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Everybody here seems all too happy to be in a bar.

Wednesday Jan 26, 2005.     By Pete Beatty

Bars + Clubs Feed

Dress: Sweater and jeans, maybe an ironic t-shirt.

Best way to get there: Take No. 74 Bus west and hop off on the west side of Kedzie. The Blue Line Logan Square stop is a five-minute walk south on Kedzie. Street parking is possible but spotty.

Vibe: Everybody here seems all too happy to be in a bar. Longtime bartender Maria takes the "Where You're Only A Stranger Once" slogan as her personal mantra, and dishes out free popcorn and smiles like a madwoman. The drinks, sadly, are not complimentary.

Quick tour: A beat-to-crud loveseat is the first thing you see when you walk into the Whirlaway, and it's an effective visual metaphor for the whole undertaking. Both the bar and the loveseat are good places to sit and watch TV or make merry, and both could probably benefit from some Febreze. The Whirlaway is a teeny place, with seats for 25, and standing room for a few dozen more. It's not fire-hazard bad, but the place gets full fast. There's a junior-size pool table, slightly ominous restrooms and two TVs. The decor consists mostly of tastefully outdated beer ads and sports pennants.

Crowd: Post-collegiate pre-parenthood youngsters have the run of the place. People who live in Logan Square don't all head southeast on weekends, and the Whirlaway draws a good share of the stay-at-home set. The bar is tiny, so it doesn't take much of a turnout to fill the room with smoke, noise and dog-owning graphic designers.

Night to go: Monday hosts "Old People Night," which does not involve any specials but does involve sanctioned group crocheting and needlepoint.

Claim to Fame: Named for 1941 Triple Crown winner, Whirlaway. Contrary to the claims of several patrons, Whirlaway the horse was never the owner of Whirlaway the bar.

You'll feel like you're in: A bar run by your best friend's mom, who has no problem bringing you snacks and tolerating your bad habits.

Music genre: The jukebox sports a good mixture of rock/R&B staples, lots of Bowie, slightly inscrutable mix CDs and more. Both discs of ELO's Greatest Hits are available; Neil Diamond's "America" is better drinking music than you remember.

Beyond the barstool: Free popcorn is better than tree bark, but it's mostly there to keep you thirsty and pounding beers. The pool table offers additional distraction, conveniently located right behind the bar, if you enjoy getting hitting in the back with sticks by total strangers intermittently.

On the shelves: Despite a few curveballs (Sambuca?), the Whirlaway pours the same two-dozen brands of liquor that made America strong and cirrhotic. The beer selection is much the same, offering decent variety, but you're in no danger of having your socks forcibly removed. Prices are low, drinks are tall.

Whirlaway Lounge is located at 3224 W. Fullerton; (773) 276-6809. Read on at Whirlaway.net. Open 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 3 p.m.-midnight Sunday-Monday. For those 21+; never a cover.