Post #299050 by Kenike on Fri, Apr 13, 2007 2:52 PM

On 2007-04-13 12:53, bigbrotiki wrote:

On 2007-04-09 15:13, icebaer69 quoted the Dallas News:
"...Sealed like a tomb for nearly 20 years after its closing in 1987, the lounge has been restored to its old Polynesian-pop glory..."

Correct me if I am wrong, but was this place not part of some Yogi/cult organization, and operated by them for some time? If I am right, it is typical that that part of its history is omitted, because it does not fit in with today's clean yuppie view of things (err, sorry...what would be the contemporary term for "yuppie"?).

But to me, it is such a telling symptom of the time: That is what the CHILDREN of the Trader Vic generation did in the 70s and 80s, they abandoned their parents' ways and found their own form of paradise, some in exotic cult religions! That generation gap is why these places closed, so it is a supreme irony that one of them was taken over by such a cult (but left unchanged!), just as it is a sign of the times that the Yogi has left the building now, and the Trader reigns again.

This is not a value judgement, I am an archeologist and simply like to observe and marvel at the follies of mankind.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-04-13 12:56 ]

Irony indeed!

Here's some info from the Dallas Morning News:

**The colorful, up-and-down history of this property is almost legendary. Built in 1967, the Hilton was one of the best-located hotels in the city. It offered the very popular Trader Vic’s restaurant and Harper’s Corner bar. But as it aged, the hotel slid into decline, first as a Hilton, then during an ignominious period when Hilton withdrew its franchise and a plastic letter “p” was taped over the “n,” transforming it into the “Hiltop.”

In mid-1999, the owner, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, renamed the hotel the Santa Fe, but problems persisted at the property. **

Not clear on when the Maharishi officially made the purchase, but I can just picture an old man in a white robe climbing up there with a giant P and some tape...