Pool in the Flatiron District

Two noteworthy pool halls are located on 21st Street, on opposite sides of Fifth Avenue. The dichotomy of the two places, located so close to one another, is pretty amazing. One is Broadway Billiards Cafe (at 10 E.). I've only been there a handful of times. But at $4.00 per hour, their rates are some of the cheapest in town. It's a no-frills pool hall with a lot of well-worn character. Some cool memorabilia hanging from the green walls, flourescent lighting, and a couple ping pong tables tucked away in the back. A real pool player's pool room. (Click here to read one player's speculation that it is a decscendent of Ames.)

On the other hand there's Slate (54 W.), whose presence I was only vaguely aware of until recently. I had walked by there one night a few years ago and saw people playing pool but dismissed it because it was too upscale for my taste. The place popped back into memory several months ago when skimming through Jeanette Lee's book (she mentions playing at Chelsea Billiards, Slate's predecessor). I was in the area last week, not looking for it, when I spotted its banner outside. So I went in for a look. Just like I remembered, very upscale, very elegant, very chic. There are six black-felted tables on the main level and and probably 20 or so green-felted tables in the basement. But Slate's eight or so ping pong tables seemed grossly out of place. It was a Thursday afternoon and only one pool table was being used. One of the players told me there's a "lunch special" for $10.00. Not sure of the details, but it sounds pretty pricey (unless it actually includes food).

The first two photos are from Slate, this last one is from Broadway Billiards Cafe.