What better way to spend a pleasant Saturday afternoon that taking in a game of outdoor pong?  That’s what Crispus and I had in mind when we headed to Hook ‘n Ladders in Murray Hill.  The bar allegedly had three outdoor tables where “Dartmouth style” pong was prevalent.  Dartmouth style involves dexterously sinking balls into full cups with sawed off ping pong paddles, a more fun, and ultimately superior form of pong to pedestrian “Beirut” you see on most campuses or college bars.  There are many variations, and I’ve made up some of my own, including World Cup Pong, Vietnam Pong (the foundational game in the Panarchy Epic Pong Series) and King of the Mountain.

Unfortunately, this bar seems to have met it’s demise. Hook ‘n Ladders is now a decisively boarded up, shut down institution, and features a warning sign for “Hazardous Gas Cylinders”.   Not sure what that could be, but it sounds like the risk you run when you sell $2 beers and allow drinking games at your bar.   The search for a bar where we can play a nice game of ship continues.