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| - This was one of my regular hangouts when I lived just off the Capitol Square 20+ years ago. I remember it being a chill place especially for a college bar, so I decided to stop in and see if my memory served me correctly. I'm pleased to say that it did.
First things first for UW alumni and other old-timers taking a similar stroll down memory lane: no, your memory isn't faulty. Yes, the bar and the tree are now on the opposite wall from where you remember; yes, the space is a little bigger than you remember; and yes, they are on the other side of the Orpheum. It turns out some years ago they moved a few doors to the east after a lease dispute or something like that. The new digs are nicer, more spacious, and an all-around better place for a tree lounge.
So anyway... yeah, this is still a chill bar with a chill lounge-type vibe and a great tap selection, mostly free of jocks or meatheads or sorority trixies barely able to stand. That said, it's still a college bar and not really a place middle-aged folks would add to their regular nightlife rotation unless they want to feel really old and out of place. And on a busy Friday or Saturday night, even the most laid-back college bar is bound to have that one chumbolone who thinks Jim Beam is his Cobra Kai sensei. Sure enough, that chumbolone sat right next to me and did his level best to bait me. Sorry kid, my booze-fueled brawling days are well behind me -- next time go to Kollege Klub and try someone younger and stupider. Fortunately a nearby bouncer was keeping an eye on the situation.
Overall still a nice place with a laid-back vibe and (mostly) laid-back clientele... but still a place for the college crowd. So if your age starts with anything other than a "2," stop by, have a couple drinks, take a short walk down Memory Lane, and move along.
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