Post #7565 by Trader Woody on Wed, Sep 4, 2002 4:28 AM

Ah, Boston. We went there in search of Tiki, but came back with just
an almighty hangover for our troubles.

The Kowloon is unfortunately a long way out of Boston, and as we
only had a short time there, it proved too costly in terms of both time &
money to get a cab out there. We didn't have much luck in the centre of town
either, as the Kon-Tiki was nowhere to be seen, and the locals in Harvard Suare
directed us to a place that was straight out of 'Good Will Hunting' when we
asked about the local Tiki bars. It turns out that the Aku Aku was just a mile or
so away, and still had a couple of months left before it shut it's doors forever.
So, as far as getting a Bostonian Tiki fix goes, the best way is to rent a car
and head north out of town, if at all possible.

The bar we enjoyed the most isn't really the kind of place we'd normally go for.
Unfortunately, the name of the place was washed out of my brain by the martinis
they served there, but it's located near Fanuiel (sp?) Hall, at the ground level of a
posh hotel. The large windows give you a great view of the market, as well as the
horse & carriage rides that start nearby, and your evening is occasionally enlivened
by Bruins fans walking past & flipping the bar occupants the bird.
The martinis are vastly expensive, but they give you another glass' worth in a little
carafe surrounded by ice. It's the kind of place where the men all smoke cigars, and
occasionally someone will saunter over to the piano and show off in front of their
date. We found it very amusing and couldn't help taking the piss out of one
particularly uptight piano player.

So on the plus side, you have well made & very large martinis, comfortable leather
couches, and a great window to peer at old Boston through (I bet it's particularly nice
in there when it's snowing). On the minus side, it's expensive, pretentious, and you get
the feeling Ted Kennedy might arrive at any moment.

Trader Woody