Pong!

Attention all LESiders! It's time to kick your heroin habits (I assuming this is how everyone manages to be so damn skinny) and get addicted to Pong!

Run by a friendly Canadian named Ben, Pong! is the latest incarnation of GrandOpening. Shockingly, Grand Opening is not a subtle reference to female genitalia. It actually is the theme of the store: a new grand opening every three months. Quite possibly the most labor intensive business idea ever. Apparently, the store started as a barn (not sure what the "store" was), and Pong! is its second incarnation as a ping pong club.

Pong! is building up to a grand tournament against all the ping pong greats of the LES sometime in the next couple of months. While you may not expect great ping pong champions on the Lower East Side, think again. Apparently, one of the club member is nationally ranked and another has been know to beat people playing with his cell phone. I always suspected that many LESiders had spent far too much time in a basement growing up (Disclaimer: I live on the LES and spent far too much time in a basement growing up).

Anyway, despite my general rule to ban all Canadians from the country (I am in favor of all other immigration, I just think we should invade Canada instead), this place is pretty cool. You should definitely check it out if you get the chance.

GrandOpening
139 Norfolk St.
646-478-7689
www.139norfolk.com