With Turkey Day under our belt (or bulging over it, depending on how much we had to eat), the holiday season is in full effect and there are two things it brings: a plethora of food and family.

Now, this could amount to a great time. Who doesn’t like good home cookin’ and spending quality time with the fam? That is, as long as your family doesn’t force feed you, and then spend the rest of the time criticizing your waistline telling your best friend you are “big-boned.”

Oh wait, that doesn’t happen to you? Yeah, me either.

In other words, all the commotion and drama of the holidays may make life a bit stressful. So if you need a place to escape and unwind, work off some of those calories, or want to take your visiting friends and family out and about, then check out one of the following places in San Diego for a gay ol’ time!

American author Sanford Hansell once said, “The bowling alley is the poor man’s country club.”

I would have to echo Hansell’s sentiment, since most bowling alleys I’ve visited are dark, dank and reek of old shoes and warm beer.

But The East Village Tavern & Bowl located Downtown is a pin above the rest. This 14,000-square-foot sports lounge has 25, 50-inch, high-definition flat screen TVs, pool tables, a full bar with food menu, and six bowling lanes. Yup, it’s a swanky sports bar with bowling lanes – a “poor man’s” heaven.

Bowling rates vary depending on the day of the week and time of day, but rates start at $4.95 per person per game and shoe rentals are an additional $3.95 per person. You can also rent a lane starting at $45 per hour. Note: There is a two-hour maximum on bowling per person and hourly rates.

When my friends and I went on a Thursday night, we were told the wait for a lane would be an hour and a half. A couple drinks at the bar and 30 minutes later, we were lacing our bowling shoes and dancing to rock music while attempting to bowl. The atmosphere was easygoing and diverse; the lane to the left of us was a group of older businesspeople letting loose and the lane to the right of us was a bunch of rowdy 20-somethings. Whether 30 minutes or an hour and a half, it was definitely worth the wait.

The wait may be shorter when The East Village Tavern& Bowl opens another six lanes, projected to open in the next four months.

The East Village Tavern & Bowl is located at 930 Market St. and is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.

On the first Wednesday of every month (except in January) from 6:30- 9:30 p.m., Guys, Games & Grub takes over at The Center. It is a fun social event for men sponsored by the Men’s Advisory Committee at The Center, filled with gay boys, games, and food and drink.

There’s a myriad of board and card games to play, such as Monopoly and Uno, so come and play a game with friends or start one with some new faces. If you care for something more “interactive,” try a game of Twister or one of the other games the committee has in store to help introduce you to a new friend or beau. You’re also welcome to add to the fun and bring a game from home.

Don’t forget to treat yourself to some of the snacks and beer or wine; you might even win a door prize. Note: Since booze is available, you must be 21 years of age or older to play. Although the event is free, donations are a great way to support the event.

Check out Guys, Games & Grub’s MySpace page for more information: http://www.myspace.com/guys_games_and_grub.

The Center is located on 3909 Centre Street.

Described by my friend as the “quintessential Adams Avenue bar,” Triple Crown Pub is a diamond in the rough – an unpolished homey jewel, but a jewel nonetheless.

A neighborhood bar with all the right fixins’, Triple Crown is equipped with classic games, such as shuffleboard, darts, pool tables, Golden Tee, and a digital jukebox to play your favorites. If you get thirsty while you’re there, satisfy your liquid craving with the bar’s multiple beers on tap and wine, or some Han vodka (sadly, Triple Crown does not have a full bar).

If you need a break from a hard game of shuffleboard, then take a seat in the back patio and grill up a burger. Or you can pop a squat at the bar and watch a game on one of the TV screens. Triple Crown also hosts live music, featuring some of the most unique and undiscovered talent in San Diego.

Triple Crown Pub is located on 3221 Adams Ave. and open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. – 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 a.m.

Every Tuesday night at The Whistlestop, Friends Chill is up and running from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m., a night of ambient tunes by DJ Wank Chops, drinks, games, and friends.

Sink someone’s Battleship, tweeze out a funny bone in Operation, or take out your friend’s knight in Chess – just pick a game and hunker down. If you get the chance, take advantage of the Super Nintendo console projected on a big screen. The controllers are open to all, so challenge your friend to a game of F-Zero and WWF Wrestling, or go solo with Zelda and Metroid.

If you grow weary of Super Nintendo, take a breather with a game of pool or darts. From time to time, Friends Chill also features live guest performances, so be on the look out!

The Whistlestop is located on 2236 Fern Street.

If board games aren’t up your alley, maybe a bit of adult fun is. If that’s the case, head over to Club V, a strip joint on Miramar Road that features the only all-male dance revue in San Diego. Check out the launch of the show Sunday, Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. We’re talking full-frontal, Vegas-style, Chippendales-esque dancers – and they’re just up the 15 freeway. Club V is located at 8660 Miramar Road in San Diego. For more information, call 858-695-1580 or visit www.vgentlemensclub.com. There’s a two-drink minimum and free entry if you show the door man the advertisement in this issue of the Gay & Lesbian Times.

We have reached the end, and this month I leave you with a quote from author Anthony J. D’Angelo: “If life doesn’t offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one.”