What do we do with one night in Seattle?

August 28, 2006 11:28 AM

20 something year old couple going to be in Seattle on the evening of August 30th (Wednesday) and need help finding places to get drinks and dance.

My wife and I are going to be in Seattle for one day (on route to Canada). We want to check out a couple bars/lounges downtown. We are both familiar with Seattle but have no clue about the nightlife. We are looking for lounges where we can get a good drink and that have a live DJ with a small dance floor (large enough for maybe 12 - 20 people). We are mostly interested in ambient or funky music (Kaskade for example). However, preferences aside, we are open to almost anything so any ideas are welcome. (As long as there are hard drinks and the age is 21+).

posted by birdlips to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

Try the Baltic Room at 1200 Pine, try the Rendezvous or Twilight in Belltown (Rendezvous on 2nd, Twilight on Western)
posted by vito90 at 12:50 PM on August 28, 2006

Havana is a new club/bar that's somewhat upscale and fun, and has a variety of music, depending on what night you go. It's a little tucked away (the entrance is in a sidelot rather than directly off the street), but worth checking out. The Baltic Room is also nice, as vito90 mentioned. Chapel (on the corner of Melrose and Pine, right across I-5 from Downtown) is also very classy, usually plays dance music from the lighter, jazzier end of the spectrum, and has a great drink menu.
posted by cathodeheart at 3:08 PM on August 28, 2006

Third the Baltic Room. I know nothing about it as a club, but Chapel has the added bonus of being a way cool building - it was a funeral home for 80 years before it became a club.
posted by pdb at 3:31 PM on August 28, 2006

I suggest the Baltic Room as well, but it tends not to get up to full steam until 11PM or so.
I've never seen anyone dancing at Chapel.
And don't forget The War Room!
posted by black8 at 3:39 PM on August 28, 2006

The Goods on 8/30:

War Room—War @ the War Room: Parker Brothers, Unexpected Arrival, Neezie Pleaze, guests (at least check this spot out for happy hour. Shepard Fairey did some cool huge pieces inside. Tell

Baltic Room—Ruff Jamz: DJ Fucking in the Streets, guests

Viceroy—The Soul Hole, free (guaranteed good rare groove/soul with the great dj SABD)

Neumo's—Pretty Girls Make Graves, Sunday Night Blackout, Triumph of Lethargy, Skinned Alive to Death, the Trucks (8 pm, all ages), $12

Other spots you might like; Havana, the Cha Cha, Tango, Nectar, Matador, Hazelwood's

Stranger Club Directory for locations. The Pike/Pine slot is littered with clubs and bars, so if you get bored you can fall down the hill to the next spot.
posted by roboto at 6:34 PM on August 28, 2006

You may also want to check out the See Sound Lounge - live DJ, young crowd, good music.

My personal favorite spot for drinks is the Zig Zag Cafe. Its intimate, the food is good and they make a mean martini. The head bartender/owner was voted as the best bartender in Washington not long ago - not to mention the staff is very pleasant. The only down side is there isn't a dance floor. May be a good place for you to start the night off.

What I believe may perfectly fit what you're looking for is Chapel (its an old converted chapel) on Capital Hill. The drinks are amazing here as well and the atmosphere is great. Not too packed during the week and very hip. Has a bit of a gay-undertone but it is by no means a gay bar. This place is always worth a visit during the week.

Lastly, theres Nectar in Fremont. The music is great. On the weekends its packed with the University of Washington crowds, I've never been on a Weds. Plus side to this place is there are a dozen or so bars with in a block of it. Like I said, on the weekend the entire area is packed with 21-24 year old college kids. Not sure about during the week.

As far as the War Room goes I've never enjoyed myself. The staff are pompous, the crowd sucks and the layout leaves a lot to be desired. Just one man's opinion.

Good luck!
posted by ASM at 6:47 AM on August 29, 2006

I wanted to say thank you for all the posts. My wife and I had a blast in Seattle. We ended up checking out a couple of the places listed above (and some others recommend by people we met at those places) and got pretty liquored up. Needless to say, Seattle is a great place to eat, play and meet people.

Thanks!!
posted by birdlips at 11:33 AM on September 6, 2006