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OLE’S WHALE WATCH BAR: BEST PERCH ON THE COAST
by Cammie Conlon
 When
Ole Hervilla opened Little River Inn to travelers in 1939, the bar
was not only the coast’s first “cocktail lounge where a lady can
feel comfortable,” as he put it, but the inn’s office as well.
It’s where you checked in and out and where you bought a beer for
a dime, Scotch and bourbon for 20-25 cents.
What’s different about the bar 64 years later? It’s called Ole’s
Whale Watch Bar. Drinks are more expensive. People order things
like Cosmopolitans. The jukebox has been replaced by a TV. The
wine list is extensive and discriminating. A delicious menu of Bar
Food is offered nightly.
What’s the same about the bar? The same three windows looking out
to the ocean. The same stunning view of mighty grey whales as they
spout and breach close to shore. The same family ownership
providing the same personal and caring hospitality.
Tending bar Monday nights is Ole’s granddaughter, Cally Graham,
who managed the restaurant and bar in 1991, after graduating from
Columbia University and training at a four-star restaurant in New
Orleans. She has returned to Little River to help run the family
business. “I try NOT to have a job description,” she explains.
Growing up, Cally spent a lot of time at the inn. “My first ‘job’
here, when I was about four or five, was polishing glasses for the
bartender, Duke. He paid me in Shirley Temples,” she recalls.
She also remembers the day her dad took her and her kindergarten
teacher up in his Cessna to see the whales up close. The plane
buzzed Ole at the bar. “Grandfather was not amused.”
Ole’s Whale Watch Bar: still the best view in town. Little River
Inn on the Mendocino coast. Call 1-888-INN LOVE. Bar opens at 4
pm, Monday-Saturday; 9 am, Sunday.
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