BAHOOKA MEMORIES - a photo love story

Being a visual person, recent reports about the Bahooka closing have been sadly lacking in images, so here is the thread to share all the pics ever taken, and still being shot. Even if you put them on Facebook, put some up here for the community. And I know it is work, but please try to caption them, if possible.

As John-O formulated it so aptly, the quality of Bahooka lies in the sum of its parts. Even I as a photo professional am hard pressed to portray its nautical catacombs adequately, so don't be shy to post mere snap shots. It will be the sum of photos here that will do it justice. I have seen some excellent HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos shot by by Hakalugi and Joe Banks already, please gentlemen share.

I will be hard to not double up angles, and I am not looking for page long plaster posts - just some telling images of friends, drinks, details...anything that represent the "Paradise Lost" of Bahooka

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2013-03-02 11:22 ]

An island in the asphalt sea:

...it calls to me: (to the strains of Bali Hai) :music: Bahooka!...BAHOOOKAAAH!

The great TAAROA is crying...

...for his lost habitat...

....where the underwater world mingled with Tiki....

...and fish and man (woman) fell in love!

Memorable moments in my Bahooka life:

The release of my Bahooka mug:

Holden holding Anders holding it

Elusive beauties of the night

Squid, Holden, Jeff, me and JP relaxing after a hard signing session

The release of the 10 Year Book of Tiki Anniversary mug:

A happy customer

More happy customers

...and a happy BOT mug (inexplicably turning its back on) The Hula Girls and the Crazy Al glowing eyes Tiki :)

Mahaloz for sharing Sven. Some great photos there. :)

Thank you...but after almost A HUNDRED views, why aren't there any others? I tell ya, Facebook really figured out to what extent people are willing to participate in social media: Basically just slightly above the Twitter level.

Well, Again Sven you raise the bar...awesome documentation....but you have us always expecting the best. BTW, What is this Facebook/Twittering you speak of? :) Okay, I know, but being an old schooler I do not need THAT much instant gratification. Remember the reason behind Phone Booths? Back when men wore hats and opened doors....plus pulled out a ladies chair and stood up when they left and arrived. Oh Damn, I care too much...Thanks for the pics. OGR

GROG just steal these pics from another thread, some from the same thread you stole some of yours.

Rather then re-post the pics, here are the links to the original threads..

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=39286&forum=17&vpost=584901
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=39286&forum=17&start=90&hilite=Bahooka
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=36786&forum=17&start=90&hilite=Bahooka
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=41585&forum=17&start=0&hilite=Bahooka

Enjoy!

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-03-02 17:11 ]

From my first trip out in 2011. I had dinner the first night at Bahooka.











:cry:

Here's a handful ~

The Bahooka Mai Tai, which came with a "Have you had a Bahooka Mai Tai before?" warning.

The Bahooka 40th Anniversary Party.

With Hinano Paul, Dave's Not Home, SoccerTiki and Myself.

Southern California is losing one of it's "Go-To" birthday spots

with unique lighting

and a cool fish.

From The Book of Tiki mug release event.

My last Bahooka House Salad 2/16/2013.

Well, the Bahooka has some good memories for me. That was one of the last times I ever played with the hula girls band (You can see me in one of those pictures) and I believe just before that the smokin menehunes had played some event there, and we had Jim Bacchi sitting in with us...which was unbelievably cool....

On 2013-03-02 17:22, Bora Boris wrote:
.

That's the best picture of a Bahooka salad I've ever seen!

Souveniers from my first trip:

THANK you! There we go, that's a start, thank you everyone :) Now, while we are looking forward to more BAHOOKA PHOTOS, here is some Bahooka HISTORY:

While there is precious little visual material from the early days of Bahooka, and much of its past is steeped in deep mystery, this brief time line explains a few things:

"The owner of the Bahooka was named Jack Fliegel, who traveled around the south seas as a navy private in the early 1950's. When he left the navy he learned the restaurant business while working at Kelbo's for 10 years.
In 1967 he started the first Bahooka restaurant in West Covina with his sister and younger brother. This restaurant was in operation from 1967 to 1980, and Jack kept adding on to it as the business grew. Unfortunately the building grew three feet over the property line and he lost his lease in a legal dispute. The contents were removed, a beautiful custom-built bar was sold off, and the building was demolished.
In 1976 Jack had opened a second restaurant in Rosemead. From 1976 to 1980 there were two Bahookas in operation. This time he owned the land rather than leasing."

So Jack took the Beachcomber concept, the firmament of resin floats, and the ribs-heavy menu from his former place of employ Kelbo's, which, as those Los Angelinos who were lucky enough to have visited it can attest, was just as crammed with flotsam and found objects as Bahooka.

Here's the front and back of the West Covina location menu:

It's original opening text was fine example of Polynesian pop poetry...

...even invoking the spirit of its guardian Tiki!

Fast forward to the early Tiki revival (we will skip over the Mark Ryden copyright issue here) and we are at a LA Cacaphony Society Meeting November 1991:

Having discovered Tiki a couple of years before, I eagerly attended this meet and greet - and afterwards decided that I had to be the one to do a book about it.

After earlier Tiki art group shows curated by Bobby Green and Otto at Cacao Coffee House, and at La Luz de Jesus, Copro Nason Gallery staged a Tiki happening at Bahooka entitled TIKI ART in 1998:

That's it, who can fill in the blanks? :D

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2013-03-02 23:33 ]

03/01/13
Will this be our last Bahooka Bowl before they close,
or will we be able to get in one more

Here's a few recent memories when Swizzle visited California from down under.

I dig that carrot smile that Rufus is cracking :)

I know this is supposed to be a VISUAL thread, but for those who would want to HEAR me talk about Bahooka, there is an interview with me on location there with Rico Gagliano on KPCC on his "Dinner Party Download" show today, Sunday at 3:00 pm:

http://www.scpr.org/programs/dinner-party-download/

At minute 33:00 to minute 39:00 I get to talk some about Bahooka, and also Polynesian pop in general. You can also listen to it as a download now here:

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/dinnerpartydownload/2013/02/episode-190.html

To the aficionado it might not contain that much unknown info (other than the Dali anecdote maybe), but I hope some here will enjoy it :)

As another fond memory, last summer I got to take a bus load of mid-century fans on a Bahooka tour...

...during Chris Nichols' San Gabriel Valley bus tour

Once again. Thanks for posting that history Sven. Sadly, I Had no pics to share because I have never been to the Bahooka. I'm trying my very best to get down there this weekend to see it before it goes. Its just funny out of all my times going to visit friends down in the O.C area, I just never made it here. So I am really going to push myself to get there this weekend.

[ Edited by: forgotten tikiman 2013-03-03 10:06 ]

I enjoyed your segment Sven. Sitting here out on the Great Plains tying a fish net float, sipping a Tiki Pukka Pukka, I'm even more sad I won't see Bahooka in person.

:(

Okay, here are some more from my Flickr set, actually a lot more. A few of these have already been posted in other threads.

But first a brief history on my visits to Bahooka.

My first visit to Bahooka was sometime in the early 80's. It was a late evening and a friend and I were returning home from the Hollywood Record Swap Meet held in a parking lot across from the Capital Records building. My friend said "Hey, you want to check out this amazing restaurant?". Of course. When we arrived it was just closing up. It was too late for any service but I was able to briefly see inside. The impression was melded into my head. Over the years since then I have paid Bahooka many visits. This was always my birthday/special celebration dinner destination of choice. One notable visit was a Halloween costume party put on by the L.A. Cacophony Society. I think this was in 1994 or '95. They had the banquet room and the whole place was filled with crazy intense energy in a way only the Cacophony Society could provide. The music was a mix of voodoo drums and alien chants, the only illumination was from the aquariums and a film projected onto a screen. They were showing Carnival of Souls. In one corner of the room was somebody very well costumed as Hunter Thompson, he had a fly swatter and was swinging at imaginary bats. Bowl after bowl of flaming concoctions were delivered to the room. My wife Kim and I had the Honey Bowl. We were dressed as zombie beachcombers.

I'm going to miss this place.

A somber walk-through...

An anti-aircraft gun stands guard:

Bahooka greets us. An island of allure and mystery:

Let's venture inside:

Entry room:

And to our immediate right, the peaceful bubbling of a huge aquarium. Many of the aquarium shots you'll see in this post may look empty but they are not. They are teaming with life. Huge fish that might follow your every move. These fish are so active that they disappear with a long exposure.

And immediately above our heads, a not so active fish...

Just past the entry room. The sign from the Bali Hai Dock. Is this sign really from the Bali Hai in San Diego?

I'd say yes.

To our left is the mail room wall protected by two Marquesan style Tiki posts.

A closer look:

Let's venture further:

We arrive to the banquet room, surrounded by more aquariums:

Banquet room ceiling:

It's very easy to lose your sense of direction while walking around the Bahooka labyrinth. The bubbling sounds add to the relaxing and dizzying atmosphere. Dizzying as in sometimes it might feel like you are on a rocking boat. Is this from the cocktails? While, yes and no. Part of it may come from walking around while looking up at the ceiling but another thing adding to this strange sensation felt while navigating the Bahooka is the fact that the floors may not be entirely flat. While, maybe the entire Bahooka is not like that but here in the banquet room you can definitely feel this. Whether by design or not, it works wonderfully in enhancing this place. If you look at the table against the wall to the left, you can see that the floor is noticeably sloped.

Upon leaving the banquet room there are boats on the ceiling:

Approaching the cashiers desk and trophy walls:

Heading toward the bar:

There are creatures swimming around under the bar top.

Ceiling view from the bar area:

Another angle of the same ceiling area:

A little past the bar is the popular brig/jail cell:

The booths in the brig can each seat a party of ten:

From here there is another corridor of booths. Here's a view from the end of that corridor looking back at the brig where there appears to be some sort of apparition.

END TOUR

If you want to see additional shots there are more on my Flickr account
Slideshow: http://www.flickr.com//photos/akahaka/sets/72157632894444816/show/

If you want to peruse full size images, you may want to start from here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/akahaka/sets/72157632894444816/
With the full size images you can drill down into the details. For instance, there are a number of photos from their trophy wall where posting them here would look like this:

But on Flickr you can see the original resolution and actually read the article. Here's a zoom in of the above photo on Flickr:

Mahalo

Long Live Bahooka

-Haka

[ Edited by: Hakalugi 2013-03-03 16:14 ]

Unfortunately I do not have anything to add to this thread except my deep appreciation to everyone for posting great stories and the awesome pictures for those of us who have never and may never experience the Bahooka in real life. What a gorgeous place.

Haka - what a beautiful series of photos! I feel like I can breathe easier because I can consider the place well documented now! If there ever was a "Bahooka - A Tropical Island in the Asphalt Sea" photo, this is the one:

Aaaaaah!

The first minute of this video shot back then by our very own Unga Bunga has nice shots of the BahOOka Tribute Bar I did for the Von Franco and Friends
art Show at the BahOOka a while back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxG4ESK_fLU

Maybe it's time to make another one......

One stick out memory of the BahOOka for me was when I ate there as the guest of Barry Weiss in 2000.
He's just as nutty in real life as he is on Storage Wars.
They were closing for the night so he said will you stay open for my friend and I if we order one of everything
on the menu. It was a crazy night.

Aloha BahOOka!!! We had some good times together!

Beautiful images Hakalugi!

Chris, have you done a complete, slow, non-stop VIDEO walk-thru of the place yet!

Ben, Seeing those old videos, just makes me miss your old shop that much more!

BigBroTiki, I don't have a steady cam rig, so not sure I can pull something like that off remotely clean. I'm planning to get out there to shoot some b-roll before the 10th (they are going to be closed this Wednesday, does anyone have a hookup to get me in while its empty???) so I'll give it a couple tries/passes.

P.S. there has to be more photo memories out there than just 2 pages???

[ Edited by: chrisandsarahb 2013-03-04 15:05 ]

Here are some Bahooka movie memories:
BARRY MUNDAY with Patrick Wilson & Judy Greer:

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS with Johnny Deep (pictured) and Benicio Del Toro in car behind aloha shirts I believe:

We shot out one video there...Directed by Joe Banks

http://tikiyakiorchestra.com/video.htm

New Year's Eve 2010....Great time.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=38040&forum=17&start=0&hilite=tikiyaki%20bahooka

Tonga Tom....can you repost the pics from the Tikiyaki New Year's Eve show ? They're all gone from the thread.

I'm very Sad that we wont have old Faithful Bahooka to escape to anymore. So many good times there.

Crazy Al

Crazy Sven

Crazy Nick and pretty Marie

[ Edited by: Bora Boris - Tightend things up. - 2013-03-04 18:28 ]

Chris, don't worry bout a Steadycam, a wide angle will make it smooth enough (and customers won't hurt it either)

C-native - Thanks for the Depp still, finally some visual proof of the infamous movie connection

Jim: Great little video! I miss seeing you guys...

And then there are those photo memories that still can be shot this weeeek! :)

I have some more memories...of what COULD have been: The un-made bowls of Bahooka!
When I was there to sign the finished 1st Bahooka mug,

...Holden mentioned that they had expressed interest in maybe having a bowl done, so right then and there I asked the waiter for a piece of paper an doodled down this proposal (forgive the lack of elegance - am not a trained graphic artist):

Well, it turned out that the price for a full-sized Scorpion bowl proved too cost-prohibitive for the owners. A while later, they came back with a request for medium bowl in the form of diver's helmet. The problem was Tiki Farm had already done one with a Tiki inside, so I tried to make it somewhat different:

In order to make it visually more interesting, I suggested different views for the other windows:

(AGAIN: all just my amateur scribbles)

Well, that one didn't happen either...
What I am really sad about is that the SWIZZLE STICK I came up with never came to fruition:

Oh well, no use crying over spilled coconut milk...

:)

Bahooka is just one of those places you didn't think could exist. An amazing collaboration between tiki, nautical art, and randomness. I could get lost for days just looking at all of the hidden artifacts. I always had amazing times at Bahooka.

This was my favorite piece of randomness. I had to post it because it would have been lost forever. A kitten garden puzzle stuck above one of the booths. You would have to look carefully to even see it.


I will always have a Bahooka Bowl flame in my heart for Bahooka!

Thank you for the memories Bahooka! There will never be another place like you. Cheers!

On 2013-03-04 18:23, bigbrotiki wrote:
Well, that one didn't happen either...
What I am really sad about is that the SWIZZLE STICK I came up with never came to fruition:

.

That is one great swizzle idea!

Some photos from the Bahooka mug release party.

DC

Wow, there are some great pics & memories here! I have a few to add...here goes.

Bahooka was where I took my first road trip/adventure after reading James Teitelbaum's 'TIKI ROAD TRIP' in 2007. I had my first official 'tiki' inspired cocktail while enjoying a big plate of ribs on one of these bar stools. A few months later, I bought my first mug at Bahooka. My wife may never forgive me.:)

What always stuck me was the tremendous amount and detail of the items placed in the ceilings and walls. Each & every time I visited, I had to get up and walk around, take it all in again as if it was my very first trip.

I didn't want to miss a menu holder... or any of the many, many lighted glass floats.

On your next visit you could look up and discover a set of 20 foot long canoes...

...look straight ahead and find a deep sea divers helmet or a famous Pacu, too.

A trip to Bahooka was also like going on a underwater adventure. Dining in your own secluded booth, surrounded by tanks of colorful fish, I can only imagine that most kids thought they were at some type of a private Disneyland. To the adults? Climb in, sit down and shut the hatch. This was the submarine ride with food & rum drinks!

If I was there late when the place was about to close, I'd walk around the empty parts of the restaurant hearing only the sound of gurgling fish tanks. I'd look into the empty banquet room knowing that the TC folks could fill the place, especially when "10" was the magic number.

Like at Crazy Al's 10th Anniversary Party (10 for 11-12-13)...

...where Big Toe was taking it all in...

...or at the 10th Anniversary of BOT & Mug Release Party where the room was packed...

...and Sven needed at least two drinks to help keep his mouth from getting dry while graciously signing mugs and chatting it up with the throng!

Hey look, it's Scott with his BOT mug. I bet there was a grenade with the pin pulled in that vessel!

Bahooka was always very accommodating to the TC folks, just another reason why it will be sorely missed. But at least they're going out on their terms.
To the entire Bahooka staff, I wish all of you the best. Thanks for the memories!
Now about that TIKI...

Dang, Yeah: Crazy Al's display was amazing, I remember now! The line-up of his complete Lava mugs was worth the price of admission alone (of which there was none, I believe).

I am pretty sure Scott's 10 Y BOT mug contained the TIKI REVIVER, the cocktail created by Jeff Berry for the mug, and expertly mixed by Hiphiphula KELLY for the event - the one time you could get a craft cocktail at the place :D

Sum mo pix
One portion of a ceiling

Mug/Tiki mag release party

Swizzle's trip to Tikiland (SoCal)

Swizzle after a grenade with the pin pulled.


Tikivato

Left to rht, Tikivato, Rosemary, CeCe, and Swizzle in front.
Tikivato and tiki

On 2013-03-04 21:34, bigbrotiki wrote:

I am pretty sure Scott's 10 Y BOT mug contained the TIKI REVIVER, the cocktail created by Jeff Berry for the mug, and expertly mixed by Hiphiphula KELLY for the event - the one time you could get a craft cocktail at the place :D

You bet it did!! (...and it was delicious)

And I bet your Bahooka HDR photos which we are looking forward to here are gonna be delicious, too! :wink:

Sorry...must have nodded of there...

...more to come. I'll post 'em tonight!

On 2013-03-06 06:43, Joe Banks wrote:

On 2013-03-04 21:34, bigbrotiki wrote:

I am pretty sure Scott's 10 Y BOT mug contained the TIKI REVIVER, the cocktail created by Jeff Berry for the mug, and expertly mixed by Hiphiphula KELLY for the event - the one time you could get a craft cocktail at the place :D

You bet it did!! (...and it was delicious)

Ahhh yes, I stand corrected! How could I have forgotten...I had one myself and still have the recipe card with my mug! Ingenious!

I feel like many of us have walked/stumbled out of Bahooka after a few Grenades or bowls and looked back to view something like this.

:D ...looks like it was taken a split second before you hit the parking lot pavement!

Thanks for the eye candy Mr Joseph Banks :)

:D ...looks like it was taken a split second before you hit the parking lot pavement!

...and here's the view right before you left your booth :wink:

A few more...

On 2013-03-06 17:55, Joe Banks wrote:
A few more...

Nice work Joe Banks!

The drink looks better than any drink I've seen at Bahooka and That's the best picture of the Bahooka Brigg bars I've ever seen!

:left: Go back one page for more.

A couple of friends and I got out to the Bahooka Thursday night. We were too late to get a table, but there was no problem hanging at the bar. We enjoyed a few Scorpians and Mai Tais and paid our respects. I wish I could have gotten one more taste of their ribs, but I'm just glad I got to experience the place one last time.

[ Edited by: polynesianpoppa 2013-03-09 20:26 ]

[ Edited by: polynesianpoppa 2013-03-09 20:26 ]