BINGO! (no, it's not about sex)

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ok, this has been talked about on the quizFAP question, but who is up for bingo? i've never been, and lauren is researching what it's like. have you ever been? can we have fun? the place by my house (on essex road in islington, near the embassy) advertises free bingo on tuesday nights. sounds like a good day to start...

who will play?

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

oh come on, you guys were all for talking about it just moments ago...

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm up for this. Essex road probably the best location for most people, no? Do we have to wear sparkly old women tops?

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

i was thinking this might be a fun chance to try to do subtle fancy dress...good call, ed.

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Bingo Experience:

On first holiday with new girlfriend (now married, this is some years ago), went in for the hotel bingo for a laugh,

three cards.

First card, got a 'line' and won a bottle champagne to much cooing and ahh from the old folks, "nice young couple" that sort of thing.

Second card, nothing..

Third card, full house, big (well, £50) cash prize. Much huffing from the same old folks, presumably on the grounds of "Shouldn't be allowed to win two prizes" ...

So, tread careful like, lauren...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

ok: mecca bingo, which is apparently a nationwide chain. branches in camden and angel. you must be a member or be with a member to play. become a member by filling out a form, then go crazy with the pensioners.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Also crown green bowling when the weather improves.

(we'll have a guardian lifestyle article written about how us young trendies do old people stuff yet you know)

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I went to Bingo exactly once in my life, when I was about 17 - I went with a bunch of my punk rocker mates, who had become obsessed with it. Can you imagine, a bingo hall in upstate NY, filled with little old ladies, except for one table full of leather clad punk rockers and one goff.

(I wish we could go to the Bingo hall in Tooting that used to be an art deco cinema house, but I don't go south of the river.)

― The River Kate (kate), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Urgent and key question - do they serve beer?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

so does that mean i should go in and get a membership card before we do this?

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

It says a lot about the mindset of ILE that you felt the need to put that bit in brackets in the thread title.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

No, you just fill in a piece of paper at the door and hey presto, new member.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:05 (twenty-two years ago)

We are all laughing at you Colette as you post this and look daft harhar.

Anyone wanting to go - watching Eyes Down from That Peter Kay Thing is U&K.

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow. Count me in. I live close to Essex Road, and due to a complete blunder of my use of Outlook, I missed the QuizFAP. I have played bingo with old people back in Canada and even then it was fun.

I second Matt DC's key question re: beer...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

i think they serve beer, maybe i can do a recon. or we could have stevem call ahead.

and the reason i added the bit about sex was because the second thing i though of when i read it (after 'and bingo was his name-o') was the whole 'best things to say when you come' thing...

wait. why are you laughing at me? what have i done wrong now? sigh.

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I intended to post when it would have been the first reply. But sadly, i took too long looking for a link to the peter Kay episode. Now I look daft and I duly hold my manhood cheap.

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

ha.

so when should we do this? the 10th? the 17th?

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

10th good possibility, 17th less so but still possible.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

i could do either, and if we do it on the 10th, it'll give me a good excuse to skip something else i don't really want to do...

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

looking forward to hearing how this thing turns out. i'll be in dublin for the day on the 10th and probably have to fly back home by the next tuesday, so i'll miss out. i'm organizing bowling at rowans in finsbury park sometime withing the next two weeks, though.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i guess we could try to do it the 3rd, if people are ok with it being kind of short notice.

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Bingo in Glasgow has been scuppered by having to apply for membership a week in advance - take heed!

― Madchen (Madchen), Friday, 30 January 2004 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I won $140 at the local church bingo in 2002.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 30 January 2004 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Please don't do it on the 3rd. I will be so jet lagged I will be hallucinating!

― The River Kate (kate), Friday, 30 January 2004 17:46 (twenty-two years ago)

b4 = "and after"
069 = "wooo!"

sorry.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 30 January 2004 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember regularly helping out nursing home residents with their bingo games when I was a teenager. By the time I was 18 I think I determined I'd never want to play that game again.

― Mellow Dee (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 30 January 2004 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

gygax!, O69 is/was the name of my Bingo gang.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 30 January 2004 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

rosemary, how can i join?

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 30 January 2004 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Come by my house 7:15 on Wednesday. Bring a bingo marker.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Woo!

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

The best story I heard was that once when one of the three people who sit in the nonsmoking section won, everyone in the smoking section grumbled and complained, haha.

Also nice: Bachman Pretzel Tray Stix!!!

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i suggest going a night other than Tuesday so Lauren can attend - wasn't it her idea?! it can't be that expensive...

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 31 January 2004 00:56 (twenty-two years ago)

i think it was colette's idea - i just did the research because i have friends who think it's funny to get loaded then join old lady bingo clubs. as much as it saddens me, it's probably safer to plan for it without me since my schedule when i travel is usually subject to sudden change. i mean business about my finsbury park bowl-a-rama, though, so mark that on your calendars.

― lauren (laurenp), Saturday, 31 January 2004 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Madchen, mr ailsa and I have solved the Glasgow bingo problem by getting memberships. We should have a bingo fap as well.

Gala bingo in Paisley serves beer, so I feel you could extrapolate that to the whole of the UK and therefore to all major chain bingo halls. I mean, if you can drink in one but not in the others, why would anyone go to the others?

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 31 January 2004 10:03 (twenty-two years ago)

well, it sounds like it would be easiest if i went down there after work in the next day or two to get membership/see how much it costs on not free nights/make sure they have beer.

will report back. woo.

― colette (a2lette), Monday, 2 February 2004 10:13 (twenty-two years ago)

cool, am up for the bowling as well - esp. as it's pretty near where i live

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 2 February 2004 10:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd be up for bowling, but bingo doesn't appeal. Being surrounded by a load of old people who can all see the numbers on their cards better than I can isn't my idea of fun. Well, bingo isn't my idea of fun at the best of times.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 2 February 2004 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

i have a wealth of information about both bingo and bowling...i'll get as much of it down before the people turn up for my meeting.

first, for bingo- you have to apply for membership 24 hours before playing. each member can bring 3 guests. so this sounds like it requires some planning. i've applied, and i think it would be pretty easy for stevem to apply as well. does anyone else live or work near mecca bingo on essex road? are we going to have more than 8 people playing?

there is not only a bar...but a buffet as well! mmmm. tasty.

the pricing is a little confusing to me. it looks like it ranges from free to £10 for a 'main session book', and there is volume pricing for six per set. monday and saturday are most expensive, tuesday is free and thursday might be free (the type doesn't seem to line up) and wednesday, friday and sunday are both about £2 per book. if someone has bingo experience and can explain better, please do, there's words like 'all in' or 'per set' or 'for six' on different nights, and i don't know what they refer to.

ok, have to go to the meeting, hold your breath waiting for bowling news!

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 10:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm up for bingo. And bowling. But where's the ice-skating thread??

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 11:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Bingo doesn't especially appeal to be honest but I'm up for going bowling provided its reasonably easy to get back to Central London from wherever we go.

I'm also starting to yearn a little for a good old bog standard rockist proper sit in a pub and talk FAP.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 11:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Matt, that's about the truest thing you've ever said

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 11:10 (twenty-two years ago)

bowling = Finsbury Park, as easy as it gets without being in Zone 1

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 11:30 (twenty-two years ago)

We do still have quite a lot of regular pub FAPs, Chris - isn't variety a good thing?

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

no, it's something to be railed against. The sooner we all shop in identical stores around the world and all wear exactly the same grey boilersuits the better as far as I'm concerned.

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:19 (twenty-two years ago)

*gasps*
x-post

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Bingo: not really my cup of tea. Bowling: totally up for it.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Stepford Cabbage.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)

yep, and you're next

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 12:24 (twenty-two years ago)

ok, bowling details now (not trying to hijak your planning, lauren, i just happened to be bowling at rowans last night and picked up a price sheet)

they're open till 2am on friday and saturday, 12:30 during the week.
there's a basic 'admission fee' that ranges from £1-3, with fri&sat after 11 at £3, fri&sat 8-11 £2 and all other times £1.

bowling is generally done per person, booked per game. £3.25 for one game, £6 for two, £7.50 for three. shoe hire is £1 per person.

it is also possible to do advance bookings, paid by the hour. it includes shoe hire, admission charge and covers up to 6 people per lane. after 5pm it's £30/hour any day of the week. this involves booking ahead and putting a deposit on cards.

i suspect that the advance booking is a cheaper option, and might be good for the core group of people that are sure they'll go. then other people could just pay as they go.

there is also a mention of 'exclusive use of the upper floor for private bowling parties' but i don't know how much that costs, and it isn't on information sheet.

(i hope i managed to distill this really confusing sheet into something that makes sense for us)

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 13:20 (twenty-two years ago)

and just as a note, it is a little expensive to bowl at rowans. if people think it's way too much, there's a decent alley at elephant. but i think lauren is really keen on doing it at rowans?

don't forget that 'top DJs' play until the 'early hours of the morning' on fridays and saturdays.

weekday bowling, then?

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 13:21 (twenty-two years ago)

That's not expensive though, Colette, by the standards of other London bowling alleys.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

really? i couldn't believe that we ended up playing three games and spent more than £10 including soft drinks.

i think when i happened to go bowling in ann arbor or chicago it was always on cheapo night, so it just seems more expensive.

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 13:45 (twenty-two years ago)

remember, to us, bowling is the exotic sport of you americans

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Lawn bowls FAP, anyone?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

crown green?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

We could of course head for the west country and find a pub with a skittle alley.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

aw man, are you guys speaking English again?

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Ed, or we could just go to this pub, in slightly easier to reach Hampstead.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

is that link to the flask? [shudder]

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

it looks as if my rowan's outing will happen on saturday the 14th. a bit costlier, but i want to go on a weekend (i've heard the top djs are worth it) and friday the 13th is out due to a number of nonilx pals who are in on this thing. also, rowan's is venue of choice because my friend is obsessed with it and if i have to hear him unfavorably compare wherever we are with it one more time then i'll commit violence.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

i go sometimes to the knights of columbus hall with my aunt. it is fun. you can buy shiner and you get to use those cool markers. my aunt has one with a naked guy on top of it.

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Where is Rowans? If it's the Finsbury Park/Seven Sisters one I'm definitely in, as that's extremely handy for me (10 minute bus ride).

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 18:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I think that's the only rowans (if there is another I don't want to know about it)

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Bowling is great fun unless you royally suck at it.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

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