Milt live near a place of legends

pwd72s · 04-20-2009, 10:40 AM

Bellflower, California...maybe 15-20 minutes from Milt's home.

http://www.hardtimesbellflower.com/

Zeke · 04-20-2009, 10:51 AM

Don't know about the place in Bellflower, but they've been shooting pool and snooker at Joe Jost's since 1923 here in the LB.

http://www.joejosts.com/

http://www.joejosts.com/panoramic/Pano3.html

Word has it that many pros have stopped in over the years and some legendary games were played after last call and closing.

sammyg2 · 04-20-2009, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

Don't know about the place in Bellflower, but they've been shooting pool and snooker at Joe Jost's since 1923 here in the LB.

http://www.joejosts.com/

http://www.joejosts.com/panoramic/Pano3.html

Word has it that many pros have stopped in over the years and some legendary games were played after last call and closing.

Ah, joe Jost's.
Pickled eggs, pretzels and peppers. Lost many a brain cell there in my youth. They grew back tho ......

pwd72s · 04-20-2009, 10:57 AM

Milt, that does look like a fun bar...with pool tables. Lots of action has happened in places like that.

Hardtimes is more likes "Ames" in the movie "The Hustler"...no bar, no music, no pinball, no dancing girls...just pool.

Both have their place...and both look like places hustlers would enjoy.

mossguy · 04-20-2009, 11:10 AM

Submitted without comment:

Zeke · 04-20-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Milt, that does look like a fun bar...with pool tables. Lots of action has happened in places like that.

Hardtimes is more likes "Ames" in the movie "The Hustler"...no bar, no music, no pinball, no dancing girls...just pool.

Both have their place...and both look like places hustlers would enjoy.

There has never been any of those things at JJ's either. But they have gotten kinda cheesy with all their promotional items. You see Joe Jost t shirts everywhere. Never owned one.

I used to have a fiberglass shop down the alley behind JJ's. I would go there every day for a Joe's Special sandwich and a small Coke. I don't remember what the cost was. The web site says the price went UP to 25 cents in '72. I was doing this in '69, so I guess the sandwich and 8 oz. Coke was something like .30.

I'd stay there for 20-30 minutes each day and each day I picked up on a small part of one of those stories. Lots of old timers would sit in there in the back all afternoon and nurse a beer.

There was always a college crowd in there mixing with the retired guys. Today, the place is located in the middle of the largest Cambodian population center outside of Cambodia. No old timers anymore.

Sorry to hijack the thread, Paul, but places like Hardtimes will bring out memories of all kinds of pool halls.

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

Hard Times Billiards in La Habra CA. must of fallen on hard times. It closed a while back. I think the founder of HT died about the same time it closed.

pwd72s · 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

There has never been any of those things at JJ's either. But they have gotten kinda cheesy with all their promotional items. You see Joe Jost t shirts everywhere. Never owned one.

I used to have a fiberglass shop down the alley behind JJ's. I would go there every day for a Joe's Special sandwich and a small Coke. I don't remember what the cost was. The web site says the price went UP to 25 cents in '72. I was doing this in '69, so I guess the sandwich and 8 oz. Coke was something like .30.

I'd stay there for 20-30 minutes each day and each day I picked up on a small part of one of those stories. Lots of old timers would sit in there in the back all afternoon and nurse a beer.

There was always a college crowd in there mixing with the retired guys. Today, the place is located in the middle of the largest Cambodian population center outside of Cambodia. No old timers anymore.

Sorry to hijack the thread, Paul, but places like Hardtimes will bring out memories of all kinds of pool halls.

Not a hijack at all, Milt....really enjoyed the JJ website. See, it can't ALL be bad in Long Beach! (edit) In this day of websites, maybe somebody should start a "I love this bar" thread....but to my mind, every decent bar should have at least 2 pool tables.

Preferably, NOT beat-up "valley" brand coin-op "bar boxes". They may use 16 balls, and have 6 pockets, but it isn't really pool to me...not on those claustrophobic thing with beer soaked cloth and magnetic cue balls!

Mossguy...boy would I like to watch her play some in that outfit!

Terry...sadly, pool halls, straight old pool halls, are closing all across the country. Victims of indian casinos, video lottery machines, on line gambling, you name it. Being a game that requires time to become good at, people abandoning pool for other things...