Sky Club: Send in the Clowns

SKY CLUB
By MITCH LILLIE

Sky Club (50 SW 3rd Ave., 223-1375, skyclubpdx.com) is a stage in a corner. A trapeze and silken strands are suspended from the corner's beams, while hoops and glowing tethered balls whiz around athletic, gender-bent hands in the purplish light. This is Sky Club's aerial circus each Friday and Saturday night. Though reportedly PG-13, there is occasional "Olympic-quality" pole dancing. Queen Ruthie is the former Junior Rose Queen, exotic dancer and ringmaster of this variety show. Once Captain Ankeny's Well, Sky Club hasn't replaced the longtime stopover bar so much as hung up a vinyl sign reading, in Star Trek font, "Sky Club" over the entrance. The staff still pours a respectable dozen or so beers, the vibe is still divey, a plaque above the bar still claims this land in the name of the captain, and the pizza-friendly menu has been reduced but not reformed. The house cocktails are both wacky and unfortunate, but the bar can whip up any popular mixes very well. We can't complain about a classic dive bar with sexy humans flipping out in the corner, and neither should you. 

WWeek 2015

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