Get drunk somewhere else before you go to the 4th to play pool. The old b*tch bartender charged my friend $11 for 3 Jack and Coke's but charged me $11 for two shots of Jack with no Coke or chase. By far, that is the most I've ever paid for a shot of JD in my entire life. I should have just brought my flask and ordered cokes! Immediately after we arrived at The 4th, my (at the time) sober friend gave the lady a $20 bill to pay for his $3 beer and she gave him back $7 and said he'd paid with a 10. Despite 2 other patrons sitting at the bar, and our entire group telling her he paid with a $20 bill, she refused to go back and check. We think she just pocketed the $10, frankly. My recommendation for a good bar is McCoy's right down the street. At least they don't raise their prices after you've had a few, and the drinks at the 4th Ave are neither as cheap nor as strong as the drinks I've ordered from McCoy's. Overall, spend your dollars at another bar, then go to 4th Ave and spend your change on pool.

I believe that this spot is probably sucky. Being in Chehalis recently, where just about the whole town is/was filled with nothing more than Antique shops, it was neat and sweet to see something a little different than the extreme hustle and bustle of Downtown seattle.
According to what y'all above have said, and again, Chehalis is/was dead.....even that weird , small porn store where I wandered by after picking up Western Union at the K-mart nearly 6-7 miles away from anything visual, and by that I really mean the #1 spot in Town...THe LIBRARY, was desolate and retarded.

"Cowboy Killer" & "I'm On The List" made me laugh, but then again, they're the only comments posted here before my own, so I'll make this good...
Yes, the Oly waterfront leaves a lot to be desired, but exactly that "crappiness" is why we aren't gang or tourist infested, like Tacoma & Seattle... if you want babes, okay cheap food, maybe even a fist-fight you won't go to jail for, and the right to smoke while you drink for ten bucks a year, go to Frank's, it's the most awesome dive in Oly.
You go to the 4th Ave because it's an institution--
it's not a dive it's a shithole, but sometimes you luck out on the music, and unless you're a real fucking gargoyle, yes, you'll easily get laid here. Plus when you stumble out onto the street there are so many other places to go, and other weirdos to connect with, and being Olympia, your chances of getting mugged, raped, beaten or killed while doing so are almost nil. Enjoy the 4th.