Hollywood Bowl Portsmouth Grand Opening!

On Thursday night I went to the newly refurbished Hollywood Bowl in Gunwarf Quays, Portsmouth with my BFF/housemate Sarah. It used to be Bowlplex for anyone local who remembers awkward first dates there. It was lovely to step out from the pouring rain into a busy evening, with lots of local businesses trying out the newly launched bowling allies.



The event was launched by a Marilyn Monroe look-alike who cut a ribbon to the VIP section. The VIP section was pretty cool - we had curtains around us and the incredible "princess Beth" kept popping in to see if we were ok. She was lovely, and I love they made her name badge say Princess (she's the one next to me in pink)

 So Sarah and I got down to bowling! Turns out I'm pretty poor at it!

Interesting technique Lauren...

So gangly #cantbowl . . . #hollywoodbowl #portsmouth #portsmouthblogger #pompey #pompeybloggers #gunwharfquays #video #slowmotion #slowmo #watch #pressplay

A post shared by Lauren (@laurenlovesblog) on May 18, 2017 at 1:10pm PDT

Turns out fanning my arms around doesn't make the ball curve and do what I want. Look at me jumping around like a silly 

 

Sarah was much better at bowling and got two strikes! However the more wine she drank, the more I caught up (the pink wine is amazing). I also love that we didn't have to wear bowling shoes - no more stinky second hand shoes. Unless you're wearing stilettos, they are happy for you to wear whatever shoes you like. 

They still have the arcade area with pool tables, although we didn't venture that far. They've also built an American diner with loads of retro food. We tried out lots of it, including popcorn chicken, hot dogs, and the DELICIOUS veggie burgers which were better than the regular ones. 

They also did milkshakes and the oreo ones were just amazing. Here's me trying to pose like Audrey Hepburn in the background. The VIP lanes have Hollywood celebrity themes, and I love that I was paired with Audrey.

Obviously being me, I took the time to pose. I got a sticker for trying, and Sarah got some for being a winner. I'm wearing my favourite new top - this gingham Primark peplum blouse, with my ASOS Ridley jeans 

It was a really fun night! I can't believe I hadn't been bowling in 10 years! I really enjoyed the experience, it was a real laugh. I also remembered that I used to not enjoy it because it wasn't cool to enjoy bowling when I was younger. I'm pretty sure at 16 it wasn't cool to enjoy anything (just like the super-cool T4 presenters who thought everything was lame).

If you're planning a visit, remember under 18s can't go in alone in the late evenings due to the alcohol. The bowling is fairly disability friendly, and I'm told they're trying to find time to create an autism friendly bowling slot.