January 2008

Hello Poppets! Greetings from Everett, Washington, my new home. Ah…Everett…where most kitchens close by ten p.m.; where most bars are sports bars; where I cannot for the life of me figure out the hours of the Castle. Jaunts into Seattle have been delightful. Everett itself has caused some culture shock for this city girl, I admit it.

Until the other night. The other night, David and I were in need of a change of scenery and a cocktail. There had to be somewhere…interesting, quirky, different…in Everett. And so there is. The Anchor Bar at the very end of Hewitt.

Now, first the disclaimers: I have only been there once and, since David and I present as a hetero couple, I can’t vouch for its LGBT friendliness. If you have information that is counter to this article, please pass it along. I will research it and get back to you. What I can tell you is that the Anchor Bar is, however, alt-friendly. Because although I live on the fringes of the LGBT community, I live smack in the middle of the alt community and my first thought when we walked in was “Yeah, this works.”

The walls are covered with pin-up art (lots of Betty Page – gotta love Betty Page!) and photos of the place going back to the ‘40s. The weekend before we were there, they had hosted a burlesque holiday show. Once a month, they have something called The Rockabilly Rumble. The train runs by, not twenty feet away, rattling the glasses, the bottles, the stools – everything but the regulars.

Those regulars ranged in age from mid-twenties to Jesus-how-old-do-you-think-he-is? There was a guy in biker leathers and another guy in a ball cap. The bartender, Heather, managed to balance being friendly and letting us be, perfectly, which is no small feat to pull off with the newbies in a neighborhood bar. They had my favorite vodka; David’s favorite scotch; and our favorite rum. A hat trick without having to be in a sports bar!

Currently, it’s under construction so it looks more than a little scary both inside and out. Honestly, though, I expect it was a dive bar before the construction and will continue to be a dive bar after the construction. I hope so anyway. Because it’s a dive bar with a quirky character and an unusual atmosphere. In Everett, nonetheless. Yeah, I’ll take that.

So, if you find yourself in Everett on a night the Castle is closed, stop in at the Anchor. The pour is good and the bartender is great. And if you happen to see me, come on up and introduce yourself.

Until then, Poppets, take care of you.