Nine Pound 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 Nine Pound 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 Nine Pound Hammer would make room for them. 6009 Airport Way S., 206-762-3373.