Club Review : Athletic Club a Place to Work It Out

Since the passing of Hollywood Billiards--the rock ‘n’ roll pool hall on Western that closed after last year’s earthquake--aficionados of the club have had few equally cool options. But in nearby Universal City, the Hollywood Athletic Club might offer some surprising solace.

Less pretentious than its sister club in Hollywood, the Athletic Club offers 18 tables in a setting that’s comfortable despite its upscale feel. Although the deejayed music selection is hip, the unusual location--right in the heart of CityWalk--makes it an all-comers affair. Instead of catering to the starlet wanna-be crowd, Universal’s Athletic Club features a widely varied clientele--the leisure-suit crowd, tourists from around the globe and young Angelenos out to mingle.

Currently, the biggest night is Friday, which for the last three weeks has featured karaoke. The spacious, two-level venue turns into Vegas in Wonderland, complete with multiethnic Elvis impersonators on the mike.

On Thursdays the Athletic Club offers the swing band Big Town 7, which starts out as a trio early in the night before adding a horn section that plays till 1 a.m. On all other nights, a lineup of rotating deejays eyeball the patrons to determine a suitable music selection. On a recent Saturday, that meant the Cranberries, Nancy Sinatra and Janet Jackson, which proved to be an ideal mix for the eclectic crowd.

* Hollywood Athletic Club, CityWalk, No. 208, Universal City. No cover. Billiards $8 per hour and up. All ages until 9 p.m. 21 and over 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (818) 505-9238.