A
bar in downtown
Olympia. On 4th ave.
A smoky, usually dim,
dive. Local lore pegs that date of it's establishment as "
forever ago". The inside is done in classic
middle-period-
dive-bar with a strong
Marilyn Monroe bend. At a varying interval, the interior walls are painted over, producing an interesting onion-skin of paint and thick layers of
smoky residue. Bears a strong resemblance to
The Cha-Cha in
Seattle.
Popular local legend has it that two of the bartenders, specifically
Marcy and her
Mom, are the inspiration for
Marge's sisters on
The Simpsons. Evidence for this theory:
Matt Groening, while attending
The Evergreen State College, was said to be a
Ben Moore's regular. And as anyone who's attempted to get a drink from
Marcy or her
Mom for the first time will attest to, their
temperament at least matches if not exceeds that of the sisters de Marge. The chain-smoking helps, too.
Know by a wide range of nick-names; Bend-Over's, BM's,
Bowel-Movement's, ect.
Attracts several narrow-but-dissimilar ranges of patrons. while
The Reef is populated exclusively by
alcoholics and
wanna-bes, and everyone hits the
Highclimber Lounge,
Ben Moore’s patrons tend to fall in one of two groups;
hipsters and state politicians. With a narrow wedge of
hangers-on.
Guarded by a wood framed mostly-glass
door with a deceptively light pull. Ben Moore's
newbies are easily spotted by the
distinctive crash as they exit the bar, pushing far too hard on the outward-opening door which has no stopping mechanism. Certain embarassing exceptions to this exist, such as
this one.
They serve food in the back during the day, but seeing the inside of Ben Moore's in the daylight always leaves me feeling
vaguely guilty.
Like
so many other things in
Olympia;
dependable,
regular,
insular, and
consistent. also capable of being
cold,
spiteful, and
cruel for no apparent reason.
A lot like
home.