Uptown Chicago HELP!

Learned bretheren and sistren:

I am hoping to gather more information on tiki bars that may have existed in Chicago's colorful Uptown neighborhood back when (as well as the adjacent Uptown enclaves Andersonville, Edgewater, & Buena Park/North Lakeview.)

I am aware of Honolulu Harry's Waikiki (was located at 4541 N. Broadway), another location which may have been the precursor to Honolulu Harry's (it was called Club Waikiki located at 804 W. Wilson), and the Polynesian Village at the Edgewater Beach Hotel at 5341 N. Sheridan.

Am I missing anything, you deep-catalog tiki researchers out there?

Have anymore information and/or ephemera from Honolulu Harry's, Club Waikiki, or the Polynesian Village?

PLEASE let me know! I am in need of knowledge for a top-secret project (shhhh! I SAID it's TOP-SECRET!)

Thanks in advance!

--Pete

There was place on Diversey Parkway called the Black Pearl.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=39278&forum=2&hilite=black

DC

Thanks Dusty-

Diversey is a good haul from here, but I've never heard of this place. Anything that helps lift the veil of secrecy on old Chicago tiki places is good news to me!

Something else to focus the sonar on....

Did you check all of these out yet?

DC

You need this as your signature, Dusty

Boom.

Thanks, Dusty.

I actually did check out any & all Chicago info on Tiki Central. Chicago's a big place with a long, long history of tiki. I guess I was hoping somebody has some secret piece of the puzzle in this one specific neighborhood of the larger pie... I also guess that's prob'ly not going to happen, eh?

Chicago ain't California.

With the power vested in me, I hereby declare you Aquaman.

--Pete

don't forget- you are not the only tikiphile in chicago.... I would be really suprised if any secret places turned up. this town has been scoured from top to bottom over the past 20 years or so by myself as well as many others. there are some places not even mentioned on tiki central because they either were only in business for a short time and have little in the way of documented history, the building no longer exists, or they are tiki in name only. Pretty much anything tiki in chicago that's currently and/or historically worthwhile is documented here on tiki central in some capacity or another.

Yup... yr right.

I imagined it was a long shot, but figured I'd put it out there anyway. Even if a place existed in this neighborhood for six months, I figured someone on here would know about it- but scouring the database mostly brought up places I'm already aware of.

I know there was once a massive treasure trove of tiki bars in this town (and, honestly, for Uptown, three bars existing in a five-block radius for several decades alongside places like the Aragon and the Green Mill is nothing to sneeze at.)

Much like one of my other interests, old Western-themed bars where there were one five enormous ones in the Loop alone including the Double R Ranch, there were at one time about 12 tiki bars downtown operating at the same time(Pago Pago, Vic's, Don's, Shangri La, etc..)

For now, there is at least one active tiki bar in this neighborhood (in my living room) and Mai Tais will be served at the Llama Bar.

Perhaps I will pick your brain on Uptown-specific tiki bars in the near future (at least about the three I KNOW once existed.)

--Pete

On 2012-02-04 13:04, Ragbag Comics wrote:
For now, there is at least one active tiki bar in this neighborhood (in my living room) and Mai Tais will be served at the Llama Bar.

--Pete

Did you say Lama Bar?

I'm sure you have also checked out James T's Tiki Road Trip II?

DC

Damn!

Llama Room!

Now, as a concept, that's a bar I can get behind (or in front of, on a stool, depending on the situation.)

WE have a Llama room, but mainly for this reason:

Thanks for the info!

--Pete

nice creme de violette

iirc today is pisco sour day-- apropos for the llama bar...

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2012-02-05 12:10 ]

Champion idea, my dear porpoise.

So we'll pop on this bad mama (llama) jama:

...throw on a bolero hat and gaucho pants and get to work.

Wait... I think I'm confusing a bunch of different cultures here.

Oh well.. if Martin Denny and Les Baxter have taught me anything, it's that
that's going to happen from time to time.

--Pete

just remember, if you're going Peruvian pisco sours insteada Chilean, then don't leave out the Angostura bitters.