Why don't we (We will) have an LA Tiki Bar Room Crawl(In September)?

John O or anyone planning on doing a So. Cal. crawl.
I cannot step up for any of the financial help.

But if any of the Venues are band capable,
I would be willing to get entertainment.

and my drinking tolerance is way down,
so I would be willing to be a bus volunteer person.

Jeff(btd)

When is this going down?

(sorry, too lazy to read entire babble.)

There might be another stop in Hollywood, May-ish.....

I'm sorry John-O but I am not in a situation where I can or will open myself financially for this nor am interested in putting the time and effort required to organize and run such an event. Perhaps Telescopes can volunteer some financial donation and/or assistance (considering that is where the suggestion and drive is mostly coming from)? Come on Telescopes, you have 3 people willing to help organize this now. Isn't this what you were waiting for? Why haven't we heard from you?

On 2011-03-06 13:25, JOHN-O wrote:
I'm willing to front half the bus cost but I need a financial partner.

Telescopes?

Mai-Tai, and Poly-Pop, your experience raises interesting issues.
So, it seems like a bus for just one night?
John-O, your plans are well-considered, especially beginning & ending at LA Live for parking, hotels and enabling those to leave without waiting on the bus.

Does one have to have goody bags?
Could we "outsource" the mug sale somehow?
Regarding the band, Trader Vics LA Live, in the past, has had a duo playing Hawaiian music.
I wonder if they would provide if we asked nice and said we were rolling 45 deep?

John-O, most of your Nautical crawl, the Galley; Chez Jez & Copa D'Oro, we wouldn't even need a bus.
(Is Chez Jay too small?)

I'm only willing to run a one night Sat itinerary. If someone else would like to own a Friday or Sunday agenda to bookend Sat then that's up to them. FYI, I'm making my crawl simple, there will be no goodie bags or booze served on the bus. BTD's offer of procuring entertainment is a compelling one, and might be a good argument to start and end the crawl at the more TC-friendly Purple Orchid. I'm not sure though what the parking time limitations are for the public lots in the area.

All of this discussion however is moot unless someone wants to help me finance this thing. It doesn't have to be just one other person sharing 50% of the risk, it could be broken down 50% + (25% x 2), or even more.

As for the Nautical crawl, yes Chez Jay, the Galley, and Copa D'Oro are all in walking distance. The bus would only be needed to get to the Warehouse (and Tony's if included) and back. Chez Jay doesn't serve food between 2pm and 5:30pm so we could take over the space just as a bar during that time. The Galley is a little tougher since it's primarily a restaurant with limited bar space. They told me the best time for a crawl would be on Sundays when they open at 1pm but Copa D'Oro isn't open on Sunday and I also don't want to poach off Kelly's main shift at Tonga Hut.

I'm thinking the timing of either of these events would be late summer.

John-O, I am back. I was gone planning my on Poly Pop party that we had last night. It was a blast and I am exhausted. Three days of planning.

I see some buzz is starting to happen. Great.

The 35 seat bus is excellent and I think I can get my wife to let me be willing to help you with that one. I'll email you and we can talk.

I think the idea of splitting the costs for that would certainly allow us to start something and create an event worth having.

Taking it small - your Plan A - is certainly and most likely the way to go.

I have really poor organizational skills in this area.

Hey, one night is better than nothing. And, as you pointed out, someone might be able plan something that can be attached.

[ Edited by: telescopes 2011-03-07 17:02 ]

By the way, to everyone who has chipped in with suggestions - thank you - they really have pointed out the very real challenges to organizing something like this.

I would pre-pay for a ticket or two if the night fits my schedule.

DC

[i]On 2011-03-07 16:59, telescopes wrote:

I see some buzz is starting to happen. Great.

The 35 seat bus is excellent and I think I can get my wife to let me be willing to help you with that one.

Way to bring it, Telescopes!

All right !!

It looks like we got some skin in the game so now we can get this show on the road. :)

On 2011-03-06 13:25, JOHN-O wrote:
Very insightful feedback. Thank you Mai Tai and Poly Pop !!

Your candid responses may have scared off others, but I'm willing to volunteer. (I have excellent organizational skills and know how deal with whiners. :) ) My K-Town crawl was pretty successful with 25 people.

I propose one of the following plans, A or B:

Plan A. I'll take chief ownership of a LA Tiki bus crawl with the following Saturday itinerary:

1. 3:00-3:30pm - Meet the bus at LA Live in Downtown LA where there is ample secure parking.

2. 4:00pm - Arrive at Tiki-Ti where we drink in two shifts (if necessary) to accommodate the bar's small size. 2nd shift can drink at next door El Chavo which has a cool bar. After 45 minutes, we switch.

3. 5:30pm - Leave for Tonga Hut

4. 6:00pm - Arrive at Tonga Hut for Hiphipahula's shift !!

5. 7:30pm - Leave for Tiki No

6. 7:45pm - Arrive at Tiki No

7. 9:00-9:30pm - Leave for Trader Vic's DTLA

8. 10:00 - Arrive at Trader Vic's where we cut the bus loose. Since that's where all the cars will be at, people can stay as long as they want and sober up. There are also many hotels in the area.

I'm willing to front half the bus cost but I need a financial partner. If we go with a small bus (up to 30 people) then worst case exposure for each of us is a $350 loss (that's if NO ONE shows up) but would only be about a $100 loss if we fill up two-thirds of the bus. A full bus would be break-even. This is based on a $25 "ticket".

I can live with this financial exposure if someone else is willing to split the risk. If you think about it, it's like throwing your own Tiki party where you'd shell out at least that much out-of-pocket money anyway.

Anyone interested in helping out with the finances? (Christiki?, BigTikiDude?, PolyPop?, Boris?, Trader Tom?) Do it for Tiki !! FYI, I'm not doing this on my own.

Telescopes, here's YOUR big opportunity. :) And dude, don't say a 90-minute drive from Palm Springs isn't worth a 1-day itinerary. It sometimes takes me 90 minutes just to get to Don's in Monday night rush hour traffic.

Plan B. Here's my alternate plan for a Nautical Bar bus crawl (which is something I'd rather do). This one I'd be willing to pre-fund on my own since we'd only need a bus for about half the time. It would involve the following:

1. Chez Jay
2. Galley
3. Copa D'Oro (as a New Cocktailian ringer)
4. Warehouse
5. Tony's on the Pier (although this might be a little far in relation to the other Westside places).

So what do people think ??

(Update - We could also switch out TV for Purple Orchid but I'm not sure of the long term parking situation there.)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-03-06 21:33 ]

If the Tiki Crawl began and ended at Trader Vic's, would they be interested in providing sponsorship?
I recall meeting Eve Bergeron at Trader Vic's BH when it first opened, and she might be a worthwile contact, as we discussed Tiki Central.

Parking at LA Live could be an issue as it maxs out at $25, if there is no exception made.
There is cheaper $10 or $15 parking around.

The "O" Hotel is $110 or $140.
http://www.ohotelgroup.com/rooms.php?mod=rooms

Regarding the Purple Orchid, there is free parking in the open lot on the corner, but
the LAX hotels would be a short taxi ride to Sepulveda, and could be less expensive.

Of course, if the culmination is the Purple Orchid,
maybe modify the itinerary to

Meet at Purple Orchid
Tony's on the Pier - Free Mai Tai glasses!
Trader Vic's Lounge (Dinner)
The Galley Santa Monica
Purple Orchid

On 2011-03-07 07:33, christiki295 wrote:

Does one have to have goody bags?

Good idea, doubles as a barf bag.

On 2011-03-08 00:40, christiki295 wrote:
...maybe modify the itinerary to

Meet at Purple Orchid
Tony's on the Pier - Free Mai Tai glasses!
Trader Vic's Lounge (Dinner)
The Galley Santa Monica
Purple Orchid

Christiki, perhaps that's a 2nd day itinerary you would like to take ownership of ? :)

More event days would make it more compelling for out-of-town crawlers.

Step up. Do it for Tiki !!

On 2011-03-08 11:47, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2011-03-08 00:40, christiki295 wrote:
...maybe modify the itinerary to

Meet at Purple Orchid
Tony's on the Pier - Free Mai Tai glasses!
Trader Vic's Lounge (Dinner)
The Galley Santa Monica
Purple Orchid

Christiki, perhaps that's a 2nd day itinerary you would like to take ownership of ? :)

More event days would make it more compelling for out-of-town crawlers.

Step up. Do it for Tiki !!

Agreed. It's time for LA to finally take its rightful place in the world of tiki.

San Diego has the Oasis. Hell, Palm Springs has the Tiki Caliente. The Mojave even has its own - the Mojave Oasis. London and Berlin each have an event. Florida has the mai kai hukilau. San Francisco has a supreme bar crawl.

And what do they all secretly celebrate. My guess is the escapism that is LA. Okay, that last statement will cost me some brownie points. But you get the "drift".

We have so many tiki places that we can't even see them all in one crawl.

Let's do it for Tiki as John-O has said.

Soccer Tiki and Art at Dons, said they might be in for helping to do a OC leg.
But I think all of these should be in 1 weekend, not over 3 weeks, or 3 months.

if all 3 legs, were in one weekend, then it would be a Huge deal,
and people would come from all over the USA, and maybe the world.
if you keep it small, and there isn't as much incentive for people to make the
trip.

Jeff(btd)

OK, I just spoke with Telescopes who has agreed to finance this crawl with me. Right now we're targeting Sat, Sept 17th as the big date. The expected ticket cost will be $25 with the following itinerary:

1. 3:30 pm - Bus pick-up at LA Live (where TV and Staples Center are)
2. 4:00 pm - Tiki Ti
3. 6:00 pm - Tonga Hut
4. 8:00 pm - Tiki No
5. 10:00 pm - Trader Vic's DTLA

As stated earlier, there is a possibility of an OC leg (Fri or Sun at an additional cost), so stay tuned.

Let us know if you're planning on joining us !!

(And Jeff, we don't want this to be too big. Anything more than 30 people is going to overpower the bars. Tikiphiles get very cranky if they have to wait too long for their cocktails. :()

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-03-08 17:00 ]

This sounds like a lot of fun and thank you for giving enough notice to adjust my current (insert profanity here) work schedule.

I am gonna really try and make this one!!

Nice !! Actually Chippy, were you at Don's last night ?? I was sitting right next to ATP while you were yacking with him (or was it BTD?). I didn't want to reveal my TC secret identity at the time. :)

FYI, Telescopes and I appreciate the virtual support. We know we're going to lose money on this, we just don't know how much.

But... It has to be done. For Tiki's sake !!!

John O,
if you promote this well,
you will sell out and make money.
or break even depending on how you charge.

think positive, and PROMOTE!!!

Jeff(btd)

On 2011-03-08 20:11, JOHN-O wrote:
Nice !! Actually Chippy, were you at Don's last night ?? I was sitting right next to ATP while you were yacking with him (or was it BTD?). I didn't want to reveal my TC secret identity at the time. :)

FYI, Telescopes and I appreciate the virtual support. We know we're going to lose money on this, we just don't know how much.

But... It has to be done. For Tiki's sake !!!

Yup! That was me. We have met before, but it was a while back, and I am ver forgetable. I think BTD and ATP remember me because I must owe them money (or something??)

This crawl sounds like a great idea. I hope I can get the night off. Sat night is our busy night but with this advance notice, I should be able to swing it.

Now I just have to ask Mrs Chippy for an advance on my allowance. Now that is the tough part :wink:

On 2011-03-08 14:25, JOHN-O wrote:
OK, I just spoke with Telescopes who has agreed to finance this crawl with me. Right now we're targeting Sat, Sept 17th as the big date. The expected ticket cost will be $25 with the following itinerary:

1. 3:30 pm - Bus pick-up at LA Live (where TV and Staples Center are)
2. 4:00 pm - Tiki Ti
3. 6:00 pm - Tonga Hut
4. 8:00 pm - Tiki No
5. 10:00 pm - Trader Vic's DTLA

You guys work fast.
That will an incredible night.

WooHooo! Sounds like fun..Count SoccerTiki and I In :)

Sounds good, I'm in. Why not sooner?

One question, where is the food in all of this? 4 Tiki bars, two drinks each = 8 Cocktails...... Need food!

John-O, you still gonna do the Nautical crawl as a separate deal?

DC

On 2011-03-09 18:47, Dustycajun wrote:
Sounds good, I'm in. Why not sooner?

One question, where is the food in all of this? 4 Tiki bars, two drinks each = 8 Cocktails...... Need food!

Lakers will play until mid-June, hopefully.

Late lunch at Trader Vic's and then late night snacks?

On 2011-03-09 18:47, Dustycajun wrote:
One question, where is the food in all of this? 4 Tiki bars, two drinks each = 8 Cocktails...... Need food!

If it's a big group and they plan to drink a lot, GROG pretty sure Jeremy (owner of the Tonga Hut) would probably provide food. He's very appreciative of his customers and likes the Tiki Central crowd.

I think John O, is also thinking of Adding Bahooka as the first stop,
early Sat.

I told him, you gotta get some food in ya, before the drinking begins.
and he seemed to agree.

Jeff(btd)

On 2011-03-08 14:25, JOHN-O wrote:
OK, I just spoke with Telescopes who has agreed to finance this crawl with me. Right now we're targeting Sat, Sept 17th as the big date. The expected ticket cost will be $25 with the following itinerary:

1. 3:30 pm - Bus pick-up at LA Live (where TV and Staples Center are)
2. 4:00 pm - Tiki Ti
3. 6:00 pm - Tonga Hut
4. 8:00 pm - Tiki No
5. 10:00 pm - Trader Vic's DTLA

On 2011-03-09 18:47, Dustycajun wrote:
Sounds good, I'm in. Why not sooner?

One question, where is the food in all of this? 4 Tiki bars, two drinks each = 8 Cocktails...... Need food!

John-O, you still gonna do the Nautical crawl as a separate deal?

DC

Telescopes and I felt it would be better to roll after all of the major Tiki events of the summer (Mojave, Caliente, Oasis). We've waited almost a decade to get this jump started so a few more months shouldn't hurt.

Food ?? !! Isn't the free party mix at Tiki Ti good enough. :D We're still finalizing the agenda but don't worry there will be plans for food. I'm also brainstorming an interesting Friday night itinerary that I hope people will find worthwhile.

The Nautical crawl will most likely happen. I'd also like to do a Koreatown Crawl Part II. The great idea that I procrastinated on was the "Tiki and Tamales" crawl with FilthyMidget. The idea was to pass out homemade tamales at Tiki-Ti (she had thousands) and then to crawl the surrounding bars (El Chavo, Good Luck, Akbar, Drawing Room, etc). I waited too long and all the Christmas tamales got eaten.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-03-09 23:40 ]

The Wickedlys are in .Thanks John-O and Telescopes, we'll make sure you get your investment back!

John, are you in need of a deposit to hold a place on the bus.

(Perhaps if I make the deposit, Mrs Chippy will have to let me go :P)

[ Edited by: Chippy 2011-03-10 10:59 ]

At some point, we will have to move this thread to California Events. The important thing for now is that LA will have a note worthy tiki crawl. I want to let everyone know how much I appreciate the interest and support for this idea. Most of all, I want to thank John-O for his enthusiastic support and leadership. His clarity of vision and great practical ideas of how to make this a successful event will certainly create a fun and rewarding week-end. I am sure that things like food and a Friday get together will eventually pan out.

I can only imagine what the event will pan out to be come September.

We're not taking official sign-ups as of yet, as Telescopes mentioned we will be posting this as an OFFICIAL event in the California forum in due time. This is still 6 months away. We do appreciate the words of support (which helps us $leep better each night).

Still it is cool that within 9 days this went from a "what if" post to a funded event with a targeted date. :)

I would be interested however, in how many people would be traveling from out-of-town for this (please PM me). That would dictate as to whether Friday and Sunday events would be warranted. I'm assuming local people would be fine with just the Saturday event.

As far as food goes how about contacting some of those chi chi gourmet food truck people for different stations with different food? would be nice if they were waiting somewhere close to the bar.

Don't miss the bus. :o

From the L.A. Times today ~

Man run over by 'party bus' in Hollywood

*"March 13, 2011 | 12:51 pm

A 22-year-old man was severely injured after he was run over by a so-called party bus Saturday night in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The man, whose identity was not released, had been a passenger on the bus as it stopped at various night clubs, said Sgt. Murrel Pettway of LAPD’s West Traffic division. At about 11:25 p.m. the bus was driving on McCadden Place and the man was trying to catch up so he could reboard, but he lost his footing and was caught under the bus' wheels.

“Somehow, when he got run over, he ended up getting into the tire well,” Pettway said. “He was severely injured and he’s now at Cedars-Sinai [Medical Center].”

Additional information about the party bus company or its occupants was unavailable Sunday morning."*

That's right McCadden Place! I hope the guy comes out of this ok. I call it "The Curse of The Beachocmber" :evil:

On 2011-03-10 18:55, hiltiki wrote:
As far as food goes how about contacting some of those chi chi gourmet food truck people for different stations with different food? would be nice if they were waiting somewhere close to the bar.

Or, just a Taco truck.
The Tonga Hut would be good for this.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2011-03-13 18:17 ]

On 2011-03-13 16:11, Bora Boris wrote:
Don't miss the bus. :o

From the L.A. Times today ~

Man run over by 'party bus' in Hollywood

*"March 13, 2011 | 12:51 pm

A 22-year-old man was severely injured after he was run over by a so-called party bus Saturday night in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The man, whose identity was not released, had been a passenger on the bus as it stopped at various night clubs, said Sgt. Murrel Pettway of LAPD’s West Traffic division. At about 11:25 p.m. the bus was driving on McCadden Place and the man was trying to catch up so he could reboard, but he lost his footing and was caught under the bus' wheels.

“Somehow, when he got run over, he ended up getting into the tire well,” Pettway said. “He was severely injured and he’s now at Cedars-Sinai [Medical Center].”

Additional information about the party bus company or its occupants was unavailable Sunday morning."*

That's right McCadden Place! I hope the guy comes out of this ok. I call it "The Curse of The Beachocmber" :evil:

o this is a perfect example of what we don't want happening. Don't run over the bus. We will give you plenty of time to drink. We will give you plenty of notice. I will check the bathrooms. I will do a head count (okay, no silly thoughts here, I'm a school teacher by day) . We will not pull off without lots of warning.

Please, please, please, don't jump into the wheel well. There will be plenty of other ways to get "looped" throughout the evening.

On 2011-03-13 16:11, Bora Boris wrote:
Don't miss the bus. :o

From the L.A. Times today ~

Man run over by 'party bus' in Hollywood

*"March 13, 2011 | 12:51 pm

A 22-year-old man was severely injured after he was run over by a so-called party bus Saturday night in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The man, whose identity was not released, had been a passenger on the bus as it stopped at various night clubs, said Sgt. Murrel Pettway of LAPD’s West Traffic division. At about 11:25 p.m. the bus was driving on McCadden Place and the man was trying to catch up so he could reboard, but he lost his footing and was caught under the bus' wheels.

“Somehow, when he got run over, he ended up getting into the tire well,” Pettway said. “He was severely injured and he’s now at Cedars-Sinai [Medical Center].”

Additional information about the party bus company or its occupants was unavailable Sunday morning."*

That's right McCadden Place! I hope the guy comes out of this ok. I call it "The Curse of The Beachocmber" :evil:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1g4NT0t9h4

Remember, friends don't let friends run drunk.

Just a reminder that although the tiki calendar is filling up fast for so many dates, please keep the third week of September open for the greatest bus ride ever through Hollywood.

Hmmm... I'm falling behind on this.

We might have to turn this into a more conventional bus-less crawl like Koreatown Crawl Part II or the Downtown LA Highbrow/Lowbrow Crawl Part I (of 3).

Anyway Sat, Sept 17th is the placeholder.