#2019 - Chinook Room, Columbia Inn, Kalama, WA - 1/20/2013

Overheard in the Chinook Room:

"He falls down and gets a 15-yard penalty. I don't think that boy should even be playing ball. Tom Brady is the biggest, little sissy."
"Bill, sometimes you are the biggest dumbshit."

The Columbia Inn and Chinook Room sports bar in back are more interesting on the outside than the inside. The food, drinks, and decor are bland, but you tend to stop for the cool signage and the charming little town.

The population of Kalama peaked in 1874, booming and then declining as the Northern Pacific Railroad created a terminus there, then moved their headquarters to Tacoma. From the 1880s to 1908, the second largest ferry in the world took train cars across the Columbia River from Kalama to Oregon. The ferry is gone but port-related businesses still employ about 1,000 people from the area (the current population of Kalama is around 2,500).

 In 1962, Elvis stayed at the adjacent motel, while driving from L.A. to Seattle to film "It Happened at the World's Fair." A sign on the side of the restaurant notes this and a visit from Jack Benny.

698 Northeast Frontage Road, Kalama, WA - (360) 673-7600
Reviews: yelp - elvishistory