Ferraro's Mid-City Lanes

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This place was a haven. Located on Cedar Street in midtown Kingston, notorious for gun violence, the sad kind of sex work, open air drug dealing, and normal, if struggling familes doing their best to stay safe in a dangerous, dodgy neighborhood, Mid-City provided a crucial respite. Was it grungy? Yeah. Could folks be gruff? Well, duh. But the atmosphere, the vibe? You could feel the enthusiasm radiate. It looked, smelled, FELT like an oasis amidst a malestrom. A divey oasis, yes, but a real one- not a mirage, just a place you could bring friends and family to have a daaaaaaamn good time. From what I understand, the affordable housing complex that replaced it is of a much higher quality than most such arrangments and, according to a buddy of mine who worked there for a very, very long time, not only did he get get to live in the new complex, other workers from Mid City got priority for the new units, and the rent is more than reasonable for units that were significantly better than their old digs. We can thank RUPCO, who collaborated with several other trusted community organizations; Family of Woodstock was involved as well, and they are literal saints. While the absence of Mid City Lanes is tragic, it appears that the high-quality, desperately needed affordable housing that replaced it will benefit the community as much, if not more, than my all-time favorite bowling alley. Patel's on Chester is serviceable, but if I need a divey bowling alley fix, I'll have to drive to Poughkeepsie to Hoe Bowl, if they haven't "rebranded" and gussied it all up for the moneyed classes. Dives are important! Divey diners, divey cinemas, divey bars- we can't let them take our culture away! Money helps, but it doesn't solve every problem, and sometimes, more than money, we need community, culture, solidarity and affordable entertainment all wrapped up in one, slightly-or-not-so-slightly dingey but homey, relatable, relaxing package where we can just focus on our friends and family.

This place has gone down hill over the years. Sad to see it hasn't survived or even though of renovating to keep up with the times, more people would go bowling of the bowling alleys were not so dirty.