Post #765351 by AceExplorer on Wed, Jun 22, 2016 6:08 AM

Polly Nesia - I can relate to the challenge of having received directions from my spouse also to "not junk it up." We bought a new home a few years ago with a nice breakfast nook which is now a nice wet bar area. Early on I was asked not to "junk it up" with puffer fish lamps and float lamps. I had to laugh, I know what she meant, she just didn't want to destroy the nice classic and open interior look of the home with a prominent corner area full of bric-a-brac. So I'm very careful with what I do -- mostly nothing has been done yet to the walls because I am starting with a lighting plan and will build around that. But I do have a number of tikis around.

I think you're right - the tiki of old is hard to find, but it is out there. I dream of a tiny little intimate bar, smaller even than the Tiki Ti in Los Angeles, were a handful of people can just chill with the bartenders and go on tropical drink journeys by ordering from a diverse menu. But for these places to open, and to remain open, they most often have to be larger and have to appeal to more modern tastes. So we go to places like the Molokai Bar, Tiki Ti, and others, or we just build little tiki temples in our homes and make the best of what we have out in the real world.

On the topic of home bars, I like to envision a network of nice home tiki bars in our communities, and where tiki enthusiasts can visit each other and share good times and good drinks. I'm an advocate of bringing back cocktail parties, as are a number of others here on Tiki Central.

Cheers to you!