Holly said:
I will be visiting in the Northern VA, Washington DC area the end of August. I was wondering if there were any weekly tourney's on Thursday or Friday evenings? There used to be one on Friday nights at Fast Eddies in Alexandria. Is it still alive? Thanks
Not sure about Friday nights, Holly. There's not much happening in Northern Virginia and D.C. when it comes to action and/or "real" pool rooms that cater to "real" pool players.
However, having said that, Thursday nights, if you are close by to Sterling, Virginia, then First Break Cafe is where you should be. It is one of the few action-friendly environments in the area, and the owner is cool, being he plays himself. It is on Route 7, but hard to find if you've never been there. The tournament starts at 7:30 or 8:00 p.m., but if you decide to go there, don't forget about the infamous D.C. traffic gridlocks.
You can get to Route 7, either via Dulles Access Road off the Beltway or Route 7 (towards Vienna) itself off the Beltway. Coming from Maryland, I usually take Dulles Access Road off the Beltway and then Route 7 is just two or three exits (about 5 minutes). Once you get on Route 7 (from Dulles Acess Road), it is about 7 or 8 miles until you get to the shopping center, on the left-hand side of the road. You won't be able to see First Break Cafe from Route 7. It is way in the back and on the second floor. However, in this shopping center, there is a Burlington Coat Factory and a Shoppers Warehouse, just for landmarking to steer you in the right direction.
Fast Eddie's in Springfield is a good daytime action place, from what I hear. I'm not sure about night time, though. I don't know if Fast Eddie's in Alexandria is still around. There are several Fast Eddie's in Virginia.
If you were closer to the Maryland side of D.C., I could steer you a little better. However, truth be told, this area ain't quite what it used to be. Pool rooms today are sports bars and social gathering places for singles, IMHO. Pool isn't a big money-maker for pool room owners, I guess. So they turn to things like 50 TV sets in the establishment, LOUD music, and alcohol sales to make a profit.
JAM
