Seattle tikiphiles at Hula Hula, photo by monkeyskull

Swanky’s pufferfish lamps at Hula Hula,
photo by Exoticat

My hopes for Hula Hula were not high, but I’m so happy to hear that the local Seattle tikiphiles have made a couple visits to Hula Hula, and they like the place a lot. It sounds like some changes are coming to the drink recipes, and it looks like the place is darker and moodier than the Hula Hula website would suggest — and you regular readers know what a sucker I am for a dark bar. The music selections still sound incongruous to the decor, but as mentioned earlier, booking Lushy to play a show there is a huge step in the right direction.

The local tikiphiles are planning on meeting up there the third Thursday of every month, with the first get-together happening on February 15. If you live in the area and would like to get to know other tiki-lovin’ people, I can personally vouch for them — the Seattle tikiphiles are near & dear to my heart. Perhaps Hula Hula will play some Exotica or some old hapa haole music for them on those days? Or better yet, hire Selector Lopaka to lend them a hand with the music!

There are some pictures of a recent Tiki Central gathering at Hula Hula here, along with some of their reviews of the place. I have no idea what the glass bananas are about.

• Hula Hula, New Tiki Bar in Seattle [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Hula Hula
• Seattle: Lushy at Hula Hula [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Hula Hula Happy Hour ~ Third Thursdays ~ Seattle [Tiki Central]
• Selector Lopaka, Sundays at Fu Kun Wu [Humu Kon Tiki]
• HulaHula TwoTwo - Sat 1/27 6:30pm [Tiki Central]

Lushy, at the Polynesian Room in Vancouver, B.C.

Lushy, a darling bossa/exotica, loungey-but-dancey band based out of Seattle, is playing a show at Hula Hula on Wednesday, February 7. Lushy sounds so good in nice, intimate spaces, and Hula Hula’s space is probably just about perfect for them. It’s a great opportunity to give Hula Hula a whirl — early reports are that Hula Hula is a neat space, but that the modern/rock music played there is a mismatch — and my guess is that Lushy will give the place the mojo it may be missing.

Lushy’s eponymous album

Vocalist Annabella Kirby leads the gang of stylish pop musicians through infectious songs that sound like they could have come off a ’60s European soundtrack. Two of my favorite songs of theirs are “French 75,” a cheeky ode to the francophone life, and “Bella Beretta,” an homage to Annabella’s kick-ass, Vespa ridin’ momma (as seen pictured on the cover of their album). If you can’t make it to hear them in Seattle, I recommend picking up their self-titled album, put out by Dionysus Records.

Lushy at Hula Hula
9:30 pm, no cover
106 1st Ave. N.

• Lushy
• Hula Hula, Seattle [Critiki]
• Hula Hula, New Tiki Bar in Seattle [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Lushy [Amazon.com]

Selector Lopaka

I while back, I shared a reverie about my days in Seattle, when I could be found reliably once a week at Fu Kun Wu in Ballard, to hear Selector Lopaka spin Exotica tunes. Ahhhhh… those were good days. I’ve tried to convince Selector Lopaka to come move down to San Francisco, so that I can hear him every week once again; while I think I’m making progress, so far he hasn’t actually budged. But someday… someday I will succeed.

That makes it that much more urgent that you discover this Seattle treasure before I steal him away from you. He’s been on hiatus from Fu Kun Wu for a while now, but he’s starting up again, this time on Sunday nights.

Selector Lopaka - 6ish-9ish every Sunday
Fu Kun Wu
(back bar of Thaiku)
5410 Ballard Ave

• Spinning EXOTICA and more Sunday nights @ Fu Kun Wu in Seattle (Updated 01/07) [Tiki Central]
• Lopaka Sound
• Selector Lopaka Tuesday Nights in Seattle [Humu Kon Tiki]

Hula Hula, a new tiki bar in Seattle, photo from Hula Hula website

Seattle has a new tiki bar, near the Seattle Center, called Hula Hula. It’s in the space nextdoor to Tini Bigs (once upon a time, this space was a nightclub called the Romper Room, and I spent many an evening there shaking my tiny hiney). Hula Hula is run by the same folks who run Tini Bigs. Seattle once had a rich tiki history, but now virtually all traces of vintage tiki are gone; those holding their breath for a comeback of true tiki in Seattle will have to keep biding their time at the new Trader Vic’s in Bellevue. Hula Hula looks to be more about tiki as kitch.

The drink menu holds lots of familiar names (Mai Tai, Navy Grog, Shark’s Tooth, Zombie), but sadly the recipes are anything but familiar. Or rather, they’re the sad side of familiar — that familiar sinking feeling you get when you see that the tropical drink menu you’re staring down is nothing but a pell-mell assortment of alcohol and pineapple juice. Don’t take my word for it — I haven’t been able to check this place out myself yet, obviously — but a look at their online drink menu doesn’t exactly have me excited. From what I’ve been able to gather, the local tikiphiles aren’t exactly beating a path to the door, either; the general reaction I’ve heard so far from folks in the area is something along the lines of “meh,” which is telling in a town that doesn’t really have much to offer in the way of tiki in the first place. The website has one of the sure “tells” of a letdown of a tiki place: the website trumpets “EVERYDAY $2 PBR”.

Hula Hula, a new tiki bar in Seattle, photo from Hula Hula website

But, like I said, don’t take my word for it. It’s hardly fair of me to judge a place so harshly without setting foot in it myself. Go out there and check it out yourself, and let me know what you think of it (rate it on Critiki, while you’re at it). There are plenty of tiki bars out there that have won my heart despite lackluster drinks (though it takes some pretty kick-ass decor [see: Bahooka, the Alibi, Kon-Tiki]). I would be extraordinarily pleased to hear that there is something loveable at Hula Hula.

• Hula Hula
• Hula Hula, Seattle [Critiki]
• Trader Vic’s, Bellevue [Critiki]
• Bahooka, Rosemead [Critiki]
• The Alibi, Portland [Critiki]
• Kon-Tiki Lounge, Tucson [Critiki]
• Seattle Times Article on Bellevue Trader Vic’s [Humu Kon Tiki]

A weekly review of my favorite among the many items Mimi Payne has posted to her Arkiva Tropika website in the past seven days:

Trader Vic’s Trading License, from Arkiva Tropika

This is a souvenir Trading License, given to customers in the ’40s at Trader Vic’s, granting the recipient “trading privileges.” This one was granted in 1945 to a couple after having dinner & a scorpion at the Oakland location.

Detail of a menu from the Islander in Stockton, from Arkiva Tropika

This is a bit hard to make out here, but I love this bit from a menu from the Islander in Stockton. “The Gourmet Deluxe Dinner” (“For those discriminating people”) cost $4.75 per person, and was served with a bottle of Paul Masson Rose Wine. Also: “The Islander is available for private parties, fashion shows or any special activity.”

Menu from Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, from Arkiva Tropika

This 1952 dinner menu, from the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, is just dag-flippity gorgeous. The artwork and color palette look like they could have come straight from a vintage rayon aloha shirt. The Halekulani, and its famous House Without a Key restaurant & bar, are still operating today.

’60s or ’70s postcard from the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika

With the sad news about the remodeling of the Islands Restaurant at San Diego’s Hanalei Hotel this week, Mimi pulled out a lot of great Hanalei & Islands items from her collection. Above is a great postcard from the ’60s or ’70s, showing how the front of the hotel used to look, including its famous sign, which was sadly removed a few years back.

’60s brochure for the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika

This brochure from the 1960s has lots of full-color pictures from the Hanalei’s heyday, inclulding views of the Islands Restaurant.

’60s postcard for the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika

Another postcard from the Hanalei has two different views of the Islands Restaurant.

Page from a ’60s cocktail menu from the Islands restaurant, from Arkiva Tropika

And this ’60s cocktail menu, from the early days of the Islands restaurant, features some fantastic illustrations of tropical cocktails.

’60s appetizer menu from Aku Aku in Las Vegas, from Arkiva Tropika

Another item inspired by a recent closing — this 1960s appetizer menu is from the Aku Aku in Las Vegas, which was part of the Stardust Casino for 20 years. Aku Aku closed in 1980, but the Stardust closed just last week.

’60s postcard from Trader Vic’s in Seattle, from Arkiva Tropika

This postcard shows the exterior entrance to the Trader Vic’s in Seattle, which was in the Benjamin Franklin Hotel (today it’s the Westin). The Seattle location was Vic’s second restaurant, after the original Oakland location; it was initially named the Outrigger, and was renamed Trader Vic’s later on to be consistent with the rest of the chain. This picture is from the 1960s. Trader Vic’s used birdcage lamps like these in several locations; when the Seattle Trader Vic’s closed in 1992, some of these lamps went to the then-new Crocodile Cafe a few blocks north, where they can still be seen today — perhaps even the lamps in this very postcard!

Gadzooks, Mimi went on a posting rampage this week! This is truly just a smidge of all the great things she posted — be sure to check it all out yourself at Arkiva Tropika.

• Arkiva Tropika
• souvenir certificate from Trader Vic’s - Oakland, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Trader Vic’s, Oakland [Critiki]
• dinner & cocktail menu from Islander - Stockton, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• The Islander, Stockton [Critiki]
• dinner menu from Halekulani Hotel - Waikiki, Hawaii [Arkiva Tropika]
• Islands Update: Here Come the Jackhammers [Humu Kon Tiki]
• postcard from Hanalei Hotel - San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Brochure from Hanalei Hotel - San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• postcard from Hanalei Hotel - San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• cocktail & appetizer menu from Islands- Hanalei Hotel, San Diego, CA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, San Diego [Critiki]
• Islands Restaurant, San Diego [Critiki]
• appetizer menu from Aku Aku - Las Vegas, Nevada [Arkiva Tropika]
• Aku Aku, Las Vegas [Critiki]
• postcard from Trader Vic’s - Seattle, WA [Arkiva Tropika]
• Trader Vic’s, Seattle [Critiki]

The Alibi in Portland, photo by Ace Jackelope

Ace Jackelope, a.k.a. Tikijackelope, is a kindred spirit, if ever I’ve encountered one. He travels the nation, visiting the best Americana ‘murica has to offer — especially tiki places — taking pictures all the way. His latest tiki-flavored adventure brought him to the northern wilderness of my youth, the Pacific Northwest. He’s taken some wonderful photos (pictures that handily trump the many I’ve taken) of the Alibi in Portland and the Islander in Seattle, and got a sneak peek at Portland’s Thatch. He also grabbed a few pics of the recently-closed Tiki Art Now show that was at Roq la Rue in Seattle. Special Lake Wobegon bonus: another recent post on his blog features Ace Jackelope sitting on the head of Garrison Keillor.

• Northwest Tiki [The Lope]
• The Alibi, Portland [Critiki]
• The Islander, Seattle [Critiki]
• Thatch, Portland [Critiki]
• Seattle: Tiki Art Now III [Humu Kon Tiki]

Scottsdale Trader Vic’s,
photo by Jackie Mercandetti
for the Phoenix New Times

This summer, Trader Vic’s returned to Scottsdale — Scottsdale’s original Vic’s operated from 1962 to 1990, and it was a legendary fixture on the local restaurant scene. However, the Phoenix New Times’ review of the new Scottsdale Trader Vic’s is a very interesting read (emphasis is mine):

I was hoping for a more straightforward experience — either a pan or a rave — but Trader Vic’s left me on a bamboo fence, both in terms of the food and the mood. The place felt slick and shiny and spacious. That’s a mistake. Flickering torches are only sexy in the dark, so I wasn’t keen on the high industrial ceiling and too-bright halogen lights.

The starkly missing sense of mystery at the newer Trader Vic’s locations is a common lamentation among tikiphiles, but it is interesting to now see that sentiment spelled out so plainly in a restaurant review. Trader Vic’s has an immense advantage in their strong brand recognition — time and again when explaining Polynesian Pop to someone, they will perk up and say “oh, you mean like Trader Vic’s!” and go on to relate a story of how much fun they had there years and years ago. That’s a powerful thing for a restaurant to have on its side. The Phoenix New Times reviewer, Michele Laudig, clearly had an expectation, and it wasn’t delivered on — and she can’t be alone. Why on earth would Trader Vic’s want to dilute the meaning of its brand?

Bellevue Trader Vic’s, photo by Tracy Anderson

Take the new Bellevue Trader Vic’s, pictured above. Does that look like a place that is going to transport you to an exotic land? Does that look like a place where a drink can be a vacation in a glass? I’ve seen dry cleaners with more character.

This comes at a time when the appreciation of Polynesian Pop is reaching new heights. With articles like the one in American Heritage Magazine last month, the awareness of Tiki is growing much wider, and not just as an ironic goof on the past — it’s a growing understanding that it doesn’t have to be tacky, that it can be tasteful, elegant, and fun in a way that is more about intrigue than camp. People are looking for an immersive experience again — they’re looking for a place that lets them cast away their cares, in favor of some time spent in another world, one that is full of dark corners and details to be discovered. These are things that Trader Vic’s once mastered, and no organization is better poised to take advantage of that. That’s what makes it so painful to see them drop the ball.

Restaurants are a risky business, to be sure, and expensive. But if you’re going to bother to play the game, you’ve got to be willing to take risks that allow you stand out from the pack. I know it can be done, because Forbidden Island did it — in a much smaller space, yes, but also with an infinitesimally smaller budget than Trader Vic’s has at its disposal. Today’s modern Trader Vic’s aren’t delivering the kind of dining experiences that you reminisce about decades later. That’s a terrible shame.

• Fair Trade [Phoenix New Times]
• Trader Vic’s, Scottsdale [Critiki]
• Trader Vic’s, Bellevue [Critiki]
• Tiki [American Heritage Magazine]
• Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge [Critiki]

Headlights, by Crazy Al Evans

The latest updates on this weekend’s Tiki Art Now show at Roq la Rue in Seattle’s Belltown district:

Shag Will Be There
Not only will there be art by Shag in the show, Shag will be there in person. Other artists who will be in attendance include Lisa Petrucci, Heather Watts, Dawn Fraiser, and Davey.

Busotica: A Seattle Tiki Junket
Some of the Tiki Central folks have organized a lunch at The Islander downtown, followed by a trip to four very excellent Seattle home tiki bars for Saturday, the day after the art opening. $15 gets you a seat on the bus, you can read more details in the thread on Tiki Central. Should be a great day!

View the Art
For us poor schmucks who can’t make it (or for those who can and can’t wait to see what’s in store), Roq la Rue has an online preview of the art.

You can also read my earlier Humu Kon Tiki post for more of the nitty-gritties. I won’t be able to be at the show myself, which has me a bit bummed (I’ll be drowning my sorrows at Hooptylau, so don’t feel too sorry for me). It will be a great weekend in Seattle, with some fab art and some of my favorite people — the Jet City Mucky Mucks.

• Seattle: Tiki Art Now III [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Roq la Rue
• Seattle: Jet City Junket ~ Home Bar Tour 16th [Tiki Central]

It’s All About the Tiki, by Thorsten Kasenkamm

More details about the Tiki Art Now III event in Seattle I first posted about in April:

The show is at Seattle’s Roq la Rue Gallery, in the Belltown district (also home to ‘Ohana and the Lava Lounge), and runs from Friday, September 15 thorugh Monday, October 9. Artists include:

• Shag
• Lisa Petrucci
• Bosko
• Tim Biskup
• Mr. G
• Brian Barneclo
• Wayne Coombs
• Davey (Dave Wong)
• Crazy Al Evans
• Dawn Frasier
• Thorsten Hasenkamm
• Munktiki Paul & Stuckie
• Tiki Tony
• Heather Watts
• Derek Yaniger

The opening event kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 15, and the evening will include a live performance from Seattle’s own Lushy, DJed music from Selector Lopaka, and a special mini-exhibit of vintage black velvet paintings by Burke Tyree. There will also be a limited edition mug created for the event by Munktiki, and Tiki Art Now posters and t-shirts, and a full-color catalog of the event with a forword from Tiki Art Now curator, Otto von Stroheim.

I’m hoping to make it up for this event — it looks like just the excuse I need to go hit my old stompin’ grounds.

• Roq la Rue
• Tiki Art Now III Coming to Seattle [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Tiki Art Now 3 Seattle Sept 15 w/ Lushy live [Tiki Central]

DJ Terrence Gunn has organized a two-day tour of some of Seattle’s home tiki bars, on August 5 and 6, 2006. On August 5, there will be a party at North Seattle’s Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge home bar, starting at 4 p.m. and lasting into the night, with food & drinks provided, and special giveaways. Music will be provided by Seattle’s own Selector Lopaka and DJ Terrence Gunn. The next day, there will be a six-hour chartered bus tour the home bars of West Seattle, with visits to The Castaway Lounge, The Shrunken Head Lounge, Zanzibar Lounge, and The Riviera Room. The whole weekend costs $50/person, and food, drinks, and the bus tour are included in the price of the ticket. For more details, and to make reservations, visit the event’s thread on Tiki Central.

• Seattle Area Home Bar Tour, August 5th & 6th, Ticket Reservations Now Being Taken

Detail of program from 1962 Seattle World’s Fair,
from the collection of Sabu the Coconut Boy

Sabu the Coconut Boy, freddiefreelance and puamana have all posted some amazing images and info about the Hawaii Pavilions at both the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Sabu’s Seattle collection includes several artists’ renderings of the pavilion, like the one above on the official program, and also photographs of its construction. The building was near where the Experience Music Project building is today, and in its final days housed a video game arcade. The New York World’s Fair collections include items from the 5 Volcanos restaurant, Moultray’s Polynesian restaurant, and promotional brochures for the “Road ot Polynesia,” complete with “Pearl Lagoon” where real pearls could be purchased.

• Tiki Archeology - The Hawaii Pavillion - 1962 Seattle World’s Fair (Image Heavy) [Tiki Central]
• Tiki Archeology - The Hawaii Pavillion - ‘64/’65 New York World’s Fair [Tiki Central]

Otto von Stroheim’s showcase of tiki in modern art will have its third incarnation in Seattle this fall. The two previous shows, 2004’s Tiki Art Now and 2005’s Tiki Art Two, took place in San Francisco’s Shooting Gallery. This year, the show is headed north to Kirsten Anderson’s celebrated Roq La Rue gallery in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. I went to Roq la Rue frequently when I lived in Seattle; Belltown’s Lava Lounge and ‘Ohana are within stumbling distance, in case you want to make a tiki crawl during the evening. The Roq la Rue website has the opening date as September 8, 2006, while Crazy Al’s website has it opening on September 15 — I’ll update this post with the actual date once I find it out.

UPDATE — Thanks, Kirsten! The shindig’s happening on September 15.

• Roq la Rue Gallery
• Lava Lounge, Seattle [Critiki]
• ‘Ohana, Seattle [Critiki]

Moonlight Paradise by Ramirez,
from Archie McPhee

Archie McPhee, the Seattle-based delightful crap purveyor (they are the retail outlet for Accoutrements), is offering this painting on their website for only $99, frame included. It’s 25″ x 19″, and is signed and numbered by the artist, Ramirez. The photo on the website isn’t large enough to get an idea of the quality, but it’s likely to hold true to the long-standing tradition (of both Archie McPhee and vintage behind-the-tiki-bar art) of being totally awful.

• Ramirez Paintings [Archie McPhee]

Witco carving
from Leilani Lanes

The last day for Leilani Lanes, a great old tiki-themed bowling alley in north Seattle, is coming this Friday. As a thank you to customers, bowling can be had at 1961 prices all this week. From 11 p.m. until midnight on Friday, a memorial-type service will be held, with Seattle’s own hula-hillbilly sweetheart Sweetpea playing some plaintive bagpipes.

Of course, most tikiphiles minds will leap to how one might acquire some of the fantastic vintage Witco carvings that stood watch over the Leilani for some forty-odd years. All of the equipment and furnishings, including Witco carvings, are to be auctioned off on Tuesday, April 11, starting at 10 a.m. Very full details, including some pictures, are available at the Murphy Co. auction site.

Last month, puamana took some exhaustive pictures of Leilani Lanes, highlighting every remaining Polynesian detail, and also some fascinating photos of a fashion show that took place in the bar in the ’70s — ooh la la! Check out those fantastic chairs in the bar area — if I was in Seattle and had the means, those would be right at the top of my auction shopping list.

• Leilani’s last night, this Friday (seattle) [Tiki Central]
• Leilani Lanes Auction, Apr. 11th, 2006 [James G. Murphy Co. Auctions]
• Goodbye Leilani Lanes: Seattle, WA [Tiki Central]
• Leilani Lanes to Be Demolished in Spring 2006 [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Leilani Lanes, Seattle [Critiki]

The weekend’s been a strange one. As you’ve probably seen, yesterday morning someone shot and killed six people at a party in Seattle, where I was born and lived for nearly 30 years. The shooting took place at the house of a friend of mine; thankfully he’s in the list of survivors. At least one of the people who died was a man who was a close friend of several of my friends. I don’t think I ever met him, but from what I’ve read about him, it sounds like he was a truly great guy. Interesting, warm and welcoming. Those people are my favorites, and the world needs more of them. Lots more of them. All it takes is one random nutjob to make you want to circle the wagons a little closer, wall off the new people and the outsiders. I’ve had it with nutjobs. 99% of the people out there are great, and worth opening your arms to. I thank my lucky stars that the nutjobs I’ve had to deal with are more the type to shoot themselves in the foot. I’ve cried a bit today for my friends; luckily they have a great network up there, and will not be lacking for emotional support.

Sorry to go all personal — this is the first time I’ve made a non-tiki post on Humu Kon Tiki, and I definitely won’t be making a habit of it.