Bagel Bowl (Chapter 2)

Leave it to former President Bill Clinton to get the party rolling here in Harlem.

His foundation’s Urban Enterprise Initiative has helped launch the first bowling alley in this neighborhood in three decades, and he was on hand this week for the grand opening on 126th Street and Adam Clayton Boulevard.

Congratulating sisters Sharon Joseph and Gail Richards – now the first black women in the United States to own a bowling center – Clinton said:

"Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy. I am pleased that my foundation can contribute to the expansion and success of small businesses here in Harlem."

In fact, Clinton himself has enjoyed bowling for years (note picture above) and has turned to the game in troubled times. In a 2004 interview with Dan Rather on CBS’ 60 Minutes, Clinton reflected on some of the scandals that plagued his presidency and pointed to finding respite in an Arkansas bowling alley where he would routinely bowl with friends.

Certainly puts a new spin on critics’ claims that Clinton was ‘striking out’ during his two terms in office. Enough of that. Keep your bagel out of the gutter…