I too love playing while traveling. Great way to meet people and learn about the area. I also agree The Cue Ball in Salem is amazing yet not worth the trip. As expected, US is very diverse depending where you are. In my experience, I’ve found people that can shoot in Mexico play 3C. Have not...
A bit of a segue but I can say tennis balls vary considerably between tournaments. Ball pressure, weight, and density of felt all vary. Function of court surface, altitude, and gender (e.g. men and women play with different balls for the US Open).
It’s common to tighten up during competition. Hence bat/club weights, heavier boxing gloves and tighter tennis racket tensions for practice. Therefore, practicing on slower cloth than during competition may make sense. I personally struggle practicing on fast cloth then competing on carpet.
I also took advantage of the exchange rate while in Shibuya last winter. Did the DLS joint come with a washer? It should come with a black composite washer for the joint. Mine easily screws/unscrews without a gap, just ridge.