Central Park Lanes

Central Park Lanes is the candlepin bowling alley at 10 Saratoga Street in East Boston, a short walk from Central Square. This is New England candlepin, not tenpin: smaller balls, no finger holes, and the thin pins that make spares honest work. Boston Magazine has called out the 70-plus-year-old room for its hand-painted signs, wood paneling, and old ball return. Scoring is paper and pencil. Shoes rent. It is cash only, and it is the kind of alley where the game is the whole point. Call ahead at (617) 567-7073, because hours shift. Instagram is @centralparklanes. If you want flash, noise, and a bar built into the approach, this is not that. If you want Eastie’s old candlepin hall, this is the one.