Downtown Vegas Tiki

My girlfriend was heading to the final table in a poker tournament that I had just busted out of at Binions Golden Nugget. I felt like the sharks had got me. On the way out it I see this.

You ride a water slide through the middle of a shark tank. Oh Boy!! Maybe not this trip.
So I headed out to lick my wounds by visiting neon museum and nearby Mickey Finn's.



Looking good Tiki Diablo!

Lots of palms along Fremont.

Fitzgerald's Casino looking cool.

(They even named this one!)

Even the ABC store was getting it.

I headed back after an hour or so and made it just in time to get the picture of one of the sharks winning the tournament.
(Lucky for me I did)

We left the Golden Nugget and ended up at the Golden Gate Casino.

Great shrimp cocktails for 99 cents too.

Sunset for me next time. Las Vegas is more than the strip for me from now on. This could be the right place for a tiki palace.
Downtown proudly displays the history of Vegas where the Strip seems to raze and recreate theirs.

More vintage Vegas here http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=25664&forum=6&start=last&0

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-09-17 17:48 ]

That's some fine collection of images there Ojaitimo, though it does stray a bit from the tiki theme along the way...

This is good information.
Who knew that Fitzgerald's had turned Tiki?

Those are fairly old posts and the way that Vegas is ripping out the fabulous historical hotels/casinos, is that still the case? I haven't been to LV in a few years but have a hankering to go (maybe next year) gotta hit Frankies and probably stay at the Flamingo before they destroy that place.

On 2011-06-25 14:53, VampiressRN wrote:
Those are fairly old posts and the way that Vegas is ripping out the fabulous historical hotels/casinos, is that still the case? I haven't been to LV in a few years but have a hankering to go (maybe next year) gotta hit Frankies and probably stay at the Flamingo before they destroy that place.

Ahh, the Flamingo is one of my favorite places to stay in Las Vegas
or have brunch and visit the aviary.

It should be around for awhile, as it recently completed a renovation:
The famous Flamingo Las Vegas recently began the second phase of its extensive room renovation. The redesign will include the transformation of more than 500 hotel rooms and suites into luxurious, stylish and technologically advanced Flamingo “GO Rooms.” The “GO Room” name was inspired by a derivative of the property name – FlaminGO. Phase II will introduce three new stylized suite types: GO Metropolitan, GO Neapolitan and GO Cosmopolitan, in addition to completing more standard GO rooms and suites.
The resort introduced Las Vegas visitors to the Flamingo “GO Room” product in the fall of 2006, with the refurbishment of 636 standard rooms and suites. With flashy style, sophisticated entertainment systems, and splashes of classic Vegas decor, the Flamingo “GO Rooms” provide a one-of-a-kind guest room experience, at the popular center-Strip location.

\

Great Pictures..... I love the Golden Nugget Shark Tank slide....
I've stared at it wondering what would happen if it burst Jaws 3 style one night while enjoying downtown.

Good news christiki...think that I was there in about 2006 and remember they were doing a ton of room renovations and we could hear the construction noise at times (that was not pleasant). They have such wonderful grounds and their pool is fabulous...I did laps daily in the upper level pool and then my Mom and I played around in the tropical pool on the lower level...so fun to sit on an island in the middle of a big pool.

I love to go to LV, it is such a fun glitzy place to tour.

So are these the current top five (5) Las Vegas Tiki sights:

1. Frankie's
2. Aku Aku
3. Mickey Finnz
4. I need help here!

I'm afraid your top five is a top three. Attempts to bring tiki/Polynesian theme places to Vegas in the last 10-15 years have mostly flopped, Frankie's being the exception. Taboo Cove, Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic's, --- and there was some pedestrian tiki bar in southern Vegas that I've forgotten the name of now and assume it's gone as well.

I stand corrected, it's still there: Tahiti Joe's: http://www.tahitijoeslasvegas.com/

Never been there so I can't provide any critique

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2011-06-30 16:04 ]

Tahiti Joe's is actually a pretty well done place. It manages to straddle the fence just right between the worlds of what "our" idea of a tiki bar/restaraunt should be, and the white-washed blandness that corperations have been turning out. There are lots of carvings by Bosko, Tiki Diablo, and Oceanic Arts all over the place while still maintaining a clean, bright atmosphere. The food is good, but just a tad on the more expensive side from places like TGIF, Appleby's, etc. Overall, it's a pretty nice place and worth a visit when you are in Vegas. Check out the video in the link to T.J.'s that's in the previous post and you'll get a really good, accurate idea on what the place is like.
Aloha!

Arriano:

Excellent recommendation!
Here is the link:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=23304&forum=16&start=30&hilite=Tahiti%20Joe

Since Tahiti Joe's is mentioned then you have to include the Tahiti Village right next to it.

Tiki's and semi interesting a-frames:

Lazy river with spitting tikis:

Here is another link in Tiki Travel:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32278&forum=16&hilite=vegas

Few things say Tiki as succinctly as a volcanic eruption choreographed to Polynesian drumbeats.

Bear

I was glad to see Tahiti Joe's in Vegas. Wouldn't mind staying there, but want to try the Flamingo first. I've had lunch at TJ's once and had drinks there a couple of times...Not a bad place, and it's keeping a sort of tiki spirit alive. It ain't Frankies, but it's still worth checking out!

On 2011-07-01 22:17, Brudda Bear wrote:
Few things say Tiki as succinctly as a volcanic eruption choreographed to Polynesian drumbeats.

Good Video

On 2011-06-21 23:27, christiki295 wrote:
This is good information.
Who knew that Fitzgerald's had turned Tiki?

Just got back from a week in Vegas, staying at Fitzgerald's - our first trip back since 2004. They are downplaying the Irish theme, nowadays. No more kilted bagpipers marching through the casino, and their piece of the Blarney Stone, once centrally displayed, is now shoved in a corner in the player's club sign-up booth. Instead, the whole staff was wearing Hawaiian shirts, including some pretty nice designs I wish I owned. Disappointingly, that seemed to be pretty much the extent of their turning tiki. Shirts.

LL: Any Tiki at the Californian?

On 2011-07-05 20:46, Limbo Lizard wrote:

On 2011-06-21 23:27, christiki295 wrote:
This is good information.
Who knew that Fitzgerald's had turned Tiki?

Just got back from a week in Vegas, staying at Fitzgerald's - our first trip back since 2004. They are downplaying the Irish theme, nowadays. No more kilted bagpipers marching through the casino, and their piece of the Blarney Stone, once centrally displayed, is now shoved in a corner in the player's club sign-up booth. Instead, the whole staff was wearing Hawaiian shirts, including some pretty nice designs I wish I owned. Disappointingly, that seemed to be pretty much the extent of their turning tiki. Shirts.

Personally, I'd prefer the casinos keep to their themes then all go tiki or whatever else they think is currently in vogue. I'd even give them some leeway, such as having Irish themed Hawaiian shirts for summer. But if I'm going to Fitzgeralds, I want to it to be Irish themed. Sadly, that's not often the Vegas way these days.

On 2011-07-06 07:23, christiki295 wrote:
LL: Any Tiki at the Californian?

I never made it into The Californian, this trip. I walked by, on the way to the buffet at Main Street Station, and thought, "I need to come back and play, there, before we go". But I didn't. I'm sure you know of The Californian's popularity with Hawaiians. When I played there, years ago, I enjoyed listening to all the banter, with the Hawaiian "local" accent and occasional pidgen.

On 2011-07-04 11:25, Tacky Tiki wrote:
I was glad to see Tahiti Joe's in Vegas. Wouldn't mind staying there, but want to try the Flamingo first. I've had lunch at TJ's once and had drinks there a couple of times...Not a bad place, and it's keeping a sort of tiki spirit alive. It ain't Frankies, but it's still worth checking out!

I had dinner there. Excellent Tiki decor.
It is not downtown, but on Las Vegas Blvd.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=23304&forum=16

[ Edited by: christiki295 2011-07-12 22:50 ]