SCENE OF THE CRIME by Natasha
Ever since I was just a wee little Natasha, one of my dreams has been to own a house in Old Town Tacoma.
Even though I do pretty damn well financially, with skyrocketing home prices over there, I've realized that I'll need to win the lottery or sign up with one of those sugar daddy types to garner such a prize.
In the meantime, I prefer to spend QT in one of Old Town's best houses, one of the oldest houses, naturally, a drinking house.
The Spar.  The longest-standing beer parlor in Tacoma.
One of the first friends I ever made in Tacoma is Tony (aka Jimmy Sparkles, aka the Scuzztones' drummer) who works at the Spar. He shot the breeze with me for a while there and made me promise that I'd come back. I thought that was so nice that I've been drinking beer there ever since.
I adore the Spar's 20th-century homage with its exposed brick walls and the wood floors. The windows that face Ruston Way always get me into trouble because I often spend more time staring out at the water than paying attention to my friends. What can I say? I'm a dreamer.
My favorite piece of decor there is the Spar Fly hanging on the wall above the register. Sometimes I feel like I'm that fly.
The Spar carries with it a certain guarantee: It's always buzzing with fellow flies of all ages, shapes and sizes.
If you get there at 12:05 p.m. for lunch, you might be too late to get a seat for one of the Spar's excellent sandwiches. Any night of the week you can catch jubilant regulars flexing their microbrew prowess, too.
Also, there's an event that happens there that you have to partake in at least once in your life, seriously.
The Spar's Sunday Blues Night.
The weekly function packs in the baby boomers, but dear readers, I can't encourage you enough to develop an appreciation for this style of music if you don't have the love already. There's no easier way to do so than heading to the Spar's free early Sunday function.
Let me school you on one thing: If it wasn't for the blues, we wouldn't have any of our music moguls of today, from Kanye to the Stones.  Plus, quite simply, Tacoma has a fantastic blues community that's extremely easy to slip into.
What makes The Spar's blues night a good time is the relaxing atmosphere that it creates.  You'll forget that you've ever had a care in the world. I'm also grateful that the Spar and organizer Ted Brown created this tradition to wrap up my weekends in such a comfortable fashion.
With John Lee Hooker as my witness from above, I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself.
Call me Sister Soul.
The Spar, 2121 N. 30th, Old Town Tacoma, (253) 627-8215

Tell me where you like to party here.