Amsterdam Billiards ..like the new location?

[breaktime2]

I used to go to the original location on Amsterdam Ave when I was in town. I really enjoyed it. I know there are several people on this forum that play there regularly. How is it compared to the old location? What do you like best...least? I understand it is a good distance from the old location, did you lose a lot of neighborhood locals? Either way I will be dropping in the next time I am in town to check it out. Thanks for any input.

 

[9 ball]

I live here in the uk but have heard a lot about amsterdam billiards and how classy and well respected the place is and I was just wondering if anyone could post some pictures of the place.

 

[nfty9er]

Thats easy

I live here in the uk but have heard a lot about amsterdam billiards and how classy and well respected the place is and I was just wondering if anyone could post some pictures of the place.

Their new location is on the web, just go to their new website.
amsterdambilliards.com

 

[briandlau]

The new location is very convenient and great for business. With that said, it's very hard to get any practice time from 6pm-10pm M-F.

 

[StevenPWaldon]

I like it a little better, except for the table nearest to the bar area. The brass rail gets in the way of my cue on my backstroke if the cueball is frozen to the headrail. VERY annoying, because usually the reason I'm there is the result of a safety to send me uptable. Hard shot, and compromising conditions!

 

[SteveFromNY]

I like it a little better, except for the table nearest to the bar area. The brass rail gets in the way of my cue on my backstroke if the cueball is frozen to the headrail. VERY annoying, because usually the reason I'm there is the result of a safety to send me uptable. Hard shot, and compromising conditions!

on the rare occasions that I get to play on those tables, I know exactly what you're talking about. Other than that, I think the tables are nicely laid out and the atmosphere is really top notch. I just wished there were more avilable tables during peak hours as well.

 

[Njhustler1]

The tables are terrific. However the place is just too crowded now. The tri-state tour can no longer hold tournaments there because there's too many participants to accommodate.

 

[Nostroke]

2 Complaints and one is peculiar to me im sure.


1- Too many mirrors-Every time i look around, im looking at myself and im sure you can imagine how painful that would be.

2-They spent all that money on the renovation most which came out great but why not install a simple $300 exhaust fan?

Last night it was boiling inside but 50 degrees outside. If they'd just open a door and turn on an exhaust fan, the place would be cooled offf in minutes at almost no cost. So the alternative is to turn on the A/C which they did NOT do.

An exhaust fan is useless of course in August but im guessing over the course of a year, you could probably save MANY thousands with one and as a result do more business and have happier customers.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

2 Complaints and one is peculiar to me im sure.


1- Too many mirrors-Every time i look around, im looking at myself and im sure you can imagine how painful thay would be.

2-They spent all that money on the renovation most which came out great but why not install a simple $300 exhaust fan?

Last night it was boiling inside but 50 degrees outside. If they'd just open a door and turn on an exhaust fan, the place would be cooled offf in minutes at almost no cost. So the alternative is to turn on the A/C which they did NOT do.

An exhaust fan is useless of course in August but im guessing over the course of a year, you could probably save MANY thousands with one and as a result do more business and have happier customers.

I understand the owners spent a great deal of money on air-conditioning and do not expect the current situation to be permenant by any stretch. IT IS a new room, not a finished product. Some things (like cool-air), you're not going to get a good read of until the right time. I'm more than certain they've made it a top-priority.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

The tables are terrific. However the place is just too crowded now. The tri-state tour can no longer hold tournaments there because there's too many participants to accommodate.

I would hesitate to say "no longer". Currently, there are no tournaments scheduled. The owners simply want to get a sense of what business is like before they start making any commitments.

I'm certain the Tri-State Tour will return to Amsterdam Billiards.

 

[Njhustler1]

You're right. I did in fact here the same thing. And mis-stated above in my effort to summarize the situation. But in the larger scheme of things, it'd be nice if they had more tables to help move the tournaments along faster.

 

[Travis Bickle]

It's in a good spot, but they could do a few tweaks. First off, I ended up at a lemon table the other night, something that I don't think existed on the West Side. It was, I believe, table 13, which has another table so close alongside it you can't take a proper stance, and at the rack area, your backstroke will hit a pillar. Easy for me to say, but I think there's room for but one table in that spot.

Also would like to see a reworking of the front tables, hopefully with an actual bar rail (like they had on the West Side) where you could sit and watch instead of perching along the brass rail. But you'd probably have to slide the actual bar back toward the wall some to do that, I guess, or the space would be too narrow to pass through.

 

[VKJ]

What I love about the new ABC is that they are now 3 blocks from where I live. Amazing!

A great thing for the owners but not necessarly for players is that they moved into a very busy, popular area of NYC. They are sort of on the edge of the east village. Its an area tons of people come to from all over the city. Lots of clubs, bars, resturants etc. On the corner is a movie house, right across the street is Webster Hall, NYU actually surrounds it.
All this has filled the joint up right from when they first opened.
If you get there any later than 2pm on a Sat. or Sun. you have to wait for a table. Weekdays after 6pm the same thing. PLUS they have no competion locationwise or qualitywise. If you want to shoot on top equipment in a clean safe room ABC is the only game in town (Manhattan).

The tables are great and it has a large supply of top local players that play at a pro level plus top pro players are always coming in.

While the Tri State would make it even more crowded I think it will be a while before they return, simply because ABC doesn't need it. It will be interesting to see if the summer has a noticeable effect on business and the Tri State. Considering that area is even more busy in the summer I doubt it.

I have run into the cueing problem with the brass rail on that far front table and it really surprised me since the owners are very detail minded.
I think its something that should be fixed. My guess about not having the dividing wall like in the old ABC is that they might have wanted to maintain as much of an open feel as possible. The wall would have a number of good points for sure but would create a confined look in that front desk area that I think they don't want.

 

[cmartor3]

my friends & I went there a few weeks ago, Very easy to get there if you're driving, just hard to find a parking spot, but thats anywhere in manhattan.....

We waited 2 hours for a table, it went by quick, but it cost us $45 for 3 of us to play for 45 minutes, I was expecting it to be expensive, especially being that it was a Saturday night, but thats rediculous....

It was crowded, & I am normally cold wherever I go, but this place was a Sauna, I stopped playing after 2 games to stick my head a foot above me to the windows where i felt a small air pocket that i started breathing in....we played in the back left corner table....as I'm breathing a man was walking by looking in the windows making faces at everyone, pretending he had a gun & was shooting at us, he looked like an old war vet....it was actually comical.....Typical manhattan funniness...especially down town...lol

The place is absolutely beautiful, & there's even someone walking around constantly cleaning up, but from what my friend who regularly goes there said to me was "you should only come here during the week, in the early afternoon".......It really was the worst pool hall experience i ever had.......but they're making money for a reason....

so if you get to, just make it there & check it out....it is a nice place despite all the crowds at night...

 

[gulfportdoc]

I like it a little better, except for the table nearest to the bar area. The brass rail gets in the way of my cue on my backstroke if the cueball is frozen to the headrail. VERY annoying, because usually the reason I'm there is the result of a safety to send me uptable. Hard shot, and compromising conditions!

Steve, rack them on the other end.

Doc

 

[vagabond]

We waited 2 hours for a table, it went by quick, but it cost us $45 for 3 of us to play for 45 minutes, I was expecting it to be expensive, especially QUOTE]

It was NOT expensive? may be u are born with old money!!!!

 

[Nostroke]

We waited 2 hours for a table, it went by quick, but it cost us $45 for 3 of us to play for 45 minutes, I was expecting it to be expensive, especially QUOTE]

It was NOT expensive? may be u are born with old money!!!!

No he said it was expensive but anyhow i think they must have run into a 'minimum per person' weekend charge.

 

[vagabond]

No he said it was expensive but anyhow i think they must have run into a 'minimum per person' weekend charge.

You are correct. I wish I know how to delete my post

 

[Fleece3]

No he said it was expensive but anyhow i think they must have run into a 'minimum per person' weekend charge.

I played there once, second day it was open. I didn't really pay attention, anyone know the actually rate schedule?

 

[Fenris]

Off the top of my head, the rates are as follows:

All rates are per person per hour (? may be off by $0.50):
Mon-Fri 11am-5pm: $6.00 or $6.50? (1-2 ppl) $5.50? (3-4 ppl)
Mon-Thu evenings, Sun all day?: $8.50 (1-2 ppl) $8.00 (3-4 ppl)
Fri-Sat evenings: $9.50 (1-2 ppl) $8.50 (3-4 ppl)

There is also a 2 person minimum during busy hours, which are evenings and weekends. They also have Power Play on weekday afternoons, from 11 am to 5pm for $26. I don't know if that's per person, but you can have up to 5 people for Power Play.

I've played there before they moved there from Uptown, when the place was Corner Billiards. I liked Corner before, and I like Amsterdam better now. Nice clean place with a lot of tables (for a typical poolhall, especially in Manhattan) that are well-kept. Good bar with some cute bartenders.

The wait times during the evenings and weekends are definitely due to the location like VKJ said, with NYU playing a bigger role than many people think. Corner had a lot of business from NYU students, and Amsterdam picked up the business when they opened. Also, on weekday evenings, there's league play, which can take up to 2/3 the tables.

It's expensive, but I like it.


Fenris