Beyond Tiki, Bilge, and Test / Beyond Tiki
Where are the Flying Saucer Bars?
Pages: 1 36 replies
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naugatiki
Posted
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10/03/2005
I saw this picture in that Ilikai post of this Flying saucer shaped revolving restaurant in the background which was once the first in the world (Sadly today it doesn't spin). I was lucky enough to drink there years ago when it use to spin and recall how dizzy I got until I down my first drink then it seemed natural and the view couldn't be beat. Anyone else have any fav revolving bars, are they still around? It would be nice to host a party there since they already have there own theme built in. |
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Hakalugi
Posted
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10/03/2005
The Encounter at the Los Angeles International Airport is a good one. A private party here could be a very cool thing. I might have to look into this. Here's their website: http://www.encounterrestaurant.com/ |
JD
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Johnny Dollar
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10/03/2005
this building is 1 block from me i have tried in vain to find out anything about what happened in the flying saucer part back in the day. sadly the building was post-modernized (po-mo'ed) within the past 10 years. |
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Humuhumu
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10/03/2005
Seattle's got two: the Holiday Inn by Sea-Tac Airport has a rotating restaurant just like those pictured above, and as far as I can tell, it's still operational. And of course, we have the Grand Dame of rotating UFO restaurants: the Space Needle has a rotating restaurant. |
JD
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Johnny Dollar
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10/03/2005
this is a disaster of a movie from 1964: but it does have a cool rotating bar scene. |
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eel
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10/03/2005
Cool restaurant/bar but, no rotate "Q: Does the restaurant or bar rotate? |
SS
Satan's Sin
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10/03/2005
Don't forget the Space Needle! True, it's mostly a restaurant. But I'm sure you could order a drink. |
RD
Rum Demon
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10/03/2005
I hit the Bona Vista Lounge at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA last winter with a friend. Not too "UFO" in architecture, but the bar does rotate. PLUS they have their own custom mugs, not tiki, but custom souvenirs all the same. -Joe |
TM
Tipsy McStagger
Posted
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10/03/2005
i beleive the holiday inn chicago still has a revolving bar on the roof....also, check out the clevelander hotel in south beach, miami...the outdoor bar looks like it's under a flying saucer due to the cool 50's style construction...great place to drink. there's another flying saucer themed bar in wisconsin somewhere...anyone know which one I mean?? |
TM
Tipsy McStagger
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10/03/2005
oh yeah, the stratosphere in vegas actually revolves and you can eat and drink up there in a full restaurant...feel free to ride the roller coaster on the roof too!! |
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Tikiwahine
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10/03/2005
Canada has a few revolving restaurants, including: Vancouver's Harbour Centre Tower The Calgary Tower The CN Tower in Toronto(world's largest building) |
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Tiki Rotterdam
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10/03/2005
In Rotterdam we have this Lounge/Restaurant/Hotel called the 'Euromast', also with a revolving bar on top:
[ Edited by: Tiki Rotterdam 2005-10-03 15:24 ] |
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Chacha
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10/03/2005
Atlanta has two: and the lounge at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown. The lounge does not spin, though it does have a blue dome. [ Edited by: Chacha 2005-10-03 15:32 ] |
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Kono
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10/03/2005
How about a polynesian revolving bar? And I worked there once upon a time!
Unfortunately, when I worked there circa 89 or 90, the place had already been de-tikified. Not that I would've noticed as I was still pre-tikified myself. Just a hop (Blind Pass), skip (Treasure Island) and a jump (John's Pass) from Tiki Gardens, I wish I could've seem it in it's heyday. The bar still revolved (slowly) when I was there but I think it was only used for special parties. Could be wrong though. The above quote came from this thread: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=13050&forum=1&hilite=hilton%20st%20pete%20beach |
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vintagegirl
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10/04/2005
More info about the Bonaventure Hotel from the Radisson Destination Guide: "Bona Vista Lounge Apparently, valet parking is the way to go. $5.50 with validation. But prices are high for food and drink. I personally get motion sickness there. [ Edited by: vintagegirl 2005-10-04 00:26 ] |
DZ
Doctor Z
Posted
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10/04/2005
Many moons ago I worked for Thomas Bros. Maps in downtown L.A., and every year we'd have our company Christmas dinner at the Top Of Five restaurant at the Bonaventure. The dinner was just for the 8 employees of the store (Corporate office are/were in Irvine), and they'd just give us the company credit card, so we'd usually run up an insane bar tab at the Bona Vista, then order outrageous stuff at the resto later. First (and last) place I had escargot. Oh, and the view at Christmas time is amazing - they really do the downtown area up in a classy way. |
SDT
Sweet Daddy Tiki
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10/04/2005
From my big shoebox of postcards: I think this is the restaurant from the original post in this thread. In the photo it looks like it's landed on a desolate, rock-strewn planet, instead of being on the 23rd floor of the Ala Moana Building. "High above Honolulu and Waikiki, LaRonde offers a spectacular 360 degree unobstructed view. Makes one revolution per hour. Lunch, dinner and cocktails daily." Edmonton's revolving restaurant is also called LaRonde: Still operating (as far as I know) atop what used to be the Chateau Lacombe (now a Holiday Inn, I think). There are custom mugs shaped like the hotel - big & white like the ones from Japanese restaurants; I come across them all the time in my thrifting. -Sweet Daddy T. [ Edited by: Sweet Daddy Tiki 2008-05-23 13:40 ] |
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cynfulcynner
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10/04/2005
There's one atop the San Francisco Hyatt Regency (in Embarcadero Center). |
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freddiefreelance
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10/04/2005
Mmmm, Flying Saucer Bars..... |
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ikitnrev
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10/05/2005
The Washington DC area has the Skydome Lounge in Crystal City that overlooks the Pentagon, along with views of the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and other DC locations across the Potomac River http://www.doubletreecrystalcity.com/ And don't forget the revolving apartment building in Curitiba, Barzil -- each apartment owner gets to choose how fast to spin their apartment! (click on thumbs for full-size views) Vern |
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christiki295
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10/06/2005
There is a building in Marina Del Rey, near one of the hotels by Seaport Village, which definitely looks like a flying saucer. |
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Gigantalope
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10/06/2005
I seem to recall a splendid one facing the Harbor in Hobart Tasmania. I think there is also one at the very top of St.James Gate |
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christiki295
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10/07/2005
The Fabulous Forum in LA (Inglewood) looks like a flying saucer from across the parking lot. It is not a bar, in and of itself, although it does have several bars inside. |
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naugatiki
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10/07/2005
I think this is the restaurant from the original post in this thread. In the photo it looks like it's landed on a desolate, rock-strewn planet, instead of being on the 23rd floor of the Ala Moana Building. "High above Honolulu and Waikiki, LaRonde offers a spectacular 360 degree unobstructed view. Makes one revolution per hour. Lunch, dinner and cocktails daily." The funny thing about the La Ronde in Hawaii is last time I checked it was a "Flying Saucer" insurance office. It reminds me of when a Pizza Hut goes under and they keep the architecture and paint the building green then open a Beauty Salon. |
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finkdaddy
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10/08/2005
This is the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee. The rotating restaurant is called Polaris with a smaller bar that I believe is called the Pilsner Palace. |
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cynfulcynner
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10/09/2005
Isn't the Forum owned by a church now? If so, there may not be so many bars.... |
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saxotica
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10/10/2005
The Regency one in Atlanta was called the "Polaris" and it did, indeed, spin "back in the day" [mid seventies]. |
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Kong-Tiki
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10/11/2005
If you're in Norway, looking for a spin: |
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thejab
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10/11/2005
Vancouver also has one that I visited in the 80s atop what was then the Sheraton, and is now the Cloud 9 restaurant atop the Empire Landmark hotel. And the Hyatt Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale had one since the late 60s that stopped revolving just last August 31st. and became a private banquet hall. DOH! Missed it by only a few weeks!
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/2005_Aug_31/k.MIR.1125585237.html |
CLL
Chief Lapu Lapu
Posted
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10/14/2005
There's one in Quebec just outside the old city on top of Le Concorde. More fine dining than bar and far from tiki but it's fun and you get a birds eye view of old Quebec. |
AC
Atomic Cocktail
Posted
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10/15/2005
Though not a Saucer bar, "The View" on the 49th floor of Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway, at 45th St., in NYC) is a revolving bar. What's fun about it is the step from the central elevator section to the revolving section, or should I say the other way, after a few drinks. An interesting sensation to say the least.
[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail 2005-10-14 18:50 ] |
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tikifish
Posted
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10/16/2005
I was watching a show about Switzerland last night and they showed the revolving bar that was in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' http://www.switzerlandholidays.com/rail%20journeys/james_bond_mountain.htm [ Edited by: tikifish 2005-10-16 05:37 ] |
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tikifish
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10/16/2005
Heres another one - this time closer to home. The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto... I have eaten there, its not really spacey, as you would expect. The CN tower one is much better. |
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tikifish
Posted
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10/16/2005
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tikifish
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10/16/2005
Just found this in an old 1960's German design magazine... another exciting revolving restaurant! |
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tikijackalope
Posted
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10/23/2005
The "Golf Ball House" in Yucca, AZ, didn't revolve, but the related flying saucer looks like it may have. The structure was supposed to be the restaurant/nightclub for a failed housing development but it never got off the ground. I've read it is a private residence now, but when I photographed it in August, it was for sale.
http://www.thelope.blogspot.com [ Edited by: tikijackalope 2005-11-24 20:11 ] |
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tikivixen
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11/08/2005
Re: The Space Needle: "True, it's mostly a restaurant. But I'm sure you could order a drink." Oh, you can definitely get drunk at the Space Needle... The bar itself is (I think) below the restaurant. It doesn't revolve, but, as others on this thread have pointed out, revolving bars are sort of redundant after a few drinks. Or dangerous, even. |
Pages: 1 36 replies