In and around Whittier - General Tiki

K kah706 Member San Francisco, CA Joined: Apr 04, 2002 Posts: 17	K kah706 Posted posted on Mon, Feb 10, 2003 9:03 PM Hi all, Just wanted to post an update about our fabulous Tiki tour in Whittier and Rosemead: First stop for these humble disciples was Oceanic Arts. We wondered if we had died and gone to heaven! We were greeted at the door by Susan who after hearing that we had been sent Otto and Sven, said, "Well, I'd better put on the music to complete the atmosphere." Then, she let us loose. We wandered, at first in a daze, but then started spotting things that we either needed (split bamboo for picture frames) or couldn't pass up (Don the Beachcomber-esque straw hats for $2). As we were making our third or fourth walk-through, Leroy greeted us and proceeded to regale us with stories about long lost and forgotten Tiki sites. After about half an hour, we made our way to the front and met Bob. As soon as we mentioned Tiki Central, he slapped a couple of sets of Oceanic Arts drink stirrers and a signature notepad on the counter and proceeded to tell us of Tiki sites of the present (Anyone been to Club Mallard in Albany? Came highly recommended by Bob.) After about another twenty minutes, we made our purchases (sadly paltry due to our recent car expenditure) and proceeded to Sven's Tiki Tour... Had already checked out all the BOT references, but there's nothing like Tiki in the flesh (or wood as it were). Of course, there was no resisting getting out and exploring, which we did at each point -- pictures to prove it are forthcoming. Got many a funny look from the tenants who seemed oblivious to their surroundings. After stops 1-3, we were definitely hungry and thirsty and the Bahooka didn't disappoint... Boy, didn't it disappoint! What a fabulous experience! Coming in from the bright Southern California sun, we were a bit dazed by the aquatic darkness of the Bahooka. We'd read all about the 140 fish tanks, but were not prepared for the "lost-in-a-sunken-shipwreck-in-the-tropics" atmosphere. Since there was no one in the front, we wandered around a bit and found our perfect booth -- in the corner, surrounded by three fish tanks. We ordered our double Shark's Tooth flaming and were thrilled with it. And then the food came. Since we usually eat at tacquerias or vegetarian restaurants, we had forgotten the quantity of food one gets at a good ol' American family style restaurant. Our veggie burgers with grilled onions were huge and the best we have had! And with the piles of fries and salads and baked yam for dessert in honor of Thor, we were painfully, but happily stuffed by the time we finished -- everything! After waddling around a bit more, we spotted the giant piranha (which we were informed is not a piranha, but a related fish, the name of which we instantly forgot in our sodden state). Even though we called the fish the wrong name, our wonderful waitress, who we then discovered was the legendary Go-Go, humored us by feeding the fish a carrot. Yes, you can hear it crunching through the glass. We cannot recommend the Bahooka highly enough and will get there ourselves as often as we can. Continuing our tour, we found our favorite spot of the tour at the fountain in front of the Kahlua - great moss! Once again, the tenants at the Outrigger looked at us suspiciously, but we were too giddy to care. Our first taste of proper Southern California Tiki! Throughout the tour and our trip back up to SF, our 40 year old Dart performed well and has only had a couple of hiccups in the past week, so with a little more work, we are hoping to drive it to -- and meet you all -- at the Tiki Oasis in May. Cheers to you all, Kelly [ Edited by: kah706 on 2003-02-10 23:37 ]

Hi all,

Just wanted to post an update about our fabulous Tiki tour in Whittier and Rosemead:

First stop for these humble disciples was Oceanic Arts. We wondered if we had died and gone to heaven! We were greeted at the door by Susan who after hearing that we had been sent Otto and Sven, said, "Well, I'd better put on the music to complete the atmosphere." Then, she let us loose. We wandered, at first in a daze, but then started spotting things that we either needed (split bamboo for picture frames) or couldn't pass up (Don the Beachcomber-esque straw hats for $2). As we were making our third or fourth walk-through, Leroy greeted us and proceeded to regale us with stories about long lost and forgotten Tiki sites. After about half an hour, we made our way to the front and met Bob. As soon as we mentioned Tiki Central, he slapped a couple of sets of Oceanic Arts drink stirrers and a signature notepad on the counter and proceeded to tell us of Tiki sites of the present (Anyone been to Club Mallard in Albany? Came highly recommended by Bob.) After about another twenty minutes, we made our purchases (sadly paltry due to our recent car expenditure) and proceeded to Sven's Tiki Tour...
Had already checked out all the BOT references, but there's nothing like Tiki in the flesh (or wood as it were). Of course, there was no resisting getting out and exploring, which we did at each point -- pictures to prove it are forthcoming. Got many a funny look from the tenants who seemed oblivious to their surroundings. After stops 1-3, we were definitely hungry and thirsty and the Bahooka didn't disappoint...
Boy, didn't it disappoint! What a fabulous experience! Coming in from the bright Southern California sun, we were a bit dazed by the aquatic darkness of the Bahooka. We'd read all about the 140 fish tanks, but were not prepared for the "lost-in-a-sunken-shipwreck-in-the-tropics" atmosphere. Since there was no one in the front, we wandered around a bit and found our perfect booth -- in the corner, surrounded by three fish tanks. We ordered our double Shark's Tooth flaming and were thrilled with it. And then the food came. Since we usually eat at tacquerias or vegetarian restaurants, we had forgotten the quantity of food one gets at a good ol' American family style restaurant. Our veggie burgers with grilled onions were huge and the best we have had! And with the piles of fries and salads and baked yam for dessert in honor of Thor, we were painfully, but happily stuffed by the time we finished -- everything! After waddling around a bit more, we spotted the giant piranha (which we were informed is not a piranha, but a related fish, the name of which we instantly forgot in our sodden state). Even though we called the fish the wrong name, our wonderful waitress, who we then discovered was the legendary Go-Go, humored us by feeding the fish a carrot. Yes, you can hear it crunching through the glass. We cannot recommend the Bahooka highly enough and will get there ourselves as often as we can.
Continuing our tour, we found our favorite spot of the tour at the fountain in front of the Kahlua - great moss! Once again, the tenants at the Outrigger looked at us suspiciously, but we were too giddy to care. Our first taste of proper Southern California Tiki!

Throughout the tour and our trip back up to SF, our 40 year old Dart performed well and has only had a couple of hiccups in the past week, so with a little more work, we are hoping to drive it to -- and meet you all -- at the Tiki Oasis in May.

Cheers to you all,
Kelly

[ Edited by: kah706 on 2003-02-10 23:37 ]

Post #22596 by kah706 on Mon, Feb 10, 2003 9:03 PM