I live in Seattle. I booked a flight and flew six hours across the country to go to the Mai Kai. Why? Because when it comes to Tiki bars, the Mai Kai is it! My visit to the Mai Kai lasted five hours and I could have stayed longer. What is so special about the Mai Kai you may ask? Well, let’s start from the beginning…
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #22 The Mai Kai Fort Lauderdale FL”
The last time I was at Disney World, they were just starting to build Epcot…
Lyndhurst, New Jersey.
It’s a city that’s a 45-minute train ride from downtown Manhattan. It has no claim to fame and I can’t see anyone needing to or wanting to go there—unless you happen to be my buddy Matt who lives there.
I was in Pennsylvania visiting my parents and long story short, I missed my connecting flight that would get me back to Seattle. I asked the man at the flight desk what my options were. He said I could come back the next day and fly out at 5:00 AM (no, I wasn’t doing that!) or I could fly down to Newark right then and fly out from there the next morning at 8:00 (okay, that’s much better). So that’s what I did.
Matt picked me up at the Newark airport and started heading back to his place. “Are you hungry?” Matt asked. “If so, there’s someplace you need to see.”
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #20 Lee’s Hawaiian Islander Lyndhurst, NJ”
Boy and girls, today’s word is “Tiger Fu@#ker.”
Who would’ve thought to create a Tiki drink that mixes the flavors of huckleberry and jalapeno? I have the answer. It’s the Aku Aku in downtown Orlando, Florida!
The San Fernando Valley has many names. Some people refer to it as “the Valley.” Others may call it “North Hollywood.” The “No” in Tiki No is a reference to North Hollywood. The Valley has the oldest Tiki bar in So-Cal, which is the Tonga Hut. Now the Valley has the newest one with Tiki No. Visiting two great Tiki bars is totally worth the trip to North Hollywood!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #18 Tiki No North Hollywood, CA”
The Tonga Hut is a Tiki bar that turned into a dive bar, then turned into a Tiki bar again. It’s the oldest Tiki bar in Los Angeles, opening for business in 1958. Tiki was very popular back in the ’50s, but by the time the late ’60s rolled around, people had moved on to other things like polyester pants and underpowered automobiles.
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #17 Tonga Hut North Hollywood, CA”
Every journey starts with a first step, but sometimes you may forget when and where that first step might have been. When it comes to the living the Tiki lifestyle, it usually starts by walking into your first Tiki bar. Then you hit another. Then you buy a Tiki mug. Then you buy another, etc.
I can remember my first Tiki bar. It was Hula Hula in Seattle, WA…
The year was 2006. In theory, Hula Hula should’ve been my first step in the Tiki world, but actually, it wasn’t. My first step was at an amusement park in Pennsylvania called Knoebels Grove…
Continue reading “My Tiki Origins #1 The Haunted House At Knoebels Grove, PA”
It seems like most people I meet who love Tiki also love Mid-Century modern. Why is that? Well, I have a theory.
Continue reading “The Mid-Century Modern And Tiki Connection”
I have a guilty pleasure: Kodachrome pictures!
Time machines haven’t been built yet, so the closest you can get to going back in time is looking at old pictures. Sadly, most pictures were taken in boring black and white back in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. Usually the film was cheap and those pictures have faded away anyway. Kodachrome pictures are different. They look vibrant, colorful, and alive. These pictures really are the closest you can get to seeing what the past was like. Or maybe there is another way to experience the past:
By tasting it!
Continue reading “Tiki Bar Review #15 Tiki Ti Los Angeles. CA”
Continue reading “Tiki Field Report #7 Coal Crackers Invade The Golden Tiki Las Vegas, NV 8/11/16”
