Tiki Time: Taking Island Shelter on San Diego's Shelter Island

"Most people live on a lonely island lost in the middle of a foggy sea.  

Most people long for another island, one where they know where they will like to be."

These days, I really do find myself muddling through a fog, longing very much for another island.  As she always does, Southern California steps up to provide my every need - even a little bit of island paradise right where the West meets the water.  It may seem a little "on the nose," but in the Port of San Diego, there sits an island-themed island, a place where tiki gods rule and every building is wiki wacky tiki tacky!

At just over one-mile-long, Shelter Island packs a powerful punch of Polynesian Pop!  As it has no permanent residents, every visitor immediately becomes part of the island ohana.  Spending a few sun-kissed hours soaking up the mid-century splendor of this tropical paradise was enough to refresh my spirits and restore my faith in my own native island.

TRADER MORT'S LIQUOR

Trader Mort's Liquor (1965)

The first stop on our self-guided tiki tour was Shelter Island's preeminent liquor emporium.  Since 1965, Trader Mort's Liquor has stood sentry at the gateway to the island's many tiki delights.  Under swaying palms and that magnificent roof, Trader Mort's offers thirsty vacationers a place to stock-up on umbrella-drink essentials.

  

With a roofline is punctuated by the gods, we knew 

that we were walking on holy (haole?) ground!

"I'll take potent potables for $1,000, Alex"

 

The sparsely-decorated and wonderfully-worn interior remains lost 

in time, shelving a host of tiki mugs and other ceramic cocktail vessels.

 HUMPHREYS HALF MOON INN

Humphreys Half Moon Inn & Suites (1961)

The next stop on our tiki tour was Shelter Island's Hawaiian-style hideaway.  While it would be a challenge to get lost on the island (it has but one road), it is more than easy to get lost in the lush gardens of Humphreys Half Moon Inn. 

Since 1961, the sprawling gardens of Humphreys Half Moon Inn have been studded with half-hidden tikis nestled between verdant foliage and serene water features.

There is even a "See-no-evil," monkey-topped, tiki totem by the pool.

While Humphreys is in the midst of a "remuddle," (board-and-batten siding is quickly being replaced with stucco and questionable, silvery, slate corner caps), the grand porte-cochère proves that it isn't too late to fully embrace the genius of the original architecture.  Time and modern sensibilities, however, are rarely on the side of wacky tacky.

Such is the case with Humphreys' restaurant/music venue.  With an inviting a-frame entryway, Humphreys by the Bay, promises a dimly-lit interior replete with ancient fisherman's floats and blow-fish lanterns.  Instead, guests are treated to a dining room completely refashioned in white leather and chrome.

The exterior is not faring much better.  As seen in this photo, the rafter tails are crumbling and the edifice shows only shadows of the original decor (tiki mask/signage?).  See a vintage photo here.

All things considered, our complaints are few and our gratitude plentiful for an ownership who is actively maintaining a vital part of California's historic tiki architecture.

Including this enormous lantern with which I became completely obsessed...  It was so big that a human could easily fit inside it, reminding me of the cages from one of those Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

PACIFIC PORTAL

One part conch shell and two parts starfish, James Hubbell's "Pacific Portal" sculpture is an obvious photo-op on the tiki tour.  Directly across the street from Humphreys, the larger-than-life art installation conjures images of Verne-ian voyages and feats of Cousteau-ian courage.

Like this handstand-y show off...

Not to be outdone, Ben & Erika performed some highlights from their own acrobatic repertoire.

And they even stuck the landing!!!

The view from the bottom...

BALI HAI RESTAURANT

Bali Hai Restaurant (1953)

A brief visit to Shelter Island's most famous outpost concluded our tiki tour.  Considered by many to be the jewel in Shelter Island's tiki tiara, Bali Hai Restaurant began life as "The Hut" in 1953.  Flagging patronage in its earliest years encouraged an overhaul that set a precedent for many updates over the next half-century.

One enduring element of the original restaurant is the iconic "Goof" on the roof!

The Real Goof

I'll admit it; slightly underwhelmed by Bali Hai, I assumed an even grumpier
attitude than that of Mr. Bali Hai, the establishment's less-than-amused mascot. 

Somehow, I feel like I have shirked my responsibility by never before dropping anchor at Shelter Island.  But now that I have, I know I will be a regular visitor.  If you are ever in San Diego and you hunger for a veritable pu pu platter of Polynesia, then get down to Shelter Island.  Who knows, you might see me there!

"If you try, you will find me where the sky meets the sea."

"Bali Ha'i" - Sarah Vaughan with The London Symphony Orchestra

 

Trader Mort's Liquor
2904 Shelter Island Dr
San Diego
(619)224-3771

 Humphrey's Half Moon Inn & Suites
2303 Shelter Island Dr
San Diego, CA
(619)224-3411

halfmooninn.com

Bali Hai Restaurant
2230 Shelter Island Dr
San Diego, CA
(619)222-1181

balihairestaurant.com


Cheers & Aloha!

Mr. Tiny

Tiki Time: Polynesian Pops at the Tiki Apartments

After spending so much time scanning the horizon for the strange and exciting in this world, I feel like I have been blessed with a divining rod for the wacky tacky.  Sometimes we don't even have to search; led by some greater force, the wacky tacky is simply thrust upon us!  Such was the case this weekend when on a scenic drive through our coastal communities, we stumbled upon the Tiki Apartments in Redondo Beach, CA.

I have never loved apartment living.  There is something a little claustrophobic to me about shared walls, and something a little unnerving about footsteps on the ceiling.  The Tiki Apartments might provide enough Mai Tai magic to cure me of my phobia.

   

Providing a watchful eye over the tenants, these 

tiki gods line the walkway into the complex.

It came at the cost of several pedestrians (who should have known to jump out of the way when they saw us jumping the median), but I'm sure they were more than thrilled to make the sacrifice so we could manage throw the wacky wagon in park and get some pictures of this inspired island of Polynesian pop.  There was so much to love about this place - the outrageous, orange,  "Tiki" script, the lush landscape, the tikis themselves - but one of my favorite parts was the multicolor/metallic/iridescent mosaic tiles that created bold stripes on the facade of the building.

Surrounded by The High Tide, The Sea Gull, The Shore Break and many other ocean-themed apartments, the Tiki, and its sister buildings, prove that a little theming goes a long way in making a generic, mid-Century apartment complex something wonderful, wild, and wacky tacky.

Don't you just want to throw a lei around
 this tiki and get the luau started.

Imagine the parties!!!
I think if I lived here, I couldn't be stopped from throwing one giant, perpetual, Polynesian party!

Having grown up a very short distance from the Ala Moana Apartments, a fantastically tiki-styled building marked by an extreme A-frame entryway, there was no reason for me to be so mesmerized by the south seas theming of these apartments, but the Tiki is just so glittering and glamorous.  Although there were two people silently soaking in the sun poolside, from somewhere, probably drifting in on the ocean breeze, we could hear a hula. 

"Hawaiian Hula" - Ana Lani & Ray Kinney

Did we mention that this place is just a short walk from the beach?  Where's my muumuu, I'm ready to move in!!

Tiki Apartments

389 Palos Verdes Blvd.

Redondo Beach, CA

Cheers & Aloha!

Mr. Tiny