Tucked away in a corner of the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia is a bowling alley by the name of Hi-Spot Lanes. In the same location for over fifty years, the Hi-Spot gets its charm from its intimate size, the unassuming nature of the purveyors, and the liberal BYO policy. The extremely reasonable pricing is just a bonus.
The Hi-Spot is located at the corner of Pechin and Hermit Streets in northwest Philadelphia–just up The Ridge from Manayunk, for those who know what that means. Though admittedly not the swankiest place in town, this intimate eight-lane bowling alley installed some gizmos a little while back to allow for Glow Bowling and Bumper Bowling, and boasts electronic scoring, which is a welcome upgrade, given the age of the establishment.
Games cost just $3.75 per person ($1 each for the shoes) but the open bowling hours are very limited, as the Hi-Spot is the hot spot for bowling leagues and private parties. League nights dominate the weekday schedule at the Hi-Spot, and Friday nights and weekends are overrun with parties, where the whole place can be rented for the reasonable price of $150 an hour. If you’re looking to play a few games during open bowl it’s a good idea to call ahead before making the trip to see if you have a shot at a lane. And even then, they are first come-first served.
As for refreshments, the Hi-Spot is armed solely with one snack vending machine and one soda vending machine, both of which may or may not be stocked on any given day. Employees, however, encourage bowlers (and their tag-alongs) to take advantage of the liberal BYO policy. Feel free to cart in beer from the distributor down the street or cheesesteaks from Dalessandro’s a few blocks over. Heck, if you’re not up for all that running around, you can even have something delivered.
It takes something special for a neighborhood bowling alley to stick around for half a century, especially one with just eight lanes. In the case of Hi-Spot Lanes, that something special is the character of the place and the proprietors.
Hi-Spot Lanes. 215-483-2120. Located at 3857 Pechin Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19128. Open Bowl on Mondays after 9:00pm, Wednesdays after 9:00pm, Fridays after 9:00pm (if there isn’t a party booked) and Sundays after 8:30pm. Otherwise, it’s league play. Saturdays are usually booked with parties. $3.75 per person per game. $1 each to rent shoes.