metropolitan often gets overlooked along the vast lorimer stretch, but i serendiptiously rediscovered it this evening when david, the captain of my former pool league, suggested we meet there for a couple of games and some bourbon. neither of us were crazy about the games we had previously played there, but convenience of location was ultimately the deciding factor.  the bar turned out to be surprisingly peaceful, and we immediately noticed that the pool table had been re-felted (just last week). our couple of games evolved into 5 (of which i won 2), and david and i agreed that the table was an absolute dream to play on. usually i find the lighting to be slightly dim, and the table a little too close to the entrance, but tonight, everything came together and made sense. thank you, metropolitan.  we'll be back soon.

P.S. the beloved metropolitan sunday bbqs start memorial day weekend!

Congratulations to Jamie for winning this month's tournament! Reclaiming his title from September's tournament, Jamie is definitely one to watch out for. Did I mention that he won the championship game with 7 shots off the break?! I took some time to ask him about how he became the amazing pool player he is today. Here's what he had to say:

Hey Jamie! When did you first start shooting pool?

I started shooting pool when I was 10 or 11 years old. A friend had a pool table in his basement. When I moved to the city, I had only played pool a handful of times in the last 20 years.

What got you back into it?

it's a beautiful day for a game at redd's. sure, the list/wait has been getting increasingly longer recently, but you gotta love it-- APA rules (default), stiff (but friendly) competition, and they JUST refelted. we suspect a couple of new cue sticks are floating around too. cheap drinks. no pretense. even the annoying weekend crowd has become less annoying! what more could you ask for?

once upon a time, billiardsburg called East River Bar one of the worst, if not THE WORST place to shoot pool in all of the land. even though the games there were free, the table wasn't level, had significant water damage, and was located in an EXTREMELY dimly lit room. you had to get the balls and cue sticks from the bartender, and all that stuff was messed up too. then, one day, everything changed. a pristine table arrived and things looked hopeful...only, the table now cost $1.50 and was still located in an EXTREMELY dimly lit room. it was infuriating.

oh, supreme trading... WHAT HAPPENED? we first noticed it a few months ago-- the gates down, the yellow neon automobile sign unlit... we didn't want to believe it. once the site of the billiardsburg launch party, insound pre-siren bash, and many an epic happy hour...named "best pool spot" by billiardsburg and always such a friendly and accomodating staff...it seems that supreme trading has closed its doors permanently. SIGH...

that's RIGHT.  we're expanding the map to greenpoint.  hey, williamsburg is TIRED. stay tuned...

on the FRONT PAGE of the daily news today!  however, we were on top of this way back when.

it never usually occurs to me to go the abbey. it's definitely got cred, being one of the oldest establishments in williamsburg (old = existing pre-2003), but i guess i've always associated it with pinchy old men and trucker caps (same goes for turkey's nest, come to think of it). but, upon the suggestion of a few abbey regulars, i ended up there last monday night-- free pool night. to my surprise, it wasn't too crowded, the list on the board was manageable, and the games were competitive and friendly. i'd recommend checking it out, but be sure to get there before 10 to avoid a longer wait. i stopped in a couple days ago and learned that the abbey just re-felted their table THIS WEEK. the once dead bumpers are now pleasantly bouncy and everyone LOVES it. i'd like to think billiardsburg had something to do with all of this.

Billiardsburg is featured in the current issue of Block Magazine!  Check it out, and thank you for your support.

it's no secret that the levee is our favorite spot in billiardsburg (and many agree). as we've said before, the table is in a nice spot in the back, there's usually a steady stream of solid players, the bartenders are friendly and serve cheap drinks, and it's the perfect spot for a lazy sunday afternoon tournament. our only complaint previously was their array of crappy cue sticks, which were then replaced by brand new ones a couple months ago. this week, they re-felted the table.  THAT, my friends, is a bar that CARES.

to the rest of the billiardsburg joints: PLEASE TRY HARDER.