How is the Hala Kahiki (IL) doing with the Chicago Flood?

I am from Chicagoland originally and getting reports of my friends/ family having to evacuate homes. I was checking out photos on the Suntimes and saw this one of Gene and Judes hot dogs and remembered that the low lying Hala Kahiki is a few blocks away and then i remembered the river is near by... Here is the photo. Any reports?

http://www.trbimg.com/img-1366313248/turbine/chi-ugc-photo-gene-and-judes-in-river-grove-il-2013-04-18/960

I hope folks in Il are safe and keeping dry.

There was some stuff on facebook about being closed due to the water level and a few pictures. It doesn't look like the place has been damaged but it's hard to say for sure from the pics.

Same here. I saw those pics on FB and it seemed like the water was still on curb level but from this pic it looks worse. Hope all is well besides the flooding.

This is not unprecedented for that location. Hala is just up the block but on higher ground than Gene's and Jude's and the intersection in the background. Indeed, there is the requisite flooded Gene's and Jude's photo in a 2008 post to the Hala locating tiki thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17805&forum=2&start=30&hilite=hala%20kahiki

They were okay then. Getting there was the only problem.

TT

Hello All,

I was in Chicago last week for a conference at a hotel in Rosemont, just 3 miles down the road from Hala Kahiki. I was so stoked about getting to put another tiki notch in my polynesian belt! I tried to get there two nights in a row and, of course, those were the first two nights they were closed due to the flooding. I had to leave on the third day.

Maybe the tiki gods were kind enough to spare any serious damage so that I may someday soon get back to see it.

Cheers and Aloha,

Q

Any updates on the status of this one-of-a-kind Tiki temple !?

They're back in business now, acc to FB.

open for business !! i'm headed that way tonight.... will report back.

Tipsy, Have one (or 3) for me....I miss that place...it's been awhile. OGR

Thanks for the updates. I think I am the only person not on facebook so it never occurred to me to check there for an update!

I haven't been to Gene and Judes for a hot dog but will totally go and give them some support the next time I am in Chicagoland. You just can't get a good Chicago style hot dog in San Francisco. You might find Vienna Beef but the bun is never right. I've given up and now will only eat them in their native land.

Not to hijack my own thread to go into the world of hot dogs but here is a recent link about Gene and Judes.

http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2013/04/after-flood-gene-judes-rebuilding.html?ref=title

Anyway, glad to hear that Hala Kahiki has survived. We can't afford to loose anymore classic tiki joints.

Denise

Chicago is the Hot Dog capital of Earth, imho.

Yup. And they have some pretty good pizza too.