I had my first can of Schlitz beer while I was in Seattle a few weeks ago. Sure I could have gone with a Fat Tire or a microbrew but none of those seemed right for a bar like Shorty's.

Take one part Nick's Famous Coney Island, one part Ground Kontrol and one part the old Carnival restaurant and you'll wind up with something along the lines of this cool little bar in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. Inside, a creepy circus mural archway leads to a blacklight-soaked pinball lounge. A chunk of an old carousel hangs over a stage. A row of old vintage arcade games lead up to the front door. Best of all, the tables in the booths are made out of old pinball machines and they all still light up.

While we were there, "Possum Guy" made an appearance. He was nice enough to wander over to our table and let us pet his new friend, a critter he rescued after it was hit by a car. We chatted with him for a bit. The possum was still recovering and he was planning to eventually release it back into the wild. He headed back outside to a table underneath the heat lamp and chatted with passersby while sipping a pint. All the while, the possum contentedly sat on his shoulder like a pirate's parrot. I'm pretty sure this is the same guy I spotted playing a guitar at Pike Street Market a few summers back. How many Possum Guys can one town have?

Afterwards, we headed into the pinball lounge where I had my ass handed to me courtesy of a "Champion Pub" machine. It's the first I've encountered where one of the goals is to make the ball "skip rope" in an area at the top of the playing floor. Neat.

As for the Schlitz, I think I'll stick with Miller Hi-Life when I get in the mood for 12 ounces of corporate suds. I don't care if it's "the beer that made Milwaukee famous.

Thanks for the swell time, Shorty's.