Bowling alley

By the late 1830s in New York City, the Knickerbocker Hotel's bowling alley had opened, with three lanes.

Alleys were often located in saloon basements and provided a place for working-class men to meet, socialize, and drink alcohol.

Each lane has an overhead monitor/television screen to display bowling scores and a seating area and tables for dining and socializing.

[11][15] The process of oil removal, commonly called breakdown, forms dry paths that subsequently cause balls to experience increased friction and to hook sooner.

[11][15] Conversely, the process of oil deposition, commonly called carry down, occurs when balls form oil tracks in formerly dry areas, tracks that subsequently cause balls to experience less friction and delayed hook.

[11] Also, high humidity increases friction that reduces skid distance so the ball tends to hook sooner.

This true-scale diagram shows how a bowling lane has an approach, a foul line, target arrows, downlane markers, and a pin deck. Due to the optical illusion called foreshortening , the lane is more elongated than most people imagine—more than 17 times as long as it is wide.
Bowling ball motion is affected by lanes' inherent characteristics (composition, topography), oil viscosity, environmental factors (temperature, humidity), and previous ball traffic. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ]
Adjusting screws at the sides of bowling lanes in this 1895 cross-sectional diagram show the recognized importance of controlling lane topography to provide a flat and level surface for repeatable ball motion. [ 14 ]