Sometime after an obnoxiously glutinous dinner at Pacific Grill and some Chocolate Cake shots at Puget Sound Pizza, Carmen and The KAke wussed out while new friend Ginger Knoxx convinced me it’d be a smart idea to close down a local dive bar. So off to the Western R on Puyallup Avenue we went.



Seedy does not even begin to describe the pack of drunken local-yokes inhibiting the Western R at that late hour of night. Patrons in need of severe dental work scanned us up and down while making crude comments under their breath. I witnessed a woman just about fall out of her chair as she chastised her equally intoxicated “husband” for looking at us. None of this fazed Ginger Knoxx, so I didn’t let it get to me either. We ordered our drinks and found solstice in a hidden corner booth.



My mouth burned as I took the first sip of my double tall vodka soda. Ginger Knoxx reminded me that we were in fact at a dive bar, thus drinks were on the long-pour. Yes indeed they were, Ginger, thankyouverymuch. Right after we dropped some money in the jukebox was when one of the bar-side barflies made the floor his own personal toilet by puking up a snotty white mixture of whatever grew in his stomach that night. Nice.



I’ve never had to fend off as many men as I did that night hanging out with Ginger Knoxx. Best part of it all was that she actually gave them her real phone number. “No fakes?” I asked. She knew how it went with guys like this, “They’ll call a couple of times, I’ll keep turning them down, and they’ll eventually get bored.” True dat, Ginger Knoxx. That is, if they even remember tomorrow how they met you and that they have your number.

Western R Bar & Grill

1214 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.6920



Food: no thank you

Beer: standard domestics.

Service: OK

Extra Credit: Western R hosts a jam on Thursdays and local country-rock bands on the weekends.



Bar Exam Dive Grade: A