#2579 - Mary Todd's Workers Bar, Astoria, OR - 7/14/2014

Mary Todd's Workers Bar and Grill, Astoria, OR

Update: The Daily Astorian reports that effective Sep 13, 2017, Mary Todd agreed to sell the Workers Bar to Diana Kirk, Astorian resident and author of "Licking Flames: Tales of Half-Assed Hussy." It sounds like it is in good hands.

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The Workers Bar, says Mary Todd, has been around as "The Workers" something or other since 1923, i.e. ten years before prohibition ended. Since 1966 its long-time location in the historic Uniontown district has been in the shadows of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the longest truss bridge in North America, spanning the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington state. The Workers Bar features the all elements of true dive bar -- very evident age, a collection of bric-a-brac obviously acculated over many years and portending many stories, cheap and strong drinks, and old geezers.

Mary Todd's Workers Bar and Grill, Astoria, OR

The maritime and working class themes are for real, which is not to say that the joint doesn't also attract a few artists and hipsters. In addition to it's ramshackle, working class theme, the bar is locally known for its "Yuccas" (a locally popular cocktail of vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup) and for "meat bingo," wherein the prizes are, well, meat.

Mary Todd owned the place from 1990 to 1994, then purchased it again in 1997. She lives in one of five apartments in the two-story building, with an empty retail space adjacent to the bar. Mary's been on the wagon for the last several years, but shares some of the history of the place as she smokes near the fire pit in the beer garden out back, as cars roar across the bridge and trucks rumble down Marine Drive. Just the personality of Mary herself might serve to make this one of the better dives in the area, but the personality of the place, with its fading exterior, the impasto painting of bar regulars, the tributes to regulars passed away, the bras hanging from the ceiling fans, and the elements mentioned above, emphatically clinches the case.

Mary Todd
Mary Todd's Workers Bar & Grill, Astoria, OR

Postscript: If you are visiting the Workers Bar, check out the Triangle Tavern across the street, which has also been around in some form since the early 1920s.

281 W Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103 - (503) 338-7291                   
Est. 1923 (date first a bar unknown)
Web site: facebook
Reviews: dailyastorian - astoriaoregondailyphoto - outdoorlife - yelp - tripadvisor   

#2578 - Voodoo Room, Astoria, OR - 7/14/2014

Columbian Theater and Voodoo Room, Astoria, OR

Astoria Oregon's Voodoo Room is a small, dark and funky New Orleans themed music venue and bar incongruously connected to the Columbian Theater and Columbian Cafe. There are only a small number of seats but the lounge seems to host a vibrant music scene with a range of alternative and country bands. During the daytime it is a relaxing setting for dark spirituality, pizza, some good local beers and liquid spirits.

The Voodoo Room, Astoria, OR

Ashleigh, our bartender, who was moving to Seattle in 2 weeks

1102 Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103 - (503) 325-2233                    
Web site: facebook
Reviews: oregonlive - nytimes - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2577 - Snug Harbor Bar and Grill, Lincoln City, OR - 7/14/2014

Snug Harbor Bar and Grill, Lincoln City, WA

I love the Oregon coast and this is a classic Oregon coast joint. It doesn't feel old, with all the brightly glowing sealed fir and modern looking interior, but they claim that it is the "oldest continuously operated bar on the Oregon coast" and that it was established in 1927. Of course 1927 was in the middle of prohibition so that doesn't answer the question of how long the (licensed) bar has been running, and I'd love to confirm in some primary sources that it has been here with the "Snug Harbor" name for about that long.



In any case, today "the Snug" is as comfortable as a private beach cabin, with nice people, good clam chowder and food, a moderately lively atmosphere, and a nice garden patio on the roof for sunny days.

5001 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City, OR 97367 - (541) 996-4976
Est. 1927 (restaurant)
Web site: snugharborbarandgrill.com - facebook
Reviews: letitpour (music) - oregoncoast - yelp - tripadvisor 

#2576 - Joe's Crab Shack, Vancouver, WA - 7/13/2014

This is Washington state's sole representative of the TGIFriday's of seafood, which peaked at 130 restaurants in 2014, before closing 40 locations in 2017. The decor is corporate kitch and the food is perfectly good, but order cocktails carefully, as most seem as if they were designed for the numerous preadolescents scampering about the place.

101 Columbia Way, Vancouver, WA 98661 - (360) 693-9211
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor 

#2575 - A Roadside Attraction, Portland, OR - 7/12/2014

A Roadside Attraction, Portland, OR

Portland has a lot of interesting bars pop up in unexpected places, but this junkyard oasis of Americana is one of the most striking and one of my favorites. The food is pretty good, the drinks are pretty good, but it is the indoor and outdoor decor that feels like an extended, tranquil drug trip.

1000 SE 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97214 - (503) 233-0743
Web site: facebook
Reviews: thrillist - yelp - barflymag - tripadvisor - pdxmonthly  

#2574 - Star Theater, Portland, OR - 7/11/2014

Originally opened as the Princess Theater in 1911, this venue soon became home to a number of mostly bawdy uses over the years, hosting burlesque acts and strippers from Tempest Storm to Courtney Love. For several years it was owned by director Gus Van Sant, and subsequently transformed into several different nightclubs. In 2011 the owners of Dante's took over, and it's now a concert venue and event space, with a nice outdoor courtyard area and a lot of character. (This visit was for the opening event of Portland's TikiKon 2014, which included a few acts much in the spirit of the history of the venue.)

13 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97209                        
Est. 2011 (current venue), 1911 as Princess Theater
Previous bars at this location: Vivid, Level, Five Star Theater 
Web site: startheaterportland.com - facebook
Reviews: wikipedia - portlandmercury - yelp - tripadvisor

#2573 - Ming Lounge, Republic Cafe, Portland, OR - 7/11/2014

Republic Cafe and Ming Lounge, Portland, OR

I do not know how long Portland's Republic Cafe has has a (licensed) bar, but the cafe  has been around since prohibition and in the 70s the bar extended to the entire current banquet room. (pdxmonthly) If you like lounges in Chinese restaurants this one is not to be missed.

The Republic Cafe, established in 1922, is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Portland, and the Ming Lounge, "the most beautiful seedy bar in Portland," (wweek) is the last remaining Chinese dive bar in this city's Chinatown. The romantic, scarlet glow of the cozy bar section is a perfect mood setter, the cafe serves classic American Chinese, and the lounge offers the cheap, heavy pours of a classic dive, but with a wider range of cocktails than the typical dive.

Ming Lounge, Portland, OR 

222 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 - (503) 226-4388                    b
Web site: republiccafeportland.com - facebook
Reviews: wweek - pdxmonthly - yelp - tripadvisor - barflymag