New Trip Report-Mark & Linda from SF and Bay Area Sept - Oct 2023

Finally our long-awaited covid interrupted trip to the Bay Area. Thanks again for the info in the previous Bay Area thread. This trip report starts closer to the bottom.

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Just re-found this post with the big covid blank and adding quick update with a few pics from last year in Oahu and Kauai

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2018 SoCal trip report starts about halfway down on Page 2. Includes stops down the coast, San Diego, L.A. and Disney!! First time down Pacific Coast Highway or SoCal other than a layover many years ago. Stops included Ventura, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, San Diego, L.A., and Disney tomorrow.!!!

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Trip Report- Mark and Linda’s “Wet Coast” Desperately Seeking Tiki Tour Sept. 16-Oct. 4, 2017

This was episode 4 of our tiki road trips. Part one in 2016 was driving to Florida and back through Atlanta with another trip flying to Las Vegas and driving to Palm Springs. Early 2017 we drove to Florida, New Orleans and home. This trip we flew to Vancouver BC, took Amtrak to Portland, Tacoma, Bothell (car rental), Seattle, and back to Vancouver. We rented a car for Vancouver Island (Ucluelet) and back to Vancouver and then flew home.

When I started the report I had no idea it would be this long, so here is a summary by location:

Vancouver beginning - Shameful Tiki
Portland - Alibi, Hale Pele, Creepy Clown Bar, Rum Club, Multnomah Whiskey Library
Tacoma - Tacoma Cabana, Glass Museum
Bothell - North Bend, McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon
Seattle - Rumba Bar, Museum of Pop Culture, Ohana, Diller Room, Lava Lounge
Vancouver Island - Walking trails, Black Rock Hotel
Vancouver end - Granville Island, Sylvia Hotel, The Waldorf

Stop 1: Vancouver Sept. 16-17

Day 1: While we did have 2 nights in Vancouver the second night had to be a very early night as we had a 5:30 am train on Monday. As a rule, we try to stay within walking distance to the target bar, so after arriving at our AirBnB a few blocks from the Shameful Tiki Room we had about 4 hours to kill so we used our public transit day passes we purchased to get from the airport and headed downtown to see some sights. Then back to the area near Shameful we checked out music and antique stores close to the bar.

A few tikiphiles were lined up when we got there at 4:45, but only a few of them headed to the bar where we made our way to and then started working our way through the menu. We have been to the Toronto Shameful a few times now and the Vancouver edition is a little smaller, but just as wonderfully decorated. Jason was behind the bar and took great care of us. Every drink was excellent. Food was great. Met some regulars who gave us great tips on places to go for the trip and told us how great Tiki-Con is and how we should go.

Shameful Tiki Room, 4362 Main St, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Rum Barrel

Shameful Tiki Room

Shameful Tiki Room - Black Velvet Cocktail & Bonny Tama

Shameful Tiki Room - Tropical Itch & Hart of Gold

Shameful Tiki Room

Shameful Tiki Room - inc. Wall of Fame for members of the rum club

Shameful Tiki Room

Vancouver Day 2: Lazy day. Rainy and windy so we headed to the waterfront and then checked out other areas downtown and then slowly made our way back to Shameful for a farewell cocktail and then bed.

Shameful Tiki Room - No line up today

Shameful Tiki Room wall of vinyl

Edited to add update of new trip

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2017-11-28 11:19 ]

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-09-29 14:04 ]

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-09-29 14:11 ]

[ Edited by rum on the rideau on 2023-10-09 13:16:41 ]

[ Edited by rum on the rideau on 2023-10-16 20:14:18 ]

Stop 2: Portland Sept. 18-21

Day 1 Travel day. 7-hour train ride watching the ocean. Not a bad way to travel. We couldn’t find accommodation close to the Hale Pele for the whole 3 nights, so we stayed at a reasonably clean motel with kitchenette very close to the Alibi Tiki Lounge (not The Palms, The Monticello) and right on the yellow Max transit line and since the Alibi opens early we headed straight there. The Alibi certainly looks its age, but not in a bad way. The cocktails were way better than I had feared. Devin, the daytime bartender, told us there had been a recent move to elevate the drinks and the food. The bar was not very busy the whole time we were there, so we could explore at will. There are video gambling machines there, but the volume is turned way down and they are off to one side. They are also the reason the bar is open early. The karaoke starts at 9:00 pm and it is very popular, so we left before that. It takes place at the far end of the bar (see pics below), so it can be avoided if need be. Devin also gave us tips where else to go in town for cocktails, food, shopping etc. After an early rise, a 7-hour train ride and a couple of hours at the Alibi it was time for the short walk back to motel.

Alibi Tiki Lounge, 4024 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge - Alibi signature mug

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Alibi Tiki Lounge

Portland Day 2

Day 2 was tourist time. We had planned to rent a car and travel to Mount Hood or perhaps Eugene, however the wild fires and then the rain, while required for the fires, not so good for viewing or driving, kept us in the city. We walked around the downtown area checking out the food trucks/carts, Voodoo Donuts (maple and bacon!!) and Powell books. Found a copy of The Book of Tiki at Powell's Books. Just asked at the counter and they replied, “Why yes we do.” Yay. We then checked out the Pearl District and the Northwest District before heading to the Hale Pele.

What an amazing place. From the sunken bar to the décor, the drinks and the vibe of the place is just great. Tara was our wizard behind the bar. A lot of regulars here and if I lived near here I would probably move closer so I too could be a regular. All the regulars we met were very friendly, always eager to talk tiki, rum, cocktails or all three. They also told us how great Tiki-Con is and how we should go...

Hale Pele, 2733 NE Broadway St, Portland, OR

Hale Pele

Hale Pele

Hale Pele - Jet Pilot and Passion Fruit Batida

Hale Pele

Hale Pele

Hale Pele - A’a’Po’e with A’a’Po’e mug and Rangoon Gimlet

Hale Pele

Hale Pele

Portland Day 3

At the Alibi Devin told us to check out Mississippi Ave, an area close to The Alibi which has many stores, art and restaurants and to check out a new bar called Creepy’s which has an ex-Alibi bartender as the owner. We checked them both out and fortunately Creepy’s was very close to Rum Club and on the way, sort of, to the Hale Pele. After long walk down Mississippi Ave and a late lunch at Widmer Breweries we headed on the transit to the Antique Alley (NE 42nd Ave) where they had many mugs and shirts, but limited myself to 2 older Trader Vic swizzles. From Antique Alley we took public transit back toward Creepy’s, then on to Rum Club and then back to Hale Pele. Note: If you are using public transit the bus stops running early near the Hale Pele.

Beer flight at Widmer Brothers, 929 N Russell St, Portland, OR

Creepy Clown Bar, 627 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR

Creepy Clown Bar

Rum Club, 720 SE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR

Rum Club Happy Hour Hemmingways

Rum Club - Almost Paradise

Hale Pele - Tico Tico & Pole Star

Hale Pele - Mai Tai & Jungle Bird

Hale Pele, 2733 NE Broadway St, Portland, OR

Hale Pele - Navy Grog & Krakatoa

Hale Pele

Hale Pele

Portland Day 4

Packing day. Walked to Alibi for pulled pork lunch at Alibi and to thank Devin for all the info. We then headed downtown just after opening time for the Multnomah Whiskey Library. Ack, so many choices, but our bartender walked me through and had a couple of bourbons never to be seen in Ottawa. Then walked to Powell’s, picked up Book of Tiki (it was on hold), shopped for music at Everyday Music (right beside Powell’s) and home early.

Alibi, 4024 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR

Alibi

The Palms Motor Hotel Portland across the street from Alibi

Multnomah Whiskey Library, 1124 SW Alder St, Portland, OR
900 different Whiskies and 1263 total bottles of spirits – eek!

Multnomah Whiskey Library

Stop 3: Tacoma Sept. 22-23

Travel Day: Train from Portland to Tacoma. Checked in to hotel and then headed out to check the downtown area for a few hours. Ok, I thought there were hills in Portland.
Headed to Tacoma Cabana and arrived just after opening. Amy and Jason were behind the bar. Both rock big time. Place is a lot bigger than it looks with bottles of rum crammed everywhere. Amy was amazing behind the bar and then Jason found out I had liking to rhum agricole. After that I was in deep trouble. Jason would disappear for a few minutes then plunk a new drink in front of me. Jason is opening a new bar in November called the Devil’s Reef, at 706 Court C, Tacoma, very close (5-minute walk) from the Cabana’s location and a few of these drinks included previews off the new drink menu. Damn! Those drinks were fabulous. The food there is also killer btw.

Portland Union Station, 800 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR

Portland Union Station, 800 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR

Tacoma, One Pacific Building on Pacific Ave

Tacoma Cabana, 728 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA

Tacoma Cabana - Rum Barrel and Rum Pot

Tacoma Cabana - ‘Ti-Punch and “J” Punch

Tacoma Cabana - I was then sacrificed to the “Stone-Faced God“

Tacoma Day 2: After being devoured by the Stone-Faced God the next day was a wee bit slower. We checked out the Glass Museum Bridge & Shop and Antique Alley, which is just blocks uphill from the Cabana, plus a bit more of the town.

Tacoma Glass Museum Exterior

Tacoma Glass Museum Exterior

Tacoma Cabana, 728 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA

Tacoma Cabana

Tacoma Cabana

Tacoma Cabana

Tacoma Cabana

Tacoma Cabana - Jet Pilot

Tacoma Cabana – Pahoehoe

Tacoma Cabana - Chi Chi and Stiggins Fancy Daquiri

Rum on the riedau, thanks for all the pictures and information.

On 2017-11-25 23:13, hiltiki wrote:

Rum on the riedau, thanks for all the pictures and information.

Thanks.. only a few more days worth. Didn't think trip report would be so lengthy or take this long. Hopefully there's some useful info for people

Stop 4: Bothell / North Bend WA Sept. 24

Travel Day: Very short train ride to Seattle and then car rental to explore inland a bit. After successfully escaping Seattle we headed east toward North Bend WA and Twede’s Café to have pie and coffee in the diner from Twin Peaks. Continued the Peaks mission with the short drive to Snoqualmie Falls and see the Salish Lodge aka “The Great Northern Lodge”. From there it’s just a 30-minute drive cross-country to Bothell and the McMenamins Anderson School and the North Shore Lagoon. The Anderson School was built during the depression (not the recent one) and has been remodeled by the McMenamins into a complex of hotel, restaurants, bars, open area with covered fire pits, movie theatre, live music venue, a whiskey shed and a public swimming pool. The North Shore Lagoon is located on the second floor of the pool building. The Lagoon has amazing décor with pieces brought in from Bali, Viet Nam, tapas from Hawaii, Fiji and beams from a Jim Beam distillery. The salt water pool is vented each night from skylights so it can sometimes have a slightly salty mist in the pool, so the bar can have the feel of being close to ocean. The bartender told us they are new to the whole tiki concept and are a bit over-whelmed at the history and are trying to get a handle on it. They do have a large selection of rums and whiskies, but the drink menu tiki-wise is limited. Overall however, the complex is a really nice place to stay and relax.

On the road again from Seattle

Twede’s Café, aka Twin Peaks: The Double R Diner, 137 W North Bend Way, North Bend, WA

“The place where pies go when they die.” – Agent Cooper

Salish Lodge & Spa, 6501 Railroad Ave, Snoqualmie, WA,
“The Great Northern Hotel”

McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon Bar, 18607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell, WA

McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon – hey didn’t I see you three guys at the Hale Pele?

McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon

McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon

North Shore Lagoon - Mai Tai & Jungle Bird

McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon

McMenamins Anderson School, North Shore Lagoon

North Shore Lagoon, Painkiller & Zombie in signature Zombie mug.
Mug is Dagon “Bringer of Enlightenment” and enlightenment is what this zombie needed.

McMenamins Anderson School, one of several outdoor fire pits

Stop 5: Seattle Sept. 25-27

Day 1: Rumba Bar - From the Anderson School we headed for the Hawaiian General Store which was only about 15 minutes on the way into downtown Seattle. Then we dropped off luggage and returned the rental car. We wandered around downtown and headed downhill towards Pike’s Market to start checking things off our to do list. Checked in & headed down towards Pike St and started walking uphill to Rumba.

It was the 5th anniversary of Rumba so there were a few celebrations going on. Checked out their impressive rum bible, had a few beverages and food (jerk chicken cooked outside on bbq) and headed back to hotel.

Rumba Bar Seattle, 1112 Pike St, Seattle, WA

Rumba Bar - Mai Tai and The Wood of Life

Seattle Day 2: Olympic Sculpture Park / Museum of Pop Culture / Ohana / Diller Room

More walking as today was the Museum of Pop Culture and getting our bearings. After breakfast down at Pike’s Market we walked towards Olympic Sculpture Park and then to the museum.
Museum is of course very cool if you are a sci-fi movie and TV geek. One of the exhibits was closed for “filming”, so we were told to come back tomorrow and they would let us in to see the last section.

After the museum and since it was Tuesday we headed down to the Diller Room, but we learned the Justin doesn’t start until around 6:00. So we walked back down the street to Ohana. We had a light snack and a couple of beverages. Ohana does have that feel like you are at a beach bar in Hawaii or somewhere similar. Nice bar especially if you like sushi or sashimi. It has a very relaxed feel, in the late afternoon at any rate.

So now back to The Diller Room and a spot at the bar. Justin is a beast behind the bar with every drink spot on. After a classic each we then focused on some of his creations, all of which were great.

Olympic Sculpture Park

Seattle Museum of Pop Culture

Seattle Museum of Pop Culture - Took tons of pics here so I’ll only bore you with one. “Captain..sssss”

Ohana, 2207 1st Ave, Seattle, WA

Ohana

Ohana

Diller Hotel, Diller Room Bar, 1216 1st Avenue; Seattle, WA

The Diller Room – Painkiller & Three Dots and Dash

The Diller Room – Black Orchid

Seattle Day 3: Museum of Pop Culture / Lava Lounge / Pike Place Market

Packing Day. Heading back to the Pop Museum we learned that they weren’t done “filming” the Sci-Fi exhibit. We were then told that they were to be done by 1:30 and that we could come back.
We used the monorail return option and went back and hung around downtown and Pike Market. There are so many shops underneath the food market. The timing did mess up a few things we wanted to squeeze in, but oh well. Back to the museum.

Walking back to Pike Market we stopped in at the Lava Lounge. The Lava Lounge is described as a dive bar. I suppose it is, but growing up in taverns in Canada it looks just like a regular bar to me. While it doesn’t have the cocktails to speak of it does have great décor including some older carvings scattered about and the back bar is held up by some very large carvings. Again, to me another relaxed bar in the afternoon with a great bartender. There were reggae bands later apparently and the music being played was pretty urban, but not overly loud. Certainly, worth going in for a beer and checking out the décor.

From there it was off to Pike Place Market and supper and watch the sunset before going to hotel and packing.

Seattle Museum of Pop Culture - Okay one more really cool piece

Lava Lounge, 2226 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA

Lava Lounge Seattle

Lava Lounge Seattle

Lava Lounge Seattle

Lava Lounge Seattle

Lava Lounge Seattle

Lava Lounge Seattle

Pike Place Market Seattle

Seattle

Thanks for sharing your writeup. We saw many of these same places on our trip to the Pacific Northwest back in July. Your experience with Hale Pele was very similiar--wish all bars could be as awesome!

Travel Day - Stop 6: Vancouver Island Sept. 28-Oct 2 (the decompressing non-tiki portion of our journey)

Train to car rental to ferry and overnight in Nanaimo and through the mountains to Ucluelet B.C.
We spent 3 days on the Island walking several the trails through the cedar forests, ocean trails and checking out Tofino. Like the museum I’ll spare you from photo after photo of cedar forest and nature trails and just give a Reader’s Digest version of the 3 days.

Day 2 – Travel day through the mountains to Ucluelet, hotel check-in and walk into town to get breakfast / sandwich supplies for room and trails.

Day 3 - Checked out Tofino, local art stores, Long Beach and Rainforest Trail

Day 4 - Lighthouse Loop and Ancient Cedars Loop

Amtrak Train from Seattle to Vancouver Observation car

Ferry from Horseshoe Bay Vancouver to Nanaimo Vancouver Island. Overnight in Nanaimo.

Oooh … beer … The Blue Room, 1627 Peninsula Rd, Ucluelet, BC

Sunset from our room at The Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, 596 Marine Dr, Ucluelet, BC

Rainforest Trail, Vancouver Island BC

Rainforest Trail, Vancouver Island BC

Surfers - Long Beach Vancouver Island BC

Sunset from dining room at The Black Rock Oceanfront Resort

Happy Anniversary.. Happy Anniversary.. Black Rock Resort

Lighthouse Loop Vancouver Island BC

Lighthouse Loop Vancouver Island BC

Ancient Cedars Trail Vancouver Island BC - 800-year-old cedar

Day 4 – Travel Day: Car to Ferry to Vancouver
Back through the windy mountains at 7:00 am, ferry back to Vancouver.

Final Stop: Vancouver Oct 2-4

Day 1 – Checked into the Sylvia Hotel. Constructed in 1912. In 1954 it opened the first cocktail bar in Vancouver. It sits right on English Bay near Stanley Park. The Sylvia now has heritage designation, so it should be around for a while.

Off to the Shameful for a short evening and say goodbye. “Anything happen while we were gone?”
Well they got new mai tai glasses, ok and socks..Socks!! and oh Los Straightjackets were here unannounced.. sigh

Day 2 – Granville Island
A Granville Island ferry is just a nice walk from hotel so we spent the day at the shops on Granville and then ferried back to catch, why yes another sunset, this time over English Bay

Highway to ferry, Vancouver Island BC, 7:00 am

Highway to ferry, Vancouver Island BC, 7:30 am

Highway to ferry, Vancouver Island BC, 8:00 am

Compulsory photo of the Rockies from ferry Nanaimo to Vancouver BC

Sylvia Hotel, 1154 Gilford St, Vancouver, BC

Sylvia Hotel – The Vancouver Cocktail – Yes, Errol Flynn frequented the Sylvia, so much so he died here apparently from “myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, coronary atherosclerosis, fatty degeneration of liver, and portal cirrhosis of the liver.” – Wiki.

Shameful Tiki Room, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver, BC- Blurry pic of Jason mixing the syrup

Granville Island, Food and market

View of Vancouver from Granville Island

English Bay from English Bay Beach

Sylvia Hotel

Final lengthy entry: Day 3 – Hotel at the Waldorf / Home

Travel home day, but not before busing down to the east side and visiting The Hotel at the Waldorf.
With our flight at 4:00 pm, we called ahead to the Waldorf and asked if we could show up and check out the basement rooms (available for rent, which is the nudge-nudge, wink-wink premise we used when we asked to see the rooms). This place must have been amazing in the day. Rooms are still being used for private parties, Island Nights etc, but they are getting pretty rough looking. We were told ahead of time that a lot of the stuff was gone, but there are still a lot of items there as you will see by the way too many photos below. The Waldorf is also in an “industrial” part of town and some people mentioned that it was pretty rough. The bus trip from the Sylvia through downtown (high land value) and east to the Waldorf (low land value) was an education about different areas of town. It’s certainly not English Bay but I was never really uncomfortable. Nighttime may be different, I don’t know.

The Waldorf Hotel was built in 1947-48 and the Tiki Lounge opened in 1955. The black velvet paintings are by Edgar Leeteg and the murals were created by Peter Hopkinson. There are a lot of photos for this one as I don't expect too many people have had a chance to make it here.

… and then to the airport and finally home again.

Waldorf Hotel, 1489 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC

Waldorf Exterior

Waldorf – upstairs restaurant

Waldorf – upstairs restaurant

Upstairs “Tiki Bar”

Upstairs “Tiki Bar” The velvet paintings are all closed and sealed.

Upstairs “Tiki Bar”

Upstairs “Tiki Bar”

Waldorf staircase

Waldorf staircase

Waldorf downstairs

Waldorf downstairs

Waldorf downstairs

Waldorf downstairs

Hallway connecting Tabu Room with Hideaway. Hard to see, but there is very old tapa cloth on the ceiling.

Waldorf downstairs - One of a several carved doors

Waldorf downstairs

Waldorf downstairs

Waldorf downstairs

Waldorf downstairs

The compulsory pic of the Cascades from the airplane.

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 04:55 ]

loved your last set of pictures from Waldorf, amazing murals and artwork.

New tiki trip takes/took us to SoCal, like last year took us to places we hadn't been to before. First part of trip, booked many months ago, was supposed to be centered around Don The Beachcomber, but its closing kinda put a hamper on that, so to start we went north to Ventura and then to Huntington and added Laguna as a stop. Intinerary was:

Sept 13-19 along the coast - Ventura, Huntington, Laguna
Sept 20-24 San Diego
Sept 25-29 L.A.
Sept 30- Oct 2 Disney!!!

This report will be way less photo extensive than the previous for two reasons, way shorter making it easier to go though and camera died two days in. Pics generally are all from cell phone.

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Day 1 LAX - Car rental. Sorry car just recalled, choose another. No other issues after that. Yay. Drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Ventura listening to surf tunes all the way. Amazing drive seeing all these towns and places I've seen referenced in so many movies, TV, etc. Checked into hotel and walked the 2 blocks past a park with a What!! craft beer festival?.. to Ventiki. Great venue, great vibe. Most of the bar seating is outside and bar was packed so we happily spent the night outside chatting with locals. First of many mugs acquired.

edited to correct typos

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-09-29 14:11 ]

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 09:03 ]

Day 2:

Wandered around Ventura. Great breakfast burrito beside hotel and fish taco place across the street for lunch later. Really nice downtown area. Very laid-back atmosphere. Cool antique shops. Headed back to Ventiki early to get inside. Shopped next door. We had met the owner Dwayne at the Hukilau in June and by chance he was there so had a long chat as well as with some regulars. Elvis and Moni behind the bar beveraged us and fed us until late. We were off to a very good start on this tiki tour.

Ventiki

Ventiki

Edited to rotate and add photo

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-04 13:33 ]

Day 3: traveling to Huntington Beach: While talking to people at the Ventiki we said we were heading to Huntington and the beach days was going on at the beach near Dukes Huntington. We were told Duke's Malibu was better so we hit that on the way down. It was a very, very busy beach day along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) with a surf competition as well as a triathlon, but we managed to get into Duke's and then headed down to highway stopping at Tony's on the Pier for a break, grabbed a couple of mai-tai glasses before heading to Huntington. We stopped at Don's parking lot, sighed and then headed to our little beach-side motel. Checked out the beach and the other Duke's and called it a night.

Duke's Malibu

Tony's on the Pier

Duke's Huntington

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-09-29 15:18 ]

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 09:04 ]

Day 4 and 5. Drove around the HB area checking out the beaches and see if we could get camera repaired. Nope. Then back to town. Read here on TC that Bamboo Ben was working on a site on the pier so we went for a beverage and to check out the new location. Ben himself was there, so we chatted a while. The location is great out over water, but won't open for a while. Then hit Main St. to the no.ka.oi for some adorable "mini killer mai tais", then on to the Aloha Grill. Much bamboo here. Their main drink is the "World Famous Rainbow". You have now been warned... have at your peril. Back to Duke's to watch sunset. Tues. after breakfast burrito and tooling around town again public transit to Billy's At The Beach. Nice location on the water, nice décor and food was good. Great way to spend the afternoon. Uber back to motel, watch the sunset, and then headed into town. Each Thurs. is the farmers market with live bands etc. Good last night in HB.

Ruby's at the pier

No Kai Oi

Aloha Grill

Sunset 1

Breakfast

Billy's

Sunset 2

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 09:01 ]

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 09:05 ]

Day 6 took us to Laguna Beach and the Royal Hawaiian. Lots of trendy art stores and a pleasant walk through town as our room wasn't ready because we arrived really early. So a daytime shop / walk to the Royal Hawaiian a return later that evening after check in. Another very nicely decorated location. Sat at the bar (preferred location) both times. Again good food and very good drinks.

Royal Hawaiian

Day 7 : More PCH, La Jolla, and into San Diego. Traveled down the highway to La Jolla and checked out a bit of the town before heading to Pacific Beach area. Parked and had a few hours before opening time for the Grass Skirt so we walked the boardwalk down to Miss B's and shopped a bit at Boutiki and then went to the Grass Skirt for opening. Another great looking place. Very neat that some areas are actually outside. Again good drinks and good food. Headed to Humphrey's to check in and relax.

Grass Skirt

Humphrey's Half Moon Inn

Day 8:San Diego, Ocean Beach and Bali Hai

Checked out the hotel and the rest of Shelter Island, on to the Crowne Plaza for a quick look around before heading to Ocean Beach for some shopping. Met Matt "Tikiman" at his booth in The Antique Mall on Newport Ave. Scored some great old Bali Hai chopsticks an early Tiki Farm shot glass. Awesome guy, great to talk to. He said most of the artifacts at False Idol are from him. He also has another shop near the sports stadium. Back to the hotel and a walk across the traffic circle to the Bali Hai. Another classic place with good food, drinks and their own over the top Mai Tai. Great location and views. Had a great night going through a lot of the menu, talking with fellow bar dwellers, not so much about tiki, more of a local institution.

Humphry's

Bali Hai

Mr. Bali Hai and Mai Tai

Aloha Kiss and Paralyzing Puffer Fish

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 09:12 ]

Day 9 San Diego. Checked out downtown San Diego, Little Italy inc. The Ballast Point Brewery, Seaport Village and then on to False Idol for opening time. OMG. Fabulous place. Place got very full in no time with many tiki people and many locals. Great drinks and turns out one of the bartenders is also a tiki carver. Every drink was great, plus a great assortment of rum. Made reservation for the bar again on Monday (although if you get there early you don't need them ).

Ballast Point

False Idol

Choose well

Day 10 and 11: Day 10 decompression with a lazy day at the PIFA (Pacific Islander Festival Association) with all kinds of food, crafts and goods from various islands and a walk over to Trader Mort's. Day 11 was a trip to Coronado Island and back to False Idol for opening and yet another great evening there.

Trader Mort's

Coronado Island

Coronado Island. Another tiki bar not open

False Idol

Artifacts at the False Idol

False Idol

Day 12 into L.A. and day 13: One of the things we try to do is to stay within walking distance of at least one of our destinations. We chose to stay near the Tiki Ti. Perhaps not the most luxurious area of LA, but worked out fine. After a stop at Oceanic Arts and a few purchases, first night was both tiki-free and alcohol-free. Attended a show that I drove to at the Nebulon (Endless Boogie and Träd, Gräs och Stenar for the curious). Day 13: a drive though Griffith Park because it's real close and then to the Tiki Ti for opening. We got there about 3 min. after opening and there was only one spot left at the bar, but no worries. Everyone said to go to Tiki Ti. They were so right. So much history, friendly people, great drinks and an ambiance that cannot be duplicated. Wed. night is special, if you can, go on a Wed. but note place can get really packed. Met Murph from The Tonga Hut and assured him we would be going there.

Griffith Park.. holy crap I'm in the batcave

Ray's Mistakes

Which colour? Blue.. no Red waaaaaah

Edited to add stuff

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-06 18:49 ]

[ Edited by: rum on the rideau 2018-10-07 04:58 ]

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Day 14 go big or go home: Warner Bros. Tour / Damon's / Kahuna Tiki / TikiNo / Tonga Hut. We were told by Murph and Mike Sr. at Tiki Ti to go to Damon's to see the place, so we booked an early WB Tour and headed to Damon's for lunch. So much decor. Certainly was worth the trip. Have the Chi Chi. Back for a nap. Subway to Kahuna Tiki. It's like a big backyard oasis. Nice reprieve from the hustle of LA. Drinks are more like beverages than cocktails. Food good. Walk from there to Tiki No. Notice on the door of new ownership. Apparently we learned that there have been many in a very short period of time. While nicely decorated and the drinks were ok, no real conversations going on. One drink and Uber to Tonga Hut. Now we're talking. So many people engaged in conversations. Many wanting to talk tiki and the trip. "Did you go here?". Murph was still there and gave us a tour and we got a chance to say Hi to Marie whom we also met at the Hukilau this year. Stayed there until closing. Again great history, people, and drinks. Great place. Thanks again Murph.

WB tour

Damon's

Damon's

Kahuna Tiki

Kahuna Tiki

Tiki No

Tonga Hut

Tonga Hut

Tonga Hut

Day 15: Downtown LA and Clifton's. We were also told not to miss Pacific Seas so we subwayed downtown checked out The Biltmore Hotel (there was a major film shoot going on) and The Bradbury Bldg. and few other downtown icons before hitting Pacific Seas at opening. Wow. What an amazing place. The decor is astounding in all the rooms. The cafeteria was closed for renos (the story of this trip it seems), but everything else was open. Stayed for a few drinks then back to Tiki Ti's.

Biltmore

Bradbury bldg "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain..."

Clifton's Pacific Seas

Clifton's Pacific Seas

Day 16 LA one more day: Hollywood / Lono Subway again to Chinese Theatre and shopped until opening for Lono. Quite the show on Hollywood. Lono is a very large place with a second full service bar at the back. Very good drinks and good food. Back to pack and one more quick walk to Tiki Ti. Special thanks to Mike Sr., Mike Jr, and Greg at Tiki Ti for an amazing time.

Lono

Lono

Lono

Tiki Ti

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Last 3 days Disneyland. Enchanted Tiki Room was under reno as was Tangaroa Terrace. Such is life. 3 day pass. 2 days Disneyland, one day California Adventure. We did as many of the old-school rides as possible. Sunday was the non-Disney official annual Tiki Day attended by a large number of locals and fan club members, so we joined them for a few of the publicly announced events. Pretty neat to see so many tiki-philes all in one place. Was asked numerous times, about all the tiki people and the response after explaining was always 'Oh fun', "Why didn't I know about this?" or something similar. The park was packed so we left the park a little early to also beat the throng of tiki people heading to Trader Sam's. It was Hallowe'en and the parks were done up for the occasion big time. Trader Sam's is great and yes those damn eyes move. We went twice. Disney ... yay! Long trip, probably at bit too busy on the home stretch, but now have a carry-on full of goodies and we finally made to some of the great places people have told us to visit.

Trader Sam's day 1

California Adventure

Trader Sam's day 2

My mug now

Last drink at Sam's

One last Dole Whip

The swag

Wow! Great job on packing in the Tiki locations. Thanks for your posts and all of the photos!

Thanks for the info and all the pictures.

Thanks for the report. I'm headed back to LA next April. Tiki-Ti will likely be closed for their spring break, so I won't be able to make a return visit, but you've given me some ideas for other places to visit.

Oahu Kauai last year. A few pics first from Oahu

Earl's at House Without a Key Hawaiian Village Home Bar at Gecko'z South Seas Arts Ilikai La Mariana Royal Hawaiian Monkeypod Skull and Crown Skull & Crown

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Kauai Bill Collins Marquesan Nuku Nuku Havaiki GalleryFront Mamahunes Tahiti Nui Tiki Iniki

San Francisco and Bay Area Sept - Oct 2023

Prologue: We elected not to get a rental car, so we we focused on the Bay Area proper. Tip: If you are over 65 you can get a senior clipper transportation card good for BART, ferry, cable cars, and inter-city buses at great savings. You can get them at the Embarcardero stop or the Ferry Terminal. I would go to Ferry Terminal and get a Secret Breakfast Ice Cream at Humphry Slocombe's while you are there.

With the price of hotels through the roof during the week in downtown SF, we decided to stay in Emeryville next to Trader Vic's for the first few days and then move just before the weekend to the Orchard at Bush & Powell. First, a few random pics just to prove we didn't only spend our time lurking in bars. Powell and Pine Powell & Pine Japanese Tea Garden Golden Gate Park GG Bridge de Young Museum SF Skyline

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Part 1 Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville: The Kon-Tiki, Forbidden Island, Trader Vic's.

Note: Trader Vic's closed Mon and Tues. Tip: Emeryville has a free shuttle running weekdays that does a loop through the area and ends up at the BART.

Being Tues we headed to Kon-Tiki using free Emeryville shuttle and then BART for drinks and The Burger. When locals are coming in and getting the burger to go, it's gonna be good. Nice local place. Drinks: Princess of Mars, Lunar Camel, Pale Blue Dot, Kon-Tiki Grog, all good.

From there Uber to Forbidden Island. Met co-founder Michael and a group of tiki regulars. Very good drinks. Drinks: Island Mai Tai, Forbidden Island (w. mug), Lei Lani Volcano, Rum Barrel. Great tiki atmosphere. Uber home. Up too many hours for Kona Club.

Next day spent afternoon walking the boardwalk and then out to the end of Emeryville Marina Park and stopping at TV's on way back for Crab Rangoon, a Moku Nani, and a coffee. Back for dinner with a TV Swizzle and a Banana Dream to match the new mug. Dinner was great and then 2 goodbye Mai Tai's at bar before leaving. Pretty magical place. Trader Vic's and their possible closure was the original reason for going. They do have a reprieve of 4 more years. So we'll see.

Kon-Tiki Kon-Tiki Kon-Tiki

Trader Vic's Trader Vic's Trader Vic's Trader Vic's Trader Vic's

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SF and Bay Area Road Trip Sept-Oct 2023 Part 2/3: Luau Lounge, Buena Vista, Tonga Room, Zombie Village, Bourbon & Branch. Tip: always have ID. Most of the bars require ID regardless of your age.

Luau Lounge: for completists only. Tiki bars are like Pokemon, aren't they. If you are at Pier 39 to see the seal lions, it's right there. Nice view.

Buena Vista: A good walk from Pier 39. Classic old school bar opened in 1916 famous for their Irish Coffee. Scored an Anchor Steam Beer. Anchor was shut down by it's parent company Sapporo this summer after 127 years and bottles are becoming scarce. Right at the end/beginning of cable car route.

Tonga Room: Tip: Cable car wait can be lengthy. Get on at a later stop, they always leave room or go on the California route, no one goes on that one. Cable car right to the door of the Tonga Room. As many have noted, incredible venue, good food, drinks meh. Got in before band started, so no cover charge (thanks for that tip). Despite drinks, not to be missed.

Zombie Village: about a 15 min. walk (downhill) from Tonga Room (went while still daylight). Located in the Tenderloin district which, to us, didn't appear as bad as reported, still not very good by a long shot. Great drinks, very cool venue. Very empty that night however, so not a lot of interaction.

Bourbon and Branch: right next door to ZV. Cool speakeasy location dating back to prohibition. "Password required."

Luau Lounge Luau Lounge Buena Vista

Tonga Room Tonga Room Tonga Room Zombie Village Zombie Village Zombie Village

Bourbon & Branch

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SF and Bay Area Road Trip Sept-Oct 2023 Part 3/3: : Pagan Idol, Honey Honey, Li Po, Last Rites, Smuggler's Cove,

Pagan Idol: Happily was just a few blocks from hotel. Great decor, really good drinks and great staff. Tip: no food, but there is an L&L Hawaiian BBQ just around the corner. Spencer our server, was a great purveyor of drinks and local bar history. Being so close to hotel we were able to visit a second time.

. Pagan Island

Honey Honey: Old location of past Tiki Bob's, now a breakfast lunch venue, but thanks to more Spencer info, a bit of tiki history it is also half a block from Trader Vic Lane, location of former TV San Francisco (now a high end Vietnamese restaurant).

A Tiki Bob Trader Vic Alley with a Tiki Bob in background

Li Po: Somewhat close to Pagan Idol just up Grant Ave. through Chinatown. Great dive bar serving the Chinese Mai Tai. The Li Po opened in 1937 as a nightclub. In the later years the basement was a venue for Asian punk bands.

Li Po Li Po

Last Rites: Very well done crashed vintage airplane in the jungle themed venue. Very good drinks. When asked others what bars were not to be missed. Last Rites was always on the list, rightly so.

Last Rites Last Rites Last Rites Last Rites

Smuggler's Cove: On top of most lists for good reason, everything is top notch. Decor, drinks, and staff. There is an amazing rum club. The night we were there a "master" reached the lofty mark of 1000 different rums, and also a cocktail club. Venue is tiny on 3 levels with bars on main and lower level. Got a chance to have a quick chat with the very busy owner Martin Cate. Warranted a second visit while we were there.

Smugglers Cove Smugglers Cove Smugglers Cove ![20230930_172219] Smuggler's Cove

The Swag

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Very nice write up and photos.