Old pool halls vs. modern

Im a smoker, and where I live, there are no pool halls you can smoke in. Honestly, its been over a year now, and I am completly used to it. Doesnt bother me at all. No way I would quit pool before smoking though.

But, my friend does have a perfect 9' Brunswick in his apt. It is a treat to go there and smoke and play now.
 
When are they gonna ban the a*s holes ?

i can understand some of the places that are real smoky, but some have real nice machines that filter and recirculate the air, yes i am a smoker.
i just quit a local trny at the bowling alley in my town that i started, it was sold and new owners made it smoke free, most people that drink are gonna smoke so they have stopped going there also.
it really wasnt that bad because it is in a wide open area.
Now , if the goverment would step in and ban the asshole's and the loud nose blowers(now thats nasty) from public places that would be sweet.
 
Here in the Mid-west we still have Raytown Recreation hangin in there. I became a regular there in the early 90's. THere used to be action there any night of the week, One pocket, Nineball, ring games, Gin, Iron Mike (Video Poker) shhh....
When the Casinos opened in the late 90's The action really took a hit. Which led to the decline of players. The Rec is now open 11 to midnight (unless really busy). The equipment has gone downhill, except for "Big Bertha" and The Verhoeven, and the crowd consists of recreational players. I really dont know how much longer it can stand the test of time.
 
old time pool halls

I can step into an old style pool hall anywhere in the country and I am home. It was like that even when I was just a pup, I still loved the old pool halls. Nothing has changed over the last 35 years except real pool halls are getting rarer by the day. I found a quiet bar with a very ancient and admittedly ratty nine footer to play on and slide that way every few weeks just for old times sake. I am tempted to put a few cardboard beer coasters under a table leg just to make things feel really proper. :)

Hu
 
Old vs New

I feel that if they are done well, a new pool hall can still be great.

Chris' in Chicago, IL, is a great old time pool hall and it has the appeal that it should have and deserves. But just because a place is new, it should be given a chance. Pro-Tyme is a new upscale place in Orland Park, IL, and it feels like a classic even though it is brand new. It doesn't smell or resemble and old time place but it does feel like a great and classy place to play.
 
i just like the old time feel of Chris's on Milwaukee av.in Chicago...they have about 50 tables.when u walk up the stairs to the 2nd floor (it has it's own entrance another store is on the 1st floor) u will be at the counter and main room where TCOM was filmed...then there are 2 other huge rooms.the building i am guessing is about 70 years old.the walls are about 18 inches thick of concrete ...no music in the main room where the serious players are...music is in the other 2 rooms but u do not hear it blairing in the main room because of the wall thickness...the entrances to the other 2 rooms have the clear thick verticle plastic strips like in a warehouse...very large selection of pop,tea,fruit juice ect.then there is fruit,ice cream,grilled sandwiches ect......and Best of all no smoking because it is in Chicago..some people have said or think that it's in a so called Bad neighborhood...i disagree....just serios pool players here no trouble makers allowed..BUT remember anything CAN happen anywhere these days...i have been there till amost midnight on saturdays and alot of college age kids are here and walking ouside...it's not the cleanest place that's for sure.. But if u want an old place with nostalgia with lots of action it's a great place..i was disappointed in the lack of accessories that they sell...only a few bare bones items for sale....also i never had a problem finding a parking space at a meter on the street.(no pay at the meter after hours) which is nice as Chicago can eat your wallet when it comes to paying for parking at certain places...
 
bsmutz said:
... I do remember one night many, many years ago my buddy and I were loaded on acid and the room was packed. I found half a joint lying on the window sill by our table, so we fired it up right there. ...
Click to expand...

Ahhh, sounds like fun! The days of youth, oh, to revisit them with that perspective:eek:
 
I've played Julians and Chelsea in NYC and Chris's in Chicago. Gotta say there's nothing like the feel of an old time pool hall.

My local hall was a little joint with 12 tables run by "Rocky". He was a 9-ball pro with some success but not enough to be famous. We'd hit there three or four nights a week and have the place to ourselves. That is until the "Color of Money" came out. Then the tables were jumpin. Good for Rocky financially but not good for us regulars.

Rocky sold out to some boob named Junior who really took the hall to the "kids". Loud music, cut down league nights and most of the tourneys and made it tough to actually enjoy a game of pool.

Junior folded after a couple years and the place is a Chinese restaurant now.

The hall I shoot at now went smoke free a few years ago before the NYS ban. I have to admit I enjoy that. I don't begrudge smokers their freedom but it is kind of nice going home and not smelling like an ashtray.

The music is basically a local radio station and kept at a resonable level except on League nights then it's off.

Locals know Fridays the place is mobbed with the kids from the college and Saturdays are full of teen and pree teen youngsters.

The place is clean, well lit, and reasonably priced. It's in a shopping center so there's plenty of parking and security isn't a problem.

Not sure which is better. I know I shoot more now than I did then but that may just be opportunity.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Doc
 
Can't say I miss Julians pool room, which was next door to one of the last of NYC's great discotheques, the Palladium. They closed around the same time, both because time had passed them by.

Still, I had some great times at both.
 
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