The gigantic, multihued pool balls painted on the outside walls of Fat Boy make it clear what the joint is all about. A hub of leisure since 1923 (first as a bowling alley), the space was rechristened a pool hall in 1989, and it's been a Northeast mainstay ever since. Step through the front door (an 8 ball) and you'll find an earnest, no-frills vibe. The two-level, wood-paneled emporium houses 14 pool tables, with two billiard tables and a couple of snooker tables to boot—which means you'll rarely have to wait for a table to open. The rates are agreeable: $5.50 an hour for one player, $8.50 for two or more (with an extra 50 cents tacked on during weekends), but all-day hustlers should go the pay-in-advance Daily Special route: $9.50 to play from noon to 6 p.m. Rest assured, novices: The atmosphere is equally accommodating to seasoned pool sharks and to amateurs who are just as happy shooting the shit as shooting pool.