seattle

My Tiki Origins #1 The Haunted House At Knoebels Grove, PA

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Lifestyle 2 Comments
Knoebels Grove
Knoebels Grove

Every journey starts with a first step, but sometimes you may forget when and where that first step might have been. When it comes to the living the Tiki lifestyle, it usually starts by walking into your first Tiki bar. Then you hit another. Then you buy a Tiki mug. Then you buy another, etc.

I can remember my first Tiki bar. It was Hula Hula in Seattle, WA…

Hula Hula
Hula Hula

The year was 2006. In theory, Hula Hula should’ve been my first step in the Tiki world, but actually, it wasn’t. My first step was at an amusement park in Pennsylvania called Knoebels Grove…

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Smuggler’s Cove Book Signing At Rumba Seattle 8/4/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Books
Smuggler's Cove Book Signing at Rumba Seattle
Smuggler’s Cove Book Signing at Rumba Seattle

There is a new wave of Tiki coming our way and Martin and Rebecca Cate have written the manual. That book is called Smuggler’s Cove which is named after Martin’s Tiki Bar in San Francisco. This book covers every aspect of Tiki and is a must for every Tikiphile out there! I did a full review of Smuggler’s Cove. Click here to check it out.

Smuggler's Cove Book
Smuggler’s Cove Book

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Happy Tiki Birthday To Me! The Diller Room Seattle 7/5/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Lifestyle
Justin making drinks at The Diller Room
Justin making drinks at The Diller Room

For our birthdays, my friends and I take each other out for dinner. We have been doing this for many years. I personally don’t need anything and having a night out with friends is the best gift ever.  Instead of taking me out to dinner this year, my friends Kim and Gregg decided to take me out for Tiki drinks. That was fine with me!

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Tiki VIP #3 Peter Andrijeski (Seattlebars.org)

Posted by Ray on in Tiki VIP
Pete owner of The Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge
Pete, owner of the Monkey Skull Voodoo Lounge

What is the oldest bar in Seattle?

I’m finding out that the answer isn’t as simple as it might seem. I definitely got this sense as I’m talking with Peter Andrijeski of Seattlebars.org. “You have to think about a few things,” Peter said. How long has the bar been in business? How old is building? A bar may be in a building that’s really old, but that doesn’t mean the bar itself is that old as well. The correct answer is the Merchant’s Café, which is located in the oldest part of Seattle: Pioneer Square.

A few years ago, Peter had the grand idea to have a drink at every bar in Seattle. That’s right gang: every bar in Seattle. How would one go about doing this? Can this even be accomplished? Peter was going to find out!

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Tiki Field Report #6 Tiki Night at Rumba Seattle 5/11/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Field Reports
Rumba Tiki night menu
Rumba Tiki night menu

“I’ll stop the world and melt with you…”

Who out there remembers that classic ’80s tune from Modern English? I know two people for sure and a few nights ago they were sitting with me at Rumba Seattle. My friends Coco and Zak were going to see Modern English play at the Neumos, from which Rumba is only a few blocks away. I really only know that one song from Modern English, so I didn’t join them for the show. When I thought about it, I asked myself, “Did Modern English have any other hits?” I was talking with Zak and we came to the conclusion that if Modern English played their hit first, everyone would leave right afterwards!

It was Wednesday, which is Tiki Night at Rumba. I asked Coco and Zak if they’d want to meet up for some drinks before they head to the show. They said “Yes,” to which I said, “Great, it’s a date!”

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #3 The Harpoon Saloon at The Moon Lagoon

Posted by Ray on in Home Tiki Bars

 

The bar at the Harpoon Saloon photo by John
The bar at the Harpoon Saloon photo by John

Unincorporated King County.

It’s an area of Seattle that isn’t really Seattle. Actually, Unincorporated King County isn’t part of Seattle at all—or any other city for that matter. It’s kind of an interesting area: no stores, no downtown, just clusters of homes off random streets that seem to lead to nowhere. However, this is where one of the coolest Tiki bars in the Seattle area is located. It’s where you’ll find the Harpoon Saloon at the Moon Lagoon!

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Tiki Field Report #5 Tacoma Cabana 5/6/16

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Field Reports
Robyn and Hanjing at Tacoma Cabana
Robyn and Hanjing at Tacoma Cabana

“No, I have never been to (insert Tiki bar here)” may be one of my favorite things to hear. It’s always fun to take friends out for a good time at a Tiki bar, especially if they’ve never been to one. Friends will order drinks that are stronger than what they’re used to. People let their hair down and things are more fun because everyone is just a little bit more tipsy than usual. At the end of the night, if I can turn someone new onto Tiki bars, I’ve done my job.

I hadn’t seen my friends Hanjing and Chris for a long time. We all used to go rock climbing together a few years back. I was totally into climbing until I realized that I have a fear of heights and it never went away. I moved on to other interests, but Hanjing and Chris never stopped. Good for them!

I told Hanjing and Chris about Tacoma Cabana down in Tacoma. They were interested in going, but there was one condition: we were going to go climbing the next day. Fair enough. It would be cool to throw my climbing shoes on and hit the rocks again.

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Tiki VIP #2 Dawn Frasier Sophista-Tiki

Posted by Ray on in Tiki Lifestyle, Tiki VIP 2 Comments
Dawn Frasier Sophista-Tiki breaking all the rules.
Dawn Frasier Sophista-Tiki: breaking all the rules.

David Bowie. We all loved him and his music. But why? What made him so special? I believe it was because Bowie always was two steps ahead of everyone else. He truly was a trendsetter. It takes guts to be into something no one else is doing and to break all the rules on how something is supposed to be done.

Bowie was a music trendsetter. Tiki has its own trendsetters. The Tiki revival started in the ’90s. Dawn Frasier was already ahead of the rest of us. She was living the Tiki lifestyle back in the ’80s.

Remember the ’80s? It was a decade of new wave and pop music, arcades and Atari, and bad clothing and hairstyle choices! Pastel pants and mullets: need I say more? While we were watching MTV, Dawn was painting Tiki landscapes and collecting Mid-Century furniture. When the ’90s finally came around and we started rediscovering Tiki culture, Dawn had already lived in Fiji for a few years.

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