Est. 1996 - Building constructed 1948 - Closed Jan 7, 2024
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
#876 - The Caroline Tavern, Seattle (Lake City) - 8/24/2009
The Caroline is a nifty little neighborhood place that's been operating in the middle of nowhere since prohibition. It is said to have once been visited by Will Rogers, and now caters -- as one imagines it always has -- to a pleasant cross-section of ages, ethnic groups, and subcultures.Historical notes: There is no doubt that the Caroline is one of the 20 to 30 oldest bars in Seattle. The Caroline itself includes mentions of a start date in 1933, and this Seattle PI blog entry states that "The Polk directory shows the Caroline at that address at least as early as 1937." However, I'm pretty confident that this is mistaken, and that while the bar may possibly date back to 1933, it was at a location on Victory Way (now Lake City Way) until approx. 1940.
In the late 30s and early 40s the Caroline was owned by Mrs. Mary McNulty. The 1937 Seattle Polk guide includes no mention of the Caroline or McNulty, but the 1936 through 1939 telephone directories list the Caroline Tavern or a tavern under Mary McNulty at 12341 Victory Way (now Lake City Way). The buildings currently around this address date back to the 40s, so this structure probably no longer exists. Then in 1940 the telephone directories and eventually the Polk Guide begin to list the Caroline Tavern, Mary McNulty, or both at the current address. It is not unusual for Seattle directories of the time to be missing bars that are so far out from downtown, and I would not at all be surprised to see the that the Caroline does indeed date back to 1933 (although not likely at the current address). However until I see this from some primary source, I will list it as "1936 or earlier."
13702 15th Ave NE., Seattle, WA 98125-3102 - (206) 362-9879
Est. 1940 or earlier at this address, 1936 or earlier at previous address
pi lake city blog - yelp - the stranger
Sunday, August 23, 2009
#875 - V Bar, Seattle (Belltown) - 8/22/2009#873 - Tony Starlight's, Portland - 8/8/2009
3728 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland OR 97232
tonystarlight.com - myspace - portland tribune - willamette week - neighborhood notes - barflymag - yelp
#872 - Dancing Bare, Portland - 8/7/2009
Of course I did not go here voluntarily. It was those horrid Portland TikiKon people who dragged us in, and I just had to suffer.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
#871 - Kenton Club, Portland, OR - 8/7/2009
The Kenton Club is a very nice neighborhood spot with good live music, no cover, and an amiable mix of hipsters and grizzled, white-bearded oldsters. The "world famous" part apparently comes from its use in the Racquel Welch movie "Kansas City Bombers." I visited the KC during the secret crawl portion of TikiKon VII Speakeasy event, and while we didn't exactly fit in, the back patio was quite welcoming.2025 N Kilpatrick St., Portland, OR 97217 - (503) 285-3718
myspace - yelp
#869 - Buffalo Wild Wings, Portland, OR - 8/7/2009
This is a chain sports bar, it was close to my hotel, and I knew what I was getting into, so if I'd just stuck with the sports bar food and beer, I would have been perfectly fine. But a berry margarita sounded refreshing, and thus I ended up with this glass of ugly mess that appeared to be made from tequila and some kind of sugary goop with extremely dubious connections to any actual berry. My bad.
9810 NE Cascades Parkway, Portland, OR 97220-6825 - 503-281-0351
buffalowildwings.com
9810 NE Cascades Parkway, Portland, OR 97220-6825 - 503-281-0351
buffalowildwings.com
Saturday, August 01, 2009
#867 - The Lookout, Seattle - 7/31/2009
757 Bellevue Ave E. Seattle, Wa 98122 - 206 860-2752
(at the corner of Bellevue, Bellevue & Bellevue)
thelookoutseattle.com - facebook - the stranger - yelp - capitol hill blog
#865 - M & J Tavern, Grandview, WA - 7/27/2009
110 W Wine Country Rd., Grandview, WA 98930 - 509-882-9697
#864 - Ben's Crow Inn, Boise - 7/26/2009
Ben's Crow Inn, 6781 Warm Springs Ave., Boise, ID 83716 - 208 342-9669
boise weekly - idaho eats - highbeam
#863 - Pair, Boise - 7/25/2009
Big and swanky, with some nice cocktail choices
601 W Main St. Boise, ID 83702-5935 - (208) 343-7034
eatdrinkshare.com - facebook - boise weekly - yelp - clubvibes
#862 - Mack & Charlies, Boise - 7/24/2009
Mack and Charlies closed in 2012
507 W. Main St., Boise, ID 83702
mackandcharlies.com - myspace - boise weekly
Thursday, July 30, 2009
#859 - The Symposion Boise, ID - 7/24/2009
Updated Sep 26, 2019
"In ancient Greece, the symposium (Greek: συμπόσιον symposion or symposio, from συμπίνειν sympinein, "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, or conversation." (wikipedia)
The Sympiosion -- or "The Sympo" to regulars -- appears much as I remember it when I last went there ten years ago. Founder and owner Victor Cocotis passed away April 12, 2018, but his creation, described as "The neighborhood bar without a neighborhood," carries on. At least for now that is, there are some articles about a new land owner and a potential ballpark on the property, which now seems to stand in a little oasis of undeveloped space between busy highways on the east side of Boise, the now demolished warehouses making its blue and white, columned doorway and surrounding trees seem all the more oddly out of place.
Inside there is still a fairly typical dive bar, but for the division into several separate rooms. Bartender Michelle was serving up the standard modern dive mix of cheap beers, craft beers, and strong, simple cocktails, in a structure built in 1918, a large "Cocktails" sign on the roof, and who knows what kind of residents preceding the bar. It's the sort of oddity one hopes survives as long as possible, and you'll want to remember to patronize now and then if you have the chance.
2801 Fletcher St., Boise, ID - 208-342-9420
Est. 1975 - Building constructed: 1918
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Articles: yelp - boiseweekly - tripadvisor - boisedev
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| The Symposion, Boise, ID |
The Sympiosion -- or "The Sympo" to regulars -- appears much as I remember it when I last went there ten years ago. Founder and owner Victor Cocotis passed away April 12, 2018, but his creation, described as "The neighborhood bar without a neighborhood," carries on. At least for now that is, there are some articles about a new land owner and a potential ballpark on the property, which now seems to stand in a little oasis of undeveloped space between busy highways on the east side of Boise, the now demolished warehouses making its blue and white, columned doorway and surrounding trees seem all the more oddly out of place.
Est. 1975 - Building constructed: 1918
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook
Articles: yelp - boiseweekly - tripadvisor - boisedev
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