Unincorporated King County.
It’s an area of Seattle that isn’t really Seattle. Actually, Unincorporated King County isn’t part of Seattle at all—or any other city for that matter. It’s kind of an interesting area: no stores, no downtown, just clusters of homes off random streets that seem to lead to nowhere. However, this is where one of the coolest Tiki bars in the Seattle area is located. It’s where you’ll find the Harpoon Saloon at the Moon Lagoon!
The Harpoon Saloon is open for business, but only for John Mooney, his family, and his friends. To be more specific, the Moon Lagoon is John’s backyard…
and the Harpoon Saloon is his back porch…
If you drove by John’s home, you’d never know this Tiki getaway is right behind his house.
This is Bridget…
She’s a scooter buddy and we have been riding Vespas together for a couple years now. She’s lived in Seattle for decades and she knows pretty much everyone who’s cool. Bridget knows about my Tiki obsession and she told me about John’s place. John and Bridget have known each other since the ’80s.
This is John…
John is a drummer and has played in countless bands in Seattle. Here’s an abbreviated list: the F-Holes, Los Gatos Logos, the Load Levelers, Dragstrip Riot, and Banzai Surf. He’s also the owner of the Harpoon Saloon and the Moon Lagoon.
I picked up Bridget up in Seattle and we headed down to John’s place. Traffic in Seattle can be very unpredictable and I don’t like to be late, but we ended up making it down to John’s early. John’s wife Amy welcomed us in and showed us to the back. John was still getting ready, so I used the time to take some pictures.
This is the Harpoon Saloon…
This is the Moon Lagoon…
I was floored. I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect, but John’s place is incredible. I quickly forgot that I was in south Seattle. I hadn’t even had a drink yet!
John came out grinning and greeted us by asking one simple question: “Do you want a drink?” Bridget and I had one simple answer: “Hell yeah!”
Amy grabbed a volcano bowl from inside and John started pulling bottle after bottle of booze from behind the bar. One thing was certain: we were going to be here a long time!
John poured rum into the bowl, then vodka, then gin, then some more rum, and God knows what else. Then he lit the drink on fire!
Check out the video…
Long straws were handed out and we all got down to business.
Before we knew it, the bowl was empty.
John asked us if we’d ever had a drink out of a pineapple. Bridget and I said, “No.” John laughed and got a pineapple. He proceeded to cut the top off and used a special coring tool that hollowed out the pineapple in seconds. He then poured tons of booze into the pineapple and threw in a straw. Not only did we have another drink, but we also had fresh pineapple to eat!
Then it got dark…
I already thought the Harpoon Saloon and Moon Lagoon looked stunning in the daylight, but as darkness fell and the lights came on, the whole place was taken to another level!
I had to ask John how the Harpoon Saloon came to be.
It started with the bar which he got for a hundred bucks…
Then John got not one, but five truckloads of bamboo, fake flowers, and other random supplies from Botanical Designs. The story goes that the store was moving, so they wanted to get rid of stuff. John took advantage of the situation and got tons of stuff really cheap.
Speaking of cheap, John pointed to some Tiki masks hanging on the wall behind him. “Guess where I got these?” John asked. I had no idea. “Ross Dress For Less!” John laughed. They had the masks on sale for almost nothing. I couldn’t believe it. John went on to say that he found tons of stuff at Ross, Marshall’s, and Big Lots. I would’ve never guessed!
Most of the other items were found at antique shops or on Craigslist. “I got this sailfish along with the whale harpoon in Fremont,” John said. “The fish was caught way back in 1959!”
The king crab was found up in North Seattle for only 70 bucks!
I think what makes John’s place really cool is that he turned his back porch and yard into a Tiki escape and it wasn’t crazy expensive.
It was starting to get past Bridget’s bedtime. I looked at the time and it was getting pretty late for me, too. We had such a great time that the hours flew by like minutes. I actually forgot where we were! I didn’t want to leave, but it was Thursday and I did have to work the next day. We all said our goodbyes. After a round of handshakes and big hugs, Bridget and I walked out to my car.
We were back in Unincorporated King County and back to reality again.
I want to thank John Mooney, Amy Mooney, and Bridget Jarvimaki for all the photos and for putting this whole night together. Thank you! -Ray