Category Archives: Tiki Sites and Stores

Modernism Week – Palm Springs Architecture Bus Tour

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , , ,

IMG_6952One of the most popular events during Palm Springs Modernism Week seemed to be the architectural double-decker bus tours. They were scheduled twice a day throughout the week and some sold out fairly quickly since there were only about 50 spots on the top level. (We got our tickets about a month in advance.)

IMG_6904You could venture out to some of these places on your own by purchasing the map produced by the Palm Springs Modernism Committee (available online and at the visitors center for $5). However, you wouldn’t have the higher vantage point where you can peek into walled yards with impeccable pools and mod furniture.

IMG_6910JR Roberts (Boccardo Roberts Architecture and Design) was an invaluable skipper on our three hour tour. Our weather was anything but rough, though. It was 80-something degrees by the time we departed at 9 a.m.

IMG_6916One of our early stops was the iconic Kaufmann house from 1947, designed by Richard Neutra. The history of its restoration is fascinating, including the re-opening of a quarry in Utah to match the original stone. (Sidenote: A print of Slim Aarons’ photo of a 1970 pool party at the house hangs at Hula’s Modern Tiki in Phoenix.)

IMG_6915The Alexander House was dubbed “The House of Tomorrow” by Look magazine in 1962, but it’s more famously known as Elvis Presley’s “honeymoon hideaway.” (The restored estate is open for guided tours — and you could even be like The King and rent it out for a honeymoon.) William Krisel designed it as a series of circular spaces, and it was originally built to be the personal residence of Robert Alexander of the Alexander Construction Company.

IMG_6956The Alexander Construction Company built more than two thousand mid-century modern homes in the Coachella Valley with Krisel’s architectural firm Palmer & Krisel, who designed many more in California and Nevada. Krisel has even consulted on recent restorations, like this Twin Palms house. Apparently that groovy geometric garden was part of the original plans! (Check out the inside on Design Furnace’s blog.)

IMG_6963Our guide was very entertaining, relating celebrity gossip and greeting people at yard sales as we passed. He even showed off a wicked sense of humor when an ambulance drove by with its sirens blaring and he said something like: “Looks like another mid-century house will be on the market soon.”

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I was very pleased that he pointed out these three tiki torches on Palm Canyon Drive, which are all that remains of the Palm Springs branch of Don the Beachcomber that opened in 1953. (Jeff Berry‘s book Sippin’ Safari has some great stories about it, like gold-plated chopstick cases for the celebs.) The Royal Hawaiian Estates and the large A-frame of the Caliente Tropics hotel could have been other tiki points of interest, but our route just barely bypassed them.

IMG_6965We’re house-hunting in Los Angeles now, and I’m afraid Palm Springs totally spoiled me with all of its amazing architecture. Even the fast food joints are located in some striking buildings. This one is a KFC!

Psycho Suzi’s Gift Shop & Signature Mugs

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , , , , ,

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Well, I hope you’re not sick of Suzi because I’m still not done talking about her yet. A trip to Psycho Suzi’s just wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the gift shop, which is on your left when you enter the lobby.

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They offer brown and yellow signature tank tops, hoodies and beanies, plus six styles of t-shirts, including one for each of the bars in the Shangri-la Cocktail Lounge. I coudn’t resist the ones emblazoned “Where your petty concerns of authenticity are irrelevant” and “Dock your dinghy at Ports of Pleasure.” The latter also has a neat ship drawn on the back.

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In the case they have their first custom Tiki Farm mug (in the middle with the red eyes), along with about a dozen different Dynasty mugs that Psycho Suzi’s has matched up with their drinks. I’m now diggin’ that big volcano mug from Poolside Pineapple.

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They recently debuted their second locale-specific vessel for the Shrunken Head bar. You might have seen it on the cover of Tiki Farm’s Summer 2011 Quarterly, which featured an article describing the process of going from the original artwork to a design interpreted by The Pizz to the manufacturing of the final product. This Shrunken Head mug ($20) can be purchased online or in the gift shop, or ordered with its corresponding cocktail in the Shangri-la lounge.

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There are even more Dynasty mugs, bowls and shots up on the wall. Most were fairly familiar to me, except for that one that looks like an open-mouth bass. How very Minnesotan!

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I thought the Suzi Pint glasses were a great buy at only three bucks each. On one side is the Sailor Jerry hula girl and on the other is Psycho Suzi’s signature tiki.

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On the counter you’ll find impulse purchases like logo-rific patches ($4), pins ($6) and beer cozies ($4). Don’t fret if you’re nowhere near “Nordeast” Minneapolis, though — Psycho Suzi’s has started stocking some of their merch in an online store.

Rapa Nui Moai at the Louvre – Paris

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , , ,

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London is a treasure trove of tiki bars, but Paris is a bust. (Editor’s note: A few tiki bars have opened in Paris since my visit.) However, there’s plenty of original Oceanic Art to be found in the museums. (And Paris also happens to be the home of the amazingly creative and whimsical tiki mug artist Baï.)

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The Musée du quai Branly would be your #1 stop (right now they have a special exhibit on the Maori) but if you’re on the requisite visit to the Louvre you can check out the smallish section on the Arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

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It was interesting to compare this Moai to the one we saw at the British Museum. This fragment was taken from Rapa Nui in 1935 by Alfred Métraux and Henri Lavachery, who were the first professional archaeologists to visit Easter Island. People were going up and posing for pictures as if they were picking its nose…

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Sadly, there was very little context given for these items, just a date estimate, geographical origin and a one-word description (in French, bien sûr). I ended up researching later. From left: a 19th-century stone pounder from the Marquesas Islands used to grind breadfruit; a small and squat Marquesan tiki from the late 1800s/early 1900s; and an 18th-century wooden fan handle possibly from Tahiti.

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I had no idea what this was when I first saw it. but I thought it looked cool. Turns out it’s a 17th- or 18th-century reimiro, a wooden boat-shaped pendant worn by the women (and possibly men) of Easter Island. This piece and the pounder were both donated by Roland Bonaparte, the grandnephew of Napoleon and father of Marie Bonaparte. Another fun fact: he originally owned what is now the Shangri-La hotel in Paris.

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This Lono from the end of the 18th century is on loan from the collection of the Musée du quai Branly. In Hawaiian mythology he represents fertility and family.

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They also had several 17th- or 18th-century Rapa Nui figures that men supposedly used as pendants. The two moai kavakava are named so because their ribs are showing, while the moai tangata is more well fed and sports a goatee.

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Nothing tiki about this, of course, it’s just one of my favorites from the Louvre: Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss. And in completely unrelated Moai news, there’s one prominently featured towards the end of the trailer for The Pirates! Band of Misfits. (You’ll already know that if you follow me on Twitter.)