His Horse Was Fast as Polished Steel

Okay, to make a long story short... or to cut to the chase...I did a little bar-hopping in one of the world's greatest cities: Seattle. This whole expedition began on the premise of a library conference, but its primary focus, soon became seeing a wonderful, dear, old friend of mine who met me from Portland.

The first night I got into town we met up at a tapas bar close to the convention center and had a couple red wines to get ourselves motivated. Then we ended up at a fabulous hipster bar called, Linda's in Capitol Hill. We drank vodka and sodas and listened to a juke box that hearkened back to our indie past (the server was a scruffy cute boy that was pleased to tell us which indie band, exactly, it was we were listening to/arguing over). No, that was NOT Built to Spill. I ate a BLT and though I don't remember tater tots, this is the type of place that would have them. There was great conversation, a tiny bit of nostalgia, and some drunken texting. What more could you want from a reunion? Darling A, I miss you!

Later in the conference, following a stressful day of presentations and various colleague-related interactions, I ended up with a nice mix of good people that needed a drink as much as I did and this lucky group just happened to feature another whiskey drinker! Thank the lord. Our first stop was at a bar called Von's where they had this kitschy wheel of drink specials that immediately grabbed my attention. The only downside was the fact that the bar was packed full of St. Patrick's Day carousers. Though I tried the "on special" Manhattan (with Gentlemen Jack), I ended up sticking with the house special Maker's Mark Manhattan. It was awesomely good. A great way to start the night.

Next was some dinner at the Pike Brewing Company (which I think the beer drinkers in the group liked for the beer, but I don't remember). The dinner was not too remarkable, although I did order the local cheese plate--which was really tasty and perfect for the night. The names of all the good cheeses, escape me now. That is what happens after three Manhattans.

Next, there was a beer interlude at the official conference reception, where I switched to Stella Artois and used my free drink tickets. I got massively distracted by the Hatch concert poster exhibit at the museum, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time browsing the place.

After the reception, we ended up at what turned out to be my most favorite stop on the mini-tour: the 5 Points Cafe. Now, this is my kind of bar! When I die, send me here. A classic and true dive bar with a good juke box and some slightly sticky booths to get comfortable (and drunk) in. I could have stayed all night-- or for the rest of my life; if not for distraction's strange ways...One of our party was on the track of some wild librarians (or something)... so we were dragged to a (most likely) English pub, possibly called the Elephant and Castle, but things get dimmer and dimmer. I had my usual Maker's Mark at this place, maybe one too many as I got progressively shyer as the night went on. I think the bartender had it out for me. As things winded down, or actually, as we got kicked out at closing time, I was thankful for the good company, a memorable night in a fabulous city, and as always: good bourbon.

I can't wait until I can return to Seattle.