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Waitoma Grotto - Holly, MI |
tikifish
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2720
From: Toronto,Canada
|  Posted: 2002-12-01 5:35 pm Permalink
Welcome to Holly Gardens Rehab Centre, formerly Hawaiian Gardens! Tai'd on one too many Mai Tai's? Experiencing Rumaki Remorse? You've come to the right place!
Looks like the scavengers got here first - parts of the facade where one would expect a tiki to be seemed to have been ripped right off.
Come in and stay a while in our luxury motel! We have all the amenities - plywood windows, natural 'frost-ee' air conditioning, and more!
The Grande Room features it's own eames-esque orange ashtray, and a view of the 'sno-kapped' geodesic dome!
Mind you, if you want to stay, you have to follow a few simple rules...
From our luxury jet age styled waiting room, you can see out across beautiful lake Mauna Loa! (not pictured).
All jocularity aside - this is the photo that makes you wanna cry - you can tell by looking at this one just how SCHVANK this joint must have been in it's heyday.
Thanks to Sabu and BigBro for the Additional info, and thanks to my husband's grandparents for driving me there to make this moment of urban archaeology possible.
A bientot,
The intrepid tikifish
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tikifish
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2720
From: Toronto,Canada
| Posted: 2002-12-01 7:39 pm Permalink
Oh yeah - it is for sale, if any of you are interested!
The lake it lies on really is called 'lake mauna loa' though it is more of an overgrown pond... and just down the stret is the hawaiian gardens trailer park! (the sign has unfortunately been 'updated' so I didnt bother with a picture).
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2789
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2002-12-02 12:32 pm Permalink
Thanks for doing all that legwork, Tikifish! It's fascinating to see pictures of what's left. It looks like they kept that A-frame entrance but gave it a faux-Danish makeover at one time. I bet the removed the Moais at that time. And I was wondering about that "Lake" that you could see through one of the restaurant windows in the postcard. Thanks for clearing up the mystery.
I'm still surprised that there's not a lot more anecdotal information on such a large restaurant complex like that.
Sabu
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midnite
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 1230
From: 37? 47' N, 122? 26' W
| Posted: 2002-12-02 1:43 pm Permalink
Wow, gosh...truly informative and entertaining. Thanks to tikifish, Sabu, bigbro...and all the little people that made this topic possible.
This shoulda been a PBS special. "The Rise and Fall of..."
Excellent reading!
midnite
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johntiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 31, 2002
Posts: 1525
From: MD
| Posted: 2002-12-02 10:26 pm Permalink
I feel privileged to have witnessed this entire project unfold...amazing research and archaeological work! Wow!! From menu to documentation to photographed remains in only a short amount of time...excellent job to all those involved!!
_________________
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Reever
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 07, 2002
Posts: 97
From: Dallas, Texas
| Posted: 2002-12-05 5:28 pm Permalink
MAN! I was just thrilled to be having a drink in Tiki style with my wife, sister-in-law and brother-in-law in the lovely Chin's (http://www.tikifish.com/chins.html) on the way to the airport, thankful to Fishy for the great tip...
and now I discover she just stashed me away so that she could be the first to make new Michigan Tiki finds????
Just, kiddin, kid. Thanks so much for a great time at Chin's. I'll post my pics soon. Pretty soon, you'll have a great string of Tiki reststops for those of us who have to visit friends and family in Michigan over the holidays!
By the way, she's right about Frankenmuth. That entire town is one entire themepark, part North Pole, part Disney-style Bavaria. It's a hoot. Check it out.
_________________
Reever
reever@hotmail.com
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Trader Woody
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2301
From: Tiki Manor, Forest of Bowland,UK
| Posted: 2002-12-05 5:59 pm Permalink
An amazing story. Well done to all involved!
I'd like to think that with the current atmosphere, these sad tales will become the rarity rather than the norm. Fingers crossed.
I can't help but think though that any Tiki Centralite with a rum problem might find that this isn't the best place to cure their addiction.
Trader Woody
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Alnshely
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 974
From: Oceanside CA
| Posted: 2002-12-05 6:45 pm Permalink
Im amazed. I thought it was cool when the Fish found that obscure Tiki bar with the mexitiki flavor, but, this lost paradise is so Zazz. I imagine TikiFish trudging thru the frozen North in her Eskimo gear looking for her own "Lost Horizon". Only to find the tropical shangrila had turned into a shaby rehab(irony). Great assist from Sabu, great graphics. One of my favorite posts of all time.
Mahalo,
Al
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tikifish
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2720
From: Toronto,Canada
| Posted: 2002-12-06 06:45 am Permalink
Alnshely, that pretty much describes my life in my spare time ha ha!
If I'm not hunting the elusive northern tiki bar in my parka, Im taking photos of the streetmattresses hoping my camera doesnt freeze to my face.
When I was taking pics of Hawaiian Gardens, I turned around and lo and behold, a stack of 20 mattresses was by the shed out back. 2 hobbies, one stone. It was a great day for the tikifish.
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tikifish
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2720
From: Toronto,Canada
| Posted: 2004-11-24 9:45 pm Permalink
bump
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Lake Surfer
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 21, 2002
Posts: 3375
From: Milwaukee, WI
| Posted: 2004-11-25 12:56 am Permalink
Wow... thanks for the bump... great tale from start to finish and great work by all researchers!
I may have to see if anything remains as the wife and I will be out to the Christmas party at Chin's on December 4th...
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 11003
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2004-11-25 07:40 am Permalink
Ideed, a shining example of urban archeology!
Amazing how close you were in time, a little earlier, and Jane might have stumbled into the auction of the remains...
Sabu and Jane, will you allow me to publish this? I always felt I did not have enough before-and-after pics in the BOT, I should put this at the end of my Polynesian Pop recap chapter in the Witco book.
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tikifish
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2720
From: Toronto,Canada
| Posted: 2004-11-25 1:18 pm Permalink
Sure - I think those are the actual size of the shots though, so not very good resolution for publishing. 640 x 480 I think?
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2789
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2004-11-25 7:22 pm Permalink
No prob, Bigbro.
I can get you higher-resolution scans of the original postcards if you like, PLUS, I've since acquired a new postcard from this place, PLUS, I've got the dinner plate with the maori-style he-tiki on the rim
Sabu
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FreakBear
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: 361
From: Springfield, Ohio
| Posted: 2004-11-25 7:35 pm Permalink
I may be able to dig out a photo from its German-themed motel days. Mid 90's if I'm thinking of the right place.
-FB
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