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Tiki Central / General Tiki / Trader Vic's, Beverly Hills - RIP - A Photographic Tribute

Post #394254 by KreepyTiki on Tue, Jul 15, 2008 6:04 PM

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Well said, bigbro!

And point well (if somewhat sheepishly) taken! (Also, tikihai -- glad you were able to extract some enjoyment from the post/pics. Mahalos!)

Here's the deal, essentially, from my POV...

Though I DO agree -- I could hardly do otherwise as it's a glaringly obvious matter of fact -- that the interior was, sadly, no longer what it had been in its golden years, and had, indeed, been substantially de-tikified. Nevertheless, like a pig hunting truffles, I was determined to unearth what few remaining details of tiki-friendly decor could still be found and capture them for posterity. And indeed there WERE some positive aspects still to be seen, though admittedly somewhat lost amidst the dominant overall blandness.

Yes, as you astutely surmised -- and as I had actually started to express in my original reply to your first, unedited/expanded reply here -- I had, indeed, been missing a fondly remembered "Trader Vic's of the mind" as you aptly put it. But your pointing out of specific incongruities and odd juxtapositions of decor were rather eye-opening for me and enabled me to see things more from your own understandably (and PROPERLY) critical perspective.

So -- Mahalos, sir!

And, yes, I'm aware of how extensively the closing of the Bev Hills TV's has been discussed and mourned on Tiki Central -- perhaps to excess. However, given my particular mindset, I never feel that seeing photos of now-defunct tiki establishments, whether they had lost a lesser or greater measure of their former "tikiness", is quite analogous to "throwing salt into old wounds".

Now, if I were, instead, to post an extensive photo-thread documenting a certain Walgreens in Columbus, Ohio... Well, then I would richly deserve any and all verbal brick-bats that might fly my way! :lol:

Essentially, I suppose I tend, as a rule, to focus more on what has been retained rather than what has been lost. The donut vs. the hole, so to speak. And, to be honest, my former memories of the Beverly Vic's were when I was too young to clearly remember many specific details of decor. Though I vividly DO remember it having more of a fun "jungle" or tropical island ambiance back then, rather than the more elegantly sedate, yacht-club vibe which predominated in later years.

On my previous visit there -- in my early teens -- the World Series was happening and Jerry Lewis was going from table to table, listening to a portable radio, sharing the play-by-play & scores with the other amused or just bemused diners! So the place held some pretty colorful memories for me, needless to say.

Perhaps if someone has a nice selection of pics of what the place USED to look like back in the day, they might consider posting those as a basis of comparison. Or has that already been done? If so, I've never happened upon it in my searches for the Bev. Hills Trader on this site.

But I must say that if any of my current favorite remaining tiki palaces/bars/lounges were to go the way of the BH Trader's or San Diego's The Islands restaurant, I'd find it pretty bloody hard to focus on any small remaining aspects of former coolness! In fact, I'd be damn MAD :evil: and frickin' DEPRESSED! :cry:

Lastly, bigbro, I actually appreciate your rigorous and uncompromising attitude to all things tiki, and respect you for your honesty. Lord knows there's enough ass-kissers out there already! :wink:

Cheers! :drink: