleys for the super-cool martini lounge set, the only place in the CHI I’ll roll my rock is Diversey River Bowl. Come by during the Wednesday Miller Lite League, look for the loudmouth wearing Atlanta sports gear, and your first beer’s on me!