Tuesday night-- not a lot going on. I was fixing to settle in for a night of finishing up the Sunday Times and reorganizing my iTunes library, when I noticed it was still light out, beautiful, and I might possibly be able to get a couple of good games in before Hell’s Kitchen. I hadn’t played in a couple of days, so I started putting on my shoes.
 
First stop: Barcade. It was a bit early (not prime time), and the place was practically empty except for a couple playing. I could’ve waited, but based on previous experiences, they would’ve finished their game and said I could have the table, leaving me to wait for an opponent, so I left. Next stop: Redd’s. LEAGUE (quite possibly the most annoying thing to walk into when you’re itching to get a game in, but that’s another story). Art Land. LEAGUE! At that point, I knew there was no way I was going home without playing ONE GAME in this stupid neighborhood. I’d only ever heard about an open PBR bar at Lazy Catfish on Tuesday nights, but I never actually had the energy/patience I knew would be required to check it out. When I got there, it was like I’d stepped back into college. Sure, this is Williamsburg, but COME ON. It was seriously a frat party (and I don’t mean in an UES kind of way—these people were actually ENROLLED in college). As I pushed my way towards the pool table in the back room, I realized I might be making a huge mistake. I considered calling my friend Owen, who lives around corner, to see if he wanted to come keep me company. When I got to the table, there was Owen himself, who greeted me with a hug and said I could play next. Within 5 minutes, I had a cue stick in one hand and a free Pabst in the other. The game went well, though I lost (those plastic cue sticks are slippery! excuses, excuses). I surveyed the room--not a single person over the age of 22 in sight. Feeling like a grandma, I knew I was at the wrong place, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave, because even though the place was packed, the list on the chalkboard was short (and maintained), with the crowd being respectful of the space around the pool table.
 
At the end of it all, I managed to play three games in just over an hour, drank to my heart’s content, and spent a total of $7. And despite the fratty atmosphere, everyone was well-behaved, friendly, and the pool players were GOOD (which explains the short wait time and my losses). I’m not sure that I’ll go back anytime soon, but tonight, it was just tolerable enough, not to mention a great deal. Sometimes, that’s all you can ask for.