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Tiki Road Trip 2009 or Bust!

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AceyTiki and I will be road tripping it from Portland, OR all the way to Tiki Oasis and back. Here is everything we have planned to hit one direction or the other. If there are any others that we shouldn't miss, please let me know. Thanks!

Forbidden Island
Trader Vic's in Emmeryville
Tonga Room
Trader Vic's at LA Live
Oceanic Arts
Bahooka
Mission Tiki Theater
Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland
International Surf Museum
Don the Beachcomber's
Tiki Ti
Oceanic Arts exhibit at SDMA
Bali Hai
Mr. Tiki

Any musts that we are missing?

if you can get Dave at the Purple Orchid in El Segundo, next to LAX airport
to make you a French Zombie, I would recommend that.

also the Beahcomber Cafe in Malibiu just for the Tonga Lei room.

also not tiki per se, but I would say a must see if you have time would be
The Warehouse in Marina Del Rey.

there are many many places in So. Cal.
as pointed out in Holden's map of places.

some are must see, some not.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2009-06-05 08:58 ]

Thanks so much. I knew this would be the place to ask and all kinds of ideas would be presented.

i second the purple orchid in el segundo.

We are trying to make the Purple Orchid work. We will have my 15 yr old daughter with us and I have to find somewhere safe for her to hang out while we check out Purple Orchid. Any suggestions?

Never mind, I got it figured out! Purple Orchid here we come! As well as the Beachcomber in Malibu. Now to see if I can fit any of those other places into our trip.

Hi,

Matt the Cat & I are heading to Oasis this year, driving from Sacramento (we have the week off and have to drive back Sunday after the event, which might be a bit tricky, being that we have to watch our drinking Saturday night, hoping it won't go into sunday morning!)... Anyway, Minnie's in Modesto is worth it just to see the Tyree's:

http://www.minniesmodesto.com/TyreeStory.html

It's kind of a kooky place, I don't remember the drinks being that "special" but it's definately Tiki!!

Maybe we can hook up with you sometime during the drive down. I'm figuring we'll hit Disney 1 day as well... and you must go to Oceanic Arts in Whittier (I did see that was on your itinerary)... bring lots of moolah and a car that will hold your loot! and Tarps to cover it up!!

There are a couple of newer places in SF, Monterey & Santa Cruz... We only have a week so we'll probably spend most of our time in LA / San Diego... Tiki Ti is great! Awesome drinks.. We were just at Forbidden Island in Alameda on Saturday (get the fugu for 2)...

I can't wait for Oasis. Never been so this will be fun! Send me a personal message if you want to try to hook up someplace along the way. We can exchance cell #'s...

Mookie

R

I will be out in LA just prior to Oasis hanging with Hinano Paul and Mrs Lurker so if you can hit LA by Tuesday we will be painting the town that evening and Wednesday. Heading down to the Hanalei on Thursday.

On Sunday we will be going to Trader Vic's at LA Live and the Purple Orchid. Monday we are heading to Oceanic Arts, Bahooka, and Mission Tiki Theater. Tuesday we will be at Disneyland all day. Wednesday we will be going to Don the Beachcomber's and Tiki Ti. Does any of that work to meet up?

are you talking about the days prior to Tiki Oasis?
I might be up for Don's on Wed. 5 or 6 ish?

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Yes, the days leading up to Tiki Oasis. So, we will be at Don's on the Wed the day before Tiki Oasis. 5 or 6 is around the time we planned on being there, too.

J

If you're into Nautical-style the following all have more character, atmosphere, and much richer (or notorious) history than what remains of So Ca Tiki (with the exception of Tiki-Ti).

  1. The Galley (1934) in Santa Monica - One of the best Hawaiian-style Mai Tais around. Decor includes set pieces from the 1934 film "Mutiny on the Bounty" staring Clark Gable.

  2. Chez Jay (1959) also in Santa Monica - Alan Shepard took one of their bar peanuts to the moon on Apollo 14. After it was returned to owner (and world adventurer) the late Jay Fiondella, actor Steve McQueen put it in his mouth and had to be wrestled to the ground. Former regulars include people like Marlon Brando and Henry Kissinger. Don't be turned off by the name dropping, this place is a casual "dive".

  3. HMS Bounty (1962) in Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown - Rumor has it that in 1968, Sirhan Sirhan ate dinner here before walking across the street to the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel where he assassinated Robert F. Kennedy. Earlier name was Dale's Secret Harbor (1954?) which James Ellroy uses as a setting in his noir masterpiece "American Tabloid".

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-06-14 21:53 ]

Anyone know of a good place to have lunch at near Oceanic Arts? Our favorite kinds of things to eat would be sushi, Hawaiian lunch plate, and just seafood in general. Thanks, in advance. This trip is shaping up really nicely!

If you're shooting down 99, Minnie's is 5 minutes away from the Kansas offramp. Let me know if and when and I'll meet you if possible.

J

Hmmm... Whittier really isn't known for much other than where Dick Nixon went to high school and college.

There's some groovy classic mid-century restaurants next door in Pico Rivera though.

I like this place http://www.dalrae.com although I suspect you're looking for something more casual for lunch. Try to imagine the most swinging place nearby where Frank and Dino might go for steak, shrimp scampi, and martinis after selecting the decor for their Palm Springs Tiki bash. This is it.

Also if you've never been, I would highly recommend a trip to Griffith Park Observatory when you visit Tiki-Ti. It's not very far away and stays open until 10pm. Fantastic views of Los Angeles and one of LA's top mid-century icons. http://www.griffithobservatory.org/

John-O- We are planning on going to the observatory. I've been there once before about 20 years, ago. YIKES! However, my tiki sweetie and daughter have never been. It's about time I go again, too.

Jungle Trader- Are you referring to Minnie's in Modesto?

I think I found a place for us to eat. I did an on-line search for cheap places to eat in that area and a certain taco truck came up on every list. We are going to check that out.

Now does anyone know of any good quick places to eat for lunch between the Bay Area and Hollywood? We will be taking the freeway down and will have a 14 year old with us.

On 2009-07-12 23:49, Tiki Kupcake wrote:
Jungle Trader- Are you referring to Minnie's in Modesto?

Yes I am. Kids are welcome. It's a restaurant with 3 bars, 1 upstairs, 1 downstairs and 1 outside on the huge patio.

Sorry, Jungle Tiki, we won't be driving down that way. We are leaving Santa Rosa that morning and want to make it to Hollywood early afternoon. We will be driving down I5 for the quickest route.

P

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 666-7667
http://www.laluzdejesus.com/

Every time I go home I HAVE to drive the coast as much as possible. I usually exit in Oceanside (Hwy 76/Coast Hwy 101, looks like 54A on the map) and take it all the way to Mission Beach. Take the scenic road thru La Jolla, or to Sunset Cliffs. The bluffs are beautiful!
On the way we stop at:

Shopping:
TIKILAND II
1021-B South Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA 92054, (760) 757-8454
http://www.tikiland.net/

TIKILAND (haven’t been to this one yet)
3770 Hancock Street Suite B, (behind the sports arena), San Diego, CA 92110, (619) 463 – 9600, (619) 291 - TIKI (8454)

Shopping: Tikis
Bamboo 2 U
1240 North Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia 760-943-6284, http://www.bamboo2u.com/

Shopping: dia de los muertos stuff
Coast Hwy Traders
528 S Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024-3531, (760) 944-1381, http://www.coasthwytraders.com

Food: (good vegi and vegan, very casual, very local crowd)
Swamis Cafe
http://www.swamis.signonsandiego.com/
1163 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 944-0612

Ki’s
http://www.kisrestaurant.com/
2591 S. Coast Hwy 101, Cardiff, CA 92007, (760) 436-5236

Ricos Taco Shop (best vegi friendly Mexican ever! Always our 1st stop for food)
165 S El Camino Real, (between Crest Dr & Encinitas Blvd in the LA Fitness/.99cent shopping center) Encinitas, CA 92024, (760) 944-7689

Lucha Libre, Gourmet Taco Shop (I love this place for the potato rolled tacos and the décor. Oh. My. Dog. The decor! Make sure you look at the art in the bathrooms.)
1810 W. Washington Street, San Diego, CA (Just east of I 5 at Washington exit)
http://www.tacosmackdown.com/

Shopping: Tikis
The Freaky Boutiki
3742 Mission Blvd. San Diego (North Mission Beach) 858-488-4924

When you go to Bali Hai check out:
Trader Mort’s Liquor
2904 Shelter Island Dr. San Diego, CA 92106 619-224-3771

I’ll add more if I think of anything else.

Wow, Phynix! That's a lot of info. Thanks!

One of my friends up here just told me about La Luz de Jesus Gallery, too. I put it into Google and realized that it is within a couple miles of exactly where we will be in LA that day. Added it to the list.

I'm excited about the other suggestions, too.

yeah La Luz its a block from Tiki Ti
aka stumbling distance.
:wink:
Jeff(bigtikidude)

Already planning on taking you to some of those places when you stay with me Monday in Encinitas :) crazy how soon it's coming up! see you soon!

P

Bahooka is not terribly far from Oceanic Arts, so you might do well combining those two. Spend a few hours at OA and then go over to Bahooka for lunch/dinner. There is nothing really special for lunch near OA otherwise.

P

That was me! Or this is me. Or, um, well you get the idea! :)

P

While in SF check out the Kona Club.

http://www.konaclub.net/

The Conga Lounge is close by. http://www.congalounge.com/

and look out for THIS at the Tonga Room! :P

heh heh Liza! How funny! Well, again thanks for the great suggestions. It's good to see my friends know me well. My girlfriend, Honey, was planning on taking me to some of the places you suggested, too.

On 2009-07-13 09:03, Tiki Kupcake wrote:
Sorry, Jungle Tiki, we won't be driving down that way. We are leaving Santa Rosa that morning and want to make it to Hollywood early afternoon. We will be driving down I5 for the quickest route.

It's tough to hit them all in one trip. Have fun!

On 2009-07-17 07:39, Jungle Trader wrote:

On 2009-07-13 09:03, Tiki Kupcake wrote:
Sorry, Jungle Tiki, we won't be driving down that way. We are leaving Santa Rosa that morning and want to make it to Hollywood early afternoon. We will be driving down I5 for the quickest route.

It's tough to hit them all in one trip. Have fun!

So true. I actually can't even believe how many we will be hitting. It sure is a lot. What a great trip it will be! Thanks to everyone's info to help make it better!

Here's our latest list of places we will be stopping at. Focusing more on the tiki and beach bum part of the trip. We actually have some other places we are stopping at, too.

Ming's in Yreka
Kona Club
Conga Lounge
Forbidden Island
Trader Vic's in Emmeryville
Tonga Room
Trader Vic's at LA Live
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
Purple Orchid
Tiki Apartments
Oceanic Arts
Bahooka
Mission Tiki Theater
Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland
International Surf Museum
Bamboo Ben's
Don the Beachcomber's
Tiki Ti
Oceanic Arts exhibit at SDMA
Bali Hai
Trader Mort's
Mr. Tiki
Humphrey's
TikiLand
Bamboo 2U
And a few other tiki stores.

Good thing I will have 4 days to recover after we get back from this trip.

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