#2037 - Drift Inn, Bremerton, WA - 2/10/2013

Blue collar Bremerton, dominated by its naval station, sits on the Kitsap peninsula just 2 or 3 miles southwest of Bainbridge Island, but a world away in culture. The city has essentially been in decline since WWII, with the submarine base in Bangor draining much of its labor and the shopping mall in nearby Silverdale draining its commercial center. But the area around the ferry dock features substantial modern development, with a convention center, hotels, and art galleries. Locals say that the divey "Drift Inn" Tavern is the only thing that hasn't changed in the area.

The Drift is a fairly lively that has been around since the 1950s, with other bars preceding it in this space ("Bottoms Up" is listed here in the 1934 Polk Guide, Sullivan's in 1938 and 1942).

Bartender Jenny talked to me about other old bars in the area, and told stories about the Drift. One involved a band performing during "Driftmania 2" wearing a fake bomb on his chest, and apparently deciding to leave it wrapped around a tree in front of the bar when they left for the night. The next morning, Drift employees attempting to open the bar could not get in because the FBI were sweeping the place.

The Drift Inn delivers on the dive bar basics: inexpensive, stiff drinks; engaging bartender; interesting cast of characters.

204 1st Street, Bremerton, WA 98337 - (360) 479-2339
Reviews: yelp
Previous bars in this location: Bottoms Up (1930s), Sullivan's (1940s)
Token:  tokencatalog.com

#2036 - Monica's Social Club, Bremerton, WA - 2/10/2013

"Good people watching - if you enjoy prison documentaries." - Rick D. Yelp

This is an odd social club. Most the decor is standard dive bar -- cheap paneling, beer company paraphernalia, a couple very regular drinkers on the bar stools. Then there's the sort of stage area, with dusty stools, and old hot dog cooker and a rake (?). But the drinks are cheap and strong, and the bartender is nice.

818 6th St, Bremerton, WA 98337 - (360) 377-4386                     
Est. June 30, 1985
Reviews: yelp

#2035 - Bethel Saloon, Port Orchard, WA - 2/10/2013

The Bethel Saloon appears to be one of the older bars in the state, said to have become a tavern shortly after prohibition ended in 1933. Known previously as "Big Bottom" and "Black Bottom," the Bethel district of Port Orchard sits about a mile from Sinclair Inlet on the Kitsap Peninsula, just across Elliot Bay and Bainbridge Island from Seattle. The building definitely has a great old feel, with uneven wood floors and an old wood burning stove, and appears to date back to the early 1900s. By approximately 1928 it was one of the nation's first official Texaco stations, in the first nationwide chain of gasoline service stations. It is said to have hosted a dry cleaners, pottery shop, general store and cafe before converting entirely into a bar many years ago. I talk to regulars Patty and Dan, and Dan remembers bringing pop bottles in his wagon to cash in at the little store that once occupied the side that currently features the physical bar.

Now the saloon positions itself as the only biker bar in the area, and seems to also host an interesting set of regulars. One fellow, dressed in a vest and fedora with his white beard tied into two neat little sections with two gold beads beneath his chin, seemed to be winning out among some fairly skillful pool players. Rev. Horton Heat was playing on the jukebox, and the regulars and bartenders Jeannie and Jen were all quite friendly. It's well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

3840 Bethel Rd SE, Port Orchard, Washington 98366 - (360) 876-6621
Est. 1933 - Building constructed:  early 1900s
Web site: bethel-saloon.com - facebook - blog

#2034 - Littlerock Tavern, Littlerock, WA - 2/10/2013

While driving to pick up a taxidermy wahoo, I stumbled upon the Littlerock Tavern, in Littlerock, Washington, just southwest of Olympia. Littlrock is one of those places that is well off the major highways and not on the route to any other real destination. So there are probably very few non-regulars who drop in at the tavern, and as I found out later from a friend who lives in the area, the afternoon crowd is significantly different from the evening crowd. When I walked in and sat down at the bar, the five old guys sitting there all stopped talking and stared at me. Four of them eventually started talking among themselves again, but the guy in the red shirt kept staring a me for pretty much the entire 45 minutes or so I spent there -- looking at me with that exact expression in the photo I discretely snapped with my phone.

The brown paper bags contain hardboiled eggs because it was egg day. On egg day, you can buy an egg for $.25, and in addition to the egg itself, there's a little sticker on each egg that tells you how much you get discounted off your drink. The bartender knows exactly how many drinks and how many eggs each of the locals wants, so she pops their little bag in front of them as soon as they sit down.

With my bar project, every now and then I'll step into places where people have the immediate sense I don't belong. Sometimes I'm the only white person, the only straight person, the only white collar person, or the only person who doesn't come in every day. Sometimes people just seem surprised you're there, sometimes they make it clear they don't think you should be there. But the thing about these places, is pretty much every time, if you don't act like a jackass, make a joke or two, and join in the conversation without shoving yourself in, people almost always warm up to you and eventually seem to welcome you.

I had to ask about the bags -- no one volunteered the egg day details. I bought two eggs and they were both labeled $.25. As I headed out to hit the road, I noted, well, I guess I have a perfectly even lifetime record for egg day, and the guy who'd been glaring at me the whole time gave out a loud, friendly laugh. I'm not at all sure of this, but I believe that if I'd had another hour to spend there, we probably would have had a friendly chat. Sometimes you just have to give people a little time.

Historical notes: Europeans began settling in the area known as "Little Rock" in the 1850s. There is, apparently, an actual rock after which it was named. The still unincorporated community was platted in the 1890s, while it was temporarily called "Viora," and now includes a post office, grade school, upholstery shop, expresso stand, two churches, a gas station / grocery store, a posse hall, and the Littlerock Tavern. (Hillbilly Beans). When I asked how long the Littlerock tavern had been around, the bartender say "Really, really old -- early 1900s." But I haven't seen any primary sources or nor artifact of any kind. So I'd love to find a bit stronger source for the age and history of the place. The 1934 Olympia Polk Guide lists simply "The Tavern" in Littlerock, but lists no address.

6520 128th Ave SW, Olympia, WA 98512 - (360) 753-9952

#2033 - Picadilly Circus, Snohomish, WA - 2/9/2013

With the exception of an odd dome-ceilinged pool room in back, this bar is decorated like little old ladies think of England, with paintings of fox hunts and myriad other cliches. On the the Saturday afternoon that we came in, this was accentuated with bad country-western ballads and an overwhelming caramel smell from a scented candle. "I don't want my bar to smell like a bar," the owner explained. She was nice, but I prefer my bars to feel, sound, and smell like bars.

1104 1st St, Snohomish, WA 98290 - (360) 568-8212                      
Web site: piccadillycircuswa.com
Reviews: yelp - urbanspoon

#2032 - Cat House Pizza, Snohomish, WA - 2/9/2013

Not quite what people expect in a "New York style" pizza, but it's brick-fired and of fairly average quality. The folks there are nice. It has a few beer and wine choices and basically a sports bar theme, in an old Snohomish building that presumably once hosted women of ill repute and their clientele.

1120 1st St, Snohomish, WA 98290 - (360) 863-3626
Web site: cathousepizza.com - facebook
Reviews:  urbanspoon - yelp

#2031 - Old Inn Tavern, Snohomish, WA - 2/5/2013

"Snohomish had a sensational shooting match Saturday night, in which one man was killed and two wounded. Two highwaymen, John Moore and Ed. Collins, attempted to 'stickup up' the bartender of the Inn saloon resulting in the death of Moore and wounding of Collins. Shortly after 11 o'clock Moore and Collins, who had bought drinks at the saloon earlier in the evening, appeared and ordered all hands up. Gus Olson was behind the bar and jumped for his gun. Moore opened fire on but missed. At this juncture Patrolman Byllings appeared and took a hand in the melee. Moore was shot through the left eye and 'died' instantly. Collins was hit in the neck. Moore had wounded Byllings in the left leg. Collins says he met Moore working on the Cedar river dam, near Seattle. They quit and went to Everett, and after having a few drinks decided to go into the hold-up business, selecting Snohomish as the easiest place to begin operations. Moore was about 30 years of age and Collins is 27. Patrolman Byllings was congratulated on all sides for nerve he displayed and his good marksmanship."

John Moore and Ed Collins Attempt to Hold Up the Inn Saloon and Meet Their Waterloo - Monroe Independent, Jan 13, 1913

 As we can see from the preceding article, the "Inn Saloon," which became known as the "Old Inn Tavern at some point during the 1940s and still operates under that name today, is one of the oldest bars in the state of Washington. I do not have primary sources to confirm these exact dates, but from Don Thompson, the current owner, it appears that the the Inn Saloon dates back to 1898, and the building it has been in all this time dates to 1889, constructed at the end of the Union Pacific railroad line and providing rail workers a place to sleep and have a cold beer.  Along with Merchants and the Brick, this would make it one of the three oldest bars in the state, in terms of establishments that have been running with limited interruption (e.g. prohibition) and under basically the same name.

Archaeologists say that man has been living in this river valley since at least 12,000 years ago. Many millenia later, members of the Tulalip, Pilchuck, Snoqualmie and Snohomish tribes numbered about 1,000 people here. Europeans arrived in 1858 from Seattle, with agriculture and logging dominating the community for 100 years. As the town declined with the closure of the mills, it re-made itself into a historical and antiquing destination, including a lively bar scene.

The Old Inn Tavern is now a very comfortable local joint, off the main drag, and with the owner's appreciation for its history manifest in the large vintage photographs on the walls and artifacts like the newspaper article above. Snohomish is a fun little area for nightlife, and the Old Inn is well worth a visit for a night on the town and a piece of state history.

502 3rd St, Snohomish, WA 98290 - (360) 568-7835
Est. 1898 - Building constructed: 1889
Web site: oldinn.webs.com - Don Thompson Linkedin - tokens
Reviews: yelp