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Tiki History - The Tahitian Village in Downey, CA |
Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
|  Posted: 2003-07-03 12:23 pm Permalink
Don't feel bad for me that I wasn't able to join you all at the Hukilau in Ft. Lauderdale last weekend. I had hours of fun looking through my postcard collection instead (Yes I'm bitter). And I couldn't wait to show you another splendid image of tiki-architecture from days gone by (god, I wish I could see the Mai-Kai).
This week, puamana and I are posting items from the Tahitian Village restaurant in Downey, California (I bet Florida was nice). Unfortunately, this tiki-temple was just torn down in the summer of 2000. I missed seeing it in person, but I bet some of the rest of you have stories about this place. Here is a vintage postcard showing the interior: (I really wanted to order a Mystery Bowl).
The back of the postcard reads:]
Exotic Dancing In The Beautiful TAHITIAN VILLAGE Restaurant. Cocktails and Exotic Beverages of the islands, Banquet and Convention Facilities to accommodate four to four hundred persons. We cater to special parties and wedding receptions. 13535 Lakewood Blvd. at Rosecrans, Downey, Calif.
When I showed this postcard to Bob and LeRoy at Oceanic arts, they confirmed that they had done the decor for the Tahitian Village.
Here are links to another website that shows pictures of the exterior of the Tahitian Village, (including its destruction). It had a beautiful, soaring a-frame structure.
http://www.roadsidepeek.com/wherenow/
http://www.roadsidepeek.com/tiki/tikitown/
Really sad I missed this place (and Hukilau 2003, though I'd never complain). Can't wait to see puamana's menu.
Sabu
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[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-07-03 12:24 ]
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puamana
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 02, 2002
Posts: 291
From: Seattle, WA
| Posted: 2003-07-03 12:38 pm Permalink
Here's 2 menus from the Tahitian Village Restaurant & Motor Hotel. The first one is a souvenir dinner menu:
This was a mailable souvenir menu postmarked 1964, with a space on the address side for messages. The sender wrote, "They have a show every night with Tahitian dancers and fire batons. One of the men dancers does the limbo with a stick across two coke bottles."
The back of the menu advertises their hotel amenities, including luau grounds, nightly entertainment, and 30 minutes to Disneyland.
Next is a small souvenir menu :
There's a list of tropical drink offerings inside, with a few familiar looking tiki mugs:
The Tiki Bowl for two, Tabu Wahine, Tahitian Hurricane, Fog Cutter, Head Shrinker, Sufferin' Bastard, and Dietiki were all served in tiki mugs you could keep. The Fog Cutter & Dietiki mugs look like the same ones in the gift shop photo of Sabu's postcard of Sam's Seafood. Here's a closer comparison:
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2003-07-03 12:54 pm Permalink
puamana,
Nice job on that mug-comparison photo! Thanks for taking the time to put that together. I was wondering what that strange tree-trunk shaped mug in the Sam's Seafood giftshop might have been used for. Now I know. Has anyone out there got one of these mugs in your collection? Does anyone have any mug from the Tahitian Village?
Sabu
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modchick65
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 30, 2003
Posts: 52
From: chez groovara, philadelphia, pa
| Posted: 2003-07-03 1:06 pm Permalink
There was a gas station (and still is, but it's seen better days) near my house growing up that had the exact same kind of roof. It's gorgeous.
Isn't it interesting how, when you're growing up, you just think that's how things are -- googie signs, swooping roofs, restaurants decorated like Polynesia, etc.? And then there comes a moment when you realize, no, things change. Personally, I can't understand why people wouldn't prefer to live in a world that looked like that. But then I also don't understand why Jennifer Lopez is famous, so what do I know...
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thejab
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 2986
From: Tradewinds Apartments, Alameda, CA
| Posted: 2003-07-03 2:36 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2003-07-03 12:54, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
puamana,
Nice job on that mug-comparison photo! Thanks for taking the time to put that together. I was wondering what that strange tree-trunk shaped mug in the Sam's Seafood giftshop might have been used for. Now I know. Has anyone out there got one of these mugs in your collection? Does anyone have any mug from the Tahitian Village?
Sabu
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I don't have the mug but it's interesting how they served a Fog Cutter in a tree mug because Redwoods thrive in foggy areas!
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2003-07-03 3:38 pm Permalink
You can't fool me, Jabbo.
What really happened, is that the deaf mug designer heard he was supposed to create a new mug to go along with their "Log Cutter" drink.
Sabu
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Lake Surfer
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 21, 2002
Posts: 3322
From: Milwaukee, WI
| Posted: 2003-07-05 12:06 am Permalink
Nice work Sabu, puamana... I've asked my parents about this one a bunch... I was born in 1970 in Long Beach at the Naval Hospital and for the first 2 years of my life lived in an apartment in Downey on Lakewood Blvd... after my Dad's service in the Navy he and my mom had frequented this spot... then they had to go and move us to Wisconsin!
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bongofury
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Oct 15, 2002
Posts: 1487
From: Ventura County
| Posted: 2004-05-26 08:49 am Permalink
Here is a n exterior shot from a 1971 archetechture book......apparantly they did not approve too much of the style.....
Are You A Turtle Tuesdays (?) and The Ink Spots!
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Tiki Diablo
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Jun 24, 2002
Posts: 1896
From: socal
| Posted: 2004-05-26 09:49 am Permalink
I think I saw this place before they bulldozed it? That sign is cool and inspired some of the bar signs I do. Coolio!
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2004-05-26 10:56 am Permalink
Bongofury,
Do you have a name and author for that book? I'd like to hunt down a copy for myself. Thanks for posting those photos.
Sabu
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mrsmiley
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 3154
From: Las Vegas, NV
| Posted: 2004-05-26 6:02 pm Permalink
Quote:
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Are You A Turtle Tuesdays (?)
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"you bet your sweet ass I am!!! "
see
http://tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=1732&forum=6&vpost=14379
for more info
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I'm the most thirstiesterest of all!
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If you like it, it is ZAZZ! If you don't it is RAZZ!
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bongofury
Grand Member (6 years)
Joined: Oct 15, 2002
Posts: 1487
From: Ventura County
| Posted: 2004-05-26 10:32 pm Permalink
Thanks mrsmiley for that link.....very funny. Here you are sabu (would love to see your postcard collection).......
Los Angeles
The Archetecture Of Four Ecologies
by Reyner Banham
Lots of mid-century homes and cool L.A. and OC (Disneyland) photos. That text came out pretty small but the author (from London) was calling the Polynesian restaurants "stylistic pretensions that must owe more to Saarinen's Hockey Rink than anything in the South Seas".
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2004-05-27 10:32 am Permalink
Thanks for the info, Bongofury!
I'll bring my postcard collection to the next event we both attend. Shouldn't be too hard as we live fairly close. Also/Or please let me know next time you're in town and we can try to meet somewhere. Unfortunately, Tikibelle and I are going to be in the Amazon jungles of Peru on June 20th, and so will not be around for the opening of the Rincon Room party. Very sorry to miss it.
Mr Smiley - thanks for bringing up the Turtle thread again.
Sabu
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[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-05-27 10:38 ]
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Tangaroa
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 25, 2002
Posts: 1550 | Posted: 2004-05-27 10:40 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2004-05-26 22:32, bongofury wrote:
...and OC (Disneyland) photos. |
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Uh..... can you tell me what the Disneyland pix are of? If this is a 60s era book, there might be some good stuff...Or better yet... post 'em!
Thanks!
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mrsmiley
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 3154
From: Las Vegas, NV
| Posted: 2004-05-27 1:54 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2004-05-27 10:32, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
Thanks for the info, Bongofury!
Mr Smiley - thanks for bringing up the Turtle thread again.
Sabu
---you bet your sweet a** you're welcome!! 
_________________
[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-05-27 10:38 ]
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_________________
I'm the most thirstiesterest of all!
TRADER VIC'S, Vintage, Vegas & more on EBAY 1957SPUTNIK
http://shop.ebay.com/1957sputnik/m.html
If you like it, it is ZAZZ! If you don't it is RAZZ!
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