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Tiki Roadtrip: Los Angeles-Florida |
TikiMango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Posts: 798
From: Satellite Beach, FL
|  Posted: 2008-07-11 1:50 pm Permalink
Spring 2009 I plan to drive cross-country from Los Angeles, Ca to Satellite Beach, Fl. I thought it would be interesting to see what tiki locations I could fit into my road trip, given that I don't have an unlimited revenue stream or time limit.
Driving East, I can bounce between the I-10 and I-40, then options open up to include the I-20 when I hit Texas. So if you were taking this trip, what locations would you hope to visit?
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Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2402
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2008-07-11 2:02 pm Permalink
• The Kon Tiki in Tucson
• Trader Vic's in Dallas
• Trader Vic's in Atlanta
Take pictures and good luck.
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2008-07-11 2:07 pm Permalink
This trip sounds exciting.
Hope you have a good efficient car!
Gas prices have curtailed my road trippin' lately...
The very, very best advice I can give you is to AVOID INTERSTATES.
You aren't going to see anything worth seeing in the interstate. If you're in a hurry to get where you're going, just fly. If you are going to take a road trip, then take routes where you will actually see something cool.
Map out some old US Highways (usually magenta lines on maps, and they often run parallel - or nearly so - to interstates) and take those. THAT is where all of the old motels, diners, crazy old towns that time forgot, antique malls, tourist traps, historical markers, etc etc etc are to be found.
Take Route 66 from LA to Texas, for starters, and then pick up some other routes from Texas to Florida.
Have fun!
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- James T.
My new book is "Destination: Cocktails": www.destinationcocktails.com.
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See www.tydirium.net for Tiki Road Trip, global travelogues, and more!
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1766
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2008-07-13 4:15 pm Permalink
James and Bora Boris speak the truth! Avoid I-10 unless you're in a hurry, because as long as you drive on it, you will get there fast, but you won't see a thing. Once you're in Florida, drive along 98 some to see the beaches a bit, and somewhere around Tallahasee, drive state road 19-27. You'll drive through some small towns that, while not great, are a hell of a lot better than what you'll see on I-10. Around Ocala, you will see some beautiful horse farms. It's not tiki, but (other than the Mai-Kai) you're not really expecting to find tiki in Florida are you? 
I second the motion to not miss Trader Vic's in Dallas and Atlanta. I haven't been to the Dallas location yet, but I know it's great based on everything I've seen and heard. As for Vic's Atlanta, it's everything tiki should be.
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2008-07-13 8:16 pm Permalink
Oh, and yeah: Atlanta trader vic's is in my top three Vic's (along with Emeryville and Tokyo).
Quote:
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On 2008-07-13 16:15, GatorRob wrote:
(other than the Mai-Kai) you're not really expecting to find tiki in Florida are you?
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_________________
- James T.
My new book is "Destination: Cocktails": www.destinationcocktails.com.
Get "Big Stone Head: Easter Island and Pop Culture" at: www.bigstonehead.com.
See www.tydirium.net for Tiki Road Trip, global travelogues, and more!
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2079
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2008-07-14 04:43 am Permalink
Old Highway 90 along the Gulf Coast. It will take you through all of the smaller coastal towns, in Mississippi will take you through some real good eats, in Alabama will take you through some old-world charm, in Florida will take you past some beautiful beaches.
Of course, that makes Atlanta hard to make..... so never mind. Trader Vics Atlanta is a must!
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AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2004
From: So FL
| Posted: 2008-07-14 06:41 am Permalink
C&A - Hwy 90 parallels I-10 and takes you through the heart of the Panhandle, but not even close to the beach. That would be Hwy 98 with all of the beautiful beach scenery - its a slow trip.
I can't advise West of Louisiana so I'll stick to Florida. From Pensacola drive along 98 and stop at the beaches (East of Destin is the road 30A they may be the nicest beaches in all of FL). Warm water, sugar white beaches and not overly crowded. Continuing East shoot up to Marianna (north of Panama City) to visit the FL Caverns (the only caves in FL). You can jump back on I-10 and head East to Central FL where you HAVE to stop and swim in a spring. If you move to Satellite Beach the Springs are very close and a MUST SEE!
Have fun and welcome to the FL ohana!
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2008-07-14 06:52 am Permalink
I love that here, tourist trap is a good thing! Bring them on!
You'll be going south of my knowledge base. From Atlanta, the highway south to Florida is either 411 or 11, but that's maybe not where you intend to go.
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ikitnrev
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 1298
From: D.C. / Virginia
| Posted: 2008-07-14 10:16 am Permalink
From the Dallas Trader Vics, you could swing along the I-30/I-40 corridor (I agree with above comments, take non-interstate if you can work it into your schedule) and make it to the Omni Hut, just south of Nashville, and from there go to the Atlanta Trader Vics.
You could also add in a visit to Elvis's Jungle Room in Memphis.
If you approach Florida/Satellite Beach from the north you can stop at Julians and the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach.... on the other hand, coming from the west you could pay a visit to the Weeki Wachee mermaids or Silver Springs .... there are many other worthy non-tiki sites you may want to stop along the route.
Last year I drove roundtrip (non-interstate, two different routes) from western Texas (Marfa) to the Austin area - there was a definite difference in scenery between two routes that run parallel 70 miles apart. Consider buying a road atlas that highlights the more scenic routes (often designated by a green dashed line)
Google Maps has a nice interface, which lets you interactively adjust waypoints along a route - so you can quickly and easily see the difference in mileage between the more northern Nashville route and the southern Pensacola route.
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TikiMango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Posts: 798
From: Satellite Beach, FL
| Posted: 2008-07-14 1:51 pm Permalink
Mahalo for the continued information . I am using Google Maps to create a custom map for my course. Dragging around the icons lets me see what is doable for the actual trip, and what would be a fantasy trip. I think I will save the Florida sight seeing for after I get settled in. I haven't lived there in 12yrs, I'm sure I'll have a lot of local exploration to do.
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JS Glass Art
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jul 02, 2008
Posts: 26
From: Bay Area, Calif.
| Posted: 2008-07-19 08:03 am Permalink
I think the Scottsdale Trader Vic's is worth a stop. And stay at the Valley Ho hotel next door. It's not tiki, but it is very cool retro. You expect to see the Rat Pack wandering the grounds. Or another retro hotel in Scottsdale is the Papago Inn. Very cheap, kind of tacky, and gorgeous grounds. Supposedly it was where old Hollywood hung out while in Scottsdale. And it's close to Trader Vic's.
I also second driving north to Emeryville Trader Vic's and, of course, Forbidden Island.
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David
Member
Joined: Aug 21, 2008
Posts: 8
From: Denver
| Posted: 2008-08-21 06:07 am Permalink
Just came back from a week in Florida and it was a blast. Daytona Beach has some really nice spots, you'll like it. Fortunately enough I did't have to spend my money on a hotel (crashed at a friend's place who owns some Florida property, came in quite handy  ) so I had more money to spend for the parties and the restaurants. Just one week of BBQ's, beach and party. Life can't get much better than this.
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TikiMango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Posts: 798
From: Satellite Beach, FL
| Posted: 2009-01-20 09:18 am Permalink
I built a custom map using Google Maps, tried to locate places along the route from CA to FL. I'm not sure if I will be able to hit every place, as it will be determined on actual drive times, and what time of day I actually hit all the places. Locations in West and South FL I will probably have to skip (except for the Mai Kai) until after I get settled. As you can see, there are a few "bare areas" in States like New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Any suggestions?
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108192487034102173648.000451c61e11d8f98042b&z=5&mid=1232471541
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-01-20 12:36 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-01-20 09:18, TikiMango wrote:
As you can see, there are a few "bare areas" in States like New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Any suggestions?
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TikiMango,
My advice to you is to pick up a copy of James' book Tiki Road Trip. It it you will find the most comprehensive listing of Tiki establishments across the US.
DC
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TikiMango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Posts: 798
From: Satellite Beach, FL
| Posted: 2009-01-20 6:03 pm Permalink
Done! That is how I found the locations that I listed. I was curious to see if there were some new or local spots that might not have made it into the 2nd edition.
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