[Don’t Call the Cops]

Over the weekend, my friends and I ventured over to Ballard for the SXSW Send Off Show at the Tractor Tavern where we got to preview a couple of the bands that will be performing at the festival in March. After living in Capitol Hill for the past four years, all of us have sort of became too comfortable in our own little neighborhood that we rarely explore anywhere else. For us, Ballard was a completely new experience. The crowd over there is much older than what we’re used to being around and reminds me of a rowdier and busier Bellingham. However, that doesn’t mean we didn’t still enjoy ourselves because we definitely did. Before going to the show, we made the rounds at Conor Byrne and a place called Macleod’s.

My friend Liz had recommended Conor Byrne to me over the summer because they have a great open mic sesh on Sunday nights and we thought it might be a good fit for Taylor. At the time, I didn’t actually know it was a bar, I just thought it was an open mic event. While we were there, Henry, Jennie, and Ashley snagged some sandwiches for $5 that they were pretty pleased with and our favorite hard cider. As we were there, the band was setting up for Soul Night! Unfortunately, we left before the party got started.

Our next stop was just a block down the street from Conor Byrne. Jennie and I wanted to pick a random place, but nothing seemed perfect for us. Macleod’s was right on the corner though and it seemed busy, but not overcrowded. THIS place has some incredible drinks. I just did a little bit of digging and found out that the Scottish pub is actually new in Ballard as of December, but it is a place that we will all need to come back to and one that I would recommend to all of you. I can’t seem to find a website for it or remember the drink that I had, but it’s a cocktail. It’s red and it has amaretto in it and maybe lemon. I’m like 72% sure of it.

[The Young Evils]