Heidi Barker, NBC5 Street Team
I know what you’re thinking.
How could a bowling alley be a “hot spot”?
Lucky Strike Lanes (www.bowlluckystrike.com) at Illinois and Columbus is the UNbowling bowling alley. In fact, bowling takes a back seat to the other action here. I don’t even bowl, and this is one of my regular spots! It’s right next door to the AMC Movie Theaters.
The bar area features widescreen TVs with your favorite sports games, comfy cool couches where you and your friends can chill and listen to music, and booths and tables for dinner service with a pretty extensive menu. (Try their famous turkey burger, BBQ Chicken Pizza, or Mac-and-Cheese Balls appetizers.) It’s a great place to grab lunch, or a cocktail and munchies after work, and a very cool spot to watch sports. Walk past the main bar/dining area, and you’ll find several pool tables where you can test your skills. In the back, you’ll find a couple of quieter rooms billed as “wine lounges”, complete with fireplaces and cushy pillows. The wine lounges provide an escape from the crowds- since Lucky Strike is within walking distance of Navy Pier, it can get quite packed.
Oh yeah, you can bowl there too.
I confess that one of the reasons Lucky Strike is on my list of hangouts is because the entire joint is NON-SMOKING. That leads me to ask you guys this question: How do YOU feel about smoking in restaurants/bars? What are your feelings about the citywide non-smoking ordinance that will go into affect here in Chicago eventually? Holla back!
Check out the weekly “Word On the Street” segment on “
Heidi, I’m with you on that one. It’s time that Chicago went non-smoking. No reason why any of us should have our clothes/hair/toupees smell like an ashtray by the end of a night out. I’m all for it.