Alki Tavern closure countdown: The last Taco Thursday

(Photo by Don Brubeck)
One last time, motorcycles lined the street outside Alki Tavern on Thursday night. A sign set aside the parking just for them:

(Photo by Cami MacNamara)
A wider view shows how many had arrived even before sunset, for one last tribute:

(Photo by Russ Walker)
One last … taco:

(This photo and others below by Cami MacNamara)
With the tavern closing after Sunday night, it was one more tradition to say farewell to.

Alki resident Cami MacNamara, who took most of the photos in this story, says she got the last seat in the house when she arrived at 4:30 pm:

Some milled outside – maybe appreciating the view one last time:

There were smiles, if bittersweet ones:

And there was art. While many took photos, Ginger captured the scene with a sketch:

And the sight of the night remained the bikes outside – one last time:

Tonight is the tavern’s “Last Call Ball,” as noted in our coverage of Wednesday night’s memorabilia auction (see it here) – music starting at 8 tonight with Tim Turner Band, Randy Hansen, Child, “and other special guests.”

16 Replies to "Alki Tavern closure countdown: The last Taco Thursday"

  • toodles March 15, 2013 (7:47 am)

    Like with The Rocksport, another good place to hang for a long time goes down to unwanted developers.

  • Cami March 15, 2013 (7:54 am)

    Thanks, Tracy! Happy to have captured the event in photos to remember for years to come.

  • M March 15, 2013 (8:10 am)

    Old West Seattle, cheers. I haven’t been in there since I was 8 or 9 back around 1980. Bummed to see it go like the Corner Inn. (Not so much Chuck and Sally’s, though).

  • Tim March 15, 2013 (10:26 am)

    Maybe they’ll be 1 or 2 less Harley’s bombing through our neighborhood at 50 mph now trying to see who has the loudest bike- just dumb

  • mike March 15, 2013 (11:17 am)

    Thanks for last night BEACH DOGS, we may be old, but we can still Party.
    Cheers, MAD

  • Anacortesnow March 15, 2013 (12:29 pm)

    All gone . . . Riverside, White Horse, Blew Eagle, Digby’s, Wheelhouse, Red Feather, Surfer, Nobby’s, Pickwick, Jigsaw, Rainy City, Nifty’s, Flame, Squire, Happy Hour, Embers, Luck Toy and many more. That’s not just evolution – more like scorched earth.

  • Silly Goose March 15, 2013 (4:20 pm)

    Dont forget the good ole dog house, best breakfast at 3am in Seattle! I am gonna miss this Tavern many many memories there of when life was a littel simplier!

  • Meghan March 16, 2013 (6:27 am)

    Given its location, it’s a miracle it last this long. The reality is that if it weren’t for the Great Depression 2.0, it would have been torn down 5 or 6 years ago. Just a sign of the times. A reality of a growing city and a free market system we all purport to love. Personally, I won’t miss the horrific noise of those motorcyles… or all the drunk cycle drivers (and their hogs) yelling and screaming at the end of the evening there.

  • JamestheYounger March 16, 2013 (11:46 am)

    Condos, condos and more condos everywhere!! YEAH for Condos!!!!
    .
    What we really need to do is to sterilize the city of any and all character. Whitewash every inch into a new “Pleasantville” where nothing unpredictable ever happens. Where our day is perfectly planned and colored in perfect pastels and perfect silence. I can’t wait until there are no more children in Seattle, only 2.5 dogs per couple wearing perfect little doggy sweaters, pooping and paying homage to a perfect little sun setting on an A-political, high definition, homeland security monitored beach. How pleasant and perfect my life will then be!

  • howty March 16, 2013 (2:31 pm)

    Now that i see it’s final hurray..i actually have some mixed feelings about this dive!!!seen it for so many years,all ugly lookin’ with it’s super bad paint job-such a eyesore..but i have to agree with the above blogger…it’s even worse when we try to “sterilize” everything and nothing unpredictable happens!! so yeah, kinda sad to see it going….

  • Kip March 17, 2013 (12:24 am)

    @ JamestheYounger
    My thoughts exactly!! ;)

  • let them swim March 17, 2013 (10:10 am)

    The Alki had CLASS, I don’t care what anyone says.
    When it first opened the owners sponsored ONE Girls softball team, TWO Mens softball teams, One City Mens basketball team. It carried over into the 1980’s, Best place on the beach before all the yup suck joints towards the other end of the beach started popping up. And for all of you people that complain about the loud bikes. Shag off. The Alki Tavern still has CLASS. They let everyone in and don’t give a damn even if you’re a yup-suck. Farewell to the Alki and I hope for not another Alki, which cannot be copied, but for another “CLASS DIVE”

  • Kip March 18, 2013 (12:09 am)

    You guys all should have mentioned that on the last night you needed a wristband to get in. The bar look fairly slow & when we got there at 8:30pm for the last night we were sadly turned away at the door saying that it was mainly for friends and family. Way too much hype on the last day being saint Patrick’s day only to be let down and not let in. Bad PR for all involved…

    • WSB March 18, 2013 (1:19 am)

      Sorry to hear that. Did not know anything about wristbands, and looking around online, I’m not seeing that mentioned anywhere else either. Just curious, did they say when these wristbands had been sold?

  • let them swim March 18, 2013 (10:40 am)

    Wrist bands were not for sale.
    Given to long time patrons and friends and
    a heck of a lot of old and I mean old bartenders.If a person got there early you could get in
    The bands were crowd control.The place was packed and the bands meant you could come and go. The last three days reminded me of the 70’s. So sad the ALKI is gone.

Sorry, comment time is over.