Oops, I posted this in the wrong thread.
At last, I am the bearer of good news!
Very pleased to report that Amsterdam Billiards is now open. I dropped by for about forty five minutes this afternoon. I have to give them a rave review for observing safety protocols. Everybody playing was wearing a mask and every other table is out of use to ensure social distancing. The room looked absolutely beautiful, too. I can't say I was surprised by any of this, as Amsterdam Billiards is managed as well as any pool room I've ever frequented. Next time, I'm bringing my cue.
I was delighted to catch up with the owner, the general managers, and I also ran into Thorsten Hohmann there. I had time for a nice chat with each.
For a safe pool playing experience, you can't make a better choice than Amsterdam Billiards. The two things you need to know, however, is that the bar is closed and the room closes every night at the state-imposed time of10:00 PM.
Pool in NYC is back and I plan to play this weekend for the first time since the last week of February 2020. I can't wait.
OK, I just got back from Amsterdam Billiards. First, a correction from my last post. Every table is in use, but limited to a maximum of two players.
I played for about fifteen minutes without an opponent Typically, I shoot pool without an opponent about once a year, but in the near term, I won't have much choice. I played two racks of straight pool and one rack of nine ball. It is difficult to describe how challenging it was to hit my first shots in 11 months, but I took my best shot. I quickly learned that my neck arthritis has worsened since I last shot, but I wasn't going to let that get in the way of my return to the glorious green felt.
In the two racks of straight pool I played, my high run was 10. I did leave a break shot upon completing my second rack, but never shot it. I did manage to get out in two innings in nine ball, running up to the six, missing, and then running out from there. I'm just glad there were no witnesses!
Most importantly, I felt very safe there, as all players and staff were masked.