seattle

Tiki VIP #3 Peter Andrijeski (Seattlebars.org)

Posted by Ray on in Tiki VIP
Pete owner of The Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge
Pete, owner of the Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge

What is the oldest bar in Seattle?

I’m finding out that the answer isn’t as simple as it might seem. I definitely got this sense as I’m talking with Peter Andrijeski of Seattlebars.org. “You have to think about a few things,” Peter said. How long has the bar been in business? How old is building? A bar may be in a building that’s really old, but that doesn’t mean the bar itself is that old as well. The correct answer is the Merchant’s Café, which is located in the oldest part of Seattle: Pioneer Square.

A few years ago, Peter had the grand idea to have a drink at every bar in Seattle. That’s right gang: every bar in Seattle. How would one go about doing this? Can this even be accomplished? Peter was going to find out!

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Tiki Field Report #6 Tiki Night at Rumba Seattle 5/11/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Field Reports
Rumba Tiki night menu
Rumba Tiki night menu

“I’ll stop the world and melt with you…”

Who out there remembers that classic ’80s tune from Modern English? I know two people for sure and a few nights ago they were sitting with me at Rumba Seattle. My friends Coco and Zak were going to see Modern English play at the Neumos, from which Rumba is only a few blocks away. I really only know that one song from Modern English, so I didn’t join them for the show. When I thought about it, I asked myself, “Did Modern English have any other hits?” I was talking with Zak and we came to the conclusion that if Modern English played their hit first, everyone would leave right afterwards!

It was Wednesday, which is Tiki Night at Rumba. I asked Coco and Zak if they’d want to meet up for some drinks before they head to the show. They said “Yes,” to which I said, “Great, it’s a date!”

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #3 The Harpoon Saloon at The Moon Lagoon

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars

 

The bar at the Harpoon Saloon photo by John
The bar at the Harpoon Saloon photo by John

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!

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Tiki Field Report #5 Tacoma Cabana 5/6/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Field Reports
Robyn and Hanjing at Tacoma Cabana
Robyn and Hanjing at Tacoma Cabana

“No, I have never been to (insert Tiki bar here)” may be one of my favorite things to hear. It’s always fun to take friends out for a good time at a Tiki bar, especially if they’ve never been to one. Friends will order drinks that are stronger than what they’re used to. People let their hair down and things are more fun because everyone is just a little bit more tipsy than usual. At the end of the night, if I can turn someone new onto Tiki bars, I’ve done my job.

I hadn’t seen my friends Hanjing and Chris for a long time. We all used to go rock climbing together a few years back. I was totally into climbing until I realized that I have a fear of heights and it never went away. I moved on to other interests, but Hanjing and Chris never stopped. Good for them!

I told Hanjing and Chris about Tacoma Cabana down in Tacoma. They were interested in going, but there was one condition: we were going to go climbing the next day. Fair enough. It would be cool to throw my climbing shoes on and hit the rocks again.

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Tiki VIP #2 Dawn Frasier Sophista-Tiki

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Lifestyle, Tiki VIP 2 Comments
Dawn Frasier Sophista-Tiki breaking all the rules.
Dawn Frasier Sophista-Tiki: breaking all the rules.

David Bowie. We all loved him and his music. But why? What made him so special? I believe it was because Bowie always was two steps ahead of everyone else. He truly was a trendsetter. It takes guts to be into something no one else is doing and to break all the rules on how something is supposed to be done.

Bowie was a music trendsetter. Tiki has its own trendsetters. The Tiki revival started in the ’90s. Dawn Frasier was already ahead of the rest of us. She was living the Tiki lifestyle back in the ’80s.

Remember the ’80s? It was a decade of new wave and pop music, arcades and Atari, and bad clothing and hairstyle choices! Pastel pants and mullets: need I say more? While we were watching MTV, Dawn was painting Tiki landscapes and collecting Mid-Century furniture. When the ’90s finally came around and we started rediscovering Tiki culture, Dawn had already lived in Fiji for a few years.

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May The Fourth Be Tiki at Rumba Seattle 5/4/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars 2 Comments
Chewbacca and a Tiki Drink at Rumba
Chewbacca and a Tiki Drink at Rumba

If you didn’t already know, the sci-fi fans of the world have proclaimed May 4th to be May the Fourth Be With You Day, celebrating the coolest movie ever: Star Wars!

I grew up with Star Wars and it is indeed my favorite movie of all time. I still have all my action figures from back when I was a kid! With the release of The Force Awakens, Star Wars might be bigger than ever!

May 4th landed on a Wednesday this year and every Wednesday is Tiki Night at Rumba. Rumba had a great idea: combine Star Wars and Tiki! A special menu was created that had Star Wars and Tiki themed drinks. Here were some of drinks…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #2 The Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge Seattle, WA

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars 3 Comments
Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge Sign
Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge Sign

It was the summer of 2015. Some friends of mine asked me if I would be interested in going to a Tiki party that was going on up in North Seattle. I was totally down!

We arrived at the house where the party was happening. We knew it was the right place because there were Tiki torches burning outside. We could hear the sounds of people having a good time nearly a block away. Surf music was pouring out of the basement, so we followed the sounds as we walked along the side of the house and finally downstairs.

I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to take my first step into a larger world.

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Tiki Bar Review #11 Hula Hula Seattle WA

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars 2 Comments
Hula Hula
Hula Hula

When I was a kid, I used to read and collect comic books. Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man, Batman: I read them all! What I loved most was reading the origin stories of my favorite superheroes. I found it fascinating to learn how Spider-Man became Spider-Man, where Superman came from, or where Iron Man got his suit of metal.

When I meet a fellow Tikiphile, I always like to ask, “What got you into Tiki?” Every journey starts with one step forward. If you’re into the Tiki lifestyle, that journey had to start somewhere for you. My very first step into embracing Tiki culture was when I first stepped into Hula Hula…

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VCOS Spring Fling at Hula Hula Seattle, WA 4/23/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars, Tiki Lifestyle
Vespa in front of Hula Hula
Vespa in front of Hula Hula

VCOS stands for Vespa Club of Seattle. We’re over 100 members strong! The club is open to all and we like to set up events for our members. Every year, we set up a scooter rally that happens over the 4th of July weekend called Scooter Insanity. Tons of people come out to ride. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that I am the vice president of VCOS. My fellow officers and I thought it would be a cool idea to set up a little party for the club. Serve some food, maybe some free drinks, etc. We just need a location for our little shindig…

Hula Hula
Hula Hula

Kristin (our president) came up with the idea to have our party at Hula Hula. She knew that I’d approve! The other officers were cool with Hula Hula as well. This was going to be a blast!

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