In an email exchange with blogtastic friend Casey, he sums up perfectly my feelings (and pretty much everyone's, I'm sure) about the Sunset closing:

"Duuude, totally bummed about Sunset Bowl closing, too. I saw on the news a month or two ago that they were going to shut it down, been in a state of mourning ever since. And I rarely ever go bowling. I just liked the idea that IF I wanted to go, Sunset was always there. Ah, going to Sunset Bowl was like returning to the arms of an old lover...who worked graveyard, slept 4 hours a night, PMSed at least twice a month, and smoked 3 packs a day for 30 years. Sure, she wasn't pretty, she smelled, and could be a little cranky if you caught her on a busy night, but damn it, she was ours. *sigh*. "

I responded with:

Yeah, Sunset was THE BEST. I really loved it there, even though I always had problems. Where else am I going to go for a "pull tab casino"? Or a pink drink they questionably called a "cosmopolitan"? I'm gonna miss fighting with the snarky peeps at the counter. So much entertainment all gone. No other bowling alley is the same. Boo.

And, finally, Casey says:

"You know, though, i will say that no bowling alley has ever been the same since the no-smoking law passed. i don't smoke, so 99% of the time I love the no-smoking law, but there are a few places on this planet that just NEED cigarette smoke, like it adds to the charm somehow, and I'd say sunset bowl was one of those places...yes, there ought to me some sort of wake, only instead of cigars and whiskey and Irish tunes there should be only watery electric pink cocktails and a fog of menthols, with the melodic thud of Brunswick pins and ka-chunk of pull tabs in the background. ah me, I'm getting all choked up over here...or maybe that's just the smoke."

I love it! You know someone is a good friend when they commiserate on the loss of a bowling alley with you. :-) It's great when people just get it.

Also, I'm a fan of Casey right now for this line: "If you ever get the chance...you'll probably want to avoid it like the plague." I feel like saying it to everyone, although he said it in reference to the cool strangeness that is Gold Point, Nevada. He visited there recently and really liked. I haven't been, but I like eerie. I like weird. I'm adding it to the list!