2nd Annual TX Tikiphile gathering @ Trader Vic's May 3rd, 2008!

Jeeze...this ended being a not-so-good date for a lot of people. I just figured if we did it the same weekend as last year it would work out.

In any case, I'm only 26 miles from TV so I can meet anyone for a Mai Tai any time. Just let me know when you're in town.

I'll see everyone else this Saturday!

Bummer bummer bummer
My grandpa just passed away and I have to go to Wisconsin for the funeral Saturday. Rumbuddy will be missing tiki puka puka very bad!

Nooooo, Rumbuddy!!

Well, I'm not yet a no; it's just a possibility.

And I'm going to get off this now and get back to work so i can do it!
F

Okay, I have air and hotel reservations for two. My wife is now able to make it.

It looks like we still have a rental, and the wahine has planned something with her very pregnant sister. She's due in a few weeks, but feels like it's going to be sooner, I have a feeling it will be on Sunday. So that means we won't be able to make it, all due to a drunk driver. We are coming down later in the month and will meet with anyone who wants to come out.

Hey,

Has anyone done the Priceline.com thing and gotten a good rate at the Palomar this year? I think somebody got a room that way for $105 + tax last year.

We have a room reserved at Palomar ...but for their regular, waaayyy too high $$$ rate.

Thanks,

Dobrolic

This so sucks, but I have to say that at this point both my riding partner Brittanie and I are no-go's. She just got her work schedule and she's on for Saturday 'til 7:00 PM. :x

And I have not been able to get done all that needs to be done for my students before Monday (and I have to do a school thing tonight and one all tomorrow AM!). Too many stupid emergencies came up and killed my get-it-done-time. Plus without Brit's driving, my worse-than-usual back pain will kill me if I can't lie down or shift around freakishly the whole trip.

Well, i guess I could try driving from a prone position from the back seat, but I'm a wimp.

So Kenike and Benehune, please forgive me for not getting there this year. I will come to Dallas another time this summer, and of course I always love coming to San Antone, so I'll see you boys and your lovely wahines another time. To everyone else, i am SO bummed not to get to see/meet you all.

Or drinks any perfect cocktails in a PERFECT place.
:(

Or flirt with my favorite staff there.
(Kenike, you'll have to send on my regards/regrets to my favorite TV's hotties.)

:( F :(

(Kenike, you'll have to send on my regards/regrets to my favorite TV's hotties.)

Hmmm...by hotties I'm assuming you mean the middle aged men that always ask for "the girl in the red dress" whenever I mention some of my "tiki" friends are coming.

And I'm SO going to tell them you called them "hotties"...it's sure to get you a free drink or two next time you visit. :P

I so wanted to go to this, but we're still trying to get our old house on the market. I had to spend time there with the "make ready" crew I hired -- they'd made a few mistakes with things in the backyard (broken a couple of things too). A cool mai tai with tiki friends would have been so much better.

Can we do something more central sometime? Dallas is a LONG drive, and gas is so expensive.

On 2008-05-04 09:18, JanetMermaid wrote:
Can we do something more central sometime? Dallas is a LONG drive, and gas is so expensive.

Hulacat and I talked at length about this very subject at our gathering. Not only possible venues for future events, but about the Texas tiki scene in general.

First, no matter where our gatherings are located, some travel is going to be necessary for some people. I'm not sure that there are any particular areas in TX good for hosting an event that you could consider centrally located. Last night people traveled from Austin, San Antonio & Oklahoma to be here and paid out a lot of money for hotels. That’s a dedicated group for sure, but obviously not everyone is in a position to be able to travel those kinds of distances. I consider myself almost spoiled because I live in the Dallas area where there is a Trader Vic's, but once a year I travel to Ft. Lauderdale for the Hukilau.

Which leads me to my next point, and that is that when an event or party is held it’s usually based around a particular tiki location where people can have a memorable experience (like the Hukilau & the Mai Kai). At the moment the only real “tiki” place in TX is Trader Vic’s in Dallas. Now, you could “make” an event happen almost anywhere, but that’s going to involve a major investment from the people who organize it. For example, if you want to make an event at a place like El Tropicano in San Antonio, there are going to be deposits involved, decorations, extra bartenders, booking entertainment, etc. It’s easy in Dallas because Trader Vic’s is already there, and the only thing out-of-towners need to worry about is their hotel. That doesn’t mean making an event somewhere else is impossible, but I can’t see doing it without selling tickets, and it probably won’t appeal much to people who are travelling long distances or are outside of TX because there are no tiki locations for them to see and visit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL for events happening other places in TX besides Dallas, but without a draw, it’s going to be hard to get enough people to come to make it worthwhile.

Which leads me to my third and final point, and that is the overall tiki scene in Texas. I really thought that when Trader Vic’s opened it would energize the tiki scene here, but that hasn’t happened. I corresponded with many, many people in Dallas and elsewhere in TX before we had a Trader Vic’s and the excitement statewide was really building. Unfortunately, the majority of these people completely dropped off the map. They don’t post on TC anymore and my emails go unanswered. It appears we have a very small but very loyal group and that’s certainly better than no group at all. It’s just a pity we’ll never come close to the west coast scene. Actually, I shouldn’t say never…there are still rumblings about possible new Trader Vic’s locations in Houston and Austin…and if they all do well more tiki bars will undoubtedly spring up all over.

Anyway, last night we had an absolute blast, and HUGE mahalos again to everyone who came. I have pics to post (as do other folks) and I’ll get to it once my hangover goes away in a couple of days.

On 2008-05-04 18:08, Kenike wrote:
I have pics to post (as do other folks) and I’ll get to it once my hangover goes away in a couple of days.

WooHoo! Can't wait to see the pics :)

I agree with Kenike. The Dallas Vic's is pretty much the only authentic tiki destination in the Great State (I just hope the local scene can support it). As much as I'd love to have an event at a location closer to me, such as the Hula Hut, I just can't rationally support moving from a top-notch genuine tiki spot like Vic's to some watered-down island themed place.

Of course, those are the words of a Texas tikiphile that didn't make it to the event because of travel conflicts. So... while I support Kenike's point in theory, I'm obviously an example of how the travel requirements act to thin the crowd in practice. But I don't see any way around that. Vic's is the best location, and I doubt moving the event to Austin or San Antonio would really generate that much more interest. In that case, there would be people from North Texas and Oklahoma that wouldn't be able to make the trip.

To say a good time was had by all would be an understatement...we had a great time...and to add something to think about as to the out of townees attending the gathering...we would definitely consider opening our home to you to spare the motel costs...dwell on it and use it to consider another visit...glad we met the really fine Tikis that did travel...

Okay, here's the first part of my pic contribution:

Dobrolic & Castlehune

Benehune & his wahine

Mr. & Mrs. Tropical Icebergs

Finally met Koitiki!

Hulacat & Koitiki chatting it up

Hulacat & Dobrolic

Limbo Lizard & Monica

More coming soon...

I know mine wasn't the only camera flashing...and it appears I missed some folks completely. So for those of you who were there, GET POSTING!

Aww Castle is adorable!

Julie really missed seeing her again. We are still waiting on a check so we can replace the car. for now we are still driving the truck, and she likes to drink more than me!

As for the group not being very big, I like that. It feel more intimate to me. We'll be down soon to visit, promise!!

Big Mahalo to Kenike! I had a great time meeting everyone. The atmosphere was great, the drinks were top-notch and the company was fabu-tiki of course! Fun conversations with HulaCat, Kenike's wahine, Tropical Iceberg, Texas Tikiplex and his aikanes. As far as gathering the Texas folk, I suppose we are at a disadvantage being in such a large state. But what the hey, we should just get together whenever and wherever we can. I'll volunteer my backyard anytime! I have a few pics I'll post them when I get them downloaded. Thanks again Kenike. Austin next time?

I have pics to post, but I left the camera at the boat (I hope!). As soon as I get back to pick it up, I'll get any good ones up here.
Assuming no conflicts, we'd be up for something in Austin.

Here's the rest of my viewable pictures:

Koitiki

Limbo Lizard begins to feel the effects of his now half-empty Zombie

The cutest girl at Trader Vic's!

Benehune finishing off his first ever Navy Grog

Tropical Icebergs chatting it up with Mrs. Kenike

Victoria (Mrs. Tropical Icebergs)preparing her camera...behind her are Bernalicious, Tikiplex12, and "the other guy" who's name I can't remember (sorry about that).

Mr. & Mrs. Benehune

That's it from me!

On 2008-05-11 14:34, Kenike wrote:
Limbo Lizard begins to feel the effects of his now half-empty Zombie

It was a Queen's Park Swizzle. Tasted much more potent than TV's Zombie (and your photographic evidence seemed to bear that out).

Found my camera, and also found that I didn't take many pics, and none were great. Still...

And now for a few, "Insert Your Own Caption" pictures:

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-05-16 13:26 ]

Say that guy looks like Unkle John... oh wait, it's just a dude in a bear suit.

And then.... And then...

..THE DEPTHS OF HELL OPENED UP AND SWALLOWED THE INFIDEL INTO A BURNING LAKE OF SULFUR....

..and that's how I got this dress. Crazy, huh?!

Mrs. Benehune: "Benehune's is gonna be THIS BIG, in the morning!"
Hulacat: "Uh, calm down. We ARE still talking about hangovers, right?"

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-05-14 13:25 ]

I believe she just had a Zombie.

Benehune, Mrs. Tropical Iceberg and Bernalicious

Bernalicious, "The Other Guy" (someone give him a name, already!), and Tikiplex12

Here's my pictures. The interloper, I mean visitor/"The Other Guy" is Amir. We may have converted him though. TikiAmir?

Benehune & his wahine

Helen Hunt look-a-like

On 2008-05-18 14:39, teaKEY wrote:
Benehune & his wahine...
Helen Hunt look-a-like

No kidding!

Lizard, I can see you have finally captured that long sought after, elusive photo of the freaky disembodied head that haunts the Trader Vic's and is only visible after two Puka Pukas...

On 2008-05-28 20:16, Koitiki wrote:
Lizard, I can see you have finally captured that long sought after, elusive photo of the freaky disembodied head that haunts the Trader Vic's and is only visible after two Puka Pukas...

I know you were kidding, but it got me to thinking...
I decided to re-examine my pictures, using a special filter. Nothing unusual, until I got to this one:

Now, using a filter that reveals radiation outside the visible spectrum:

The enlarged inset shows why your eyes were glowing. You were right within the colliding energy fields - the "mana" - of the Maharishi and Victor Bergeron, as they still battle from beyond for control of this sacred place.

You should have taken a picture of the payphone to see if Elvis is still talking on it.

On 2008-05-29 08:53, Kenike wrote:
You should have taken a picture of the payphone to see if Elvis is still talking on it.

Next time you're there, carefully sniff the mouthpiece - you can still detect the faint odor of bananas and peanut butter!

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2008-05-31 07:06 ]

Those are ex-boyfriends that didn't approve of my tiki habit.