Joining this thread late:

Bowling alleys (at least in NYC) were on the seamy side--like pool rooms, you had to be at least 16 to enter--until the late '50's, when automatic pinsetters really took off. Then there was a frenzy of building, with 50-lane bowling buildings not uncommon. Bowling also was televised: "Whispering Joe Wilson" (anyone remember him?) was the commentator. He "whispered" because he didn't want to disturb the pro bowlers. Don Carter was the top bowler.

My friends and I used to take the subway to downtown Brooklyn to bowl at Nevins Lanes, which had human pinsetters and duckpins. We also used a place near Grand Army Plaza. Then two gigantic bowling establishments opened up not to far from us: Seaview Lanes on Flatlands Avenue between East NY and Canarsie, and another one (name escapes me) on Linden Blvd. They were so popular that you had to wait at least an hour or two on Friday or Saturday nights to get a lane.