Have you ever wanted to escape it all in the cozy comfort of your own home? Do you sometimes feel an inordinate enthusiasm for everything Tiki and Pop Polynesian? Have you been accused of collecting way too many Tiki mugs? Do you find yourself longing for fruity and strong drinks adorned with swizzle sticks and cocktail umbrellas? Did someone catch you buying another aloha shirt or obscure bottle of rum?
Join author and photographer TIKI TOM-TOM on an immersive road trip as he crosses the continental United States to visit 75 home Tiki bars, sharing tales of the slightly obsessed and always fun Polynesiacs who have been inspired to create their own tropical escapes. Step inside these elaborate environments, lovingly created in private homes, gardens, trailers, and boat houses across the country, from New York to California and Washington to Florida.
POLYNESIACS: TIKI AT HOME isn’t a how-to book. Similar to the ancient voyaging mariners who used star charts, winds, and currents to guide their way, this book offers sixteen Navigation Points to help map your journey, inspire you to harness your unique obsessions, and learn from the wisdom and humor of the Polynesiacs who’ve traveled before you as you plan, build, or enhance your home Tiki space.
Po·ly·ne·si·ac | ˌpä-lə-ˈnē-zē-ˌak
1: a passionate, welcoming, and fun-loving person characterized by an inordinate or ungovernable enthusiasm for Tiki.
2: a neologism for a person who loves Polynesian Pop culture.
When Aaron told me that his dad, Donald, loved The Big Lebowski, I couldn’t help but re-envision the final eulogy scene with Dad in the role. “Donald was a good father, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved Martin Denny and his family, and as a surfer…
Each day, I find more vessels filled with water. My collection of string art ships peers down at me while I pour one more cup of water down the drain. It seems all too natural a process now, one week after the waters came pouring down through the rafters above. In my past musings on…
Sven asked, “Would you like a cigarillo?” With the day’s events behind us, the evening was now coming to a close. The fading light signaled it should be time to head back to Whittier. So when Sven Kirsten invited me to sit with him on his front porch to end the evening with a few…
You never know who might drop by your home bar, so be prepared. It was getting close to happy hour at The Below Decks, Steven and Michael’s home Tiki bar. The door to the driveway was wide open to allow for the nearby ocean breeze. Steven was mixing a batch of cocktails, while Michael was…
I suspect that Kimo the Pineapple Mermaid, Sandy the Face of Exotica, and Rosie the Riveter would have been best friends forever if they’d lived in the same time period. Rosie the Riveter, with her red and white polka-dot scarf and navy blue shirt bicep curl, symbolized the ingenuity and strength of women. Rosie got…
Trader Dazz’s tale reads like a drugstore romance but offers your soul a taste of respite and a wager for redemption. Welcome weary traveler. Your journey must have been long and emotionally exhausting. You see, for you to arrive here, there must be some dark stormy story that you’re trying to escape. That’s the only…
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