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TEN BEST FISHERMAN BARS,W. Alaska
10. The Central, Seattle. For Alaskans, Seattle is the French Riviera. For Seattle, the Central is a
sidewalk bistro, only they ply you with beer and pizza instead of coffee and crepes. Sit near the sidewalk so that when you
are done they can easily sweep you into the gutter.
9. Henry's, Kodiak. Very cold beer. A bright, open, airy bar-slash-restaurant. Brought to you by the
people who owned the Beachcombers, which was a fondly remembered monument to excess. Henry's is more of a comfort zone. A
great place for the three beer lunch. The restaurant serves dependable food. In general, go for the specials. Did I mention
the beer? Very cold.
8. The Snow Goose ,Anchorage. Across the street from the Hilton. Superior beer and good food, reasonably
priced. Go upstairs.
7. The Salty Dog, Homer. Reportedly the only thing left standing on the Homer spit after the 1964 earthquake.
A short, squat, sunken log lighthouse wallpapered with business cards, dollar bills and underwear. Excellent bathroom graffitti
(especially the ladies room). The flooring is sawdust and the ceiling is so low that you wonder if it has been continuously
sinking since 1964. The whole place looks like it was hewn from wet spruce logs by heathens in loincloths, including the furniture.
Awesome.
6. The Tropics, Kodiak. The "Little Bar". Watch the bowlers like zoo animals through the one way glass.
Good beer, cold, and plenty of TVs for sportwatching. A relaxed place where you can talk. With a real jukebox - pick your
own music! Best bartenders in town. Try the martini...if you dare.
5. Cape Cheerful, Dutch Harbor. Completely out of place, which is why it's great. A tiny piano bar tucked
into the Grand Aleutian Hotel. Coasties, fishermen, cannery folk and straights from the Hotel sit around tiny round tables
eyeballing each other, soaking up pitchers of microbrew and talking louder than the piano tinkle. Serious transients slouch
over the bar with backpacks between their legs drinking right out of the pitcher.
4. The Roadhouse, Akutan. Deserves recognition just for being there. The beer is not kept in a cooler,
but simply in a shed out the back door, so it is sometimes very cold. Also there doesn't seem to be any road anywhere near
the roadhouse. Seems like Heaven when you taste beer and watch real TV for the first time in weeks or months.
3. B&B Bar, Kodiak. Oldest licensed bar in Alaska. An office for some, a home for others. So close to
the harbor that you're officially still at work. A roofed-over alley with two taps and a pool table. Alternately full of mischief
makers, malcontents, madmen, murderers.
2. Humpy's, Anchorage. At Humpy's its all about fish and good beer. In other words, its a paradise on
Earth. Over one million fresh beers on tap, and the best marine cuisine in the state. Official unofficial home of the Fish
Heads (our radical wing of protesters) Join us here after the demonstrations on the 2nd and 3rd of December.
1. Tony's, Kodiak. Push open the door and step into the Tonyzone. Neverchanging, darkly cool for beer
or pool. The ever-running urinals are akin to the fountains of Rome. Ask for Wendy.
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