Uptown Alley, Manassas Mall

Oh, Manassas Mall, how you've changed. I have fond memories of visiting your movie theater as a child, spending hours in Claire's while my mom sat outside bored on the bench, snacking on Auntie Anne's pretzels and getting buy-one-get-one-free smoothies in the food court. Yes, half of these memories involve food and no, I'm not sorry. But every longtime local knows that the landscape of the Manassas Mall has changed quite a bit over the years. It's clean and sparkly now, but there are so many stores that don't interest me. Never fear--Fair Oaks is just a few car collisions away!  

 Anyways, a peculiar thing has taken up residence in the mall: a sprawling, fancy bowling alley/arcade/bar/restaurant/laser tag center!  It's called Uptown Alley and guys, it ain't bad. 


Pros: Cheap appetizers and drinks for Happy Hour, comfy seating at the bowling area, ample storage space for shoes and purses, big screen TVs above the lanes (girls' softball?), bar service that comes to you

 Cons: The arcade was small and the card they gave us to use was rather finicky. I don't want to swipe ten times to play basketball; now I'm frustrated before I even begin. They told us to put the card upside down but we still had issues off and on. If you want arcade games, just go to Dave and Buster's.

 Extra notes: The restaurant/lounge seating was incredibly spacious. On a Monday night, it was mostly empty and a little eerie but I would be interested to see it on a weekend. If you have a big crowd, I'm sure they can fit you in!  Also, my friends did Laser Tag for $7/person and said it was awesome. Try it out and let me know what you think!

 Verdict: Nice spot for bowling and a cheap Happy Hour, but go elsewhere for arcade games.

http://www.uptownalleymanassas.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Halo Top Ice Cream: What's the Deal?

Image
Halo Top ice cream is celebrating its 5 year anniversary but has only been on my radar for a little while. Ibotta, my favorite coupon/rebate app, promised me $1.00 off a pint, so I decided it was finally time to try Halo Top for myself. The $4.99 price at Giant curbed my enthusiasm for a minute, but I rationalized that it was about the same cost as a trip to Sweet Frog or Starbucks.  The scoop:   Halo Top has 17 flavors, ranging from traditional (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookie dough...) to modern (sea salt caramel, s'mores, oatmeal cookie, pistachio...). Calorie counts range from 240 to 360, with the average falling around 320 per pint. Halo Top uses organic stevia as sweetener, which I'm guessing helps it lower the sugar levels, since stevia has a strong flavor. Other popular brands have 3 or 4g of protein per serving, so the 5g that Halo Top offers isn't a considerable leap. This is still a dessert, not body building fuel. First impression: 320 Calories ...
Read more

Thoughts from a New (Dog) Mama

Image
Lilly, sweet Lilly...how you delight and frustrate me. Everyone keeps telling me that having a dog is the precursor to kids and so I can't help but note the parallels.  1. This is affecting my sleep. Patrick is naturally a night owl and I'm more of a morning person and so I have assumed the morning shift with Lilly. This involves taking her downstairs to pee first thing, falling back asleep for an hour, and then feeding her and taking her out again for a longer walk (with intermittent running when I'm up for it and also want to wear her out). The plus side of this regimen is that I'm getting consistent exercise every morning before it gets too hot. Also, sometimes I feel inspired to complete a solo workout after the walk. Other times I go back to bed. 2. Her interests change over time.  When we first adopted Lilly, we were told that rope toys were her favorite, and this still holds true. However, within a week, Lilly developed a sudden fascination ...
Read more

Amber's Wedding

Image
This weekend, a little girl I once knew walked down the aisle as an adult in a white, flowing dress. But I'll be honest, it's hard to view her as an adult. Snapshots of Amber as a baby, toddler, and young girl kept flashing through my mind, as if I was trying to make sense of what was happening in front of me. How was this girl, splashing around in floaties, getting MARRIED right now? Just like my dad says about me, maybe in some ways, I'll always think of Amber as one of my little girls.  Our families took an annual trip to Nags Head, NC every summer for about ten years. I loved playing with Amber and her cousins and was amazed to see them grow from summer to summer When Amber decided to attend Bridgewater College, I was excited because I periodically visited my brother in that area. One afternoon, my nephew Hu and I visited Amber at her school. We played with her in the dorm and then explored the nearby Wildwood Park. Another time, Hu and I cheered Amber on during a Bri...
Read more