JOHN-O's Koreatown Mid-century Bar Crawl

OK, TC member PolynesianPop is a big nautical bar fan just like me. He's asked me to introduce him to some of my LA nautical hangs. The problem is that most are spaced out too far for one night of drinking. What I've proposed is a K-Town bar crawl that will highlight one of my favorites, the HMS Bounty. We'll also be visiting some other nearby mid-century dive bars and maybe some Korean bars to experience the local flavor.

It starts at 7:30pm. Just PM me for the starting point, there is secure valet parking at stop #1. Bring cash as this might require a couple of short cab rides (unless you're up for a drunken 1 mile walk).

Please don't inquire about the exact itinerary, where's the surprise in that ?? :) Don't worry, I promise to safely get you back to our point of origin.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2012-03-01 18:15 ]

The HMS Bounty is a great nautical bar.

This is a great idea John-O...only if I had the funds to join you

What do Robert Kennedy, Charles Bukowski, Kim Jong-il, Don Draper, and Blackbeard all have in common ??

They each map to a stop on my upcoming bar crawl in Aug !!

Also did you ever see the 1982 Cyber-punk classic "Blade Runner" ? That film portrays an "Asian-ized" future Los Angeles based on the aging remnants of Mid-century LA Noir. To me that's not Science Fiction, but rather current day Koreatown.

K-Town is historic. It's exotic. It's sinister.

I've put together an eclectic mix of destinations, 3 LA Mid-century gems + 2 Korean “mondo bizzaro” bars. Everything is in reasonable walking distance + 1 very short RTD bus ride (forget the cabs).

We can cap off the night with some Korean drunk food. Yes there is Korean BBQ but nothing will sober you up faster than silkworm larvae soup or freshly-cut squiggling octopus tentacles. Trust me, Tikiphiles ain't got nothing on those crazy Koreans when it comes to "drunk culture".

So will there be any Tikis on this bar crawl ??

"Forget it Jake, it's Koreatown". :D

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-07-26 08:43 ]

What? no sampling of K-Town prostitution, no K-Town karaoke? AND NO K-TOWN GAMBLING?

Who is this John-O guide anyway?! :wink:

:) G

TikiG

tiki since '67!

[ Edited by: TikiG 2010-07-26 10:42 ]

Bump!

Don't miss this event. We've all seen the Tiki bars but there are a few Nautical gems out there too!

It's noirish

I'm looking forward to getting into K-town. I've been exploring rum and tiki drinks lately and look forward to some inspiration. Let me and my friends know where to start.

http://drunkycrow.blogspot.com/

Hi, John-O, we can;t make it, but look forward to the discription and listing of the places visited!

PMs have been sent to the following people who expressed interest for this Sat:

1. PolynesianPop
2. chrisandsarahb
3. TikiG
4. drunkycrow (+3)
5. Marty Lush
6. TikiSan
7. hiltiki
8. Coco Joe
9. Bora Boris
10. Tonga Tom
11. Sheriyaki
12. Tiki Bird
13. UtopianDreem
14. debrastuart (+1)
15. JOHN-O (+5)

If I left anyone out, please let me know.

Yes, I know some people can't do the entire crawl but maybe you can join us for a cocktail at stop #1.

Disclaimer - Everyone is expected to drink responsibly, you are not required to drink alcohol at each bar if that's going to impair your good judgment. JOHN-O does NOT condone drunk driving after the crawl. There will be ample time to sober up on "drunk food" in the area. Thank you.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-08-26 21:15 ]

Honestly, I expected this was just going to be me, PolyPop, and a handful of others.

Right now we have 20+ crawlers. Because of this, I'm going to scale the bars down to 3 since I think a group this large is going to overpower 2 of the smaller ones, especially on a Saturday night. On the other hand, the 3 I have in mind are all in crawling distance so no cabs or buses are needed. Don't worry, the HMS Bounty is still the main attraction.

FYI, it appears our point of departure closes at 1am. That means cars which are valeted must be retrieved by then. If anyone wants to keep on crawling into the next day, then I will have options.

Also I'm not familiar with everyone, so Aloha-wear will make it easier to herd the cats.

If this is successful, I have a Westside Nautical/Beachcomber crawl in mind. Also Hiltiki wants to do a mid-century dive bar Valley crawl (drive really) if anyone is interested.

Thank you for your interest and participation. :)

[ Edited by: john-o 2010-08-28 10:49 ]

Add Al-ii to the list. He's tagging along with me.

You had us at "silkworm larvae soup"!!! Please add WooHooWahine and I to your crawl tomorrow.

Sorry guys, can't make it tomorrow night. Have fun and I'll see you at Bongofury's party in Camarillo on the 4th, Labor Day weekend. Have fun and have a cocktail or two for me. G

Sorry can't make this one but I will see you at Tonga Hut. :)

More crawlers....

16. Joe Banks
17. SoccerTiki
18. WooHooWahine
19. crazy al

Wow, this is a lot of people. Please be patient if we wind up overwhelming the bars.

At stop #1, if you don't see Tiki people just ask for the back room which I might reserve.

I did get several tables held at the HMS Bounty for later. :) That should accommodate 15 people so we can table hop between there and the bar.

The new crawl start is 7:30pm, I'll be there about 7:00pm to calm the Korean owners about the mob of Hawaiian tourists. We'll move on about an hour later. FYI, the stop #1 valet closes at 1am not midnight.

WooHoo! Can't wait for tonight :)

Man John-O, I've really wanted to go on this crawl, because the Bounty is one of my favorite places, but I don't think I can make it tonight. Last time I was at the Bounty, one of the bar regular oldtimers started singing Moonlight Becomes You (from Road to Morocco), and one or two others spontaneously joined in. My friend Joan used to live in the Gaylord (the building its in) and when we dined there she pointed out which booth was Jack Webb's favorite, Dick Burton-Liz Taylor's favorite, and the fact that Churchill used to come in in the late 20's or early 30's (before it was the Bounty) when he was living at the Ambassador and writing his war memoirs (before becoming Prime Minister). Sounds like you have a great crawling group--have fun!

Caltiki Brent

JOHN-O

Show us a list of the bars you went to.

Pictures now, story later. I'll be gradually adding captions and a crawl report to this post. If you're interested keep checking back over the next several days.

1. The Prince

This frozen in time mid-century "steakhouse" is located in the historic Windsor Apts. The following link provides a comprehensive history...

http://www.latimemachines.com/new_page_57.htm

The Prince is now a Korean bar but the interior decor is essentially unchanged from the 1950's (and maybe even earlier than that). It's often used for period film and TV shooting (Chinatown, Mad Men, etc).

The feedback that I got from a lot of the crawlers was this was their favorite spot of the evening. Be warned the prices are pretty high for well drinks (about $10, but if they charge you different prices for the same drink in the same night, don't be surprised.)

Left to right…

A quarter of Debbie's face, SoccerTiki, Al-ii, PolyPop, Tiki Bird, Crazy Al, and Clerisse.

Left to right…

WooHooWahine, Chris (of chrisandsarahb), Drunkycrow, Debbie, and Drunky's friends Jen and Armen.

Drunky (Sketch) and his friends are serious mixologists. They're new to Tiki so we'll probably see them at Tonga Hut Sundays.

It's Tonga Hut regulars Joe Banks, Sheriyaki, and Tonga Tom outside of their native habitat.

My hat's off to Joe Banks. He was ordering Tropicals at every bar we went to (even though he knew better). That's a hard-core Tikiphile.

2. HMS Bounty

UtopianDream's face poking out on the left.

And is that Martin Cate on the right ?? No, it's Jason.

Your humble crawl guide on the far left.

3. Crazy Hook (aka the crazy Korean pirate bar)

A Tiki !!!

Bora Boris, showed up !! He heard there was a Tiki on the crawl. He was not pleased with its quality however.

That's my friend Millie on the right.

New TC member Drunkycrow (Sketch) on the far right with friends Armen and Jen.

It was great to meet you guys !!

4. Dan Sung Sa (aka the Kim Jong Il bar)

This place is so hard-core Korean, they don't even have an English sign.

Inside, we could have been drinking in Seoul.

At this point, only the most dedicated left crawling.

Crazy Al contemplates his frog legs...

Vandalism by an unnamed TC member...

These are Korean "balls". 4 Korean men gave it up just so SoccerTiki could have a midnight snack.

This is fresh octopus...

5. Frank N Hanks

Didn't happen. Maybe next time.

Thanks to everyone who came out. It was fun !!

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-08-29 10:29 ]

Sure looks like it! I'm sorry I missed it. :(

I wish I could have joined you! I'm a fan of the bounty and the prince! My friend, Sketch, was with you. Looks like he's fast becoming another Tikiphile! Thanks for showing him such a good time. Now I have tochecl out the Hook! Yes,please do more of these!

Mahlo! Mahalo! Mahalo to JOHN-O for being such a Tiki-rrific Tour Guy and showing us around Koreatown. What a Wild & Crazy Night.

Sorry I had to miss this. John-O, please have another one of these in the future! I am so into Korean food!

John O!!! Whatta fantastic evening! It was like living a food channel show in K-Town! Thanks again for setting this up! Next field trip to???????

Fun meeting up with everyone at the Captian Hook's! Thanks to John O for putting the crawl together.

Thanks JOHN-O for the Koreatown Mid-century Bar Crawl, we had a great time!
Here's some of my documentation to add to the already great images posted.

Well, these drinks look pretty...

JOHN-O gives us advice on eating Korean food...

And drinking booze...

Sherriyaki is a good student.

Nice lamp at The Prince. Looks like the RR took electrical wiring advice from this place. :wink:

Fancy wall in the entrance to the men's room.

We saw this place, but there was no sign of Marina.

Cool characters on the wall in our booth.

I think Tonga Tom's face broke your camera!

Mutiny outside the HMS Bounty

It says 'FOOD & GROG', but we did not see GROG inside.

"Did you see GROG inside?"

Look, "tiki" inside 'Crazy Hook'

"I'm JOHN-O, and I will be your server."

"Look out JOHN-O, pirates!"

Those Korean pirates serve one BIG-ASS beer! The least they could have done, was give us pint glasses.

Feel the burn! one spicy night out! Thanks for getting this road show on the move!!

On 2010-08-29 13:41, crazy al wrote:
Feel the burn! one spicy night out! Thanks for getting this road show on the move!!

if i had a dollar for every time you gave me hell for these types of antics....

:wink:

Mahalo John-O for the totally fun bar crawl! It was awesome hanging out with everyone and getting to know some of the TC peeps better. Can't wait for the next one! Cheers!

John-O and the rest of ya heathens,

Looks like a great time was had by one and all, thanks for posting the photos!

Got inspired by your K-town food action and hit the Kogi Korean BBQ truck that came to Santa Barbara this weekend. Excellent food, check it out if it comes by your hood.

Hope to hook up on one of the next episodes of the John-O tours.

DC

Yes DC, Kogi Taco Truck started in LA and was insanely popular (although the craze appears to be cooling off). I'm not sure however if I'd consider this cross-cultural fusion, "real" Korean food. I'm gonna have to run another K-Town crawl so we can introduce you to some authentic "Seoul" food. :)

I think some things are great on their own, like Mexican food and Korean food, but aren't necessarily better when you combine them. Call me a traditionalist. I feel the same way about my Pirate-style and my Tiki-style. Which brings me to my next observation.

Am I the only one to have noticed that Pineapple-headed Tiki on the left of Boris's shoulder ?? That's photographic documentation of a 2nd Tiki inside the crazy Korean Pirate bar !!

It almost looks like it could be fused to his body. Does anyone remember that grindhouse movie from the 1970's, "The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant" ?? For Boris to have THAT Tiki as a 2nd head would truly be a horror movie (but a funny one).

Because of this, and because Boris is always helping me with my Tiki historical facts, I'm going to give HIM credit for this significant urban archaeological Tiki find.

You're welcome Boris !! :D

If I had known that thing was there I wouldn't have been in the picture. :lol:

Seriously! :evil:

I have two Korean tiki...a male and female version... given to me a few years ago by a Korean friend... they have always been a mystery to me!

After reading this thread about mixing Mexican and Korean, and mixing pirate and tiki, I just had to snap a photo, and ask if any one has ever seen this type of Tiki before, and even better, what do they say in Korean?

I have NOT tasted from the traveling Kogi Taco Truck but have heard the hype about getting a text telling customers where they would be parking next' krazy.

Wish we lived close enough JOHN-O to take you up on the crawl.. looked like a blast.

TikiBeast,

You can see more about those Korean figures here, here and here. Sadly some of the image links have expired or we're killed in the Shutterfly Massacre.

Some of you had asked about the K-Town bar we didn't make it to. I stopped in on Sat night for a quick drink so I took this exterior shot. Here's some background in case you want to check it out on your own...

Frank and Hank's is on Western Ave, just a few blocks north of Wilshire Blvd. It dates back to 1933 which would make it one of the oldest bars in Los Angeles. It feels like it too. A lot of people might consider this bar a trashy dive, but to me it just oozes historic charm. It's currently run by a nice Vietnamese lady by the name of Snow. The vibe is local and friendly (unless a show at the Wiltern just let out) and drinks are cheap and strong.

Rumor has it that Charles Bukowski was a regular but a lot of LA bars older than the 1960's will make that claim. At least they don't insist the Black Dahlia drank there (but I do think my late father did in the late 1950's).

It's very nondescript from the outside, you could drive past it a million times and never notice it. Street parking in the immediate area sucks but just keep driving several blocks north on Western and you should find a spot.

Could this be the greatest bar in LA ??

Yes, I think it is. :)

I thought you said you had to go to the Gym this morning.
:wink:
Jeff(btd)

A drink for all my friends!

Yup. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10AdjoNLfvQ

I haven't seen "Barfly" in quite a while. I do remember reading somewhere that Frank and Hanks is featured in one of the scenes. Maybe that's where the Bukowski rumor originated from.

He was a regular at Musso and Frank for sure. Several of the waiters there can share stories about him.

I have to imagine Bukowski made it into Tiki Ti at some point when he was living in East Hollywood.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-09-26 16:08 ]

I thought this was kind of interesting...

http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2012/03/crazy_hook_hms_bounty_koreatown.php

A theory as to why there are so many nautical/pirate bars in Koreatown.

We'll have to set sail again this summer. :)