Shuffling along in North Portland.

As a Greeley Avenue regular, you have probably stumbled past the 22 foot long monstrosity in the middle of the bar a few times. While it may look like a butcher block on steroids, it is actually a shuffleboard table. Not long ago that Tavern Shuffleboard was a very popular pastime, with a number of leagues all across town.

It’s a fun game once you know the basics, and in this blog post, we are going to teach you how to play.

Greeley Avenue’s regulation size shuffleboard table.

There are actually several different shuffleboard games that can be played, so we are only going to cover the most popular, which is Knock Off. 

(Before you play, you will first have to ask your favorite bartender for the shuffleboard weights. If he/she gives you a blank stare, just roll your eyes and ask for the “pucks”.)

Shuffleboard Weights.They also make highly durable paperweights.

The rules to Knock Off are pretty simple.  

A match between two people is played to 15 points; if you’re playing doubles, the match goes to 21.

A match starts with a coin flip. Then, you and your opponent take turns sliding all your weights from one end of the board to the other. The object is to make it to the highest scoring area of the shuffleboard without falling off the end of the board or into the alley. In order to score, your weights need to be the farthest down the board. Important note: only one color can score per round. Whichever player/team that scores during the round shoots first in the following round, with the opposing player/team receiving the “hammer”. Players continue playing rounds until one player or team reaches 15 or 21 points. (It is an unspoken rule that the loser of the match buys the next round.)

Scoring example

Strategy comes into play as you either knock off your opponent’s weights, out distance them, or use your weights to protect your highest scoring weights. In shuffleboard vernacular, this is known as “putting pants on”.

There are two ways to “shoot” a weight. One way is freehand, with your fingertips on the top edge of the weight and the weight in the center of the board. Real shuffleboard players, however, shoot from the edge of the table. With a bit of practice, you can learn to control the speed and direction of your weight and even make it curve around your opponents weights.

Classic freehand shooting style. (Usually performed by novice players.)

Shuffleboard Lingo

Foul Line – the line just a few feet ahead of the shooter. At either end of the board All weights must cross the foul line. 

Hammer – the last weight used in each round. It is usually an advantage to have the hammer, but if you have the hammer at the end of every round, it means you are losing.

Hanger – a shuffleboard weight that is hanging over the edge of the end of the table. This is good for one bonus point.

Lag – to slide your weight slowly down the length of the board to gauge the speed of the board.

Putting Pants On – to protect your higher scoring weights from being struck by your opponent.

Wax – the granular substance on the shuffleboard table. (Most people think this is sand or salt.) Wax helps the weight slide more easily down the board, and the table should be waxed every so often between matches.

Weight – A weighted Red or Blue object with which the game is played. Erroneously called a “puck”. 

The granular substance on the shuffleboard is actually wax, not sand.

Make Greeley Avenue home field for NFL Sunday

If you’re a football fan, you know the feeling. It starts bright and early Sunday morning with an almost manic urge to find the tv remote control. This in turn is followed by a mad dash to the kitchen to make sure there is enough food and liquid refreshment on hand to last through the day. Finally, there is the made scroll through the tv listings in search of the Big Game. 

You don’t have to be a Seahawks fan to love Greeley Avenue.
Heck, we’ve even known to make Ravens fans feel at home.

It’s called Sunday Football Fever. And while there is no cure for it, there is help. Greeley Avenue Bar and Grill.

Greeley Avenue is NoPo’s home field for Sunday Football. Each week, pigskin prognosticators and neighborhood locals gather around their favorite widescreen to cheer on the team of their choice. With 11 widescreens to choose from, you can catch all your favorite teams with little more than a turn of your head.

Nothing beats the excitement of a crowded sports bar on Sunday morning!

Naturally, the Seahawks always draw a crowd, and are often front and center on the Big Screen. That’s not to say that other fans aren’t welcome also. Have a special game you’d like to see? Just ask  your favorite bartender and they’ll do their best to get it on a screen for you. Say “pretty please” and they might even turn the volume up for you. You wouldn’t want to miss a beer commercial.

Speaking of beer, Greeley has all your favorites on tap, including a rotating selection of 16 brews that can be found on our Taps List.

Enjoy NFL Sunday Breakfast while you cheer on your favorite team.

Of course, this being Greeley Avenue Bar & GRILL, football isn’t the only main attraction on Sunday. Greeley also boasts the best gridiron grub in NoPo, with a variety a NFL Big Breakfast Specials. Other food and drink specials are posted on the giant chalkboard just inside the door. 

So why limit yourself to a local market game or two at home, when you can catch all the League action along with your friends at Greeley Avenue?

Come early – the parking lot fills fast on Sunday!

Thanksgiving traditions endure at Greeley Avenue

Ask North Portlanders to name their favorite holiday tradition, and no doubt you will hear “Thanksgiving Day at Greeley Avenue.” There’s a good reason for that. For the past 11 years, Greeley Avenue has been serving up NoPo’s favorite Thanksgiving feast. Credit goes to head chef Denise Morris, who has handling the chore single handedly for the past several years. “I think I look forward to it almost as much as the customers do,” says Denise.

When it comes to Denise’s Thanksgiving dinner, anticipation is the word of the day. As Denise explains, “Customers start asking about it in October”.

Greeley’s famous Thanksgiving feast would make your mom jealous, and includes all the traditional favorites: roasted turkey, homemade stuffing and gravy, green bean casserole almandine, cranberry sauce and Hawaiian rolls. Most of which is made right on the premises. 

Denise’s homemade stuffing is a holiday favorite.

Thanksgiving Day starts bright and early for Denise. Says Denise, “The turkey takes a few hours to cook, plus I have to make all stuffing, gravy and casserole. All told, about 10 hours go into preparing the meal, including the shopping.”

Roasted turkey, fresh from the oven.

Dinner is served right around 12 noon and always sells out quickly. “A lot of our customers like to get their dinner to go,” explains Denise, “others like to enjoy it along with the big NFL games on the Big Screen.” 

Homemade Thanksgiving dinner waiting to be served.

If you missed it this year, don’t despair. Denise will be back in the kitchen again in a few weeks preparing Christmas dinner. You’ll want to add that to your list of favorite holiday traditions, too.

When it comes to the environment, Greeley is not just blowing wind.

If you’re a regular at Greeley Avenue Bar & Grill, you may have noticed the small certificate on the wall recognizing the pub’s commitment to clean, sustainable energy.

Last year’s certificate shows how Greeley Avenue is doing it’s part to keep Oregon green.

Like many small businesses, Greeley is doing its part to reduce is carbon footprint by purchasing electricity from clean, renewable sources. In Greeley’s case, that would be Wind power.

Clean Wind certificates support the development of renewable energy throughout Oregon.

There are several benefits to renewable energy. For one, unlike fossil fuels, wind power produces no greenhouse gas emissions, which help reduce some types of air pollution. Using renewable energy also reduces our dependence on imported fuels, such as oil.

But perhaps the greatest benefits to using renewable energy are the health benefits. The air and water pollution produced by coal and natural gas plants is linked with breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, and other issues that can ruin your day. 

Contrary to what you might have heard from other “experts:, wind power actually provides several health benefits.

Just as important, wind power generating systems require essentially no water with which to operate, thus they don’t pollute our precious water resources or compete with agriculture, drinking water, or other important needs.

So the next time you’re at Greeley Avenue, be sure to raise a glass to wind power.

Greeley Avenue keeps the good times on tap with three new pinball machines

There is something about pinball machines that sets them apart from video games. For some, pinball machines are playable works of art. And unlike video games that can become somewhat predictable, a pinball bounces differently every time, making each game excitedly different.

Whether you a novice player or a pinball wizard, you will be pleased to learn that the Greeley Avenue Bar & Grill has three new pinball games that are sure to have you dipping into your laundromat quarter stash.

The Simpsons Pinball Party

Cowabunga, dudes! The Simpsons Pinball Party is here!

It can be no surprise that a show as popular as The Simpsons might one day inspire its own pinball machine, and it has.

The artwork is fantastic and was created by the same folks that brought you The Simpsons tv show. All your favorite Simpsons characters take part in the game, including Itchy & Scratchy, Bart, and even Homer himself. Doh! You’ll even recognize some of the voices from the show – how great is that?! Even the bumpers have been turned into nuclear power plants! Drop a quarter and you’re welcomed by the Simpson’s theme song.

A great game for all Simpsons fans.

AC DC

Hells Bells, the new AC DC game rocks!

If you’re a fan of pinball and an AC DC fan, this is the game for you. The game features 12 full AC/DC songs, which are built into the scoring for certain shots. For instance, Hells Bells plays when you nail the big bell in the center of the playing field.

The scoring can get complex as you get deeper into the game, and you’ll find that a little strategy definitely pays off. Unlike a lot of pinball games, this one requires you to constantly use your noggin as the game progresses. That said, however, even beginners can enjoy the game because the basics are easy to understand.

Golden Tee Golf

Golden Tee sits atop the leaderboard in golf games.

It may not be Spring time, but golf season is in full swing at Greeley Avenue with a brand new version of Golden Tee. High definition graphics and an amazing variety of options put Golden Tee atop the leader board in golf video games. And the trackball control is downright addicting.

Play 18 holes of golf for about $4 and compete with other golfers across town or across the country. The trackball is addicting.

Test your skill by competing in live national tournaments.

So, you’re a lousy golfer you say? No worries. You can always medicate yourself with Greeley’s great beer selection. Meet you at the 19th hole.

Paint and Pints do mix. They just taste kind of funny together.

If you thought Greeley Avenue was a great place to soak up sports, think again. It’s also become the spot to release your inner artist, courtesy of our very own Erica Peebus.

Many of you probably recognize Erica from behind the bar. But when she’s not busy pouring a draft, she can often be found pouring her soul into her latest work of art.

Erica Peebus. Bartender Extraordinaire and Paint & Pints Hostess.

For the past couple of months, she’s been teaching a monthly painting class at our sister pub, Yukon Tavern. It’s proven such a hit, that she’s now sharing Paint & Pints right here at Greeley Avenue. 

In three hours time, Erica will teach you how to transform a blank canvas into something worthy of the Museum of Modern Art . (Well, at least a spot above your own mantle.) It might be a still life one month, a landscape the next – the constant variety only adds to the fun! It’s a great way to make new friends and meet other budding artists of legal drinking age.

Paint & Pints is open to painters of all skill levels.

For just $35 – payable the day of class, you will receive all the supplies you need to create your work of art, plus 3 hours of step-by-step instruction. And best of all, you get to keep the your painting when you are done.

Says Erica, “It’s really great to see people surprising themselves at how good they are at painting.”

Erica’s personal step-by-step instruction will help you release your inner Van Gogh – without sacrificing an ear.

Even more advanced students can learn from Erica’s personal instruction. So come brush up on the art of perspective, or learn a new brush technique. You just might surprise yourself!

Greeley Avenue’s natural lighting, laid back environment and mouth-watering menu make it an ideal setting in which to host the monthly lessons. And who could have imagined that beer and paint could go so well together?

Saying Good-bye to Greeley Avenue Bar & Grill

Time marches on, and so do I. I’ll be moving to a new city soon. When I get there, I’ll seek out those special places, just like Greeley Avenue Bar & Grill, to kick back, relax, and enjoy watching a game with friends. Still, there are many things I’ll miss, and these are a few of my favorites.

Sports, Sports, Sports!

Greeley has been my favorite courtside seat for seven years. No matter what season or what game is being played, I know I will find a great seat in front of one of Greeley’s twelve big screen TVS. During this year’s NBA playoff season, I met friends at Greeley to cheer on the Portland Trailblazers and I’ll never forget all the times I got to celebrate the many amazing moments during those games.

Delicious Food and Drinks

During those playoffs (and ever game) I know I can count on a great plate of tailgating food and a thirst-quenching drink to wash it down. One of my favorite meals is Greeley’s wing basket. There’s a choice of five different sauces and I’ve had many great debates about which is best—because they’re all so good! Their new CBD drink quickly became a favorite of mine. The Abliss Cranberry Orange flavor is mild and fruity and cools down your mouth after you pop a spicy Buffalo wing in your mouth.

Greeley’s food is legendary in North Portland. Their chefs take a lot of pride in their work and are always upgrading their menu with new choices that will send your stomach into a euphoric stupor. Their weekend breakfasts, in particular, truly shine.

Competitive Action

The competition you’ll find at Greeley Avenue Bar isn’t just viewed on screen. Every week they host Quizzys Bar Trivia and Texas Hold ‘em tournaments. It brings in some regulars that I know and new people who want to get in on the action.

After having called Greeley Avenue Bar my sports haven for nearly a decade, I’ll miss all the fun I’ve had there, but I’ll look forward to visiting again when I’m in North Portland.

Until next time Greeley Avenue Bar & Grill!