Pounding it down: 9 lb. Hammer

We're not sure what a 9-pound hammer is, but we do know there's a band of that name down South and down south of downtown Seattle, a bar, too. Our 9 lb. Hammer is a spastically decorated dive in everyone's favorite forgotten neighborhood, Georgetown. Vintage signs crowd the walls, garage-sale portraits hang upside down over overstuffed vintage chairs, and kitsch and nostalgia take second place only to cheap beers and stiff, no-nonsense drinks. Although a pool table takes up more than most of the back end of the high-ceilinged room, the Hammer insists on hosting live shows, even if they're somewhat infrequent. It's hard to imagine a full band setting up anywhere in this charmingly crowded space, but if the Kentucky band of the same name ever came to town, we bet 9 lb. Hammer would make room for them. 6009 Airport Way S., 206-762-3373.

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