Spec's

Richard “Specs” Simmons opened this eccentric dive bar 50 years ago, an unpretentious hang for locals, hippies, and aging beat writers. Though Specs himself passed away in 2016, his vision lives on—the bar was deemed a “legacy business” the same year. Tucked into an alleyway between Tosca Cafe and Devil’s Acre, the spot feels like a throwback to another era; there’s no TV or WiFi to speak of. Instead, regulars chat over endless cans of icy Olympia beer and heaping baskets of cheese and saltines. The red-lit bar’s full name—Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe—refers to its grandma’s-attic-style decor, which ranges from nautical kitsch and questionable knicknacks to antique photographs, maps, political pamphlets, taxidermy, and cocktail napkin illustrations. You may pass a giant Alaskan king crab, a petrified whale penis, and a mummy in the short distance to the restroom. It’s all part of Specs’ oddball, old-school charm.