tiki bar

Why Jimi Hendrix Is The Best Guitarist And What That Has To Do With Tiki Bars

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Lifestyle 1 Comment
Ray with Jimi Hendrix and Tiki Mug
Ray with Jimi Hendrix and Tiki Mug

I’m a guitar player. I’ve been playing since I was thirteen.

Ray playing guitar 13 years old
Ray playing guitar 13 years old

Yep, that’s me!

We musicians love to talk about music. Who is the best drummer? Which is the first punk band, the Sex Pistols or the Ramones? Who is better, the Beatles or the Stones? We can debate these important topics for hours, but there is one thing we all mostly agree on: Jimi Hendrix is the best guitar player ever.

I think most people will agree, but I think it brings up a more important question: why is Hendrix considered the best?

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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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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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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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Happy 55th Anniversary Tiki Ti!

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars 3 Comments

I’ve been to my fair share of Tiki bars all over the US and Canada and I have to say that hands down, the best Tiki drinks I’ve ever had were at Tiki Ti in Los Angeles, CA!

Tiki Ti will always have a special place in my heart.

This is the Firefly from Tiki Ti…

Firefly at Tik Ti
Firefly at Tik Ti’

It’s one of my favorite Tiki drinks ever.

This FIrefly is for you Tiki Ti.

Happy 55th birthday!

Tiki Bar Review #10 Rumba, Seattle, WA

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars 5 Comments
Rumba SIgn
Rumba sign

The other night, I watched a really great documentary about Tiki culture called Plastic Paradise: A Swingin’ Trip Through America’s Polynesian Obsession. It’s a must see for anyone into the Tiki lifestyle. There was one point that they brought up which I thought was fascinating. Don the Beachcomber borrowed many of his cocktail ideas from the Caribbean! When you dig into the roots of Tiki culture as we know it, many of the ideas were actually constructed and imagined. Let’s be honest: do you really think ancient Polynesian societies were sitting around drinking cocktails with umbrellas in them?

I’ve known about Rumba for some time and I’ll be honest, I never really had any interest in checking it out. I knew they serve great drinks, but Rumba isn’t really a Tiki bar…

Well, a couple weeks ago I was going to a concert at the Paramount in Downtown Seattle. Rumba is literally two blocks away from the Paramount. My friends and I had some time to kill before the show started, so I suggested we check out the place…

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Tiki Bar Review # 7 The Yachtsman Philadelphia, PA

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars
Yachtsman entrance
Yachtsman entrance

If you know your US history, you will know that Philadelphia is one of America’s oldest cities. It was built during Colonial times and needless to say cars, busses, and trains didn’t exist when it first started growing. People lived close to where they worked because, well, they had to. They were walking. Philadelphia back in the 1700’s was tight and compact. Most streets were wide enough for a horse and wagon to travel on and row homes lined every street. Actually, that pretty much describes Philadelphia now!

Fishtown is one of Philly’s newest and coolest neighborhoods. A couple years ago, people started moving to Fishtown because rent was cheap. Then cool places to eat and drink started popping up. The Yachtsman was one of those cool places.

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Tiki Bar Review #6 Tiki Lounge, Pittsburgh, PA

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Bars
The Bar at The Tiki Lounge
The Bar at The Tiki Lounge

The Steelers, the Penguins, the Pirates, Pirmanti’s, and Tiki? That’s right! Pittsburgh is known for its sports teams, food, and its steel industry. But most people wouldn’t know that it has one of the coolest Tiki bars there is.

I live in Seattle now, but I actually lived in Pittsburgh a few years ago. I was only there for a year, but while I was there I discovered the Tiki Lounge!

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