New List Time – Pool Halls and memories

[wakeflood]

OK, so as a native of some decades, I’ve got a few memories of some great pool halls in the Seattle area.

Played a few thousand games, had a few thousand pitchers of PBR/Rainier, etc.

Looking for any favorite billiard halls that folks enjoy and any associated stories you might have?

I’ll start with a couple.

The Old:

211 Club – REAL players, great low key atmosphere straight outta’ The Hustler. Fast Eddie Felson would have been right at home.

The Garage:

Started going there right when it opened. Enjoyed the Tuesday night 1/2 price bottled wine night deal. Their wine cellar was better than most of the fine dining establishments at that point…almost as nice as the groups of pretty women that would wander through. ;-)

What the heck, I’ll open the category up to dive bars too but they had to have at least ONE table!

Whatcha’ got friends and neighbors?

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[JanS]

I’ve never been, but..two come to mind…first, The Tug Tavern is transformed, but long ago..dive (some may consider it still a dive. And 2, does anyone remember The Pickwick? Originally in the Junction where Key Bank is now, then to Westwood Village. It’s gone now…right? Oh, and , yes, some would consider the Poggie a dive…

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[JanS]

and does anybody remember Rainy City/Caddyshack in Admiral?

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[shed22]

I have no memories of the joint, but does the Corner Pocket count?

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[twobottles]

Jan,

I’m 55, and to this day, the Caddyshack (where Mission is now)… still the best burger ever :-)

And speaking of dive/pool bars in Admiral… How can we forget the Jigsaw Tavern?

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[JanS]

I was trying to think of that name…I remember the old guys who would sit at the bar and try to pick up young chicks.. I’m talking the guys who would hang there all day..older than you ;-)

One of Admiral’s “dive bars” still exists…the lovely bar at the Yen Wor aka “Young Wh___” ! lol

Wakeflood…how about some pool at the Corner Pocket? Shed22..yeah, it counts :D

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[miws]

The Triangle, as a Dive Bar.

It’s been in its “new” incarnation for over ten years now, and cleaned up, so may no longer qualify as a “Dive”.

I haven’t been there (walk by there often) since the changeover, as I don’t hit the Bars so much anymore, but would occasionally (maybe once, twice a year) hit the place back in the day.

I used to occasionally hit the Pickwick when it was at Westwood (Jan, it’s been gone for likely ten plus years now, ever since the major renovation at Westwood, around 2004-2005), anyway, I’d sometimes go in for a beer, if there was still quite a wait for the bus back Home, and dammit! sometimes I’d miss that next bus, and be forced to order a second pint!

Poggies(!) my Friday after work hangout from the mid-ish ’80’s to early ’90’s.

Have only been to the Corner Pocket maybe once or twice, and many years ago, probably rather early on during their early years. However, the original Tavern there; The Alaska Pipeline (when your Tavern is on a street named “Alaska”, and is in the basement of an old building with exposed pipes overhead, and you can reference something that was rather well-known and new at the time, you can save a lot of money on a false ceiling, by naming the place “The Alaska Pipeline”) was one of my original hangouts after I turned 21.

It opened up, just about a month before I turned 21, in late September of ’79, and I had been curious for several weeks before that, when I’d be at the bus stop across the street in the mornings, and started to see ductwork coming out of the sidewalk.

It was a really nice, clean, place in those early years, and seemed so different from other Taverns/Bars, in that it was brightly lit, (and of course everything was new and not worn out), and they had several little love seat size couches in a cool looking upholstery, and a low slung bar with chairs instead of stools, (they had built a raised floor in that main section of the bar, with the money they saved on a false ceiling).

Plus they served food, other than Tavern Snacks, such as nachos, (seemed like a new concept at the time), and I believe fries, don’t recall if they served burgers at first, but may have served hand-made cold sandwiches.

Oh, and they served there beer in cool (in my young eyes) chilled mugs, (this was before pint glasses became the norm), and I was thrilled one day when I found some beer mugs just like them, and bought four, so would regularly keep at least some of them in my freezer, for those occasions that called for drinking a beer from something other that the can/bottle. Had them for over thirty years, although I think I broke one.

Of course, where West Seattle Dive Bars are concerned, we can’t forget Chuck & Sally’s, where I would also go occasionally over the years. :-)

Mike

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[wakeflood]

Mike, I didn’t get around to hanging a bit at the Corner Pocket until it was well past the fresh prime that you experienced.

It was early/mid 90’s and I would hang there when I wanted to smoke the equivalent of half a pack of Marlboro’s without actually ever lighting one up, if you catch my drift. ;-)

And two bottles, I did drop a couple of cold ones at the Jigsaw as well.

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