A Magical week in CHICAGO

Thanks Stu. Miss seeing you.
JoeyA

sjm said:
Yup, Chicago is a great pool scene for sure. I go there every summer for about a week and I've played at Chris' Billiards, Surge and Red Shoes, and enjoy all of them.

My favorite is definitely Chris', however, mostly for the ample memorabilia relating to both pool and three cushion. There are posters and scoresheets from events played eighty years ago and pictures of some of the guys that were the best even before I was born. You get that special sense of the game's history there. In that sense, it reminds me of Snookers in Providence, Rhode Island, which is filled with memorabilia that celebrates the history of pro pool in New England.

Rooms like Chris' in Chicago and Snookers in Rhode Island are virtual shrines to our game and visiting them always inspires me.

Glad to hear that you had a good trip and experience, Joey.
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The boating story is hilarious, everyone has a story about forgetting to put the plug in. Of course I've never done that, or at least would never admit to it in writing, but when I was younger I lived within walking distance of a boat ramp in Clearwater where it happened all the time. This particular ramp is always crowded with all 8 ramps in use on weekend mornings. To save time this one putz lined up his fifteen year POS Bayliner bowrider so his poor wife could back the boat down and he could get the boat warmed up while she parked the trailer. Everything was going great. Almost flawless actually. She slowly splashed the boat and then did a fantastic job parking the trailer after navigating a packed lot. That's why she was surprised as she proudly walked back to the boat to find her peckerhead husband screaming every obscenity in the world at her to go get the trailer. The problem is, it's a lot easier to park a trailer than back it up out of a spot. Eventually he got the trailer under the boat and tried to pull it all the way out instead of just pulling it up enough to get the water to drain out like a normal person would, he gunned it and the extra weight from the water snapped his axle. And there it sat. At this point I think even my Rottweiler was laughing. The best part was when he started blaming the wife everyone, and I mean everyone wives included, pointed out that he was at fault because she was in the cab of the truck doing exactly as she was told.

Opening day of shrimp season in Gulfport was always a good time to hang out at the boat ramp with a cooler of beer too.
 
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I have to spread some around z but that
is a fantastic story!
Next time I take the kids to Disney world
I might set it up so I can skip the lines
and sit on a cooler for opening day.

No comment on the boat plug;)
 
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You should have made a trip to Pyramid in Addison. You would get treated the cleanest pool room in Illinois, not to mention, by far one of the best pizza's in the city. Pool on Gold Crowns, with one of the best pizza's in Chicago. That's win/win.
 
JoeyA said:
Recently, a friend and I visited Chicago and we had a great time. I wrote about it on my blog if you are interested in reading it. I've written a little over 30 stories, mostly about pool but other stories as well. The blog is located at http://joeyapoolcommentator.blogspot.com/?view=flipcard

Of course Chris's Billiards and Red Shoes Billiards are in the story on Chicago. With Flipcard, you can click on the photographs and it will then show the titles.

Merry Christmas everyone.

JoeyA
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I noticed a pic of Elvira....if yah ever see that Cassandra Peterson woman again, tell her I purchased Elvyra's home right after she passed. 1997. Cassandra was one of 3 girls that grew up next to Elvyra Ward. I'm sure that's why she chose that name. When I went thru the home, I found lubricated condoms in the ceilings in the basement. I always heard rumors that the plumber came over, more than once. Have a great holiday, and hope tah, no I will see yah in the south at our next .org event or maybe San Jose'.
 
Island Drive said:
I noticed a pic of Elvira....if yah ever see that Cassandra Peterson woman again, tell her I purchased Elvyra's home right after she passed. 1997. Cassandra was one of 3 girls that grew up next to Elvyra Ward. I'm sure that's why she chose that name. When I went thru the home, I found lubricated condoms in the ceilings in the basement. I always heard rumors that the plumber came over, more than once. Have a great holiday, and hope tah, no I will see yah in the south at our next .org event or maybe San Jose'.
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Yuck. Just yuck
 
Joey, the high-priced room with the Gabriels you mention in your blog sounds like G-Cue, one of a couple of rooms opened in the Chicago area (near downtown) by sometime pro Tom Karabatsos - I think his sister runs it.

Good food. Love those Gabriels. Cool ambiance. Can't fade the rates.

pj
chgo
 
Island Drive said:
If yah can't stand history, don't read the book. :boring2:
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I was eating some stone crab while reading your post and not really paying attention and read it as used condoms. Thought that was weird. My bad. I like old history. Because I'm old.
 
Z-Nole said:
I was eating some stone crab while reading your post and not really paying attention and read it as used condoms. Thought that was weird. My bad. I like old history. Because I'm old.
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They were Not used, they were still in the original tin wrapped covers. Like the wrappings that you'd get when you got a piece of chocolate about the size of a silver dollar.

For Elvyra to use that as her stage name, her next door neighbor had to be a cantankerous old gal, which many were from the WWII era. Have a merry xmas and a great new years.
 
It was near downtown. I almost choked when the waitress told me the price. Lol
JoeyA


Patrick Johnson said:
Joey, the high-priced room with the Gabriels you mention in your blog sounds like G-Cue, one of a couple of rooms opened in the Chicago area (near downtown) by sometime pro Tom Karabatsos - I think his sister runs it.

Good food. Love those Gabriels. Cool ambiance. Can't fade the rates.

pj
chgo
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I didn't know about that pool room. Will try that one when I pass that way.
Thanks.
JoeyA


ChicagoRJ said:
You should have made a trip to Pyramid in Addison. You would get treated the cleanest pool room in Illinois, not to mention, by far one of the best pizza's in the city. Pool on Gold Crowns, with one of the best pizza's in Chicago. That's win/win.
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THAT was a great story too. Lol.
I'm not the only knucklehead I see.

JoeyA


Z-Nole said:
The boating story is hilarious, everyone has a story about forgetting to put the plug in. Of course I've never done that, or at least would never admit to it in writing, but when I was younger I lived within walking distance of a boat ramp in Clearwater where it happened all the time. This particular ramp is always crowded with all 8 ramps in use on weekend mornings. To save time this one putz lined up his fifteen year POS Bayliner bowrider so his poor wife could back the boat down and he could get the boat warmed up while she parked the trailer. Everything was going great. Almost flawless actually. She slowly splashed the boat and then did a fantastic job parking the trailer after navigating a packed lot. That's why she was surprised as she proudly walked back to the boat to find her peckerhead husband screaming every obscenity in the world at her to go get the trailer. The problem is, it's a lot easier to park a trailer than back it up out of a spot. Eventually he got the trailer under the boat and tried to pull it all the way out instead of just pulling it up enough to get the water to drain out like a normal person would, he gunned it and the extra weight from the water snapped his axle. And there it sat. At this point I think even my Rottweiler was laughing. The best part was when he started blaming the wife everyone, and I mean everyone wives included, pointed out that he was at fault because she was in the cab of the truck doing exactly as she was told.

Opening day of shrimp season in Gulfport was always a good time to hang out at the boat ramp with a cooler of beer too.
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JazzyJeff87, it is fun to share some of my life's experiences and am glad you enjoyed the stories. It takes a while to read all of the stories. I think I passed up 30 not long ago.

JoeyA


JazzyJeff87 said:
Thanks for the link JoeyA. I’ve been curious about the mini tourney backer comment and now I know : )

Thanks for the time to write all those stories, I’m an experiencer of life and I love to hear a good story almost as much as tell one. I’m halfway through the blog and I’ve enjoyed every one.
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