JOHN-O's Las Vegas (& Honolulu pg 8) Thread

Although not necessarily Tiki, the Mirage's atrium has a captivating jungle - tropical inspired vibe which calls out for Hawaiian shirts:

I may make Stack my next big dinner out destination:

Nice observation Christiki. Let's run with it.

Here's my idea for re-theming the Mirage. They can keep the jungle and volcano and do the following...

1. Relocate the Benzart Tikis into the atrium.
2. Outfit the cocktail waitresses like Mai Kai girls.
3. Dealers can wear Aloha shirts with an abstract modern pattern.
4. Pipe in only Exotica and Space-age music.
5. Commission some Witco-style Craps tables, Blackjack tables, etc.
6. Have the main casino bar offer the Grog Log.
7. Redecorate the rooms in a mid-century Regency-style bordello theme. (Yeah I know this isn't being consistent but tasteful "Modern" is getting kind of boring in LV).

Rename the place "EXOTICA WORLD" (because Tiki World sounds kind of cheezy).

FYI, the Liberace Museum is closing down for good on Oct 17th. :(

http://www.lvrj.com/news/liberace-museum-to-close-after-31-years-102646619.html

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2010/sep/10/liberace-museum-closing-final-day-operation-longtm/

I remember an episode of COPS where the Reno PD was guarding Liberace's player piano - but it turned out that it was a ghost playing it.

(some mag I saw on ebay a couple years ago that overloaded my irony meter)

On 2010-09-16 16:51, JOHN-O wrote:
FYI, the Liberace Museum is closing down for good on Oct 17th. :(

http://www.lvrj.com/news/liberace-museum-to-close-after-31-years-102646619.html

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2010/sep/10/liberace-museum-closing-final-day-operation-longtm/

What is this world coming to?
Las Vegas has lost its soul!

On 2010-09-16 08:55, JOHN-O wrote:
Nice observation Christiki. Let's run with it.

Here's my idea for re-theming the Mirage. They can keep the jungle and volcano and do the following...

1. Relocate the Benzart Tikis into the atrium.
2. Outfit the cocktail waitresses like Mai Kai girls.
3. Dealers can wear Aloha shirts with an abstract modern pattern.
4. Pipe in only Exotica and Space-age music.
5. Commission some Witco-style Craps tables, Blackjack tables, etc.
6. Have the main casino bar offer the Grog Log.
7. Redecorate the rooms in a mid-century Regency-style bordello theme. (Yeah I know this isn't being consistent but tasteful "Modern" is getting kind of boring in LV).

Rename the place "EXOTICA WORLD" (because Tiki World sounds kind of cheezy).

All doable - at least as far as the bar.
Paris Hilton can break the champagne to christen- as she likes to party in Las Vegas.
I think the Beach Boy vibe of Kokomo's is too squeaky clean for Vegas, anyway.
The Mirage can use Kokomo's to start:

The Liberace Museum closed today.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13201769

If Liberace can draw protesters in support of his historic legacy, why can't Tiki culture have the same ??

And no I'm not pointing fingers, I admit to being part of the problem too.

I think all the boozing is making us complacent. :(

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-10-17 21:25 ]

Regarding the Mary Kaye Trio: I met Norman Kaye about 13 years ago while working at the LV Hilton. He was a very warm and friendly man. He befriended me (a 30 something restaurant manager) and occasionally would tell me tales of the old days. At first, I thought of him as another old timer hanging out at the casino playing keno in his retirement years. But in recent years, I discovered what a rich history he had. I lost touch with Norman when I left the Hilton and I don't even know if he is alive any more. He was in his 70's or 80's when I met him.

I learned about the Mary Kaye Trio in Guitar Player Magazine about 5 years ago. I had no idea that Mary Kaye was Hawaiian or that my friend Norman Kaye and Mary had invented the Las Vegas lounge scene. Thanks again John-O for the history lesson.

Oh, and BTW I know where the Tropicana Tikis are, but I'm sworn to tiki-secrecy by Benzart.

Wade (TPT)

[ Edited by: Trailerpark Tiki 2010-10-24 10:10 ]

On 2010-10-24 10:09, Trailerpark Tiki wrote:

Regarding the Mary Kaye Trio: I met Norman Kaye about 13 years ago while working at the LV Hilton. He was a very warm and friendly man. He befriended me (a 30 something restaurant manager) and occasionally would tell me tales of the old days. At first, I thought of him as another old timer hanging out at the casino playing keno in his retirement years. But in recent years, I discovered what a rich history he had. I lost touch with Norman when I left the Hilton and I don't even know if he is alive any more. He was in his 70's or 80's when I met him.

I learned about the Mary Kaye Trio in Guitar Player Magazine about 5 years ago. I had no idea that Mary Kaye was Hawaiian or that my friend Norman Kaye and Mary had invented the Las Vegas lounge scene. Thanks again John-O for the history lesson.

Oh, and BTW I know where the Tropicana Tikis are, but I'm sworn to tiki-secrecy by Benzart.

Wade (TPT)

Thanks Wade, that's a great story !! Norman Kaye was still living in 2007 when Mary Kaye passed. He's probably still playing Keno at the Hilton. :)

Here's a recent LV discovery of my own (that I'm sure you're well aware of).

Las Vegas is a hot bed of mid-century modern architecture !!

And no I'm not talking about major tourist destinations but rather the residential neighborhoods north of Sahara Ave.

These were the major neighborhoods that people lived in during the 1950's and 60's. When Vegas boomed in the 1990's most of the new residential construction happened in large planned communities like Summerlin which left a lot of the original mid-century neighborhoods intact. They of course fell upon harder times when the middle class chose to live in the newer communities.

I attended the Mondo Lounge architectural bus tour which was a 5-hour drive through these neighborhoods. This was the first time I really got a chance to see these older neighborhoods, many of which I initially assumed would be kind of sketchy. I was really amazed by the architecture I saw, it felt like I was on a similar mid-mod tour in Palm Springs. In fact one of the tour leaders was Alan Hess who's authored many books on the subject like "Palm Springs Weekend". The main tour narrator was Jack Levine who is a realtor that specializes in mid-mod properties. I met him at Mr. Smiley's summer party where he first told me of the Oct bus tour.

http://veryvintagevegas.com

It was shocking to see many of these gems (in need of some tender loving care) going for short sales of $65K. As I recall, one 4K sq ft place was going for less than $300K. Obviously some of these neighborhoods have seen better times as was evident by some boarded up windows and the occasional gang graffiti. Overall though I got a sense there was a renovation trend going on similar to what happened in Palm Springs in the late 1990's. Maybe some of the LV TC'ers could comment from a locals' perspective.

Sorry I didn't take many pictures, it was difficult to do from the inside of a bus. Here's some shots I took of the historic Morelli House which currently serves as offices for the Junior League of Las Vegas. It was moved from its original location and has been restored back to its original mid-century glory.

http://www.jllv.org/lv/npo.jsp?pg=about7

I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures of the places we had access to, like the Las Vegas Country Club. It's just that the crowd was so large, it was difficult to get clear shots of the exteriors and interiors.

At any rate I hope to see a "Las Vegas Modern" book soon (to go with my "Palm Springs Weekend" and "Tiki Modern"). :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-10-25 22:43 ]

The Tropicana Hotel implodes the 300-wing Garden Rooms built in 1962...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/nov/09/tropicana-las-vegas-implodes-wing-containing-resor/

Another piece of mid-century Las Vegas bites the dust. :(

On 2010-10-17 21:18, JOHN-O wrote:
The Liberace Museum closed today.

http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13201769

If Liberace can draw protesters in support of his historic legacy, why can't Tiki culture have the same ??

A shame that museum closed.
The protestors are great. Protesting a lack of Vegas kitsch in Vegas.

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 1 of 10

Thanks to Atomic Tiki Punk for the title idea, may he RIP. (And no he's not dead, he just pulled a Bong)

First things first. I love mid-century Tiki-style. I love Hawaii. But... I never went in search of Tiki-style in Hawaii. To me Tiki was a separate thing, and in Hawaii it was twice removed. Tiki-style on the mainland was Hawaii "idealized". When jet travel to Hawaii first became popular, tourists were disappointed to find that Poly-Pop Primitive ideal really didn't exist. So what did the Hawaii tourist businesses do? They imported that fabricated aesthetic back to the islands. Like I said, Tiki twice removed.

To me, looking for mid-century Tiki-style in Hawaii was akin to flying to Japan to eat California roll, or traveling to Italy to eat CPK-style pizza. Why bother when unique and authentic experiences were to be had? There were volcanoes and tropical rain forests to backpack through. There were manta rays to scuba dive with. There were oceans to kayak. There was Hawaii "Local" culture to experience with it's polyglot of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, and Haole influences. Locals had their own food, dialect, and lifestyle. The real deal, only in Hawaii. Hawaii had history, a memorial to an infamous moment that shaped the 20th Century, and the only Royal family native to US culture (albeit overthrown by the same).

With all that, who needs (fake) Tiki? I would roll my eyes whenever the question "Where can I find Tiki in Hawaii" would come up on TC.

Yes La Marianna Sailing Club is a great Tiki-style destination, not to be missed by the TC rank and file. I always viewed it however as an anomaly, tucked away in a remote area far from everything else. It didn't help matters when local friends on Oahu would laugh when I would suggest meeting there for drinks.

I also didn't have much sentimentality for the International Market Place. No childhood memories for me when the place was in its prime, I only saw it as a place where Asian immigrants would give you the hard sell on Hawaiiana made in China. Buyers in the know asking "Is this made in Hawaii" would only be treated rudely. "Why you ask ?? YOU made in China !!" :) Other than the good ethnic eats in the food court, I had no use for the place. It was merely a cheap tourist place that made me feel like a cheap tourist. Go ahead and bulldoze the place. I really didn't care.

This last trip however was different.

This time I met with one of our local TC ambassadors, Phillip Roberts. Phillip had written a book, "Waikiki Tiki", just released a few weeks earlier. I purchased my copy in the Borders Express in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

This book and a walking tour with Phillip made me see things in a new light.

It changed my perspective on Tiki-style and its significance in Hawaii.

Stay tuned for Part 2...

wow that was great/ my first time visiting this thread, lots of eye candy with the vintage pics, and the neon sign grave yard. Thanks for the content share

John-O did you grow up in Hawaii or just visit as a child? My only trip to Oahu was in 2003 (before I knew much about tiki), I'm interested in hearing your take.

"I also didn't have much sentimentality for the International Market Place. No childhood memories for me when the place was in its prime, I only saw it as a place where Asian immigrants would give you the hard sell on Hawaiiana made in China."

I would think it would be better to have some remains of the past than a brand new Starbucks.

And a good part of the "Hawaiiana" we saw when we were there was made by Bosko.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2010-11-13 10:36 ]

As I was reading this thread my father called me... from his hotel room in La Vegas. What are the odds of that?

I did recommend Frankie's and Dino's to him. Interestingly enough my grandparents (who are with him) where familiar with both location.

On 2010-11-12 10:50, MadDogMike wrote:
John-O did you grow up in Hawaii or just visit as a child? My only trip to Oahu was in 2003 (before I knew much about tiki), I'm interested in hearing your take.

No Mike, I didn't grow up in Hawaii or visit when I was a child.

I grew up in Rosemead ("Birthplace of the Tiki Revival" :D ) and didn't make it to Hawaii until 1992. From that time however I was pretty much an annual visitor, mostly for adventure travel on the outer islands.

Eventually through mainland friends who grew up in Hawaii, I was invited to backyard parties, beach luaus, and weddings in Oahu. That gave me an exposure to local culture that most tourists don't get to experience. I found that most people born and raised in Hawaii don't have the same interest and affection toward mid-century Tiki-style that we have in California. To Locals it's a "tourist thing" and for the most part they avoid Waikiki. They also don't have the same sentimentality towards the area that a mainland tourist would.

As as result, I never really tracked Poly-Pop history in Hawaii like I have for So CA. Even though I was spending time in Honolulu (mostly as a gateway stay), I missed out on the Waikikian Hotel when it was still standing as well seeing Don Ho perform (that one kills me). I probably walked by Don's Treehouse dozens of times but never really noticed it or understood its history. Now it's too late. :(

I'm sure some of my "flippant" remarks on IMP have horrified many here but I am being honest. Consider this thread as "evolution" of a Tikiphile. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-11-14 14:37 ]

Here it is. My big 1000th post...

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 2 of 10

As mentioned earlier, I missed out on (or didn't pay attention to) the heyday of Hawaii's great Tiki-style past. Being a Johnny-Come-Lately to mid-century era Honolulu, I never really appreciated the history behind past Waikiki icons like DTBC and TV, or the carvings strewn around the IMP. To these novice eyes, there was very little, if anything left.

Being in Honolulu, I had the pleasure of meeting with Phillip Roberts for his Tiki walking tour of Waikiki.

What a whirlwind that was, as he pointed out original Tiki-style remnants throughout the gradually devolving IMP. I had to really walk quickly to keep up with his rapid-fire pace. Things he pointed out behind bushes, in out-of-the way alleys, on high archways, and in nearby hotels (that I never would have otherwise ventured into) really impressed upon me the rich legacy of mid-century Waikiki Tiki-style. For such a compact area, it was urban archeology at its finest !!

Here's a Fijian King's chair that we had to crawl behind one annoyed IMP vendor to get to...

I took a lot of pictures... that I'm not going to post here. I don't want to steal Phillip's thunder with his new book. Almost everything I took pictures of is in "Waikiki Tiki", plus he places these things in the appropriate context with historical background and images. From his book, I learned about other great (and long-gone) places like Canlis' Broiler.

And yes I know many of you are saying "JOHN-O, didn't you read Chapters 4 and 5 of Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari several years ago (also essential reading) or check out all the great Hawaii posts in the Locating Tiki Forum ??". Yes, I admit to not having done my Tiki homework. ("Book of Tiki" sat on my coffee table for almost a year before I actually started to read the holy words, sorry Bigbro.) The great thing about Phillip's book is that he now makes all this great history easily available to Tikiphiles as well as non-Tikiphile Hawaii visitors. I understand the Bishop Museum will be stocking his book in its gift shop, that's a great testament to its content and significance. The only thing I'm kind of concerned about is that this might add to the casual misperception that mid-century Tiki-style originated in Hawaii. On a related note, I kept hearing the following line when I was at the Royal Hawaiian's Mai Tai Bar: "Oh, this is where they invented the Mai Tai, right?". Wrong !! Oh well. :D

I encourage everyone here to pick up a copy of "Waikiki Tiki", it will travel well on your next Oahu vacation, plus it doesn't weigh a ton like "Tiki Modern" does (ha, ha). For it's compact size however, it's filled with an amazing amount of detail.

via Amazon.com

I will add this one image of a Edward "Mick" Brownlee carved Tiki that I really liked. This was something I would have walked by a million times and never really thought about. Now, I think about all of the change that one Tiki has been witness to for almost half a century.

It was great to learn about Mick Brownlee. He was a major carver of Tiki in and around Waikiki. It seems he flew low and under the radar until about 2005. He was also responsible for the Las Vegas Aku Aku interior carvings (which I understand were lost when the kitchen caught on fire). Phillip's book contains two personal letters from Brownlee who currently resides in Oregon.

One last thing that Phillip did impart on me was his Aloha attitude towards Waikiki Tiki like this...

When I first saw this stuff, I was horrified. I asked "Phillip, what do YOU think of this?" He just smiled slightly and said "I try not to judge... plus they are trying". Maybe that's something we need to do more of on TC, especially with all the recent drama...

…Enjoy Tiki more and judge (each other) less !! :)

I know I'm guilty here. And as Phillip did comment "You (California) guys are spoiled". :D

Thanks again Phillip for your fantastic book and an experience that I both enjoyed and learned from !!

John, congrats of the 1000th post - I'm sure I squandered mine on "Cool mug!" or something like that :lol:

Looking forward to the next 8 installments and lots more content from you.

Nice post JOHN-O, along with the thoughts that these sights triggered for you. I bet a lot of people here have similar feelings of wishing we'd BEEN there when we'd been there, if you know what I mean. Or SEEN it when we saw it. Not just with locations in Waikiki, but other places too, including Vegas.

On 2010-11-14 16:18, JOHN-O wrote:
I will add this one image of a Edward "Mick" Brownlee carved Tiki that I really liked. This was something I would have walked by a million times and never really thought about. Now, I think about all of the change that one Tiki has been witness to for almost half a century.

That one has witnessed a lot, and his unfortunate brother on the back side looks like he might've seen even more on the rougher side of the tracks, giving him a more bitter grimace...

-Randy

(ps - I like that Canlis ad!)

On 2010-11-14 21:15, aquarj wrote:

(ps - I like that Canlis ad!)

You should. Now that I went back and reviewed the source where I "poached" it from, I can see it was from a newspaper ad that you originally scanned.

Of all the Canlis images I was able to pull up, it was my fav. Thanks !!

Aloha,

On 2010-11-14 16:18, JOHN-O wrote:
For such a compact area, it was urban archeology at its finest !!

Mahalo Nui Loa JOHN-O! That is fine praise about my wiki-wiki tour. That is my beat, and because I walk it constantly, I notice every little thing about it. I know where the art is in Waikiki.

via Amazon.com

One last thing that Phillip did impart on me was his Aloha attitude towards Waikiki Tiki like this...

When I first saw this stuff, I was horrified. I asked "Phillip, what do YOU think of this?" He just smiled slightly and said "I try not to judge... plus they are trying"...

And then I asked, "Why is it's tongue purple?"

JOHN-O... "Because it is eating poi?"

DING DING!!

I don't get it... John-O, why is Hawaii and Vegas mixed together. I suggest you edit out the Hawaiian stuff and paste it in a new Honolulu Confidential thread. I think there is to much on these two topics to be in one thread. -smiley

On 2010-11-16 11:57, mrsmiley wrote:

I don't get it... John-O, why is Hawaii and Vegas mixed together. I suggest you edit out the Hawaiian stuff and paste it in a new Honolulu Confidential thread. I think there is to much on these two topics to be in one thread. -smiley

"You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not please all of the people all of the time."

Donn Beach

:D

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-11-16 14:16 ]

That's not nearly as pastel as the Kokomo tikis. A search turned this page up
http://tikichick.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/kokomos-at-mall-of-america-minneapolis-mn/

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 3 of 10

So are there any operational Tiki bars still in Waikiki ?? Well I was able to identify and visit 3 of them. I'll get to those in a later post.

First let me admit to something here. When traveling and seeking out bar crawl adventure, "Where's the Tiki?" isn't the primary thing on my mind. I always first ask "So where would Bukowski drink?"

Tiki is fun but a gritty (preferably mid-century) dive bar experience is what really appeals to my inner Film Noir sensibilities.

Honolulu did not let me down. Let's start off with...

The Hideaway

I read in a Honolulu Weekly poll that the Hideaway ranked as one of Hawaii's best dive bars. Polls like that usually make me suspicious because depending on the target audience, any bar that doesn't stock Belvedere vodka is considered a dive bar. Heck, even here in LA, many people consider the Tiki-Ti to be a dive bar. What kind of dive bar serves $17 cocktails? (Which the Ti does). I was a little skeptical but I tried to keep an open mind.

The Hideaway is located down a dingy alley behind a 7-11, just near the intersection of Kalakaua Ave and Ala Moana Blvd. That puts it on the outskirts of Waikiki. It's not something a casual tourist would ever stumble upon. I visited the place with 3 friends of mine, we all had hangovers from the night before and were looking for a "hair of the dog".

As we got out of the car and approached the place, my nose was overwhelmed by a horrible putrid smell emanating from the trash container next to the entrance. "Welcome to the Hideaway" I thought. As we entered and approached the bar, immediately the ethnic Hawaiian-looking bartender barks out "Let me see some IDs". I'm sorry but not only were we all clearly over 21, we all could have children of drinking age too. It was a pure power play against the "tourists". This was made even more evident when one friend flashed his California driver's license in his transparent wallet holder and was curtly ordered "TAKE IT OUT".

After our IDs were scrutinized like suspicious $100 bills, I ordered up 3 Bloody Mary's which I heard was the specialty of the place. Our designated driver asked for a club soda in which the bartender paused and gave him a glare of annoyance. Hey I was looking for a non-Tourist experience and that's exactly what we were getting. Oh, BTW what did the place look like ?? It looked like a DIVE.

Things started to get better when the bartender asked what kind of Vodka we wanted. I requested Stoli. He immediately mixed up the drinks with great care, giving us the excess from the shaker in separate shot glasses. As I sipped my cocktail, I realized it was one of the best Bloody Mary's I ever had. When I asked my friend who paid for the drinks what the cost was, he said about $3 each. !!!

I drank at the bar while my friends retreated to a remote table. At the U-shaped bar with me was a middle-aged Haole guy in an aloha shirt, a younger guy with full sleeves (that means tattoos), a biker couple (wearing colors !!) who must have been in their 60's, and a "local" guy who seemed to be staring at us.

I chatted with the very drunk middle-aged guy, who told me he was ex-Air Force stationed on Oahu. He talked (slurred actually) my ear off with what sounded like government conspiracy stories. The tatt'ed out guy was a German ex-pat who I learned used to live a few blocks away from me in Venice. While these conversations were going on, the local guy motions the bartender over and says some words to him while pointing directly at me and then my friends in the corner. At that point I wasn't sure if we were going to be asked to leave, but was instead shocked to learn "Michael's buying you guys your next round". I guess we passed the "Hideaway Test" (whatever it was). :)

The dive bar experience was made even more appropriately memorable by this imagery we saw when walking out…

HPD (I refuse to use the term "5-0") on the left and a satisfied Hideaway customer sleeping (at least I hope she was sleeping) on the right.

The only thing that would have made it 100% perfect would have been an authentic mid-century vibe (the Hideaway only dates back to the early 1970's). For that experience, I had a handle on that night's drinking itinerary.

Next stop…

On 2010-11-18 21:03, martian-tiki wrote:

That's not nearly as pastel as the Kokomo tikis. A search turned this page up
http://tikichick.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/kokomos-at-mall-of-america-minneapolis-mn/

Hey, that's my blog :wink:

Great Hideaway story, John-O. Looking forward to the next installments!

More shots of cool Canlis', forgive if seen before...
http://www.cocktailpiano.com/rooms_honolulu.html

At sunset http://www.cardcow.com/viewall/20205/

Canlis Book Photo

There is a Canlis' menu cover amongst the other equally worthy images http://www.arkivatropika.com/cgi-bin/tags.cgi?tags=%22building%20exterior%22

Rare shot of culinary notables http://ilind.net/2009/11/20/another-moment-in-hawaii-culinary-history/

The Hideaway... memories I'm still trying to forget!

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy - shorten long hyperlink - 2010-11-22 16:36 ]

John-O, thanks for your ongoing Waikiki tour, and the virtual trip to the Hideaway Bar. So in your ongoing theme, are you saying this is Waikiki's Double Down?

Caltiki Brent

Love reading your posts here, John-O. Super educational and well written. That was a great 'ad' for the Waikiki book. I'm gonna grab it off of Amazon, now... Maybe it'll inspire a new Hula Girls song!

On 2010-11-22 14:12, congawa wrote:

...So in your ongoing theme, are you saying this is Waikiki's Double Down?

I don't think I'd compare the Hideaway to the Double Down. The DD is a great divey place but it's also somewhat self-consciously hip due to its role as an eclectic music showcase. A venue like that needs to welcome tourists in addition to its regulars.

I got the feeling the Hideaway is more of a gritty locals' joint where Dog the Bounty Hunter is likely to drag out bail jumpers (or so I've heard) than a place for slumming hipsters.

I haven't been to every dive bar in Las Vegas but if I had to draw a comparison, the Hideaway is probably more like Atomic Liquors or the Huntridge Tavern (but lacking the mid-century history of those two places). Also maybe Dino's but that place does draw a hipster crowd on Karakoke nights. And when I say hipster I don't mean the Ed Hardy crowd but rather the ironic gas station jacket and vintage bowling shirt wearing crowd. (And if you think about that definition, Aloha shirt wearing Tikiphiles might be hipsters in their own right as well. :D)

Thanks for the positive feedback, I sometimes wonder if I'm contributing to the "devolution" of this web site that many old-timers are concerned about. I like to orbit on the periphery of Tiki and share what I consider to be related mid-century or off-beat content. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-11-22 16:47 ]

Me too.

John, I had some wonderful experiences in Honolulu back in the 80's, when Hotel street was enthusiastically called "shit street" by us service guys! Oh yeah! We would go down there every weekend and hit what we affectionately called the "Buy me drinkee" bars!

My favorite was the "Harbor Lounge", run by an obvious madam whose name was "anne". All the cocktail girls/strippers were also hookers. These were the kinds of places were you only went with a large group of guys, because there were always Hawaiian and Samoan bikers there. It was scary and thrilling at the same time...but of course the big draw for me was that these were vintage bars from the WW2 era, that had long since gone to pot....(Kind of like these days!) anyway, the bars all had the original jukeboxes for the most part, with 45's and in some cases, 78 recordings of all the big band stuff of that era...glen miller, tommy dorsey, etc...it was a real time machine!

One night I met this old Chinese guy outside who told me if I gave him 10 bucks he could quickly turn it into 100. I followed him all up and down hotel street (which was chinatown) and indeed, he conned everyone he saw and made the 100 bucks back and then some! He even gave me my cut!

But stepping into that tropical night after an evening of drinking mai tais, singapore slings and sloe gin fizzes was a priceless experience I will never forget. I would just walk down the streets and try to imagine being a serviceman on leave back in 1940s...and it was not hard seeing that I was exactly that, but in a different time!

Oh, I would seek out those bars that had Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman recordings on those machines. My buddies never understood, and they were into metal and other types of music...and there was no category called "tiki" so I had no one to talk to except the old-timers like my boss, Mr. Elmore, (CW3 Elmore) who had seen Martin Denny and Arthur lyman live on many occasions and was suprised that I could whistle songs such as Bali Hai and quiet village. he always used to chuckle about that and say I was born in the wrong time period!

I have looked in vain for pictures on the net, showing what honolulu used to look like back then. it's all gone, you know? No longer can you whiff cocaine on a bar table while drinking a mai tai, watching a stripper and listening to Stan Kenton...those days are gone!

HA ! Lucas, I got your ""Buy me drinkee" bars coming up in a few more posts (although they're not on Hotel St. anymore).

I like to call them "Exotica bars". :wink:

Looking forward to it, John! Your posts are excellent. I can't wait for the next korea town tour! (I want to eat the best kimchee possible!)

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 4 of 10

Hotel Street, Chinatown. As Lucas Vigor mentioned, this area of Honolulu has long had a reputation for hard drinking and vice. During World War II, the situation was tolerated as it provided R&R for servicemen fighting in the Pacific. Check out this vintage photograph showing sailors waiting in line for a brothel !!

That history has long associated Hotel St. as an area to go for illicit activity. Maybe not so much the case in recent years, but it still has a somewhat seedy feeling. It also has a vintage frozen-in-time atmosphere ( :) ) which is gradually diminishing in Honolulu. The last time I was in this area was over 10 years ago when I ate at the Wo Fat Chinese restaurant.

Yes, Wo Fat was the business that inspired Steve McGarrett's arch nemesis' name on the original Hawaii 5-0. The 1930's building is still there so I assumed the restaurant was merely closed late at night. According to Phillip Roberts however, it shut down permanently several years ago. :(

I was visiting Hotel St. on this recent trip to check out a recommendation of Phillip's…

Smith's Union Bar

Opened in 1935, it's Honolulu's (Hawaii's?) oldest bar. Yes, this was the historic dive bar experience I was looking for, I could feel 75 years worth of history oozing out of the walls :)

A friend and I savored our drinks with handful of local barflies that weekday night. Actually the drinks weren't as dirt cheap as I had expected, at least not when compared to the Hideaway. They were comparable to a typical Kuhio Ave bar in Waikiki.

As we chatted up the bartender, another divey bar across the street caught my eye, the Gold Gate Lounge. I asked our bartender if non-locals would be welcomed in a place like that. She just shrugged and said it was mainly a Micronesian blue collar joint. Rather than visiting that place (maybe on another trip), we finished our drinks and walked down the street to…

Amy's Place

This was another cool mid-century bar. If anything this place had even more quirky atmosphere as one regular was playing Christmas music over and over on the jukebox, "Don't mind him, he loves Christmas". We sat down next to the requisite guy passed out on the counter and were served by a guy who was a Filipino version of character actor Danny Trejo. When I asked him to call us a cab afterward, he wouldn't do it instead trying to get us to take the bus, "It's only $3.00 !!".

OK, I know a lot of people here have no interest in low-brow adventures such as these and would rather partake in a more upscale experience. Fear not, for Chinatown in recent years has become a hot bed of that improvement (or bane depending on how you look at it) of low rent districts, the "Hipster" bar.

Most of these places are quite discrete, and you wouldn't notice them unless you were looking for them. One popular place is Thirtyninehotel (the address, it's not a hotel) which is almost next door to Smith's.

Actually we had been there earlier in the week when the area was closed off for a Halloween block party. The streets were shoulder to shoulder with people in some of the most inventive Halloween costumes I've ever seen. One voluptuous young women was dressed as the heroine in "Avatar", she was painted completely blue wearing a skimpy loincloth and was topless. I wish I had gotten a picture of her.

Anyway Thirtyninehotel might be of special interest to Tikiphiles as it has a reputation for a mixology boom that's reached Hawaii (more on this in future post).

So where's the best Mai Tai in Oahu? It might be this one based on the classic TV recipe.

The outdoor lounge was packed that night as was the street outside…

Soon after 10pm, HPD started to break up the festivities. I was really impressed on how crowded but well behaved the Hawaii revelers were. In LA, with a crowd that dense I would be afraid an imminent riot could break out at any minute.

Other of these new types of bars are in walking distance. Check out places like Bar 35, Next Door, and Mercury just to name a few.

Me, you'll find me at Smith's. :)

When the 'house' action was hot and heavy as in that vintage photo, the boys got a whopping 2 minutes each. Most probably had enuf time left for a cigarette...

Too bad you didn't catch The Swing Club on the same block as Smith's, once one of the great jazz joints and now ruined, and right around the corner is a tat shop that was once one of Sailor Jerry's many.

BTW, while cruising past the Hubba Hubba this morning (next to Smith's), I see they have removed the entire front awning and are busy inside, hopefully getting her back in shape as I've heard rumored for years... Interesting to see the old facade completely bared.

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 5 of 10

OK, let's get back to the Tiki. So here's some great classic Waikiki places that you'll NEVER get to experience...

1. Don the Beachcomber - 1946-1987
2. Canlis' Charcoal Broiler 1954-1998
3. Tahitian Lanai (Waikikian Hotel) - 1956-1996
4. Trader Vic's - This one is confusing. There were 2 locations, none of which were "official" TV's.
5. Hawaiian Hut - 1970-2009

As you can tell by the dates, most of these places (except the Hawaiian Hut) were toast before the majority of us here were even "Tiki aware". I can't feel TOO bad about missing them. (Unlike the Kahiki that shut down the year BOT was published. :evil:)

So what's left of the old-school Tiki-style ??

Only one place really... La Mariana Sailing Club. I'm not going to post on it since:

1. Most everyone here already knows about it.
2. I didn't go there on this recent trip anyway.

What I will post about however, are three 21st-century Waikiki Tiki bars. Let's start off with...

Tiki's Bar and Grill (2004)

I know this place has been documented here on TC but it's hard to search on. You have to know to add the "Bar and Grill" otherwise searching just on "Tiki's" will bring back too many results to be useful. :D

This place probably has the best quality Tikis of the new joints. There were definite Bosko pieces and some I think Crazy Al did. I'm not sure however I can give this place a fair evaluation. To me, good Tiki-style atmosphere is all about an exotic windowless womb where you can't tell if it's night or day outside (like a Vegas casino). I think the power of Tiki loses something under the glaring brightness of the sun (like Superman losing his powers under a red sun). It's probably a much different vibe at night with Tiki torches illuminating the open-air space but the two times I've been there were during the day. Yes there were Tikis but it just didn't feel "Tiki". It was more like your typical beach-facing Kalakaua Ave tourist spot that just happened to have some Tikis in it. The shirtless Frat boys noisily watching football at the bar didn't help matters either.

Just to give this place a fair shake, I encourage anyone who's visited at night to share their perspective.

I will give them credit however for having 2 kinds of of Mai Tais. One regular and one "top-shelf".

I tried the expensive one with Bacardi and Myers. It was.. OK, a little on the sweet side for me. And like 99% of the Mai Tais you're going to get in Hawaii, it had pineapple juice in it.

At one point I was going to try a Mai Tai at every bar I visited, but after too many disappointments I switched to Bourbon. I figured I'd save my liver only for those Mai Tais that had a good reputation. And to be honest, Mai Tais aren't my "go to" Tropical drink anyway. I'd rather have a Navy Grog or a Zombie, but those are pretty obscure in Hawaii.

The people who opened Tiki's also opened a second venture called the Holokai Grill. I vaguely recall it being featured in Tiki Magazine. It never made it long enough for me to get a chance to visit.

Let's move on to...

Da Big Kahuna (2006)

Not "The" Big Kahuna but "Da" Big Kahuna. Make sure you get that right.

The word "Big Kahuna" is pretty prevalent throughout Waikiki. It's the name of this bar, a 3D golf course, a pizza joint, it's on tourist junk everywhere like license plates, T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. etc. Every time I saw it I thought of the Big Kahuna who posts here on TC and how initially proud he might be, but then regretful once he saw the quality of the stuff that bore his brand. Sorry Big Kahuna, but at least you can get a T-Shirt that has your TC name on it. I never did see any "JOHN-O" souvenirs. :(

Da Big Kahuna is located on Kuhio Ave towards the "rear" of Waikiki. Unlike the Kalakaua Ave with it's beach facing views, historic grand dames, and yes Ferrari brand logo, Prada, and Rolex stores, Kuhio Ave is a little more proletarian. The drinks are cheaper and unlike the other side of Waikiki, I didn't get the feeling someone was trying to hard sell me something expensive.

When I first experienced Da Big Kahuna, I was pretty horrified. This was definitely an example of Tiki "devolution". A lot of the Tikis were made of some kind of plaster, not the artfully carved pieces that are cherished so much here.

But you know what? The place kind of grew on me.

For one thing the drinks were pretty cheap. Also as the night got longer, and I got drunker, the scene seemed to grow more surreal. There was a pretty crazy mix of people in there.

You had your military guys getting drunk at the bar, young Japanese girls giggling uncontrollably as they communally shared the place's signature fish bowl drink (yes, it is a fish bowl), Midwestern tourists who were happy just to be in Hawaii (even in this cheesy bar), and slumming Locals singing Karaoke. Occasionally one of the strolling "working girls" outside (shockingly good looking) would come in to discretely cruise the bar. In my drunken state, it was like a Poly-Pop Fellini movie come to life all under the watchful eyes of a 10-foot Tiki. OUR TIKI !!

So for those of us who sometimes take our Tiki-style too seriously, we really need to visit this place. It's probably not good Tiki, but it is.. FUN !! :) And did I mention it's important to be drunk?

Next...

Arnold's Beach Bar (2006)

No not Arnold from "Happy Days", he passed away. This is some other guy. Arnold's is located just south of Kalakaua Ave on Saratoga Rd. It's a small place that's really not that distinctive from the street. That's probably its greatest charm. I understand at some point this place had the reputation of a dive bar with some wild happenings, but that's not the impression I got at all. I think the Tiki decor was added only a few years ago, so maybe that was part of the reinvention.

For Waikiki, this place almost had a neighborhood bar feel as apparent regulars stopped in for a quick beer and a chat with the bartender. If you're looking for a laid back and non-"tourist trap" experience in the company of some Tikis, check it out.

For musical entertainment, a guy on the guitar sang James Taylor and Eagles covers. Not very "Tiki" but hey my 3 friends really enjoyed it. (But they spent their teenage years in the San Fernando Valley during the late 1970's, so what do you expect ??)

Whew... I hope everyone paid attention so I can get my Tiki content credit for today. I'm probably going off-roading again in a few more posts. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-11-24 09:53 ]

You are a great writer! Keep it coming!

"Occasionally one of the strolling "working girls" outside (shockingly good looking) would come in to discretely cruise the bar."

-Just a little FYI, John-O... Most of those working girls are dudes... Like 90% of the ones in Waikiki are... They're called 'mahus'... Yikes!

I went to the Tikis Bar and Grill back when it first opened. At night, the decor really comes alive. The Bosko, Crazy Al, and Shag art really makes the place pretty cool. But it DOES still have the Kalakaua restaurant feel to it. Like kind of a big corporate place... The live Jawaiian music was a bummer for me too.

My favorite will always be La Marina for the classic tiki bar decor. There are so many headhunter tiki poles at that place. I love those!

I'm interested to go try the Thirtyninehotel maitais. It's good to hear that someone is getting the classic drink mixed correctly. The other great maitais in waikiki are at the Royal Hawaiian outdoor bar and the Halekulani (which still has traditional Hawaiian steel guitar music live). That place is amazing. I might be interjecting before you can get to those, John-O! Sorry!

Keep the posts coming! Very entertaining and very educational.

Again with the Mahus?

:)

On 2010-11-24 11:09, Luckydesigns wrote:

...The other great maitais in waikiki are at the Royal Hawaiian outdoor bar and the Halekulani...

I'm gettin' there Spike (and then some). That's my next chapter. :)

And dude, there's no way 90% of those girls were guys !! I can't believe that.

Yes, Lucas, again with the Mahus.... I know what you're saying John-O, but I saw a special on HBO about it... so let me reiterate... YIKES!

Can't wait for the next installment!

On 2010-11-24 12:11, JOHN-O wrote:

And dude, there's no way 90% of those girls were guys !! I can't believe that.

Flip that % and it's more correct.
And unless hookers are totally your thing... there is NO need to pay for a willing babe in Hawaii when they are everywhere and come in all flavors.

Uh, no, hookers are not 'totally my thing'. Just reporting what I saw on HBO and what I saw walking the streets of Waikiki, when I was there.

Back to the reporting, John-O!!

Thanks Spike. Also thanks msteeln for your local's perspective on my posts.

To add some Tiki significance to the shenanigans I saw in Da Big Kahuna, prostitution is not without historical precedence in the Tiki bar. Didn't Stephen Crane used to run high-priced hookers out of his Luau restaurant in Beverly Hills ?? :D

OK, let's proceed on to...

"Honolulu Confidential" Part 6 of 10

This next post is well covered ground here, so let me try to give it a unique spin...

You know, it's easy to bash Waikiki these days, with all of the on-going over-development and destruction of its past history. Also many poo-poo Oahu overall, and search out their true Hawaii experience on places like Kauai and the Big Island. Now I'm a BIG fan of the outer islands but I can also appreciate Honolulu for its unique qualities. For one thing, it's the most remote metropolis on the entire planet. Also in addition to Miami, I consider it one of the most exotic cities in the United States.

So by now, most will assume my definitive Hawaii experience is to get drunk in some dirty old bar off the beaten path. Well it's not. My definitive Hawaii experience is to enjoy fine cocktails in one of Waikiki's historic hotels along the beach, just like visitors have done since the 1930's. The sound of rolling waves, the warm trade winds blowing, and the timeless view of Diamond Head haven't changed since that time.

And there's (almost) no better place to experience that than the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Its fake (to Hawaii) Spanish Moor architecture is now classic and old-school. And its Mai Tai Bar is the birthplace of that classic drink (yes I'm joking but that's what 90% of the tourists think).

I remember drinking at the Mai Tai Bar back in the early 90's. Those Tropical drinks could rival those of Tiki Ti in terms of potency, but then something happened along the way. As recently as 5 years ago those drinks seemed to have gone downhill. I'm happy to report from this recent trip, that a new bar manager has brought high-end mixology back to the Pink Palace. Check out a sample of the new menu...

I started out with the classic "scratch" Mai Tai.

It was tasty but since I'm spoiled by the super strong Hawaiian Mai Tai at Santa Monica's Galley, I wasn't blown away.

My bartender asked "How do you like it?". I replied "It's good but I prefer it without the pineapple juice". He then offered to switch it out for a Trader Vic's recipe one. (!!) As I enjoyed that 2nd cocktail, I told him I was impressed he knew the difference. He replied "Even though it's not on the menu, we're trained for it. Also if you want the Don the Beachcomber recipe, we do that off the menu as well using homemade falernum." (!!!) He also offered an original Mai Tai recipe of theirs that won a local award where they burn one of the ingredients first. (???) Wow, you could probably spend a majority of your drinking vacation just at this bar. But FYI, the cocktails ain't cheap.

The other classic place for cocktails at the beach is the House Without a Key at the Halekulani.

It's almost become a cliche that they have the best Mai Tai in Hawaii. Let me cut to the chase here...

IT'S TRUE !!

As my friends sipped the cocktail for the first time, you could see the same look of astonishment on their faces. "Whoa, that's good !!" was the universal response. FYI, if the House Without a Key outdoor lounge is not open, you can get the same cocktail in the upscale Lewers Lounge inside the hotel.

A couple from Long Beach sitting next to us acknowledged our enjoyment of the Mai Tais. The gentleman added "If you like that Mai Tai, I know of another good one in Waikiki." When I asked where, he said "At the Jimmy Buffett restaurant next to the International Market Place". I was incredulous but I did take it down as a mental note.

Here's something else I want to share about the House Without a Key. I consider that experience even more classic and timeless than the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's outdoor patio. I think it has to do with that 300-year old Kiawe (not Banyon) tree where Hawaiian musicians perform nightly. This would be the perfect spot for the Smokin' Menehunes. When I see them play in So CA, I'm transported back to this exact place !!

Coming up next... "In search of Jimmy Buffett" :o

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-11-27 15:41 ]

I was in Waikiki a few weeks back, and stopped by the MaiTai bar at the Royal Hawaiian. I had a (Tropical) Itch and a few mai tais. The drinks were alright, but I was really impressed with some of the ingredients that they had on hand. I tried the Mai Tai Degeneres, strictly because of it's usage of Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. The bartender also had no problem with subbing Appleton for Bacardi(at no charge) which I thought was cool. They mentioned at least 3 specialty off-the-menu drinks while I was there, so with the TV and Don's mai tais you mentioned, they could pretty much include an addendum to their cocktail menu. Great view, but you're right when you say the drinks ain't cheap...

On 2010-11-26 20:54, JOHN-O wrote:

He also offered an original Mai Tai recipe of theirs that won a local award where they burn one of the ingredients first. (???)

Beachbum Berry was a judge in that particular Mai Tai competition.

From Beachbum Berry's Blog:
"the grand prize went to John Matsubara, executive chef of Azure restaurant on Waikiki. John was new to Tiki drink-making, but he understood that presentation is a big part of the genre. So he used a bong-like device to infuse his Mai Tai with hickory smoke, then took a crème brûlée torch to the sugared pineapple garnish."

On 2010-11-26 22:22, Hakalugi wrote:
From Beachbum Berry's Blog:
"the grand prize went to John Matsubara, executive chef of Azure restaurant on Waikiki. John was new to Tiki drink-making, but he understood that presentation is a big part of the genre. So he used a bong-like device to infuse his Mai Tai with hickory smoke, then took a crème brûlée torch to the sugared pineapple garnish."

This article, "The Mai Tai Gets a Makeover" was also in Tiki Magazine, Vol.5 #3. I just wonder how the smoke really permeates the Mai Tai with an action that I'm assuming would only take a few seconds? Or is it more of an essence, like squeezing citrus peels over cocktails? Regardless, it sounds pretty interesting. We'll see next time, I suppose.