Post #8033 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Tue, Sep 10, 2002 1:33 PM

I’m glad everyone likes the photos. I enjoy sharing them as much as I enjoy finding these places. I just wish I could convey the excitement I feel when I enter an old Polynesian apartment building, fully expecting it to be remodelled in "1980s Santa Fe", and then discover these original tikis, still quietly guarding the hibiscus and guava trees, just as they did forty years ago.

**To Stingray – ** I doubt you’d find a waiting-list on any of these places, at least not for the reasons you think. The Kona Kai was the only one that had a NO VACANCY sign out front, and that’s because it’s relatively near the beach, has a great swimming pool, and a modern, glass-enclosed weight-lifting room. The beautiful young people around the pool were definitely more interested in their bodies and their tans than in tikis. The musclebound guy who unlocked the pool-area for me was friendly, but seemed perplexed that I wanted to photograph the tiki. To him, it’s just an old relic that doesn’t fit in with his modern lifestyle and that he never really notices. I used to be this way myself.

Not everyone is so unimpressed. Just tell them a little about what tiki culture was like and why it’s important to you to record it now and that they are living in a cultural shrine of sorts, then suddenly they get a little more interested. They’ll show you all the hidden tikis in the building and if they’re older, they’ll begin telling you stories of other old tiki places they remember – often supplying you with good leads to track down later.

The Islander apartments in Gardena are occupied by a wonderfully diverse mix of Black, Latino, and Asian tenants. They definitely have no inkling of how historically important their amazingly-preserved tiki playground is to people like me. Luckily the owners seem to. The tenants appreciate this building because it is clean and beautiful and secure for their children in a neighborhood that is a little poorer and rundown and "less-desireable" because it’s not so close to the ocean. I lived in this neighborhood myself when I first moved out of my parents house and it has a lot to offer. Its core is a wonderful Japanese-Town with temples, all-night sake bars, and tatami-rooms in almost every restaurant. I considered it a great place to live, even though I was definitely in the minority-White portion of the population.

**To Jab – ** I’ll see if I can get some rates to you next time I drop by these buildings, and I’ll ask from now on at any new ones I explore. I remember the sign saying that the Eli Kai was composed completely of single-bedroom apartments, but I think the other two had larger apartments.

**To Kailuageoff – ** I’m with you. I’d love a database of these sites, so that any Tiki-Centralite could select a list of places to see when visiting a new city. I work for a large online real-estate information company, so I can often search our databases and find pertinent information on these buildings, such as the date they were built and the current owner’s mailing address. I’m accumulating files on each of the buildings in my area, but don’t have the time to devote to putting together an internet database. At least not now. I may be quitting my office job soon to devote myself full-time (more or less) to the Ebay business. When that happens, and I’m not working two jobs anymore, I should have more free time and may try to organize such a "Centralized" database.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2002-09-10 13:34 ]