Nightlife Picks
ITriple Crown season brings it out in me. Though
I'm rarely awake in the afternoon to watch the races,
the night before the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the
Belmont Stakes, I make it a point to find an Off
Track Betting establishment and engage in some modest
wagering on the ponies. Horse racing--the Sport of Kings,
even if you approach it by way of its royal underbelly.
Off-track betting (OTB) parlors are lounges outfitted with
a barrage of simulcasts showing various horse and dog races
around the country (and for those interested in betting
on the yapping cur, my advice: Play Keno). Place bets (as
little as $2, which I recommend) with a clerk, then sit
back and watch. Portland has a few OTB locations where I've
loitered over the years. Way back, it was out at Portland
Meadows. Right now, even though the horses don't race there
until October, the track still runs a bar with OTB. But
with no live ponies at the moment and popular interest in
the sport running dangerously low, Portland Meadows seems
like something of a "ghost ship." At least, that's what
a former track parking attendent told me recently at the
low-key Jockey Club on North Killingsworth Street
(PBR, no OTB).
Of course, there's always the Rialto: cavernous
pool hall, pinball paradise upstairs, and something else
altogether in the way-below. Unkempt men slump, eyes glazed,
attempting to will their bets to come on, come on now,
coME ON, COME ON NOW, COME ON, THAT'S IT! COME ON, THat's
it, come on and pay! Then the whole sordid lot goes
back to their Racing Forms. A great spot for those
on the hunt for unpretty sights. Also worth noting: The
Rialto basement is a known hangout of ex-wrestler Billy
Jack. If you see him, don't talk to him.
For a less desperate scene, try St. Johns' Chinese restaurant
and OTB parlor, The New Portland Rose. Boozers and
bettors enter the lounge from the parking-lot entrance in
the rear (cool), with the option of taking the scenic shotgun
route through the adjacent Bluebird Tavern, where
tourists can note bad skin and torn flannel--and just keep
walking, man, just keep walking. Navigate the dumpster by
the doorway into the lounge, a small, comfortable space
with sparkling gold wallpaper and an impressive collection
of hanging wind chimes over the bar (absolutely not for
sale). No one in the cozy OTB annex looks like this is their
last stop on life's great bus ride. So get thee to the New
Portland Rose before June 10 and bet on the Belmont. Picks
to Win, Place and Show: Fusiachi Pegasus, Aptitude
and Captain Steve. And you're off.
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ATTRACTIONS:
Portland Meadows
1001 N Schmeer Road, 285-9144
OTB usually between 9:30 am and 10 pm Wednesday-Sunday;
varies slightly
according to race schedules.
Rialto Poolroom Bar & Cafe
529 SW 4th
Ave.,
228-7605
3-10 pm daily
New Portland Rose Restaurant
8728 N Lombard St., 286-2815 (OTB parlor: 240-9775)
Approx. 10 am-10 pm daily
COMEDY LISTINGS:
Patrick Spring, James Heneghen
Stand-up at PDX's
leading laff shack
Harvey's Comedy Club
436 NW 6th Ave.,
241-0338
8 pm Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday,
8 and 10:30 pm Friday, 6:30, 9 and 11:30 pm Saturday,
June 7-11
$8-$10
ComedySportz Laffz 2 Victory!
1936 NW Kearney St., 236-8888
9 pm Friday, 7:30
and 9:30 pm Saturday,
June 2-3
$10, $9 w/ can of
food for the Oregon Food
Bank
Art Krug
Has appeared on television!
Bradford's Down Under Inn
2752 NE Hogan Road, Gresham, 274-0019
7:30 pm Saturday,June 10
$5
Brainwaves Improv Group
"Making Portland audiences laugh."
1516 SW Alder St.,
796-9550
8 pm Tuesday, June 13
$7
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Willamette Week | originally
published May 10,
2000
|
