Centennial Lanes, Serendipity, Nest, House Gifts, Sachi Sushi

It's my birthday today, and to celebrate, we did something that my husband doesn't really enjoy - we went bowling.  Centennial Lanes is having their fantastic Super Weekend '10 today and tomorrow.  From 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., it is only 50 cents to bowl, with 50 cent shoe rentals and 75 cent hot dogs and sodas.  So cheap!  They have bowling shoes down to a toddler size 7, bumpers for those who need them, and ramps for the kids to roll their balls down.  They apparently also have cash drawings and a trip for 2 to Vegas.  We had an amazing time, and my 2 1/2 year old bowled a 114, which I think is pretty great.  (I got a 99.)

They have lots of lanes, a snack bar and a bar.  It is an older facility, but it was very clean and the people were friendly.  Plus, our 75 cent hot dogs came with chips and pickle slices.  For that price, I wouldn't have been surprised if they had charged for condiments or a bun.  We were very pleased.

They are also attracting folks to their leagues, and they offer a youth league starting at age 2!  I am tempted...  Their Little Dippers is ages 2-10 and is offered on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. starting in mid-September.  They have four coaches who will help the little ones, once they are ready; otherwise, it's just $4.50 a game for your toddler to bowl.  (They said most 2 year olds are done after 1 game, and we found that to be accurate today.)

While Spence was napping, I went to Serendipity, House Gifts and Nest.  The shopping was nice, and not having to try to keep Spencer from handling all the merchandise was even nicer.   I liked Serendipity better the last time I was there.  I found the prices to be a bit high this time.  The owner didn't greet me until I had been browsing for 20 minutes, and spent almost all of my visit there talking about how much she resented how her husband misused all her funds for his children and she had sacrificed for years for them.  Not the most relaxing conversation for others to hear, and she and her friend were talking so loudly that I couldn't not hear her.  Also, it was depressing to see how much stuff I have had and got rid of that I could have apparently sold for big money.  House was awesome.  Wonderful consignment, very inexpensively priced, and fantastic house stuff.  I got a really gorgeous pair of shoes for $16.  Loved them.  Nest was fun to browse in and had some amazing things - fantastic scented things, and wonderful vintage stuff.  I wanted almost everything I looked at.  All in all, a great shopping trip.

After naptime, we went for dinner at Sachi Sushi.  We hadn't been here before, and found the reviews to generally be true, although several reviewers mentioned the "worm-hole"-like environment.  I did not find this to be the case.  It is located in the back of the Niwot Market.  Really - you walk through the grocery store to get to the sushi area.  But the sushi area is bright and clean and full of nice tables (not rickety or shaky).  There was a high chair, with a fully functional lap belt.  The reviews had warned that this was a one-man operation, and I definitely found that to be true.  One nice guy who cooked each dish and served it one by one - hot food first, then the miso, then the sushi.  They were out of several of the dishes I wanted to try (the chicken teriyaki, the beef curry), but the owner suggested the Hawaiian style beef dish, and it was great.  Hawaii by way of Japan - no pineapple or anything, more like two meat patties with a tangy tomato-based sauce and an egg.  Hard to describe, but tasty.  Even Spencer gobbled it up.  The miso was not my favorite, but the sushi was fantastic, and cheap!  My definite favorite was the BLT roll - non-traditional but very tasty.  I also picked up a great greeting card in Japanese for my younger sister's birthday.  On the way out, we bought my birthday cake.  We stopped by the park on the way home to let Spence burn off a little energy and then came home for cake.  Such a nice day.

The reviewers of the sushi place were raving about how Sachi Sushi offers real authentic ramen on Sunday afternoons (and only on Sunday afternoons).  I asked the owner while we were there tonight, and he said that they offer the ramen from 11:30-7 on Sundays, and that it is between $9-$11, depending on your choice.  I will have to try that another day - sounds exciting.