Bowled Over

Monday is college night at Harlem LanesBy Magdalene Castro.With the recession still hurting the pockets of many, especially college students, fun on the cheap can be difficult to come by. But not at Harlem Lanes, where a dollar goes far.Every Monday the bowling alley hosts college night, from 9 PM to 4 AM. The entrance fee is $10, $5 if you show your college I.D. Everything else—games, shoe rental, soda and beer (for those over 21)—are just a buck. (Food from the restaurant is regular priced.)“I go there almost every other Monday night, after work,” says Rollescia Hurd-Rosa, a 20-year-old political science major here at CCNY.  “Since Monday nights are college nights and everything is cheap, it’s a good incentive to go and unwind.”Students who aren’t bowling fans can watch Monday Night Football or just hang out. “We are not just a bowling alley,” says Danny Tamayo, one of the managers at Harlem Lanes. “We have two bars, a sports lounge, and an arcade, so we function as all of these.”“This is my second time here and when I came for the first time I said ‘wow, this is hot,’” says Bernie Dalberice, a 20-year-old MCA major, who visited on a recent Monday. “The lights and everything made my experience fun and the place had a cool vibe.”Of course, a late-night Monday might not be the best idea for every student. “What I like about Harlem Lanes college night is that everything is cheaper,” says Dalberice. “I just hate that it starts at 9 PM, and I have school the next day and can’t stay for long.“It would’ve been better if college night was on a Thursday but on a Monday and at 9?” added Hurd-Rosa. “That sucks.”But she enjoys most Monday nights just the same.Harlem Lanes, is located at 2116 Adam Clayton Powell, 212-678-2695; www.harlemlanes.net