Comet Tavern (Seattle)

City/neighborhood: Capitol Hill

Hours: 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-2 a.m. Sat. and Sun.

Alcohol: Beer, Wine

Parking: Street parking

Disabled access: No obstacles to access

Features:
21 and over

There are dollar bills stuck to the ceiling of the Comet Tavern. Hundreds of them. When I asked the bartender how it was done, he said it involved wrapping up the bill with three quarters and a thumbtack, and I asked if I could try to stick a dollar up there myself.

The bartender hesitated, and turned to another man standing behind the bar and asked if I could give it a go.

"Sure, whatever," the other guy said to me. "But it'll cost you $3.75." I balked at the fee and kept my dollar. A slightly grizzled barfly sitting at the bar next to me shook his head: "I hate that (expletive) guy."

That episode pretty much epitomizes a visit to the Comet, a place for good cheap beer and those who love it. It's a handsome, dusty old tavern with a pleasant patronage, the staff is nice (except for that one [expletive] guy) and there's a lot of history hanging in the air. But I'm a drinker of hard liquor, because beer is too slow and too filling a way to get to the floor.

By Geoff Carter
NWsource staff