I just got back from Chris's Billiards in Chicago and it was fantastic. The place has the slightly grimy feel of a pool room from a bygone era, I played Larry Schwartz of Billiards Digest some 9-Ball, and watched Chris Gentile playing 3-cushion (!). I've been to pool rooms with nicer decor but something about the vibe at that place made me fall in love with it!
Chris's Billiards
- Thread starter henho
- Start date
mcericville
Rack, Break, Run, Repeat
That's my regular room. It's got a great vibe! Definitely one of the best "feeling" rooms I've ever seen in my short career
henho...I sure hope you took some time to walk around and look at all the stuff on the walls in every room. There's a heck of a lot of local history hanging in there.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
I will put it on my list.Love the grimy rooms where the players go.
I saw Chris playing 3 cushion in Cincinnati at michaels billiards. It's was above suspicion. Awesome to watch.
Chris's is one of the last great walk-up pool rooms left in America.
Kinda gives you the feel of what it might have been like to walk up the stairs to any number of long gone rooms including The Palace and Cochran's in San Francisco, both rooms where I'd occasionally spend time during my formative years.
Lou Figueroa
Passing through the threshold from the street to the cast iron staircase is a complete transformation keenly noticed upon my 1st visit. Street noise instantly yields to muffled voices and clicking balls. Ascending those worn stairs builds suspense and imagination until cresting the top. The hidden room spreading out. Completely foreign but perfectly familiar at the same time.
This makes me want to read more.............:smile:
Great room, used to visit every month or two when living in Milwaukee area. Great 3-cushion tables, saw sang lee and other greats playing there. Nice pool tourneys too, great old school feeling room.
Scott
Scott
Sent from my iPhone
Scott
Scott
Sent from my iPhone
Damn...I really wanna go.
Chris...I can't count the number of times I've walked up those stairs. Strange to see that big metal door there. The stairwell was always open before. Definitely cool stuff on the walls. Did you go in all three rooms? BTW, cool how you superimposed Fast Eddie and Vincent over your pic!
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
I loved this place and I am looking forward to going back soon. Scott, I bet I spent over an hour looking at all the pictures on the wall. Some of the people I were familiar with and some I wasn't but they really added to the allure of the place.
Yeah I went through them all, but I didn't really spend the time in the other 2 that I should have. I just kind of browsed them real quick, no one else was back there and I wasn't sure that it was ok for me to be there. Now I know better.
I got to play 3 cushion there for the 1st time against some Cubans, I had a blast but wish there was someone there that I knew.
MMK-
You paint a great picture for the theater of the mind.
In a class I took, the notion that 'feeling comes first', as opposed to other analytical senses, was central to the course work.
Not always easy to describe that feel- you have done that very well.
thanks
Thanks very much for the kind words.
Writing that short paragraph took at least 15-20 minutes, numerous rewrites and frequent thesaurus raids.
Living in a small town has severely eroded my vocabulary.
Thinking about Lou's frequent write ups inspired me to record my visit - Thanks Lou, I always enjoy your contributions.
The aura Chris's Billiards possess has a flavor identical to "this is Ames mister".
Grizzled house-man behind 70's vintage glass counter. Well lit tables dimly illuminating shadowy figures.
100% pool. Zero B.S.
A dusty slightly musty smell permeates the cavernous rooms. Likely emanating from carpet worn with paths not unlike the Sweet Gum Trail in my local forest preserve.
Chairs flank the trails. Rooted securely as Oaks, some crudely repaired in position so as not to disrupt the ambiance.
These pics are not mine. I saved them from a thread on AZ.
I believe the table in the foreground of the second pic is the one I shot on
Writing that short paragraph took at least 15-20 minutes, numerous rewrites and frequent thesaurus raids.
Living in a small town has severely eroded my vocabulary.
Thinking about Lou's frequent write ups inspired me to record my visit - Thanks Lou, I always enjoy your contributions.
The aura Chris's Billiards possess has a flavor identical to "this is Ames mister".
Grizzled house-man behind 70's vintage glass counter. Well lit tables dimly illuminating shadowy figures.
100% pool. Zero B.S.
A dusty slightly musty smell permeates the cavernous rooms. Likely emanating from carpet worn with paths not unlike the Sweet Gum Trail in my local forest preserve.
Chairs flank the trails. Rooted securely as Oaks, some crudely repaired in position so as not to disrupt the ambiance.
These pics are not mine. I saved them from a thread on AZ.
I believe the table in the foreground of the second pic is the one I shot on
mcericville
Rack, Break, Run, Repeat
Speaking of Chris's "feeling" as a room, I love how every time I have ever gone up to the front desk to order a coffee or soda, I have the exact same interaction.
Person at desk: Whaddya want?
Me: Can I get a coffee?
Person at desk: Yeah, *nods towards the corner of the counter* go get it
I work at a poolhall in Chicago as well, and if I ever let a customer come behind the front desk I'd get the boot faster than you could imagine.
I love it!
Person at desk: Whaddya want?
Me: Can I get a coffee?
Person at desk: Yeah, *nods towards the corner of the counter* go get it
I work at a poolhall in Chicago as well, and if I ever let a customer come behind the front desk I'd get the boot faster than you could imagine.
I love it!
Update on Chris' Billiards
Chris' is where I started my pool journey about 2.5 years ago. I went there at least 3-4 times a week, trying to learn some shooting skills on crooked tables, ripped/stained felt, and dark rooms. I had to figure out how to work the roll on some of the tables.
Recently (within the past month or two) Chris' came under new management, and they've leveled all the tables in the main room and the tournament room. They've also re-felted all those tables. There is also a sign that says "No 9 ball and 10 ball on Tables 9&10 (Typically the money tables, where "Grady seasons" played Tom Cruise).
They are a joy to play on (well, until the cloth breaks in, skids will happen).
The back party room was untouched (High schoolers and ball bangers usually hang out in that room).
Other than the tables, same stale carpet smells, characters, wall memorabilia, broken crooked house cues, frozen burger/pizza, etc
Now that I'm taking my hiatus from all the BS that is the APA, I'm going to start coming back here. Even if not to practice, I know I can still catch some awesome one pocket games on the money tables.
Chris' is where I started my pool journey about 2.5 years ago. I went there at least 3-4 times a week, trying to learn some shooting skills on crooked tables, ripped/stained felt, and dark rooms. I had to figure out how to work the roll on some of the tables.
Recently (within the past month or two) Chris' came under new management, and they've leveled all the tables in the main room and the tournament room. They've also re-felted all those tables. There is also a sign that says "No 9 ball and 10 ball on Tables 9&10 (Typically the money tables, where "Grady seasons" played Tom Cruise).
They are a joy to play on (well, until the cloth breaks in, skids will happen).
The back party room was untouched (High schoolers and ball bangers usually hang out in that room).
Other than the tables, same stale carpet smells, characters, wall memorabilia, broken crooked house cues, frozen burger/pizza, etc
Now that I'm taking my hiatus from all the BS that is the APA, I'm going to start coming back here. Even if not to practice, I know I can still catch some awesome one pocket games on the money tables.
The pillars make the room for me...they dominate the room more than
any player that's been there.
When I walk in, in my mind I see Cuelemans making history at the carom
table....and Reyes winning the consolation part of that tournament.
I see George Fels playing straight pool and cussin' himself.
I see Don Feeny (the Preacher) running a hundred on the snooker table,
then running a hundred at straight pool, then running over 10 at 3-cushion...
...all on the same day.
I see Joe Diaz at the old Brunswick billiard table, saying to a student...
...in a soft but firm voice.....
"Do not hit a ball hard in my presence."