It might’ve been the Puritans thinking that rotund bowling pins and massive balls would promote sloth and excess, but candlepin bowling is just one of those “New England things” that you should try out during your time in Massachusetts. There’s food, beer, and even billiards for those whose competitive spirit can’t be contained to just one game. The atmosphere is charmingly old school, paper-and-pencil scoring and all, but it’s good to keep in mind that the place only has ten lanes. And don’t forget to go easy on the drinks; the families, senior citizens, and Jumbos that frequent Sacco’s are probably just itching to complain about obnoxious Harvard kids. Lanes go for $20 an hour, shoes are $1.50, and strings (the indigenous word for games) are $2.75 during the day and a quarter more in the evenings—a pretty good deal if you have friends willing to try this mutation of a classic American activity.
45 Day St. Somerville. Davis Square (Red).
