Tiki-est place in North America

So, I've been wanting to move from Minnesota cuz the winters bite my me a bit too hard. What is the Tiki-est place in North America? Is there a Tiki epicenter? Preferably, it would be warm and next to an ocean...

Scott,

Check this thread out (just down the list from your very own queaation). Very similer in origin:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17314&forum=1&10

Don't come up here in the NW - It's cold and rainy (SHHHHH, quiet down, I think he bought it.....)

[ Edited by: Maori_man 2005-11-24 22:15 ]

And we have smog...see the proof:

With traffic and smog, Seattle is now a mini L.A.

[ Edited by: ScottMcGerik 2007-03-08 06:52 ]

You may also wish to peruse this string:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=16266&forum=1

This idea of "what makes a place tiki" sounds silly
but touches on some interesting things. If you mean a
place with a selection of indoor tiki establishments
with storied pasts, tiki events such as at art
galleries, and the ability to see exotica bands play
live at clubs, obviously it's the urban centers
represented so well here on TC by members and in the
many discussions of tiki events and gatherings. Just
by perusing TC we can see where the centers of action
are. However, you pose the question in a way that suggests
that by "a 'tiki' place" you have in mind other
factors like warm weather, beach life, and a less
stressful social environment than our great cities are generally known for. Live in short-sleeves most of the year, be able to afford a nice home without working 80 hours a week, and make up for the lack of a tiki "scene" by making your own scene, even if only in your own home and (most importantly) mind.

Ideally one can have both of these scenarios, and many do. But with the explosion of housing and living costs along the coasts and near the coastal cities (and of course in Hawaii (!)), economics forces choices on most of us.

Maybe you should make a list of things you find "tangentially tiki." For me, this would include:
warm weather ; low cost of living ; large bodies of water (aquatic sports) ; beaches ; an element of travel and tourism in the local economy ; palm trees ; somewhat of a climate of vice, to put it bluntly (e.g. liberal attitudes towards booze; gambling) ; a certain "frontier" element (many newcomers to area; rapid change, unlike in long-settled areas) ...

If this list bears some resemblance to your own, you might Google (and Google Images) on Laughlin, NV ; Lake Havasu ; Lake Mohave ; Topock ; Avi Casino ; etc. If desert landscapes and notably high levels of summer heat strike you as totally untiki though (and I know they do for many folks), don't even bother.

(By the way, are there like three threads along this line of discussion? I wonder if some merging is in order.)

On 2005-11-26 14:32, Thomas wrote:

Maybe you should make a list of things you find "tangentially tiki." For me, this would include:
warm weather ; low cost of living ; large bodies of water (aquatic sports) ; beaches ; an element of travel and tourism in the local economy ; palm trees ; somewhat of a climate of vice, to put it bluntly (e.g. liberal attitudes towards booze; gambling) ; a certain "frontier" element (many newcomers to area; rapid change, unlike in long-settled areas) ...

Aloha Thomas,

Are you referring to Waiki or San Diego?

Aloha! But neither, because in that list is the phrase, "low cost of living," which deals a pretty severe blow to both Waikiki and San Diego I think. If we are limiting ourselves to the US, I keep coming back to the areas I mention as possible Google searches. Palm Springs with a river running through it, for a fraction of the price. (Not the place for cultural sophisticates though.) More broadly, though, I've been known to bang a drum for the Visayan Islands (Phils.). Tropical islands will always have a greater tiki quotient than deserts I think. But Laughlin and Havasu are oases, and oases are cool, even when scorching.

Hey, pardon the digression, but I remember hearing this on the AM car radio as a kid and even then it seemed like some little exotic diorama of a world that fascinated me. Anyone else feel likewise? This has got to be one of the all-time great "exotic non exotica songs." Maria Muldaur -- what a voice.
**
Midnight at the oasis
**
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Shadows paintin' our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven's holdin' a half-moon
Shinin' just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon
And kick up a little dust
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
You don't have to answer
There's no need to speak
I'll be your belly dancer, prancer
And you can be my sheik

I know your Daddy's a sultan
A nomad known to all
With fifty girls to attend him, they all send him
Jump at his beck and call
But you won't need no harem, honey
When I'm by your side
And you won't need no camel, no no
When I take you for a ride
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Got shadows paintin' our faces
And traces of romance in our heads

Scott, I checked your sites, VERY briefly. Cool stuff, and I'll return. I had wondered if your TC handle might have been a takeoff on "Steve McGarrett," but it seems not. You seem like one most at home in great cultural cities like Minneapolis (no irony there, it truly is a great one). If so, forget anyone ever mentioned Laughlin, NV. I sure didn't!...

[ Edited by: ScottMcGerik 2007-03-08 06:51 ]

On 2005-11-27 13:49, ScottMcGerik wrote:
warm weather, large bodies of water, tourist economy, palm trees, etc, do play into what I am seeking.
I have learned from experience that if I can wear shorts and sandals much of the time, then the climate is right for me. I love dining out in an area with lots of dining choices.

Las Vegas turns some people off in a pretty big way, but the above sure did bring it to mind. Then again, it's had "boomtown" written all over it for some years now, and from a "contrarian" standpoint that might not be a plus. (Oh, and the "water" thing is tricky, though Lake Mead is pretty substantial...)

I'm about as "Vegas" in temperment as a whole wheat bran muffin, but I love the darn place and I don't even know why.

On 2005-11-26 15:30, Thomas wrote:
Aloha! But neither, because in that list is the phrase, "low cost of living," which deals a pretty severe blow to both Waikiki and San Diego I think.

Cost of housing is cheaper in South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach).

Also, the weather is so warm, one only needs aloha attire.