The Sloop isn't just your average bar. Call it dive bar of dive bars. If a yuppie Belltown cocktail lounge is on one end of the spectrum, then on the opposite end is The Sloop. I enjoy both.

There's something about this establishment that makes it a Ballard icon, a throwback to Ballard's true fishing roots.

Owner Charley Files has owned The Sloop for almost ten years. "Between the Viking and this place, it's as old as anything gets without changing very much," he says.

I like the idea of a place that's maintained itself throughout time, and still attracts a wide variety of people. "As the night wears on the crowd gets younger, especially on the weekends," says Files. I've seen both the young, hip crowd late at night as well as the regular customers during the day.

I approach a table of friendly looking men, all drinking the infamous Sloopersize beer. Rod Hansen of Ballard, JB Bickford and Gary Ausman from Kenmore come here once a week after playing golf. They call it "Our Happy Place".

"We come here because it's quiet, and now you're gonna ruin it," jokes Bickford.

It's almost 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday and the place is hardly quiet. In fact, it's over half full. A game of pool has already begun on one of the two pool tables.

The first thing I notice about this bar is that everyone is having a good time. I see smiles on people's faces, loud conversation, grown men playing arcade games, and even the bartender hollers at her customers, "Hey! You want another round?"

There's laughter, handshakes, and hugs. Files tells me that some of the customers have been regulars for as long as he's been the owner. It's the kind of scene where everybody knows your name (sound familiar?).

Guessing from the myriad of framed sailboat pictures lining the walls, one might presume the name of the bar has something to do with sailboats. But what exactly is a sloop?

A sailor friend to explained to me, in layman's terms, that a sloop is a sailboat with one mast, and only one headsail. It's one of the most common rigs. In fact, most of the boats moored at Shilshole Bay Marina are sloops.

Call me a lightweight. For a girl who's recently graduated from drinking schooners to pints, which I can only sporadically finish, the Sloopersize looks like an intimidating, impossible feat. But that's what most customers prefer.

For only $6.50, one can get a liter, 33.8 oz. of beer. Owner Files tells me that Bud Light is the beer of choice. The Sloop is also known for tasty fried foods, especially the fish and chips.

Another claim to fame is that it's been known to host a few famous crab fishermen from that little show called "The Deadliest Catch." When home from sea, the crew of the Northwestern likes to make a Sloop stop. "We get our fair share of Deadliest Catch guys. Some of them I knew before I knew about the show," Files nonchalantly exclaims.

I love that The Sloop is a place where many different people can find common ground - scruffy fishermen, the attractive Greek college kids, and casual Ballard locals. Go mingle with folks and feel like a regular, but be sure to ask them to Sloopersize you.

What:

The Sloop

Where:

2830 N.W. Market St.

206-782-3330

When:

Hours 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily