Was St. Petersburg the largest Tiki mecca? - General Tiki

S Swanky Tiki Socialite Hapa Haole Hideaway, Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 03, 2002 Posts: 5398	S Swanky Posted posted on Mon, Dec 13, 2010 12:06 PM An old timer friend who was a performer at the Mai-Kai "during the season" and elsewhere off-season says after looking through "Tiki Road Trip" he could name about 70 places missing from that book in Florida alone. They were everywhere and he performed at most, along with off-season gigs at the Hawaiian Room in NYC and other northerly places. The Mai-Kai was perhaps the bomb that went off in 1956 and sent pieces everywhere. I don't think there was much pre-65, except a few odd-ball places. After that, they sprang up all over. And those that performed at the Mai-Kai performed at other venues. Heck, the Mai-Kai girls were at Yankee's spring training and the New York's World's Fair! I can imagine a lot of places sprang up between 1957 and 1966 in Florida with a Polyensian theme, or, got on board the train. But, it is also likely there were, not Pre-Tiki as Sven calls it, but collateral-Tiki. Tiki-esque. I mean, if it came after Tiki and is named The Outrigger or whatever, it may owe some of its existence to the genre and likely had the drinks by Don and Vic on the menu... It gets all muddy in Florida. But it also really exploded there.

An old timer friend who was a performer at the Mai-Kai "during the season" and elsewhere off-season says after looking through "Tiki Road Trip" he could name about 70 places missing from that book in Florida alone. They were everywhere and he performed at most, along with off-season gigs at the Hawaiian Room in NYC and other northerly places.

The Mai-Kai was perhaps the bomb that went off in 1956 and sent pieces everywhere. I don't think there was much pre-65, except a few odd-ball places. After that, they sprang up all over. And those that performed at the Mai-Kai performed at other venues. Heck, the Mai-Kai girls were at Yankee's spring training and the New York's World's Fair! I can imagine a lot of places sprang up between 1957 and 1966 in Florida with a Polyensian theme, or, got on board the train.

But, it is also likely there were, not Pre-Tiki as Sven calls it, but collateral-Tiki. Tiki-esque. I mean, if it came after Tiki and is named The Outrigger or whatever, it may owe some of its existence to the genre and likely had the drinks by Don and Vic on the menu...

It gets all muddy in Florida. But it also really exploded there.

Post #568611 by Swanky on Mon, Dec 13, 2010 12:06 PM