#994 - The Bar, Seattle - 2/25/2010

"The Bar," an extension of Olympia Pizza that recently opened in the old Sonic Boom space next door, adds another good choice to a great little bar strip that includes Liberty and 22 Doors just a few steps away.  In addition to some pretty good cocktails, The Bar features the beautiful, old, Austrian Mahogany bar from the J&M Cafe, sure to be one of the oldest (physical) bars in Seattle (shipped to U.S. in the 1890s).

516 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
yelp

#993 - The Goose Pub, Bellevue, WA - 2/19/2010

I'm not particularly fond of Bellevue, and I've previously posted my opinion on utterly banal sports bars. But for some reason the Goose Pub'n'Eatery, while it's not about to make any of my favorite lists, seemed substantially more pleasant than usual. Maybe it was because it was lunchtime, or because of the non-Bellevueish, non-sportsbarish people there. Or maybe it was just sitting down the bar from an elderly regular called "Tiny," drinking his mini-pitcher of Mountain Dew. When I asked the friendly woman working the bar about him, she said, "Tiny? Oh yes, he's quite the regular." Then added, "He's quite the dirty little old man too."


The way she said this made it seem charming, not disturbing, so I just left it at that.

12001 NE 12th St Ste 90, Bellevue, WA 98005 - (425) 454-1554
goosepub.com - citysearch - yelp

#992 - Wayne's World Tavern, Seattle - 2/13/2010

So here's one of several reasons I will not be going back to Wayne's World Tavern: On this particular night, I was by myself and had things to do and only wanted to get one drink and go. They have Manny's on tap, so I order a pint. Keep in mind that this is a dive bar south of Boeing Field, not a New York airport bar or El Bulli. The bartender apologetically explained that pints were $6!  But mini-pitchers, she added, were only $7.

 So I'm all for heavy drinking, but what kind of dive bar won't sell beer in any increments smaller than 32 ounces? Do they get kickbacks from the Tukwila PD for each DUI? "She [the owner] says that pints are hard to pour," the bartender explains.

1832 S 120th Street, Seattle, WA 98168 - (206) 433-8658
yelp

The Cactus, Boise, ID - 1979?

An entry for one of the bars already included in my starting list for this project and one I've returned to many times in my life. It is perhaps Boise's quintessential dive bar, lazily elbowing its way through the flashier, more teeming bars that come and go in Boise's busy downtown bar district.

Note: It is very common to hear the Cactus described as the oldest bar in Boise, but this does not appear to be accurate.

517 W Main St Boise, ID 83702 - 208-342-9732
boise weekly -sneaky sunday best dives - nile guide - yelp