Leaving Wichita

Two final shots from Wichita. After leaving Rumors, I decided to check in at Club Billiards (above), Wichita's classic old-time pool hall. It was a little after 11PM when I got there, and they were in the midst of closing. Two men were finishing a game of snooker. I said hello to the bartender and snapped a quick photo from the very back of the room (click here to see a reverse angle. Yes, it's pretty much the same shot twice). As I was walking out I realized somebody else had just arrived who noticed me taking pictures and recognized me. It was the second place winner from the 3-ball competition at Rumors, where I had in fact noticed his Club Billiards shirt. I thanked everybody, profusely praised the "classicness" of Club Billiards, and promised to return.

Then on back to the Alibi Room, where two people were playing a fast-paced game of pool. I always like to support recently opened bars and so I was happy to see that it had picked up from the previous night, when hardly anybody wanted to play. The owner/manager even recognized me. I gave him my card, told him to check out my blog and said I'd like to take a few pictures to show how big the space was. This guy on crutches was a pretty good player, readily agreeing to bank the 8-ball. It was the last game I played in Wichita, and I messed it up when I sent a cross corner bank an additional rail into the wrong corner pocket. It looked impressive, but it wasn't what I called.