Saturday, April 21, 2012
Thrifting In Worcester
My buddy, in Connecticut, has had great luck finding Tiki in the Thrift Stores, down there. I however, get skunked everytime I go thrifting in Worcester. Well, the past month, I decided to look for more than just Tiki on my thrifting expeditions. I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out. First, I scored 2 great vintage shirts. This dead-stock, late 50's/early 60's Arrow & an amazing Italian Gabardine for $2.99 & $5.99.
I decided to check out the CDs, too & scored these two great additions to my music library, for two bucks each. "Peggy The Pin-Up Girl" is a great tune, I'd never heard before.
On the same day I scored the CDs, I also found these 6 Hawaiian albums for $.99 each.
And....this killer hat, that's going to be made into a lamp, for The Mauna Kai Lounge. For now, it'll keep Mr. Tiki's head warm!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Recent Tiki Finds
Here's a few of my recent Tiki scores. sorry, I haven't posted this stuff in awhile. first up is the latest Bahooka mug, featuring Rufus the carrot-eating fish. I wasn't able to attend the event as I was wallowing 3000 miles away, but my buddy, Luke, went & scored a mug for me. Designed by The Pizz & produced by Tiki Farm, this mug is a nice departure from the usual Tiki mug.
Did a swap with my buddy, Pete, at the Idol Mixtures Christmas Party for these two killer hurricane glasses. One is from Black Tahiti in Washington, D.C. & the other is from the Hukilau Lounge in Key West, Florida. I have seen very little from either of these places & I have never seen any tiki mugs, so these hurricane glasse are welcome additions to my collection.
Coconut mug from Ming Garden's Polynesian Room in Providence, Rhode Island. This is another place I have seen very little from & this mug is in perfect condition.
Hurricane glass from Kowloon in Saugus, Mass & a HIP Originals Hula Girl
A gaggle of the "Usual Suspects"!
Did a swap with my buddy, Pete, at the Idol Mixtures Christmas Party for these two killer hurricane glasses. One is from Black Tahiti in Washington, D.C. & the other is from the Hukilau Lounge in Key West, Florida. I have seen very little from either of these places & I have never seen any tiki mugs, so these hurricane glasse are welcome additions to my collection.
Coconut mug from Ming Garden's Polynesian Room in Providence, Rhode Island. This is another place I have seen very little from & this mug is in perfect condition.
Hurricane glass from Kowloon in Saugus, Mass & a HIP Originals Hula Girl
A gaggle of the "Usual Suspects"!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday Night At Vincent's
Friday, March 30, 2011
Headed out tonight to meet my buddy at Vincent's in Worcester. Michelle "Go Kat Go" Terranova was putting on her first Worcester show, featuring Skinny Jim & The Number 9 Blacktops from Illinois. Michelle is renowned for luring National & International Rockabilly acts to her shows at Cafe 9,in New Haven, CT. Lucky for us, she recently moved to Massachusetts & brought her love of all things Rockabilly with her. This first show was a good one, featuring a mix of Rockabilly with good old Rock & Roll washed down with a few ice-cold Narragansetts in the killer atmosphere of Vincent's & I went home with a coupla new CDs. AHHH! Now that hit the spot!
Vincent's cool sign.
Skinny Jim & the boys gettin' it on!
Thanks, Michelle. That was a great night & I can't wait for the next one.
Headed out tonight to meet my buddy at Vincent's in Worcester. Michelle "Go Kat Go" Terranova was putting on her first Worcester show, featuring Skinny Jim & The Number 9 Blacktops from Illinois. Michelle is renowned for luring National & International Rockabilly acts to her shows at Cafe 9,in New Haven, CT. Lucky for us, she recently moved to Massachusetts & brought her love of all things Rockabilly with her. This first show was a good one, featuring a mix of Rockabilly with good old Rock & Roll washed down with a few ice-cold Narragansetts in the killer atmosphere of Vincent's & I went home with a coupla new CDs. AHHH! Now that hit the spot!
Vincent's cool sign.
Skinny Jim & the boys gettin' it on!
Thanks, Michelle. That was a great night & I can't wait for the next one.
Monday, March 26, 2012
My Last Meal In SoCal
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Well, I reached Trader Vic's in L.A. only to discover that there was a Lakers game right next door. The restaurant was packed & parking was scarce. Rats! Trader Vic's was gonna have to wait til the next trip. Now, I was really hungry & I began to brain-storm for a Plan B. I was not eating at some giant, conglomerate, chain restaurant. This was SoCal. It had to be someplace cool. Then, I remembered driving by this amazing coffee shop, on my way to L.A. from Redondo. I turned the car around & headed back, in search of Pann's. Finally, Pann's came into view. The closer I got, the cooler it looked. OK, this was gonna be a good way to end my trip.
I sauntered in, sat down at the counter & looked up to see a bunch of cool, vintage drag racing photos, on the wall behind the counter. I'm guessing these were regular customers back in the day. How cool is it that Pann's kept these pics up all these years? While waiting for my dinner, I heard the strains of "Little Darlin'" by The Gladiolas coming from the jukebox.! This place was getting better by the minute.
BLT, Potato Salad & a Coke. God Bless America!
After finishing my meal, I figured I had better head for the airport. I had no idea that I was only about 5 minutes away from LAX. Now, I had time to kill, so I decided to do a bit more cruising. As soon as this gourgeous sign for the Academy Theater came into view, my heart skipped a beat. This sign was spectacular & in complete working order. I got closer, parked the car & hopped out to takes some pics. as I got closer, I realized that the place was no longer a theater, but some type of church. Sigh! At least they had maintained this killer sign.
Back towards LAX, I happened upon Randy's Donuts, another Southern California, roadside icon.
Now it was time to turn in the rental & take the shuttle over to the terminal for the long trip home. My first trip to California had exceeded all of my expectations & the people were amazing. I was very impressed with the hospitality of everyone I came in contact with. I felt so at ease with everyone I met everywhere I went. I hope, someday, I will have the opportunity to relocate to SoCal. I've really had it with New Engalnd winters!
Well, I reached Trader Vic's in L.A. only to discover that there was a Lakers game right next door. The restaurant was packed & parking was scarce. Rats! Trader Vic's was gonna have to wait til the next trip. Now, I was really hungry & I began to brain-storm for a Plan B. I was not eating at some giant, conglomerate, chain restaurant. This was SoCal. It had to be someplace cool. Then, I remembered driving by this amazing coffee shop, on my way to L.A. from Redondo. I turned the car around & headed back, in search of Pann's. Finally, Pann's came into view. The closer I got, the cooler it looked. OK, this was gonna be a good way to end my trip.
I sauntered in, sat down at the counter & looked up to see a bunch of cool, vintage drag racing photos, on the wall behind the counter. I'm guessing these were regular customers back in the day. How cool is it that Pann's kept these pics up all these years? While waiting for my dinner, I heard the strains of "Little Darlin'" by The Gladiolas coming from the jukebox.! This place was getting better by the minute.
BLT, Potato Salad & a Coke. God Bless America!
After finishing my meal, I figured I had better head for the airport. I had no idea that I was only about 5 minutes away from LAX. Now, I had time to kill, so I decided to do a bit more cruising. As soon as this gourgeous sign for the Academy Theater came into view, my heart skipped a beat. This sign was spectacular & in complete working order. I got closer, parked the car & hopped out to takes some pics. as I got closer, I realized that the place was no longer a theater, but some type of church. Sigh! At least they had maintained this killer sign.
Back towards LAX, I happened upon Randy's Donuts, another Southern California, roadside icon.
Now it was time to turn in the rental & take the shuttle over to the terminal for the long trip home. My first trip to California had exceeded all of my expectations & the people were amazing. I was very impressed with the hospitality of everyone I came in contact with. I felt so at ease with everyone I met everywhere I went. I hope, someday, I will have the opportunity to relocate to SoCal. I've really had it with New Engalnd winters!
Cruising Around SoCal
Thursday, February 3, 2011
After leaving Barris Kustom City, I decided to head back to Long Beach to poke around the stores a bit more. After I finished my window-shopping, I realized I had been in California for a week & hadn't seen the Pacific Ocean, yet. I hopped in the rental & headed for the beach. It was another beautiful day & there were a few people walking the beach & bike-riding. I took a few pics & decided to head up to Redondo for some lunch. I was hoping for fish tacos, but I couldn't seem to find any so I settled for a Fisherman's Platter, at one of the restaurants on the pier. The food was cheaper than I had expected & I soon found out why. It was awful! I choked down what I could & hit the road, again. I headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway heading towrds L.A. with thoughts of dinner & a Mai Tai at Trader Vic's.
Long Beach
Redondo Beach
After leaving Barris Kustom City, I decided to head back to Long Beach to poke around the stores a bit more. After I finished my window-shopping, I realized I had been in California for a week & hadn't seen the Pacific Ocean, yet. I hopped in the rental & headed for the beach. It was another beautiful day & there were a few people walking the beach & bike-riding. I took a few pics & decided to head up to Redondo for some lunch. I was hoping for fish tacos, but I couldn't seem to find any so I settled for a Fisherman's Platter, at one of the restaurants on the pier. The food was cheaper than I had expected & I soon found out why. It was awful! I choked down what I could & hit the road, again. I headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway heading towrds L.A. with thoughts of dinner & a Mai Tai at Trader Vic's.
Long Beach
Redondo Beach
Barris Kustom City
Thursday, February 2, 2011
I woke up Thursday morning, knowing it would be my last in beautiful Southern California. I had a midnight date with a red-eye flight back to that frozen hell I live in. I got up, packed my things & checked out of the motel. Cash was at a premium, so my day was going to have to be on a low budget. That was OK. At least I could spend the whole day in SoCal. My first stop of the day was Barris Kustom City in North Hollywood. I arrived around 11:00 AM to find the door still locked. I peered through the windows, trying to get a peek at what was inside. I didn't realize anyone was there, but George's daughter saw me & came over to unlock the door. She let me in & graciously told me to feel free to roam around & take pictures. She then went back to her work & I noticed George sitting behind the counter, eating his lunch. I had met George several times & decided I'd just look around & let him eat his lunch in peace. There was not much of the rich, Barris Kustom history on display, but I was pleased to cast my eyes on the original TV Batmobile. I poked around a bit, took a few pics & then headed out to explore a little more of my Mecca.
The beautiful Southern California sky & landscape that greeted me Thursday morning
Barris Kustom City
The Munster Coach
Batmobile #1 aka the Lincoln Futura concept car.
I woke up Thursday morning, knowing it would be my last in beautiful Southern California. I had a midnight date with a red-eye flight back to that frozen hell I live in. I got up, packed my things & checked out of the motel. Cash was at a premium, so my day was going to have to be on a low budget. That was OK. At least I could spend the whole day in SoCal. My first stop of the day was Barris Kustom City in North Hollywood. I arrived around 11:00 AM to find the door still locked. I peered through the windows, trying to get a peek at what was inside. I didn't realize anyone was there, but George's daughter saw me & came over to unlock the door. She let me in & graciously told me to feel free to roam around & take pictures. She then went back to her work & I noticed George sitting behind the counter, eating his lunch. I had met George several times & decided I'd just look around & let him eat his lunch in peace. There was not much of the rich, Barris Kustom history on display, but I was pleased to cast my eyes on the original TV Batmobile. I poked around a bit, took a few pics & then headed out to explore a little more of my Mecca.
The beautiful Southern California sky & landscape that greeted me Thursday morning
Barris Kustom City
The Munster Coach
Batmobile #1 aka the Lincoln Futura concept car.
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