Almon Billiards and Social Club
6050 Almon Street, 454-7665
Turn down an alley on Almon Street and with any luck you’ll run into
the right kind of outlaws and scofflaws.
“Either you know where it is or you don’t,” remarks Dick, an Almon
Billards’s bartender, with raised-eyebrow sarcasm on how to find the
club. Behind him sits a line of pals at the bar attentively watching
Corner Gas, while all the pool tables go untouched.
The cat’s out of the bag.
For a great pool hall, travel about a couple blocks west from Robie
on Almon Street, turn left into parking lot just past an unlit neon
sign reading “Rack n’ Roll.” It’s gloomy and nearly windowless, but
that certainly does not detract from its charm.
Barring mid-week league nights, their 10 tables don’t tend to fill
up. A game will set you back $8.75 with the second hour free, which
trumps some of the better-known pool halls in town.
On Saturday mornings one of the bartenders, Ken, gives free lessons
to novice players. Or you could try your hand at a game of klabberjass
or crazy rummy in the card room. Before too long, you just may be able
to shark and hustle enough for next year’s tuition.
Burke-Gaffney Observatory
Saint Mary’s University, Loyola Residence Building,
496-8257
For those who are looking from some weird science on a Saturday
night, take a peek through the telescope at Halifax’s only observatory.
Atop 22 flights of stairs in the Saint Mary’s Loyola residence you can
take a gander at a star that’s 22 light years away. On clear nights, a
professor and student lead tour groups into a small, red-lit room. A
procession of outer-space lovers will slowly orbit around the telescope
for their chance to look up at the stars, nebulas or Jupiter and its
many moons.
It’s a great way to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s
invention, marking 2009 the International Year of Astronomy or perhaps
just a good spot for a nerdy date.
Tours run every Saturday night in September, weather permitting, and
every first and third Saturday into the fall at either 9 or 10pm
depending on when it gets dark. Be sure to call the observatory’s
information line for tour schedules.
Robyn’s Dairy Bar
6169 Quinpool Road, 422-5217
Amongst behind-the-counter bargain goods and convenience store
fixtures lies the best lemon gelato is six counties, with more citrus
than you can shake a stick at. In fact, it quite often comes with a
verbal warning (danger: sour) to enquiring tasters. But if tart doesn’t
float your boat, they have other flavours too. Big hits peach, cherry,
chocolate banana and blueberry are made from all-natural ingredients in
store.
Lutheran Prayer Garden
2096 Windsor Street
From Robyn’s, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump over to a shady
garden. Adjoining the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Resurrection
on Windsor Street, the one with the oft-clever signs, is a small garden
where you can rest your weary soul, and feet. To find the entrance, go
through the parking lot next door and around back. It’s an all-out
delightful retreat in the depths of the city. Everyone is invited to
enjoy the prayer garden in whatever way suits your fancy.
Alleycat’s Basement Bike Shop
6142 North Street
Two cool cats
decided to get out of the salt mines of the work-a-day world and start
their own underground bike shop (quite literally). The shop is no more
than a basement packed to the brim with bikes, which spill out onto the
sidewalk from a small door.
Alex Trembly and business partner Rian Davidson refurbish mountain,
road, hybrid, kids’ and BMX bikes and scavenge for old bike parts to
build the custom Frankenstein of your dreams. Bikes start at $50 and
tune-ups start at $10, making Alleycat’s a good deal about town. You
can find the shop on North across the street from Lawton’s. It’s open
from 10am to 5pm on weekdays and sporadically on weekends. Get it while
the getting’s good. The shop will close up in October for the
season.
Just as a heads-up to our new students: be sure to have a
helmet—it’s the law in Nova Scotia. And lock your bikes up to ward
off those pesky thieves.
Williams Lake
Across the street from 330 Purcells Cove Road
An afternoon at Williams Lake will make you swoon with Canadian
pride. Loons, canoes and beavers, oh my!
Williams is relatively unsung, so it’s a great way to avoid the
helter-skelter of more popular Chocolate Lake.
If you’re going by bike or car, you can spot a few paths to Williams
Lake along Purcell’s Cove Road, about a five-minute drive past the
Armdale rotary. By bus it’s also easy peasy: Catch the number 15
Purcells Cove that departs from Mumford Terminal next to the Halifax
Shopping Centre. Get off at the third stop after you pass Williams Lake
Road. About 50 feet further down the road from bus stop, there’s an
entrance to a well-trodden path. From there it’s about a three-minute
walk down to the lake. The water is clean, calm and beautiful thanks to
the good stewards with the Williams Lake Conservation Company. In
return, they only ask keep the lake campfire- and litter-free, don’t
feed the ducks and keep away from the loons.
Atlantica Hotel Lounge
Seasons Wine Bar, 1980 Robie, 490-3331
With ever-dwindling venues around town, whether by fire, finances or
threatened by noise complaints, it’s great to see a new door open to
music in Halifax. The Atlantica Hotel Lounge, AKA Seasons, near the
Common where Quinpool Road meets Robie Street, is now planning on
hosting monthly shows.
Seasons bartender Dereck Thibault took on the project of organizing
the new hotel’s first show last month. Brent Randall’s Las Vegas steamy
lounge act aspirations were one step closer to being realized,
alongside the dream team of Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts. More
shows are in the works.
Earlier show times, a central location, a prim and proper atmosphere
and no cover charges could make Atlantica the next cool spot. It also
serves as great alternative for a coffee or an afternoon drink in the
Quinpool area with a spectacular view fit for surveying the crowd. How
film noir.
On Friday nights between 5-7pm, Seasons has a Potini Bar (mashed
potatoes with a variety of toppings, served in a cosmo glass, free when
you buy a drink). If that’s what you’re into.
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2009.