Then and Now

Now, I know some pretty good pool players. But I would love to watch these folks play some time. This is a nice photo essay by Brooklyn-based photographer Christopher LaMarca that I came across yesterday while doing some research. He uses a square format camera for his work, which mixes documentary and portraiture. The essay beautifully conveys the seediness of the underground pool hustling scene, one of the "last remaining social clubs of 'Old New York'". LaMarca writes:

It's 4:30 AM inside the Golden Q, a pool hall in Woodside Queens, New York City. I sit and talk with a man who goes by the name Cornbread. He speaks to me about Harlem in the 1950's, the music and the nightlife. To his right is Lefty, an 82-year-old retired police detective who is whispering into the ear of a 17-year-old high school student. The feelings of isolation and intense passion linger like the smokey haze that surrounds the room.

LaMarca ruefully contemplates the rampant gentrification that has turned many pool halls into "flashy sports bars where waitresses serve martinis to the 'after work' crowd" and the rate at which NYC is losing its character. Indeed, the Golden Q Billiard Cafe is no longer. It is now called Play and the joint looks to have been completely gutted and rebuilt. Play features a smoking lounge, bowling alley and a games menu that features, absurdly, Twister, Connect Four, and something called Ghettopoly ("Buying stolen property, pimpin hoes, building crack houses...fun for the entire family!")