With deep sadness, I add the Tropical Bistro to the ongoing R.I.P. listings here on sevenpleasures. Aloha! Original album description follows- As part of our trip out to Ohio in June, we met up with Central Ohio Tiki Ohana and Fraternal Order of the Moai friends. This was my first trip to the Tropical Bistro, and my first smoking erruption since the close of the Kahiki. What began as a few friends getting together for dinner and a drink grew into an event mentioned in the local alterna-paper and a room full of Tikiphiles! Mahalo for making my first trip to the Tropical Bistro so special!

Tikiskip's collection is one of the most dense/all encompassing collections we've ever 'toured'. There are vastly tikifield rooms throughout the house, and then shelves of the tiniest details; filled with small bottles, matchbooks, and other treasures. Many Kahiki bits and pieces have found thier way to make a permanent home here. When we were there, we got to photograph the Kahiki table and 'tablesetting' , but since our visit, they have since added one of the two Kahiki Moai from the Kahiki's front entrance.. It's good to see these pieces in a living and loved Tiki environment. Like so many of the other central Ohio Ohana, (my 'hometown'!), they are doing Tiki damn proud!

Less than 24 hours in state, but still plenty of Tiki to see! Along the way we find a Tikified caffine stop. Then our late night trip to the Alibi and return the next afternoon were well worth it!

Cheng's is owned by the same owners as the now RIPed Pacific Restaurant which was also in Sterling, VA. Many food and drink items that made Pacific so special live on at Cheng's. These pictures are from a gathering of the MD/DC/VA Ohana who got together to hold a wake of sorts for the Pacific. Fortunately, it was not a sad wake, but a celebratory gathering fueled by Mai Tais, Suffering Bastards, Zombies and Navy Grogs along with a bountiful table of appetizer treasures. Cheng's was welcoming and they shared their fantastic hospitality with the displaced Tikiphiles. When in Sterling, Cheng's is your best bet for a good Mai Tai!

A quiet evening at the Islander just the two of us was followed the next night with a 'one night only' get together with the tribe in Seattle. Amazingly, it escalated into a mini Tiki crawl, first to Dogbytes and Todd's Rongorongo room, then off to Puamana & Selector Lopaka's Back yard Bali Hai, finishing off a whirlwind evening at Thai Ku with excellent Thai food, serious atmosphere and most importantly, the wonderful and exotic sounds of Selector Lopaka DJing the night away! We're MUCH indebted to our Seattle Ohana for showing us such a fantastic time! Annual event I tell you! Make it happen!

In digging through the "Images of America" book on "Columbia" (Maryland) I happened across a tantalizing photographic gem, an image of what was once "Tiki Island!" Further research into this little piece of long forgotten Maryland Tiki is clearly called for.