Murray the Bartender

I lived in DC for just under seven and a half years. I probably visited somewhere around a hundred different bars or taverns during that time, and I never knew the name of a bartender; nor did any bartenders know my name. I kind of knew the name of the bouncer at Millie and Al's, but only because I couldn't believe that someone could be a bouncer for seven plus years.

I was on a first name basis with a bartender in Seattle within four days. Murray. At Zig Zag Cafe.

As it turns out, Murray might be the most famous bartender in Seattle. The Seattle Weekly ran a story on the growth in swanky cocktail joints in the city, and Murray was generally recognized as the most creative and exacting bartender in the city. He was named one of the Ten Best bartenders in the country by Playboy (the link has no adult content now, but I'm not making promises it won't when you click it).

And he has keys to my apartment.

When I saw his picture in the Weekly I thought "Wow, that's the guy who let me into the apartment I'm about to rent." Sure enough, Murray is great friends with my landlord (who lives in Guam), and keeps the spare set of keys. He and his girlfriend showed me the apartment when I came house hunting back in January.

Anyways, Huan and I have dropped by the bar a couple of times and he knows us by name, knows what we like to drink... it's kind of cool. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the city, and has given us great tips on places to check out. We've been told that we essentially know Seattle royalty. If this were DC, that means he'd be a Senator or Cabinet member. More or less.