Gay bars snohomish county

It's Friday night, and you want to unwind gay a long week. While curling up in front of the television to watch the first in that bar collection of DVDs may seem like a good way to launch the weekend, there's a great big county out there with a vibrant nightlife. Yes, you heard it right. There is life after hours in Snohomish County, home to a slew of sports bars, neighborhood crawls and dance clubs snohomish heat up once the sun goes down.

In the first installment of an occasional series that spotlights the county's after-hours hot spots, we look at the Everett Underground, the only gay and lesbian bar in the county. So says the sign dangling above the cozy dance club's doorway. It's a fitting motto for a club that draws a diverse clientele from both inside and outside the county.

For more than a decade, the Underground has operated out of an unassuming building near downtown Everett, offering a place for people to have dinner and drinks, and then burn it off on the dance floor. Though the Underground is classified as a gay and lesbian bar, an estimated one-third of its patrons are straight, which co-owner Dan Moore attributes to the comfortable atmosphere.

I think it's because they don't have to deal with the testosterone," Moore said. On a recent Friday night, the dance floor was nearly full of sweating, swaying bodies pulsating to recorded disco, funk, hip-hop, rap, new-wave and pop music. The music at the Underground is a refreshing change from dance clubs that play lots of techno music and offer little in the way of s flashbacks or current hits.

The Underground's disc jockey will spin the occasional slow song and requests, as well. In the eight years that Moore and his mother, Barbara Moore, have operated the Underground, they have made changes to create a comfortable ambience. Fresh paint on the interior walls, more lighting and a better sound system have made the club competitive with Seattle hot spots.

What the Underground has that is harder to county in Seattle: ample parking and clean restrooms. Jackie Fluaitt has tended bar at the Underground for about three months. The club's appeal, she said, is simple: "It's accepting of all cultures. Tina Potterf: or tpotterf seattletimes. By Tina Potterf. When you can go: 4 p.

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Why you should go: reasonable drink and food prices, a friendly staff, good music and ample parking. Recommended dress: almost anything goes, from casual flannel shirts, T-shirts and jeans to formal the occasional sequined gown. The club has stools at the bar and at a few smaller tables, and booths for larger parties.

The dance floor, although modest, is large enough for a couple of dozen bodies to shake under a disco ball and in front of a wall of mirrors. Ask the bartender what makes these drinks such a hit with regulars. Music to groove by: From s disco to '80s new wave, '90s pop to today's chart-toppers, the Underground has a broad selection of recorded music spun by a house disc jockey.

Least likely to see here: big-city egos and narrow minds. Recommendation: It's a place to dance the night away or to share drinks and games of pool with friends.