By Ben Bush

ITS PASTEL AND stucco exterior stitched with neon piping, the Albany Bowl (540 San Pablo, Albany, 510-526-8818) beckons with its warmth and light. Stepping inside, one hears the thunder of colliding pins along 36 parallel lanes. The Bay Area is known for its polyphony of opinions, culture, and approaches to life, and its full spectrum can be seen at the Albany Bowl, from rockabilly to hip-hop, from UC students to 9-to-5-ers, from retirees to manic packs of toddlers.

Rising property values have made the large lot size necessary for bowling alleys a bit impractical, and establishments like College Bowl and Japantown Bowl have closed, their space divvied into smaller retail stores. Soon to be 56 years old, the Albany Bowl has stayed successful by accommodating a varied clientele and a steady flow of customers from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m., 364 days a year (the Bowl closes on Christmas Day).

And this alley has a flair all its own. In addition to the requisite burger and fries, the attached diner also prepares a selection of Thai food. Every time a shot is sunk at one of the red velvet-covered pool tables, it's like the cue ball is attending a gala affair, trotting across the Academy Awards carpet. When I first stopped by, part-owner and general manager John Tierney was seated at one of the pool tables, using it as a desk while preparing a speech for an upcoming bowling tournament.

"Our bowling center is unique," he said, "because we looked at what the community wanted." Tierney is particularly proud of two 95-year-old women who come in once a week for league bowling. "It's a lifelong sport. It keeps your body moving from five to ninety-five." People of all ages show up here to bowl, and upwards of 30 family birthday parties take place per weekend, as well as events for 150 local schools and churches.

On Friday night, music videos play on projection screens over the center lanes, including a trippy cross fade-filled, sepia-toned video for Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." Saturdays, the bar offers a prize for the highest score on the automated, uncheatable dartboards; one recent week, the prize money was a lofty $390. That could buy a lot of shoe rentals.

"I was at the bowling alley, and there were about 20 people crowded around the Dance Dance Revolution video game machines," frequent bowler Steve Loewinsohn said. "At the center of the crowd was one teenage boy playing both machines simultaneously by jumping back and forth between them. It was amazing."

Ever wanted to know what size shoe Winona Ryder wears? Ask Tierney. A wall of photos shows him posed beside various celebrities who have visited the bowling alley, including esteemed celebrities like Barry Scheck (O.J. Simpson's DNA expert), Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, and former Raiders fullback John Ritchie. It's enough to make one wax sentimental about the comparative international cooperation of Bush Sr.'s administration when you see the picture of an astonished Tierney shaking hands with the former president at the International Bowl Expo, the trade show that brings together bowling center proprietors from all across the world.

A former designer of New York City Transit cars and tools for airplane maintenance, Tierney's designer's eye is evident in the care with which he has remodeled the bowling center. However, his true passion has always been bowling itself. "I knew I wanted to be in the bowling business when I was five. That was all I wanted to do every day of my life."

Tierney's daughter, Britney, is one of the top female collegiate bowlers in the country, and a member of Junior Team USA, which is as close as there is to an Olympic team. Despite the best efforts of the bowling industry, the sport has yet to be included in that worldwide event. "Bowling has been around for hundreds of years. It's the largest participatory sport in the world, with 70 million people every year. The Olympic committee will allow ballroom dancing but not bowling. It's a really sad thing," Tierney grumbled. While bowling may not yet be allowed in the Olympics, the Albany Bowl gets the gold.