E Komo Mai

Aloha, E Komo Mai . That is what I felt once I began to dig into the various web sites devoted to all things Tiki. Tiki Central in particular is an amazing amalgam of History, Art, Music and Culture surrounding the original Tiki movement of the 1950s and 1960s; and all the way through todays’ modern tiki revivial. You can even get tips and view other people’s home-built tiki bars.

For someone like me who loves history; and then to merge this interest with my recent love of Hawaii and the relaxed, ‘Aloha’ vibe was a perfect fit.

Another web site for a history lover like me is Critiki.com. Though by no means a complete catalog, it lists many old and current “Tiki” sites around the world. It even has a mobile optimized version which can help you locate near you any tiki places. I often times refer also to the “Locating Tiki” message boards on tikicentral.com also, since these can sometimes get very in-depth and contain many images which spark ones imagination. There are around 31 pages full of links to various old and current tiki wonderlands. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time just to see how these places looked in their heyday.

Here’s a place which existed in the town I grew up in, Burbank; Yet I never went there while it basked in the glory of the South Seas Island theme.. these days it is just a somewhat nautical themed generic restaurant.

Aloha for now!