You have the landlady's phone number, perchance?

um... well.. redwood left a foul taste in my mouth this weekend.

this weekend us golfers made a rucas outside of the redwood, the borg team had a guy who was blastin techno out of a bullhorn the redwood staff kicked him out and he subsequently (and probably 20-30 more people) started a dance party to his bullhorn ipod player on the side walk. yeah it was loud and at probably 5 or 6 in the afternoon lol.

oh and then link from zelda showed up and yelled at everyone for being loud and out freaking him with all the pvc clothing and dancing in the street.

this while the uptight hipster clientel stared down their noses at the tomfoolery of us drunk urban golfers.

fuck you redwood, I hope you die.

http://flickr.com/photos/divide/166318255/

98104, are you an idiot? You all look like fun people, but you really want them to go out of business because they booted some obnoxious twat who was blaring techno from a bullhorn?

Fuck you, seattle98104. I hope you die.

well it was 5 in the afternoon we were all paying customers as a stream of 100+ people doing a bar crawl. this was the ONLY bar that kicked the guy out. not r place, not purr, not the metropolitan cafe..

so yeah fuck em.

If it's a "hipster bar," I'd imagine that more alcoholics and drug users are congregating in that spot. Make mine a $2 PBR and pass me the Def Leppard coke mirror!

I am no big fan of the Redwood. I think the staff there can be horribly slow and clueless. The crowd on Friday and Saturday nights I would rather avoid. Just personal preference. I would hope they can stick around though. The attitude toward bars in this city is a terrible thing.

I think it is funny that they are worried about this bar. The area of Summit just down the road is bad news. There are at least two halfway houses a block away. If anything having the bar there makes me feel safer. At least there are people around.

Also, the people that run the building that is complaining. The used to complain about people at the laundromat. People sitting around waiting for their laundry to finish are too loud for these people.

Damn it! Redwood is a seriously huge upgrade for that neighborhood. I will make a conserted effort to pee on that apartment building every time i brave that neighborhood on my way to get some creamy crack.

Erica,
I found this post to be a bit misleading. Neither in this post, nor in your article do you mention the address of the Redwood (514 E. Howell St.)So, the owners of this bar decided to plop it down in the middle of a dense, fairly quiet, low traffic neighborhood, expecting all the residents to be thrilled? Nobody's getting a rent reduction (or other mitigation) due to the extra noise.

Also, I doubt that a bunch of drunk hipsters throwing their cigarette butts on the ground is "improving the neighborhood."

The Stranger needs to stop presenting itself as pro density. If people can't sleep in their own homes then Seattle will never be that dense.
You guys are always fawning over NYC. Noise complaints are a big issue there and they take them seriously.
Do you realize you have suggested that a bar is good answer for the problems of street drugs and alcholics?

You're kidding me right? This isn't Magnolia we're talking about. This isn't Bellevue. I lived near that building and walked by there countless times during that time.

That area is not quiet and is right in the middle of a number of other businesses and busy streets. If you live in Capitol Hill, Belltown, or on the Ave then you better get used to the idea of loud noise.

If you don't like it, I hear they're building ugly condos all over the eastside. Or move to Ballard.

Shit, it was a noisy neighborhood when I lived there back in the late '80's, when on a typical evening you could hear the bass thumping from Glynn's Cove/Tugs/Squid Row (I moved before it became The Kincora) from three or four blocks away.

Of course, that was before they built all those cardboard sided condo's along the North-South corridors, where now presumably people can now hear every time someone farts four doors down.

I could not agree with you anymore Erica! But I also think COMTE is right about building material quality. Maybe the City should require better materials that buffer sound on streets in neighborhood commerical and mixed use zones where ground floor retail exists with upper story residential.

umm... how obnoxious can you be? The moldy oldies and rock on the jukebox not good enough. No shit the staff didn't like that dance party on the street. What? No room at that bar one block on Olive, the one with the rainbows, no windows and pink-like exterior? By the way R Place, Purr, Metropolitian are not even in the same league as Redwood as far as bars in that neighborhood goes.

Redwood, for those who have never been, is an old school dive designed to look like it has been there for years and years. It is dark inside, no one can see your face, the chairs are stiff and old, the tables and wall have a montana hunting/outdoor vibe, and peanut shells are everywhere. It is not shiny, stylish and hip. Nothing like any of those places. It is also, as was mentioned, in a location of seatlle with a lot of transitioning sex-offenders, live-out offenders, transitional social service housing, and low income housing. It is not a place for the "wow-$2-PBR-and-$10-cocktails" set(available simply everywhere with a 6 block radius of this one bar). It is more of a bar for the "$1-can-of-schmidt-beer-with-a-$2-whiskey-back" crowd. Grow up and stop acting like you are 23 and all of Seattle is your playground simply cuz you dress "nicer" then everyone else in there.

For the record, I hope the place sticks it out. That neigborhood needs more dark, somewhat low-end places where you don't need to take a shower first and everyone in the joint has the single minded goal to just get drunk and not "be-seen-and-get-hit-on". Go to Cha Cha it you want that bullshit.

It's not Redwood's fault people drop their cigarette butts on the ground. Blame the smoking ban for that one. (Go to any other bar in the city and it's the same story). And it's lame to complain about noise in a dense environment. Zander, name one city where the dense part of the city is quiet. Belltown is noisy; Pioneer Square is noisy; parts of Capitol Hill (including the part in question) are noisy. If you don't like noise, don't move into the middle of the city. There are PLENTY of quiet neighborhoods in Seattle.

um it was a pre-planned bar crawl, every bar we went to knew we were comming and many openned early just for our arrival. I'm sure the redwood knew a bunch of drunk golfers was headed their way. What i didn't understand was why they kicked out the pvc nipple/bullhorn guy the moment he walked in. It just seems kind of stupid to thumb your nose at a large group of partyers bar crawling in the middle of the afternoon throwing cash around at a non-peek hour. What's even more dumb is that instead of letting the group party for 10 minutes inside before they hit the next hole, they pushed them outside where the noise would be most heard by the appartment noise nazis.

and when I arrived and bought my drinks there there were only 6 other customers. my group of ten + the borg = 20. the rest of the golfers that would stream through = 100.

do you want customers or do you not want customers?

ECB-- When I said I could not agree with you anymore---what I MEANT to say is I could not agree with you any more as in I completely agree with you Erica.

This question will continue to plague Seattle as the city continues to do great things that we all love like creating neighborhood business districts with a mix of retail, commercial and residential.

Let's be proactive and think about what we require developers to do to minimize noise impacts for future tenants. If you are ever in an old brick building for instance, that was built at the say, the turn of the century, then you notice you don't really hear anything.

What else can we do besides changing our expectations (good idea), and looking at building materials to minimize the effects of noise (good idea).

Let's see-the neighbors are trying to shut me down for noise, the city's after my license, and a drunk guy with pvc nipples and a bullhorn comes into my place.

What DO I do?

I live in that neighborhood. I sleep with my window facing The Redwood, and while it can get a little noisy, it's a welcome kind of neighborhoody noise that I'm fond of and it doesn't keep me awake or bother me at all.

We're not talking gunshots and helicopters here. This is some drunk 20 & 30 somethings in a rental area populated by the same smoking in front of the bar or just walking home late. Not nearly as noisy or annoying as the goddamned dumptrucks that spend 4 hours in the area every single morning.

My experience is there are alot of renters in the area who love to bitch. If it weren't for complaining to the "Champions Of The People" about noise, they'd have no one to push around. This neo-urban numby shit sucks. Ol' Money Bags decided to move back to the city, so now we have to smoke outside and use our library voices or he'll call the fuzz.

I've been around density all my life and I can't understand where this whole "noise complaint" sentiment comes from. You know the "lving in the city" job's dangerous when you take it, so why bitch once you've got it? Eaking out a breath of freedom under the rule of "the other 51%" is damned frusterating sometimes.

Plus, let's face it. The assignemnt of this nebulous term "hipster" is a large factor in the whole matter isn't it? Why deny it? There seems to be such a growing universally accepted prejudiced against these "hipsters" for whatever reason. Being angry at hipsters is just beyond me. When I ask people what they don't like about them, I'm always hearing someshit about tight clothes, cocaine, PBR and haircuts. Really? Is that it? There are worse things to worry about. I log off and mix it up in the real world from time to time and the "hipster problem" is pretty low on my list.

I've heard arguments over cigarettes in front of the halfway house that were louder than the dreaded hipsters at The Redwood. Shit, there's a stray cat in heat that's louder. Dmp trucks are louder. Try calling the cops on that shit. Fucking jets flying over Beacon Hill are louder. Is it OK with everyone if we have places where folks can congregate and indulge or has that freedom become passe already too?

If The Redwood closes it will be sorely missed by more people than I believe it even bothers.

Are there some people who hate the place and live near there who'd care to respond? i really have to know what's up everyone's asses in that neighborhood. I lived down Summit between Pike And Pine before this and it's amazing how different the two areas are being that they're just a few locks apart.

My old Chinese landlord, in a Lake City apartment I used to live in, did this as well: he posted notes asking tenants to call the police when the community center next door held concerts. I don't think it was any bias on his part: I think a couple of pedantic bitter tenants, whose units faced the center, complained to him and he, not wanting to lose their tenancy, took the complaints too seriously. Nevermind that it was always on Friday or Saturday night, nights you'd expect something like that to go on.

My roommate and I came home from drinking and a show, and as his car pulled into the parking garage at 1 am, the landlord came running up to us with a concert going on next door yelling, "THEY'RE MAKING NOISE! CALL THE POLICE!" And we both were like, "Dude, leave us alone."

We didn't hear anything in our unit, BTW. We never did. We didn't even hear anything in the hallway, the stairwell or the garage. A better suggestion would be to find better, younger, easier going tenants who aren't so pedantic.

Haha, the "hipster problem". Well said, Hillbilly.

My first apartment was two buildings away from The Redwood on Summit, and I was so pleased when I heard a bar opened there. I would have been just as pleased if it had been a taco joint or a Check Xpress, anything that kept lots of people coming and going and put more eyes on the street.

The fact is, that area (slummit) has been severely blighted for years and years in one of the most successful parts of the city. Why? Because it's FUCKING SCARY. Why? Because it's full of crack. Thank god for the problem-hipsters and all the activity they bring to this once oddly dead street (though it's still got a ways to go).

More eyes=less crime=more people=more eyes, and on and on.

On second thought, "Check Xpress" was not the best example.

Erica-

Belltown can be very noisy that is true but that doesn't make the noise good. If everyone followed your advice and moved to a quieter neighborhood, those other neighborhoods would also become dense and problems would repeat again in a new location.
I don't think people should have to leave their homes to accomodate the policies of new business owners. Why should I have to commute another half hour each way everyday? Is that the environmental solution you advocate? More sprawl and with more traffic and polution?
You are right we live in a big city now and people need to act like. That means getting along with the neighbors and realizing your not the only person who lives in the city.

I just don't believe you can't have both relative quiet (voices talking are just not that loud) and density. I live in Capitol Hill and am never bothered by the noise. Obviously, I'm not "advising" "everyone" to move to Wallingford, or wherever. Most people who live in dense areas AREN'T calling 911 when people stand outside and talk. For those who are that sensitive, Capitol Hill might not be the best place to live.

for those who need to be clicked in, Redwood was the Suds&Duds. Back when the bremalos would meet the posse on broadway.

Seattle98104,

You are a straight up retard.

Kicking kooks like you to the curb was probably the best business decision Redwood made all day.

I read Phenix's post and just walked down and checked it out.

That is exactly the kind of bar we should want here. Laid back atmosphere. The kind of place you could take your mom, read a book or just vege out. Nice people as well. I will go back there.

Seattle98104 is an ass!

What can be done to fight these nimby's... and evidently the city?

I will be talking to the land lady... does anyone have the #? maybe we all should. Not as patrons, but as neighbors who enjoy this neighborhood for what it is.

I don't think asking those who need peace and quiet to move to Ballard is asking to much.

In my 20 or so years in Seattle, I've lived in the U District, Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Belltown and now Beacon Hill.

None of these neighborhoods were particularly noisy. Seattle just isn't a very noisy city.

In fact, when I lived on Capitol Hill, I lived at the New McDermott (Bellevue between Pike/Pine) A now-demolished house at Denny and Boylston, and a fabulous 60's apartment building at Olive and Belmont that was just demolished (Such a pity - great courtyard with fountain, and a fun little pool. But I digress)

All of these places were close to Redwood, and none of them were anywhere near as loud as my old apartment back in Loring Park in Minneapolis. But there were still the people who couldn't cope with the "noise" - Manray had a similar problem when it first opened. The Cuff had problems when it first expanded.

There's just a lot of angry people on Capitol Hill who will complain about anything - one of the many reasons I don't live there anymore.

And I agree that the laundromat was no treat - particularly back in the 80's before they updated it. I was seriously harrassed by an elderly leather daddy there one afternoon (I was much prettier then) and was pretty much trapped there, as there was no attendant.

Ugh...man the bar is fine.Can a person just get a fucking drink.There are no scene polotics to this shit.It is just a bar.Oh and that apartment buliding should really shut the fuck up its
embarrassing.

I was at the urban golf game as well - and while the dude with the bullhorn *was* obnoxious (admit it Seattle98104, he was), the rest of our 100+ group was amazingly tame, all things considered. And it's not like we descended en mass on Redwood - we were staggered (and staggering, to be fair) and I doubt more than 2 or 3 teams (20-30 people) were there at the onset. We hit 8 other bars that day and, except for problems with Mr. Bullhorn at Charlie's, every bar we went to was absolutely delighted to have us.

"You are right we live in a big city now and people need to act like. That means getting along with the neighbors and realizing your not the only person who lives in the city."

Right on. Living in a densely-populated area means that we need to be more careful about not imposing ourselves on others. If each of the hundreds of people who live within earshot of Redwood was out hooting and hollering it would be a miserable place for everyone. If someone wants to make noise that extends beyond his own space, he should go live out in the boonies where he can make all the noise he wants without imposing his noise on his neighbors.

Erica, many people assume that trash accumulation, vandalism, and theft are "just part of living in the city" as you claim that noise is. When our neighbors complain about these things, should we tell them to go move to the 'burbs if they don't like all the trash, vandalism, and theft that goes with living in a dense urban neighborhood?

Phil - Obviously, I'm not saying trash, vandalism, and theft are OK. I'm saying that it's no big deal if a few people want to stand around and talk. It's a matter of degree. When you live in a dense area, there are going to be people on the street.

Erica:

But if you want to stand around and talk, and you want to do it on the street within earshot of 100 bedroom windows, you need to keep your damned voice down. It's just inconsiderate not to. And if you open a business on a block where there is nothing but apartment buildings, a corner store, and a laundromat, you better expect some pushback from the residents if your customers stand outside of 100 bedroom windows and chatter as if there was no one else around.

I'm not saying that you said trash, vandalism, and theft are okay. I'm saying that they are as much "a part of city life" as is the noise from a bunch of drunks standing outside your window having a wonderful time but talking as loudly as if they were inside a crowded bar or on the street in a place that is not within earshot of hundreds of people's homes. The noise is similarly un-necessary, un-desirable, and inconsiderate.

If we're all going to live this close to each other, we need to be extra considerate of each other, not to shove our shit down each other's throats and say, "If you don't like it, move to the suburbs where you won't have to eat shit".

Phil, these people live in the middle of a dense city. It's their fault if they can't bear any noise in their neighborhood, even in mostly residential areas. They should know that noise comes with the territory, and if it's something they don't want in their live, then they need to take their lives somewhere quieter. It's only practical. You're defending brattiness.

BTW, my mostly residential neighborhood with NO nearby businesses is louder than most Capitol Hill residential areas, even those near businesses. But, having seen the neighborhood before moving in, I understood this and am fine with it.

Gomez:

We're not talking about the existence of any amount of noise, we're talking about a bunch of people at a bar surrounded by apartments hanging out outside the bar being louder than anyone else in that area is.

These people are not complaining about the noise of the thousands of neighbors on their block going about their lives, coming and going from home, chatting on the porch, slamming their dumpsters shut, being wisked away in ambulances, etc. -- the sorts of noise we put up with when we live in a dense urban neighborhood. They're not complaining about a neighbor hosting a loud party, which, though inconsiderate, happens now and then when there are this many people living in close proximity to each other. They're not complaining about a neighbor repeatedly hosting such parties. They are complaining about a neighbor who has decided to profit from hosting visitors, selling them a controlled substance that tends to make people a little rowdy, and standing by while these visitors go stand outside everyone else's windows at night and speak as if they were hanging out in a beer garden. That's reasonable, isn't it?

If the Redwood doesn't like the quietness of that block, it can go relocate to a block that is welcoming of its noise. It's really un-neighborly to assume that everyone surrounding it should just deal with the noise, especially once they've made it clear that the noise is unacceptable to the neighborhood.

If you want to run a bar on a block that is 99% residential, making nice with the neighbors is just part of doing business.

And as for the residents of that block knowing that noise comes with the territory: They also know that overflowing dumpsters and vandalism comes with the territory. So what? Why not strive for a higher level of civility and shun those who are not interested in being good neighbors?

Phil, you are wrong (at least in a sense)in the case of the Redwood. The buildings managers complained about the laundromat as well. These people didn't want anything happening on that corner.

It will be interesting to see if they get there permit sorted out - so it may all be just an argument for its own sake.

One block away from the Redwood and the apartment on Summit is a really bad stretch. With the sex offender sitting outside their half way houses to crack heads and panhandlers down by the intersection with Pine. I understand noise is an issue, but if they want a better neighborhood maybe there are better targets then some noisy, but in all other manner, legal adults smoking on the sidewalk.

This city is by far the most strict (and least fun) when it comes to bars and noise...

Phil, read my comment again.

I think people are forgetting that the bar is doing everything they can to keep the noise down. They booted the bullhorn dude. They have a gorilla posted outside keeping people in line if they get too loud. People are acting like the Redwood is pointing subwoofers out the window and shooting shotguns off the roof.

I think all of this is crazy. Redwood is a small laid back bar just trying to make it. The neighborhood is a fine place for a bar and just because some stupid landlady is pissed means we should shut down a perfectly respectable establishment???? I hate that people only think of themselves! So some people are somking outside and making noise. Redwood can not control what people do outside of their bar. Maybe the complainers from the apartment should stop in for a drink and enjoy the new neighborhood addition. Seattle is a growing and changing city. If you live in the city you have to respect that new and different places are going to come. Accept it and remember to just be happy you live in one of the best places in the country.

Phil,

No sooner than you said "noisy people need to move to the suburbs where they can be noisy" you said, "We can't just ask people who don't want to be around noise to move to the suburbs".

Which is it? Are we playing, "I'm offended that you're offended I'm offended"?

I think what you really mean is move to a remote rural area though. Man, I haver never lived in the suburbs. I don't think I am going to fare any better in the face of rental or homeowners associations who want to tell me whether or not I'm allowed to have pink flamingos on my lawn much less let me get away with making any noise what so ever.

C'mon man, can we just have our bar? You've already pointed out there are inherant noise problems that come with density.

I tend to think your problem isn't noise at all, it's people who live a bit different than you being permitted a good time at any expense. You know you can't call the cops on a loud ambulance, so take it out on the drinkers. Nobody forgives a drunk, right?

This feels an awful lot like the whole thing about the air pollution in Seattle being worse than the air pollution in bars, but people had better get their smoke on outside because the cleaner I live, the more I am entitled to bitching.

These are problems economy can solve. Smokeless bars would undoubtedly do inbcredible business, but instead we had to regulate and make everyone smoke outside. (Coincidentally, smoking outside is a likely cause of these noise problems at the Redwood and is threatening the livelihoods of that bar's employees and owners but I'm getting side tracked).

Likewise, quiter neighborhoods than Capitol Hill are immediately adjacent for the more refined urbanites (work with me here). First Hill? Or must you have not just your cake and eat it too, but everyone else's as well?

C'mon man. Make room.

Jeff Montano (Red Wood manager) Here,

I dont care if you think the Redwood is a dive, or fake, or for hipsters, or whether or not you wil or will not go to Redwood. These issues have absolutely no concern to me.

I do care about our community and our neighbors. It is vital to human progression that people cooperate and coexist. Redwood is doing everything it can to ease the lives of our neighbors. We put up signs we hire extra security to enforce volume minimization. We lower the volume of our music. We have perfected the science of minimizing the damage that any given drunk does to its environment. And we are properly zoned and permitted by the city to do business at 514 E. Howell street.

I wish our neighbors would do things other than complain and call the police to resolve this situation.

I understand that the city feels we should be respectful to the people who were there before us. But thats kid of a double standard. What about the black, lower middle class famlies who have lived in the central district all their lives whom are being pushed out due to raising rent and gentrification? Or, what about the natives in Seattle? Did the City treat them respectfully when they moved in? My point is we're all here and we have to live together. And if all we do is complain, or ignore eachother, we will perpetually be a community in conflict.

Redwood harbors a healthy and caring community of intelligent and interesting people. Artists, musicians, and hard workers alike. They are a staple of the Seattle community, especially in Capitol Hill. Im honored to know most of these people. They are young and growing, and Capitol Hill is there home. Its always been their home. Im sure if we cooperate we can find many ways for everyone to live happily in the neighborhood without anyone having be banished... or loose any sleep.

I've done everything I can think of to improve this situation. If anyone has any ideas that might help PLEASE let me know. If you want to get a hold of me you know where I work.

It's a fucking BAR, people. On CAPITOL HILL, of all places. Why this is even an issue absolutely astounds me. Fucking crybabies.

Oh, and well said, Jeff.

Here's the thing. If I came into a Olive Garden and there were no customers and I started blaring techno through a blow horn (I like Marco Bailey as much as the next guy), I would be kicked out. And expect it. The 6 customers who were sitting there enjoying themselves at the Redwood most likely wanted to sit there and enjoy themselves in a laid back environment free of PVC golf weird techno blaring megaphone people. And I doubt as soon as those people left R Place (a MUCH louder dance oriented venue... who are probably used to elaborat things like that) that the bartender thought to themselves "better call the Redwood and tell the golf people are coming". But what do I know. Regardless... Capitol Hill has always been bustling with nightlife activity. I live behind two bars and trust it me it gets noisey. People should be happy the Redwood isn't a Karaoke bar. If you had to hear someone butchering Cher on a nightly basis, you'd probably call the cops just on principle. Now I have no idea who this "Jeff Montono" guy is, but it would seem that he makes some good, clear points. I'm sure that Redwood would be willing to work with people to create a plan that would satisfy everyone from the "hipster" that wants to get drunk, to the weird frat boy that wants to see the "hipster" get drunk, to Grandma Campbell who just wants to watch her stories and sew blankets for Grandkids that never call anymore. I know that Belmont feels safer with more eyes on it and the shady things that normally go on on that street are now much more visible and consequintly are being dealt with. The staff at the Redwood have been nothing but friendly and the Juke Box is a nice change of pace from Modest Mice or whatever the kids listen to these days. I've been awakened fom a lovely slumber by the Halfway house having some sort of emergency vehicle or one of their residents having a "freak out" way more than any bar related activity. I have also witnessed the staff QUIETLY asking people to lower their voices and people being respectful. I have also noticed a guy screaming at a no parking sign about how he's "not going to get away with this" 3 blocks away where there is no bar.

Rosewood is rad.
"if the music is too loud then you are too old" and move to Bellevue and drive an SUV and take your weird kids to soccer practice. Face it Capital hill is for interesting, crazy wackos that have nothing else better to do THEN drink PBR and talk about muzic.
and remember "nobody likes a complainer"

seriously, if you hate city noise and people being loud in the street, why did you move to a building in the "young & social" part of the city and specifically in the "pine st" area? Move to Bellevue, Bothell or Greenwood or something. Is your life that miserable that you need to complain about something this small. Obviously suburbia is where you belong.

Ok, so pointing fingers is fun and all, but if this problem is to be solved lets stop asking people to move and start asking people to listen to each other’s concerns. I think most of us can agree that in all honesty, after a couple drinks at the Redwood, the last thing on our minds is the neighbor’s beauty sleep. And if they, the apartment tenants, were to be honest, they would rather hide behind the anonymity of a 911 call than talk to the owners of the Redwood in person to establish some sort of relationship.
What has happened here is that through poor communication, the media and the police have been put in charge as the middlemen in this fiasco. Wow, and that is a recipe for a whole lot of bull shit. So lets be the good neighbors by respecting those around us, but not at the expense of our good time. Let’s open a channel of communication with those in the apartment building, hence putting the ball in their court, and forcing them to step up and in effect, be better neighbors as well. We “hipsters” (postmodernist beatniks?) have the opportunity to take hold of this situation and guide it into our favor; we just have to play the game, instead of dismissing it. If we, the patrons of the Redwood, act like we have done nothing wrong, than in the eyes of those who will be our judges, we have already lost.

To all you assholes complaining about noise....go live in the suburbs where you fucking belong. We hate your hummers and condos. If it is sooo loud that you can't hear your episodes of Desperate Housewives then turn the volume up.

redwood is a vast improvement to the neighborhood -- as already cited, that laundromat/bar was an absolute abomination, a haven for street drunks and zoned out addicts.

i am proud to know the owners and operators of this bar and they are good folk. my business is the beer business and, let me tell you, there are plenty of other joints around town that are not abiding by common rules of neighborly decency.

redwood does all they possibly can to be a good neighbor. in fact, they go above and beyond the call of duty.

those of you looking to tar and feather the place with a hipster brush should look elewhere. the intent behind this spot is to provide a nice, neighborly place to go have a drink. it is not a "scene," nor is it a "hipster hangout." redwood reminds me of the many old timer joints that used to litter this city, before the almighty dollar took over.

i think a bigger issue at hand here is the city's crackdown on nightlife. a few years ago, in a series of highly publicized moves, the mayor came out strong, kissing the collective ass of the music/nightlife community. since then, the mayor and his agencies have acted like spurned lovers.

noise ordinances, smoking bans, sprinkler system laws, various permit requirements -- all these things are severely impacting a segment of business that brings in a lot of money to our city.

it is a shame that redwood is being targeted. it's a fairly quiet, unassuming spot. you want something to bitch about? go walk the pike/pine corridor any night of the week. i wouldn't live there for a million dollars.

and yet, it was not so long ago that pike/pine was reasonably desolate. those of you that caught the jim rose sideshow act at the old middle eastern restaurant (now linda's) know what i'm talking about.

bottom line: cities grow, neighborhoods change. you don't like it, don't live in it.

This whole Redwood issue is ridiculous. Go a block in any direction and you will find other bars, which also cater to "drunk hipsters", not to mention many other types of drunks. On any given night on the Hill, there are tons of drunks walking past Redwood going from bar to bar, or bar to party, or simply HOME, and they would be doing that whether Redwood was there or not. People who go to bars on Capital Hill are loud after last call. Period. If you don't like hearing drunks outside your window late at night (or early in the morning) - MOVE. Why do you think I live in Ballard?
And to the people who got kicked out of Redwood for blaring techno through a bullhorn - it's too bad that you were just trying to have fun and got kicked out. But that's the risk you take when you do something obnoxious, no matter how fun it may be. You didn't get kicked out of those other bars because they are not having issues with noise complaints, and probably because they needed your money more than Redwood, because we all love Redwood, and we go there and support them and buy enough drinks that they can afford to toss you if they feel the need.

I am willing to bet that the noise is not a problem 7 days a week. Its most likely Friday and Saturdays when the noise levels get up there...this is true everywhere there is a bar in the city. So why the hell do you want to shut them down? I agree with other people who have posted that if you can't handle the noise in the city on those days WHY do you live there? Unfortunately, the convenience of living in the heart of Capital Hill means that you are going to have to tolerate some noise on the weekends. Don't you ever go out? Don't you ever have a few and start having so much fun that you stop paying attention to how loud you are talking? Well if you don't wtf are you doing living in the center of people who do? If you do, then live and let live and understand that there is probably someone pretty annoyed by your noise level living near your favorite hang out that is putting up with YOU on those days because they themselves are either out having fun or they understand that it is a minor price to pay for getting to live where the action is. I'm willing to bet that the complaints are coming from a handful of people in the building that either fart dust or don't know what a good time is. Its a shame that those few are able to dictate to the rest of the city whether a small neighborhood bar should stay or go. I'm also willing to bet that the people pissed about the loud smokers are the same ones that voted for the smoking ban. well you reap what you sow...you can't have EVERYTHING the way you want it...this isn't Utah. stop dictating to the rest of us how you think things should be...especially when you are the ones that chose to live smack in the middle of where the rest of us like to have fun. redwood is a nice, low-key bar with great owners and staff - there are doing everything they can to accomodate you, why don't you help them help you...isn't that the neighborly thing to do?

Frankly, this whole question is ridiculous. I have seen, firsthand, how well the redwood has done at minimizing, at least, the crackhead population that, for the last two years, has centered almost directly on the corner of belmont and howell

For the record, I used to work at that delapitated coffee shop / laundrymat, or in one of its various incarnations, anyway. That was about two years ago, and hell, I remember having to call the cops at least three times a week, because vagrants and junkies would parade around my business all day. Most nights, I wouldn't feel safe leaving work. And now, I love the redwood, and I feel perfectly safe walking around there, simply put, because they have helped clean up that area.

I also am employed at both bars that follow directly down howell, both the irish pub, and the tiny italian restaurant on bellevue and howell, and have seen both places gain more business, because having the redwood there helped solidify that area as a small business area. In the last few months that it's been open, I have seen very little evidence of the redwood doing any more damage to this city than any other bar, or show venue, or party space..et cetera. These thing's are a part of a community, especially a community that is mostly comprised of mid-late 20-somethings... that's just the way it is.

If people want to gripe about something, they should gripe about the fact that the smoking ban is, in all likeliehood partially responsible for all this. If they hadn't instituted the smoking ban, then nobody would have to go outside to smoke, and with that, the neighbors could probably get some more shut eye.

Inasmuch, if I'm not mistaken, it is also against the law to institute a policy which could cause a business to shut down... and since a business is only allocated a certain amount of noise complaints a year before getting shut down...and the obvious result of an indoor smoking ban is that kids are going to have to go outside, intoxicated, and smoke...resulting in a massive amount of noise complaints.

Before this post becomes too incoherent, I just want to say that I really like that place, and it's a great step up from the shit-hole that it used to be, and that, if anything, is a wonderful thing.

The redwood is a laid-back bar with nice, young owners and cheap drinks. It has a neighborhood bar feel and I have never been there when customers were being really rowdy. There are plenty of other bars that have patrons outside making noise. I think people are being very unfair to this place. Before it was the Redwood it was a run-down area that people would shoot up in, they have improved the place, not made it worse.

Are all these 911 calls coming from the halfway house down the road? Cause if so, PROBLEM SOLVED, guys. But if not, maybe this landlord lady is upset that she can no longer hear the sweet, sweet sound of the drunken [registered!] sex offender drug addicts who used to provide the sountrack for that block.
I say hooray for Redwood, I'm no longer scared to walk down that street alone at night. Geez.

Well I have to agree that the staff sucks hard. They are terribly slow and seriously clueless. The pour sucks. If you get a vodka anything you can not taste the vodka and prices constantly vary but they are always over priced. The music is played very quietly that if you waste money in the jukebox you can barely hear it. I was trying to think of a plus but I got none.

Redwood was instantly my new favorite bar. It feels like home (in a "I eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor" kind of way)... I'd pull a matress in and live there if I could (in an alcoholic kind of way).

xo.

No bar needs assholes for customers, 98104. They don't need your business and no one needs more recycled jokes about hipsters, looking down noses, or coke mirrors, guys. Leave your bullhorn at home or just don't come out.

I know exactly the building and the landlady without even given the exact address. She is CARAZEEE.
I looked at an apartment there once and she asked me alot of inapropriate personal questions. Upon seeing the apartment I noticed the kitchen was painted three shades of a hideous blue while the rest of the apartment was your standard white. I asumed it had been painted by a previous tenant and asked if I could paint over it(no other unit she showed me had been painted this way). She then turned to me and gave me a very offended and stern look saying "This kitchen NEEDS to be blue."
I might also mention when we met she met me in a sweat outfit complete with cowboy boots and bucle big enough to serve a turkey on. I only happened to notice four cats in the office. Who knows how many more were in her apartment or roaming freely in the hallways as she informed me she lets them do. The fact alone that she is encouraging her tenants to call and not with a non-emergency number proves her to be the irresponsible neighbor.
I can not stand it when people live in one of the most congested, bar/club ridden areas of Seattle and then have the nerve to complain about noise. The Redwood is an asset to the neighborhood. With an entire street filled with halfway houses a block below it and many more above it, increased foot traffic makes it much safer. It is also owned and run by people who are all nice, conscientious, and creative individuals. So are alot of it's patrons. I have never heard noise outside it's door come close to anything like that of Pine st.

I was there that afternoon having some drinks with two friends when the Redwood got invaded by the golfers. I am glad they kicked out the guy with the megaphone. They had every right to do so in my humble opinion. For one the guy with the megaphone was pretty trashed, and yelling with his megaphone into the door "not to tip the bartenders". That is grounds enough not to be served.

Keep in mind there were only two bartenders trying to serve
50+ people.

Then there is the fact that people were trying to take their drinks outside, and I personally saw one of the bartenders have to pry one of the drinks out of some drunk golfer's hands who was outside the door.

Not all of the golf bar crawl crowd were completely wasted and being obnoxious, but I specific remember the megaphone guy being a complete jerk. My friend who frequents the Redwood on a semi-irregular basis couldn't take it anymore and had to leave, you guys were being so obnoxious.

Good Riddence.

Bad location with stolen ideas.. let's take the free peanut thing from 9 Pound Hammer, try to mimic Lindas with some rustic halfass decor and appeal to the coked out chacha crowd by being the 'new hangout'.

It's noisy as fuck around there at night - at least Clever Dunnes and the Crescent are on a main street and have an excuse to be noisy.

Two blocks from the Dunnes and you consider yourself safe from all bar traffic and human noise. Welcome to the hill my friend. Those with complaints should try living in Ballard, where they could rent a small house for what they pay here and face the quiet country stillness that only a neighborhood of families can present at night.

The staff of the Redwood work hard, as anyone starting a business does and they conscientiously hound everyone to be quiet. A majority of them are from Linda's and the Cha Cha and this type of decor is what works on the hill. I'm amazed that you credit the 9 Pound Hammer with the advent of free peanuts. If every bar has to have an entirely new look and feel, a new free gimmick to keep you entertained, try Vegas. But then the lights, let alone the noise, wouldn't be to your liking.

First of all, any group of people (100!!!!!????) that think it's OKAY to show up at a bar that is the size of Redwood, Linda's, The Comet or any other establishments like that, must be actually stupid or insane....or never worked in the service industry. Who cares if you are a bunch of golfers on a pub crawl. SO? One hundred people is not only rude but fucking ridiculous. Maybe someday you can work somewhere where this scenario happens. It is a nightmare. And yes, of course people love to make money but that is an impossible situation. Why the fuck didn't you just go to Applebee's or Red Robin or some shit? Cause it's not cool? Like you? C'mon. Don't be be a dipshit.

Stolen ideas? Oh, dear....I hope you don't think those other bars were the first ones to have those things. Peanut shells and rustic decor were not invented in Seattle, "Another Neighbor", and certainly not by Linda's or 9 LB Hammer. You really oughtta get out more.

Thank you Kim and Kerri and Christ! What is happening to the hill? I bet that these chodes that are complaining so much are the ones that I short pour their assinine washington apples. Yeah it may be my job but you all need to eat shit. I feel for my friends when you garbage people take over the places that they work and try to run a card for a 2$ beer and not tip. If you want to do that horseshit go drink at Barca. I"m fed up with this crap!!!

Thank you Kim and Kerri and Christ! What is happening to the hill? I bet that these chodes that are complaining so much are the ones that I short pour their assinine washington apples. Yeah it may be my job but you all need to eat shit. I feel for my friends when you garbage people take over the places that they work and try to run a card for a 2$ beer and not tip. If you want to do that horseshit go drink at Barca. I"m fed up with this crap!!!

Thank you Kim and Kerri and Christ! What is happening to the hill? I bet that these chodes that are complaining so much are the ones that I short pour their assinine washington apples. Yeah it may be my job but you all need to eat shit. I feel for my friends when you garbage people take over the places that they work and try to run a card for a 2$ beer and not tip. If you want to do that horseshit go drink at Barca. I"m fed up with this crap!!!

thank you thank you thank you.
The Redwood.