SOMETIMES, the best thing about going to bars isn't the alcohol but the activities. So, this week I moseyed on over to the Old Wagon Saloon and Grill on San Pedro Square to see what kind of games they had to keep me busy. To occupy the inebriated, the Old Wagon Saloon offers what used to be a bar staple: shuffleboard. The game requires teams of two to test their skills against each other in the fine art of pushing metal discs down a table.

I brought along a friend who is known for being pushy, and we signed up to play. It's a simple enough game; you try to get four metal discs as close to the end of the table without falling off. The shuffleboard table is about 20 feet long and about 2 feet wide. Points are awarded for how close you are to the end of the table and how many discs are past those of your opponents. The first team to 15 wins.

This was only our second time playing, and we were able to hold our own, but sadly, our more experienced rivals were able to scrape by in the end and beat us by a hair. There was a lot of shouting and name-calling going on, but it was all in good fun. It's an entertaining game; you don't have to really have any skills; and it gets you talking to interesting strangers.

The Ballpark Sports Bar and Grill

2531 Newhall St., Santa Clara; 408.244.0293

The Checkered Flag Bar

803 Lincoln Ave., San Jose; 408.271.1880

Dave and Buster's

940 Great Mall Dr., Milpitas; 408.957.9215

Ike's Lounge

3075 Driftwood Dr., San Jose; 408.379.7137

The Lounge

2368 Pruneridge Ave., Santa Clara; 408.244.4600

Normandy House Lounge

30 Washington St., Santa Clara; 408.244.1937

Old Wagon Saloon and Grill

73 N. San Pedro St., San Jose; 408.971.9346

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