The Swanky's Do Cali

We are making it a California tour vacation on our way to Oasis. Flyinf into SFO on the 13th, then flying down to LA, and then likely driving down to San Diego from there. All we know for sure is we will be in San Diego on Thursday.

We want to see all we can. All the vintage and just plain old places. Funky. Vintage shopping. Funky museums. I think BigBro has volunteered as a tour guide for a day in LA. We'll likely be at Tiki Ti Wed night. Must get to Smuggler's Cove and TV Emoryville. Go see the Tonga Room while we can.

Beyond that list, what are the recommendations of the veterans and locals. Please think in terms of variety as we can't just go bar to bar to bar, and if you have an itenary, please share. Breakfast to dinner to late drinks, what would you lead us on?

Looking forward to my first real trip to California for fun!

Oh, and hotel/motel suggestions in SFO and LA?

Don The Beachcomber in Huntington Beach is a MUST-Stop. All Day Happy Hour on Mondays (which is TC Night) & Happy Hour from 4-7 Tues.-Thurs. Let us know if you plan to stop by Don's :)

[ Edited by: WooHooWahine 2011-06-23 18:38 ]

Here's my suggestions for a Los Angeles Mid-century itinerary:

1. If it's within your budget, stay at the historic Biltmore hotel in Downtown LA.

2. Start off with breakfast at nearby Clifton's Cafeteria, Philippe's French Dip, or the Pantry.

3. If it's a Saturday, try to sign up for an LA Conservancy walking tour in Downtown…

http://www.laconservancy.org/tours

I highly recommend the Broadway Historic Theatre tour...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=37666&forum=17&start=30

The Art Deco tour and Historic Downtown tour are good 2nd choices.

4. Afterward, head north towards Los Feliz to visit the Griffith Park Observatory.

5. If it's a Wed-Sat, you can then visit Tiki-Ti when it opens at 4pm.

6. You can then walk down the street to Wacko/Soap Plant, it's one of the best places in LA for Pop Culture shopping. Mrs. Bigbro is the manager there.

7. For dinner, head west towards Hollywood for dinner at Musso & Frank. IMHO, this is a must !!

8. And attending a concert at Hollywood Bowl has been a classic LA summer night tradition since the 1920's.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-06-23 23:14 ]

just Skip Nor. Cal.
and come strait to So. Cal. for this:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=40410&forum=17&11

just kidding, well kinda,
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

Welcome to California, you'll have a great time!

I suggest Oceanic Arts in Whittier and ribs at Bahooka in Rosemead.

Insider pro tip: If you want to sound local, think of California as two states, NorCal and SoCal. I've noticed people from out of state call California "Cali." Residents call our state California, or refer to a specific region, Southern California (SoCal) or Northern California (NorCal), but never "Cali."

TV news, newspapers, and the utility companies call the greater L.A. area SoCal. You won't hear "Cali" on the local news or in the newspapers.

From Wikipedia:
Southern California (SoCal) is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles, Greater San Diego, the Inland Empire and Orange County. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego, spilling over the international border into Tijuana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_California

Looking at 3 hotels in SFO. The Hayes Valley Inn, The Hotel Beresford and the Andrews Hotel. Anyone have experience? The Inn is just feet from Smuggler's Cove which could be a good or bad thing...

If you're in the SF area, you HAVE to go to Forbidden Island! I couldn't believe the place when we went up there (from southern California) to play. The details in the decor and the amazing attention to the quality of the cocktails sets this place apart from ANY other tiki bar that I have ever been to before.

No joke.
I have only been there once...and I actually MISS the place.

You HAVE to go to Forbidden Island!

*On 2011-06-23 23:05, TikiSan wrote:*Insider pro tip: ... NorCal and SoCal.

A continuation on the theme...

San Francisco is simply called 'The City.'

"Hey! We're going to the City tonight and gonna hit Trad'r Sams for some drinks. Wanna come?'

Which gets back to your question of what to do in the area.... Can't miss the best dive bar in all of the City! Trad'r Sams! Where every drink comes from the blender and has a scoop of ice cream in it!**

** Its been about 7 years since I've been to Trad'r Sams... do they still make every drink in the blender with a scoop of ice cream?

Swanky,

I agree with Lucky, you need to hit Forbidden Island. It is only 15-20 minutes away from Trader Vic's in Emeryville, so you can do them both in one trip.

When I went up last year I started early at Trader Vic's for happy hour drinks and pupus then hit Forbidden Island on my way back to SF. Can't help you with the hotel selection.

Hope to meet you in LA for Wednesday at Tiki Ti, let me know your schedule as it percolates.

DC

In San Diego, my fave place of all is the Bali Hai on Shelter Island. JMHO Drive around the island, have lunch (cheaper) or dinner and get a picture with Mr Bali Hai. Have a great time on your vacation.

Any news on recommended hotels on in San Fran?

DC, we WILL be at Tiki Ti Wednesday. Probably need to be there an hour in advance to get in!

We have picked the Hayes Valley Inn for our stay. Reviews are all over the map, but, we may change our plans. Seems hotels in California are all pretty expensive. We may do the Priceline route and just pick an area.

Really really need more things to see and do that are not bars! Can someone suggest good vintage shopping in SF or LA? Is there an area for that? I have heard so many stories of how full of great vintage stuff California stores are, and we must see for ourselves!

What we plan to do: Forbidden Island, Smuggler's Cove, TV Emoryville, Tiki Ti, Tonga Room, http://www.museemechanique.org/ and ...

Swanky, when you are down for your Don the Beachcomber trip, you should go by 'Vintage row' in Long Beach. It's on 4th Street and has a couple of really good stores on it... http://4thstreetlongbeach.com/about-4th-street-retro-row/
Also, if you are in LA, I've always liked Jet Rag in West Hollywood... Fairly close to the Tiki Ti. http://www.yelp.com/biz/jet-rag-los-angeles

That should get you started.

Thanks for those!

Can you locals tell us if the Hollywood Downtowner Inn in LA is okay or in a scary area or what?

I think that place used to be a mid-century dump but has been renovated over the last several years. That general area is urban and might appear at first glance to be seedy and/or scary. It however is fairly safe due to the "gentrification" effect of nearby Thai Town. FYI, arguably some of the best Thai food outside of Thailand is just down the street. That hotel is in a good central location. (Walking distance to Harvard & Stone as well as Jumbo's Clown Room. And La Descarga is only a mile away !!).

I'd also recommend this place as good value...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/best-western-hollywood-hills-los-angeles

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2011-06-29 10:28 ]

Swanky,

Last time I was in the City (SF) I used quickbook to get a "secret sale" deal on a hotel. I got a great hotel and location at a great price. Told them it was my anniversary at the front desk (which it was) and even got a free upgrade. Here's the link.

http://www.quikbook.com/avail_search_mix.asp

You can check it to see what's offered in different areas of the City.

DC

In San Francisco you will find some cool shops on "Grant Street" just above the NorthBeach area
Get some great Italian food and check out the vintage & Kitchy stores on Grant St.
Then take a walk threw China Town which is right next to the Northbeach Area.

Most of the other Vintage stores are in "Haight Ashbury", as is "Amoeba Music" a very cool record store.
SF Museum of Modern Art which is Downtown and not to far from the "Fairmont Hotel" is a must see also.

Have a great Trip!

To avoid creating another thread very similar to this, I'm going to chime in here - hope you don't mind Swanky... :)

I'm also making the big trip to Oasis for the first time, and have tacked on a few days afterwards in LA, followed by a few more in San Fran, and have a long list of tiki bars to visit in a short time (tough job!). Seems like I'm interested in the same things as Swanky, but first I need to find somewhere to stay - to narrow down the search, is there a particular area in LA and San Fran that is best suited for easy access between the various bars?

Our itinerary is something like this:
Chicago - Aug 14-19
San Diego (Oasis) - Aug 19-22
LA - Aug 22-25: Dons (mon night), Bahooka, Oceanic Arts, Tiki-Ti wed night, Tonga hut etc.
San Fran - Aug 25-28: Forbidden Island, Smugglers cove, Tonga Room, TV's etc

Looking forward to meeting some TCers there!

Guys, if you have time in your schedule to spend the night in Alameda, when you make anchor at Forbidden Island, I'd recommend the Hawthorne Suites, cnr Webster and Lincoln Ave - really close to FI. Hotel of choice for Tiki Crawl.
http://www.oaklandhs.com/ (510) 522-1000

On 2011-07-07 14:07, harro wrote:
...is there a particular area in LA that is best suited for easy access between the various bars?

Based on the places you mentioned I'd say Downtown LA, but I'm not sure if you'd prefer a more "beachy" tourist location. Most of those places are spread out pretty far and in rush hour traffic, the drive could be pretty frustrating. I'd recommend the following:

1. As you're driving north from San Diego, stay in Huntington Beach or Sunset Beach on Monday for Don's. There are several inexpensive motels in walking distance (not sure what your budget is).

2. The following day you could drive north on the 605 freeway to Whittier for Oceanic Arts, and then east on the 10 freeway for a visit to the Bahooka in Rosemead (which is open from Noon on). Arguably there's not too much else of interest in those areas for your typical tourist, although Bahooka is located in the San Gabriel Valley where you'll find hundreds of authentic Chinese restaurants. From there head towards Downtown LA or Hollywood for your next hotel.

3. Either location has practical access to East Hollywood for Tiki Ti and North Hollywood (completely separate city despite the name) for Tonga Hut and Tiki No, as well as the Downtown LA Trader Vics. Too bad you can't experience Tonga Hut on Sunday afternoons, the vibe is VERY different with the majority TC crowd and of course Marty Lush spinin' and Kelly mixin'. FYI, it's best to get to Tiki Ti early as later in the evening bar seating can be scarce.

4. If you're flying out of LAX after 3:30pm, Purple Orchid in El Segundo is not too far from the airport.

Thanks for the great info and plan JOHN-O. Let us know if you have any tips for a cheap hotel in the HB/Sunset beach area. I'll keep searching through old threads as well.

I've stayed at this place before when I was not in a condition to drive after drinking at Don's...

http://www.pacificviewinnandsuites.com

The furnishings and bedding were old but clean. These are budget accomodations in stumbling distance to Don's.

I would stay there again just for a night.

I recommend the Sanathra Hotel (Motel) on PCH in Sunset Beach. I stayed there once and found it to be a much better hotel than the Ocean View or 777 and I got a much better rate there. I booked through one of the online sites (hotwire, expedia, etc, I cannot recall exactly which one) and got a very good rate. There is an island themed motel next to it that I noticed, but I have no idea what the rates and availablility there are.