Post #5952 by BC-Da-Da on Thu, Aug 15, 2002 12:24 AM

The Kon Tiki Inn is viewable from the 101 Freeway. It is in Pismo Beach, about halfway between L.A. and Monterey. Always a good structure to look at and snap a few pictures of.

Hulas in Monterey is a good restaurant. It is not from the Tiki Era, so don't expect too much, but the owner/manager has some nice Bosko wall tikis, and if you mention that you are a true admirer of Tiki Culture, he takes a real unique interest in you. There are some really great Duke Kahanamoku pictures as well.

Tiki is indeed sparse in Monterey, but there are some good Modernism homes to look at. For the most part, it is very Victorian, almost Gothic, and while that is not our normal appreciation, it is not bad, either.

My wife and I just spent three days in San Fran and three days in Monterey. There are still some old Hippie health food places in Monterey that are great. I know, I know, anything with the word "Hippie" sounds lame-O, but it's not that bad of a place.

The biggest problem with Monterey (and San Francisco too) is that when you tell people that you are from L.A., you very often (believe it or not) will have someone say (and I quote), "I hate L.A." Those exact words. I hear it almost every time I go up there.

That said, I think I cleaned the thrift stores out of Tikis, vintage Hawaiian travel books and vintage Surf books. Down on Cannery Row, at one of the souvenier-Steinbeck-sea-otter-exploitation shops, you can get a really BAD tiki key chain, with bright colored short boards surrounding them. I get laughed at constantly for having this key chain. But, it is tiki and it says Monterey, so fuck them. I found something.

For good NoCal Tiki, you gotta go to San Fran. The Tonga Room is top notch, in my book. And the drive back along Rt. 1, through Big Sur is beautiful. Commune with the spirits. It's still okay to do so.