Greeley's first-ever Restaurant Week, Fork Around & Find Out, started on Monday, October 19. That same Monday, the city closed westbound 10th Street from 8th Avenue to 11th Avenue, including the intersections at 8th Avenue and at 10th Avenue. The event runs through Sunday, November 1, so as of this Thursday you have four days left to grab a $15 or $25 special.

The downtown half of the event is more compact than the participant map makes it look. Seven of the participating businesses sit on the 800 block of 9th Street, at just five street numbers. That block runs parallel to the closed stretch of 10th, one street over. It's also where Trick or Treat Street sets up on Friday afternoon.

What Changed on Day One

According to the city's update as reported by North Forty News on October 17, these are the closures that started the week of October 19:

• Westbound 10th Street, 8th to 11th Avenues: closed, including the intersections at 8th Avenue and 10th Street and at 10th Avenue and 10th Street.
• 8th Avenue and 11th Street: partly closed. Northbound drivers on 8th can turn right onto 11th but can't go straight through.
• 9th Avenue, 11th to 12th Streets: still closed, including the 9th Avenue and 12th Street intersection.
• 9th Avenue and 10th Street: reopened for now to keep access to downtown businesses, but set to close again as the work moves along.

The same report says crews have laid about 1,700 feet of new sewer pipe, about five football fields' worth, plus nearly 1,900 feet of water line. That water line is 22% of the project's planned water work. In other words, the Downtown Infrastructure Improvements Project is close to halfway on sewer and still early on water. The fencing will be part of downtown for a while yet. In its September notice, the City of Greeley said businesses, sidewalks and pedestrian access stay open during construction. Some street parking near the work zones can disappear for a while. Schedules depend on the weather and change often, so check the city's Downtown Infrastructure page before you head out.

Seven Businesses at Five Street Numbers

Visit Greeley lists 38 participating locations. Nineteen are downtown, 11 are on the west side, seven are in the University District and one is on the east side. Downtown has half the total, and the busiest single block is 9th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Here's what the official specials sheet lists for that block:

Tres Amigos is the newest name on the block, and this is its first Restaurant Week. The Greeley Tribune reported that it soft-opened May 19 in the space that used to be Luna's Tacos & Tequila. Its fajitas for two is one of the few $25 specials on the block made for sharing.

The other advantage of this block is that you can stack stops. A Spotlight breakfast, a Smokin' Dave's brisket sandwich for lunch and cocktails at 477 Distilling after dinner are all within a few doors of each other, and you only park once.

The Rest of Downtown Sits Closer to the Fencing

The other downtown participants are spread across a wider area, and a few of them sit right where this week's closures are.

Austin's American Grill is at 1100 8th Avenue, on the corner where northbound drivers on 8th are now forced to turn right onto 11th. Its $15 options are chicken pot pie, the Buffalo Joe or a Cobb salad, and the $25 option is three courses for one. Coming from the north, plan on that right turn and a short loop back.

Ellie's Corner - Pie Shop and Bakery is at 920 9th Avenue, a few steps from the 9th Avenue and 10th Street intersection, which the city reopened for now but plans to close again. Its $25 four-pie sampler, plus sales tax, is a good one to pick up this week while that corner is still easy to drive to.

Up on 8th Avenue and 8th Street, the specials lean toward a night out:

• Aunt Helen's Coffee House, 800 8th Ave., Suite 101. The $15 options are Mediterranean Eggs Benedict with Grapes, a French Dip with pasta salad, or a five-pastry bakery box. The $25 option is a ten-pastry box.
• Kress Cinema & Lounge, 817 8th Ave. Two movie tickets and a charcuterie board for $25, or two house cocktails, beers or wines for $15.
• Pinocchios PRIME, 804 8th St. A $25 surf and turf with an 8-ounce sirloin, five sautéed shrimp, a side, salad and homemade bread.
• Meeker's: A Colorado Kitchen, 919 7th St. For $25, a Signature Meeker's Salad or Bison Chili, then a Sweet-Heat Quarter Pounder or Cajun Salmon, then Chef John's Famous Key Lime Pie.

Farther east, the beer and spirits stops are well clear of the construction. WeldWerks Brewing Company, at 508 8th Avenue, has a $15 burger with a beer or nonalcoholic drink. Wiley Roots Brewing Co., at 625 3rd Street, offers a flight plus a can to go for $15, or a pint plus a four-pack of your choice for $25. Syntax Distillery and Cocktail Bar, at 700 6th Street, pairs one or two signature cocktails with a cold appetizer for $15 or $25.

Parking When 10th Street Is Off the Table

If you usually get downtown by way of 10th Street, you'll need another route this week. The parking itself is easy. The Downtown Greeley parking page lists more than 2,000 free two-hour spaces. Parking is free after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend, and two lots are free all day: 902 7th Avenue and 606 10th Street. Every remaining day of Restaurant Week is either a weekday evening or a weekend, so street parking near 9th Street is free for any dinner stop through Sunday.

A simple plan for a Thursday or Friday night:

1. Use 8th Avenue from the north, or come in on the east side of downtown, so you stay off the closed westbound stretch of 10th.
2. Park in the free lot at 902 7th Avenue, or take any open street space after 5 p.m.
3. Walk to the 800 block of 9th Street and pick your stops there.
4. Finish at Kress Cinema on 8th Avenue if the $25 movie-and-charcuterie deal is on your list.

Half the Event Isn't Downtown

The other 19 locations are mostly on the west side and in the University District, and none of them deal with downtown fencing. The SEASONing KBBQ at 2118 35th Avenue opened in late July, according to the Greeley Tribune's August roundup. Its $25 Korean BBQ Prix Fixe comes with an appetizer, 8 ounces of meat, sides and a mochi ice cream.

Out on the west side, Crabtree Brewing Company at 2961 W. 29th Street offers four half-pints for $15, or two pints plus a four-pack to go for $25. At 4111 Centerplace Drive, After Hours Cocktail Bar has two cocktails and an appetizer for $25, and Out Of The Blue has two entrées with two coffees or sodas for $15. Coyote's Southwestern Grill on W. 9th Street Drive has a $25 "Lunch for Two" with any two taco entrées and two fountain drinks.

Every one of these businesses chose to take part. The City of Greeley said participants paid a $350 fee to fund the event's marketing. In return, they got a Visit Greeley listing and social media promotion. The Greeley Tribune reported that Matt Estrin, owner of 477 Distilling and Oak & Maple, hoped for two things: a quick bump in sales, and longer-lasting buzz that brings customers back. For the downtown half, a lot of that second goal depends on how people get through the fencing this week.

Friday, the Same Block Gets Trick-or-Treaters

On Friday, October 30, Downtown Greeley hosts Trick or Treat Street from 4 to 6 p.m. at the 8th and 9th Street Plazas, with candy stops at downtown businesses and spooky activities. Trick-or-treating wraps up right at dinnertime, around the same Restaurant Week tables, with free evening parking. Later that night, Moxi Theater lists Underseer Halloween Eve at 7 p.m.

The city's project page says scheduled downtown events will go ahead as planned during construction. The rest of the fall calendar leans on the same part of downtown:

• First Friday Art Walks, November 6 and December 4, 5 to 8 p.m., with art and performances inside downtown businesses, per the Greeley Creative Arts Center.
• Greeley Winter Farmers' Market, indoors at Zoe's Café & Events, 715 10th St., 9 a.m. to noon on November 7 and 21 and December 5 and 19, per the City of Greeley.
• WinterFest, Saturdays from November 28 through December 12 at Lincoln Park and 9th Street, with Light Up Lincoln, Holiday Lane and Santa photos, per Downtown Greeley.

WinterFest's footprint includes 9th Street, the same street that's carrying downtown's Restaurant Week deals this week.

Robert Crow tracks the details that shape life in downtown Greeley, from which corners are open this week to which blocks the holiday crowds will fill next. If you live near downtown and want to know how this stretch of construction could shape your home's story when you decide to sell, Robert Crow can put together a free home valuation and a tailored marketing plan.