#1758 - Old Edison Inn, Edison, WA - 4/21/2012

I generally date the age of bars by their time in their current locations, but if you include times they have moved, the Old Edison Inn is one of the oldest in the state.  They have been in their current location only about 20 years, but their liquor license dates back to 1934, and they are said to have been established in 1900. I do not know if they were a bar that far back, but they are also said to be the only one of four Edison saloons to have survived prohibition.

Nowadays it is a bit more sedate and family-oriented than the Longhorn up the road, and has a menu featuring Pacific oysters from Samish Bay, burgers, sandwiches, and steaks.  They have a pretty good selection of beers, and live music on Saturdays and Sundays, which draws a fairly large crowd, some from some fairly long distances.  While we were there on a lazy afternoon, a lanky local slipped over to the upright piano and started banging out some great boogie woogie tunes, (The local turned out to be bluesman Daddy Treetops, whom I've enjoyed a few times in Seattle.) The two bars give Edison an unusually rocking scene for such a tiny town.

5829 Cains Ct, Edison, WA 98232 - (360) 766-6266
Est. 1934
Web site: theedisoninn.com - facebook  
Reviews: urbanspoon - yelp - video

#1757 - Longhorn Saloon & Grill, Edison, WA - 4/21/2012

The Longhorn Saloon and Oyster Grill is the happenin' place in Edison, WA. It caters to a younger crowd and bikers, with live music, sexy servers, a fairly good choice of beers, and pretty good bar food. It is known for its oysters and ribs, I am told.

5754 Cains Ct, Edison, WA 98232 - (360) 766-6330
web site: facebook 
Reviews: tuesdaysburger - northwestplaces - yelp

#1756 - Corner Pub, Bow, WA - 4/21/2012

While driving between Skagit Valley tulip farms, across the fields of the old flood plains of Samish Bay, we suddenly came upon the Corner Pub. The pub is on the outskirts of Bow, Washington, a virtually non-existent town that once hosted a thriving sawmill community and railroad station. Bow, then "Brownsville," grew up around the sawmill built by William Brown, in a location that once hosted a village that the natives called "Noo-wha-ah." They would  reach the village by canoeing the various rivulets of the old salt chuck, which were later merged by the whites to facilitate water transportation, and called the Samish River and later Edison Slough.

After the railroad station closed, the timber supply declined, dikes organized the water flow, and highway and road changes removed all but a trickle of transit from Bow, the area has become a more spread-out community of farms. The Corner Pub/Tavern is a friendly neighborhood bar which has been around a surprisingly long time and originally seated 10 people. It was constructed in 1928 and became a bar shortly after prohibition. Locals welcome you to share a table, chat over baskets of peanuts, and toss the shells on the floor. We stopped there largely because we thought it doubtful that we'd ever be quite out this way again, but we were glad we did.


14565 Allen West Road Bow, WA 98232 - (360) 757-6113
Est. 1934? - Building constructed: 1928
History sources: Skagit River Journal - Ray Jordan, Noel V. Bourasaw

#1755 - Leatherheads Pub, Stanwood, WA - 4/28/2012

 This is cozy, two-story brewpub is half firefighter museum.  It is run by some ex-firefighters out of a 1929 Spanish-style building, moved to its current location in the 1950s and serving as the West Stanwood Volunteer Fire Department until 1963. It serves fairly typical modern brewpub food and beers.

10209 270th Street Stanwood, WA 98292 - (360) 629-5555
Est. 2009 - Building constructed: 1929

Web site: leatherheadspub.com - facebook  
Reviews: heraldnet - heraldnet - yelp - urbanspoon

#1754 - Conway Pub, Conway, WA - 4/21/2012

The Conway Pub & Eatery -- referred to as the "Conway Tavern" by almost everybody -- is a big, fun place in the middle of nowhere, except that it's a small ways off Interstate 5. Like many fun bars in the middle of nowhere, it caters to bikers, but also has a mix of little old ladies viewing the tulips, kids, locals, and more.  It is in the lower part of a barn-like legionnaires hall, with a large "oyster garden" patio outside.  Knut Bell often plays there.

The Conway has a decent beer selection and serves basic bar food, though it's known for its pan-fried oysters (I am incapable of eating/judging oysters). It is said to have been established in 1932, though I do not know how soon after prohibition ended that it started as a bar. It is the lively mix of people that will likely bring you back.

18611 Main St, Conway, WA 98273 - (360) 445-4733       
Est. 1932

Web site: conwaypub.com - facebook - KAPS youtube
Reviews: link - tripadvisor - yelp - urbanspoon  

#1753 #S1022 - Serendipity, Seattle - 4/18/2012

The older (2008) cafe portion of this restaurant is very kid friendly. Fortunately, the newer bar portion that runs alongside it is fairly cut off from the wretched little beasts, and one can sip a cocktail and enjoy a Mariners game in relative peace.

There didn't seem to be a lot of cocktail expertise, but there is a good selection of beer and wine and some nice spins on "comfort food."

3222 W McGraw St, Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 402-4109
Est. Feb 2012 (bar portion) - Building constructed: 1947
Previous bars in this location:  None known
Web site: facebook
Reviews: seattletimes - wanderingfork - seattlepi - magnoliavoice - irishmikesmith - thestranger - link

#1752 #S1021 - The Nook, Seattle - 4/18/2012

Update: The Nook closed in early 2014

This fairly tiny space squeezed into Magnolia has a nice wine selection like the previous occupant Swirl, but has a more relaxed vibe, serving sandwiches and small plates.  I had a nice conversation about Seattle bars with the bartender Nick.

3217 West McGraw Street Seattle, WA 98199 - (206) 282-9866
Est. May 2011 - Building constructed: 1930
Previous bars in this location: Swirl Wine Bar
Web site: facebook
Reviews: magnoliavoice - yelp