So it would seem as if there is a rumour going around that I must disperse. Despite whisperings to the contrary, I am quite fond of Targy’s Tavern here in Seattle. In fact, this tiny, non-descript hole-in-the-wall was the centerpiece of my Election Night experience.
The bar itself is quite easy to miss. Just a few blocks from Queene Anne’s bustling and trendy spots, Targy’s neither beckons nor tantalizes the would-be patron. In fact, up until a few years ago, this place didn’t even have its name on the outside of the building (now a neon sign next to the Rainer “R” will suffice as a proclamation of what waits inside the concrete walls of 600 W. Crockett Street).
But Gene and his friends love this place. They’ve been coming here for years - nearly a decade. The bartenders know them by name, and will open a can (or preferably, a bottle) of Rainer before they’ve even sat down at Targy’s horseshoe-shaped bar. Gene refers to this little-known gem as his “living room away from home.” And it certainly has that feel, except this living room is much more divey, and has well drinks! Friends gather to catch up over a game of pool, large tv screens cater to an audience with tastes ranging from politics to the Seahawk’s game, and the regular customers pass no judgement on those that stumble unawares through Targy’s heavy door. This is my kind of bar, make no mistake about it. Unpretentious, unadvertised and unwilling to pour a weak G & T.
Targy’s secured a warm place in my heart on November 4th, when Gene and I met some friends to watch the election night action unfold. The crowd was particularly diverse that night, as old-time Coast Guard officers cheered on Obama next to dreadlocked college girls and Converse-sporting hipsters. Every time a state turned blue, cheers echoed over the vinal bench seats. Strangers high-fived and clapped one another on the back. And when McCain took the stage to give his concession speech, the otherwise boisterous room fell silent. Perhaps it was the Obama spirit in the air that night, or perhaps Seattle lends itself to such casual political encounters , but whatever the explanation, I’m firmly in favor of many more nights at Targy’s Tavern.
