photo by Styrous®
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Showing posts with label Tiki Tom's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiki Tom's. Show all posts
August 3, 2023
January 19, 2017
Jingletown Arts & Business Community (JABC) Events/Articles
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2019
2018
2017
MLK Day ~ Bussin' the JABC Art Wall in Jingletown 2016
National Night Out with the JABC in Jingletown
2015
National Night Out with the JABC in Jingletown
Earthday 2015 in Jingletown with the JABC
Pro Arts Open Studios á la Jingletown
2014
Oakland Pro Arts Open Studios á la JABC Pt. 1
Oakland Pro Arts Open Studios á la JABC Pt. 2
Parkin' the White Elephant
Tiki Tom's ~ R. I. P. <|> 2008 - 2010
2013
JABC Open Studios
Spencer Shook ~ Critter Creator
The Stroopie Gourmet
About Jingletown
Among other notable artistic enterprises, it is the location of a
number of galleries, including Gray Loft Gallery, Jingletown Art Studios
and Gallery and 4:20 Gallery, as well as studios of many renowned
artists who are living and working in one of the most recognized
artists’ warehouse districts in Oakland.
The moniker Jingletown came from turn of the century when Portuguese
cannery workers whose earnings would “jingle” in their pockets at the
end of the day as they walked home from the factories in the area. Many
of those canneries and factories closed and the neighborhood went into
disuse, but in the early 1980’s artists realized the potential and
converted many of the neglected warehouses into functioning live/work
spaces. It is now a flourishing artist community in the Bay Area.
The goal of the Jingletown Arts and Business Community is to heighten
awareness about the rich and diverse population of working and
exhibiting artists in the neighborhood, and to promote creative
opportunities in the Jingletown Arts District. Visitors to this historic
arts district will see colorful mosaic murals on converted warehouse
walls, intersection street painting art and the Peterson Street
Community Wall, which features murals by many of the residents of
Jingletown.
February 21, 2015
Happy VD (all for the Love of Bacon) ~ 2015
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Agave Grill, Concord
dining room
promotional photo (Oh, my!)
I was at the annual New Year's party for the JABC in January when I saw a poster, "For the Love of Bacon", advertising a bacon and beer paring to be held at the Pig and Pickle in Concord. Now, my chosen family niece LOVES bacon, has a hard-on for beer and her birthday was coming up in a week so I thought to myself, "What a great birthday present that would be for her." So I made up a birthday card with the image of the poster on it that was an invite to go to the pairing the following month on Valentine's Day.
Pig and Pickle poster
photo by Styrous®
She was VERY delighted when we gave her the card with the invitation and raring to go, as we all were. The restaurant had two dinner seatings, one at 5 and one at 7 PM with no reservations taken; first come, first served, no problem. So, we planned on going to the 5 O'clock seating on Valentine's Day.
The day of the event, we were excited but because of work we were kind of late and knew we wouldn't make the 5 PM seating so we shot for the 7 PM one. We left Alameda for Concord around 6 but we got lost and didn't get to the restaurant until after 7. We were told it was sold out.
Obviously disappointed, we thought we'd make the best of the situation and looked around to see what was available there in Concord.
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
dining room
promotional photo (Oh, my!)
We didn't really want to go to a movie and a restaurant that couldn't decide if it served Mexican or Spanish food seemed a bit risky so we beat a hasty retreat.
We couldn't find anything else in Concord that looked interesting, so, we headed back to Oakland where we knew we could find good food (Oakland's come up in the world of culinary art) and have a good time as well.
On the way back to Oakland, I remembered there was a tiki bar in Alameda I'd always wanted to try. This is where things really went awry. Now, all my life I'd considered tiki bars tacky until one opened near my studio. It was called Tiki Tom's and it WAS tacky but we had the best times there. The food was guaranteed to harden the arteries in seconds. We used to call it, "Tacky Tom's" until it burned down (see link below).
So, we changed direction and headed ourselves off to Alameda to hit the tiki bar there which is called the Forbidden Island.
on the sidewalk in front of the Agave Grill
photo by Styrous®
We couldn't find anything else in Concord that looked interesting, so, we headed back to Oakland where we knew we could find good food (Oakland's come up in the world of culinary art) and have a good time as well.
On the way back to Oakland, I remembered there was a tiki bar in Alameda I'd always wanted to try. This is where things really went awry. Now, all my life I'd considered tiki bars tacky until one opened near my studio. It was called Tiki Tom's and it WAS tacky but we had the best times there. The food was guaranteed to harden the arteries in seconds. We used to call it, "Tacky Tom's" until it burned down (see link below).
So, we changed direction and headed ourselves off to Alameda to hit the tiki bar there which is called the Forbidden Island.
The interior of the bar is truly a typical, tacky tiki bar in every way. Its decor is finished off with electrified Tetraodontidae (blow fish) lamps.
tiki
Forbidden Island tiki bar
guacamole with ROUND corn chips
Forbidden Island tiki bar
Forbidden Island tiki bar
photo by Styrous®
We ordered guacamole with ROUND corn chips, a truly tip-top 'n tacky touch!
guacamole with ROUND corn chips
Forbidden Island tiki bar
photo by Styrous®
It wasn't all that great an experience, however, it took 45 minutes for us to get our drinks (I had my usual Jack Daniels, neat). Now how long does it take to pour a shot into a glass with no ice? And when I got my drink, it was in a glass that hadn't been washed; it was pretty groady (bet you haven't heard THAT word in a while). I didn't want to be a party pooper and I didn't want to wait another 45 minutes for another drink so I didn't say anything. I just dipped my napkin into my Jack Daniels (fortunately, with no ice, it was pure alcohol) and wiped the class clean with it. I know, I know, hepatitis (plural: hepatitides), etc.
To be fair, the music the DJ was playing was pretty cool lounge, jazz and other mellow sort of music which was very relaxing, so there was that. After we downed our drinks we decided just to go back to the studio and cook up our own dinner of pasta with mussels, which is what we should have done in the first place.
mussels with pasta
photo by Styrous®
From that point on it was smooth sailing and we talked, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves for the rest of the evening. We were good friends having a good time. What more could any one ask on a special day like this?
Maybe a little bacon?
Styrous® ~ Saturday, February 21, 2015
January 12, 2014
Tiki Tom's ~ R. I. P. <|> 2008 - 2010
Once upon a time there was a magical state of being we called Tiki Tom's.
photos by Styrous®
Situated on Pier 29 of the Oakland-Alameda estuary, it was the hangout for the artists in the 'hood (Jingletown) for a very brief period of time. Like many wonders of the world, it flared brilliantly then burned itself out. LITERALLY!
The restaurant and bar burned down in October 2010 under mysterious circumstances (I was in Barcelona at the time so I have an alibi). Sean Jones got some great shots of the fire (link below).
I had some really fun times with friends at Tiki Tom's. I drank my Jack neat while my friends sipped evil-looking dirty martinis; the food was guaranteed to seriously harden the arteries in mere minutes. The floor had thick glass panels in it so you could look down into the green water of the estuary (years earlier it looked really cool but by 'Tiki's Time' it was actually pretty rank). The joint looked like a cross between a junk store and a teenage surfer's dream gone amok with every conceivable type of tiki paraphernalia ever manufactured. There were surf boards on the ceiling, a giant fish tank and I think I saw a lava lamp somewhere. There was a neat old cannon just outside the windows you could see while you dined. Bands appeared at Tiki Tom's from time to time and there was even a marriage performed there (see link below).
The JABC (Jingletown Arts & Business Community) held its Christmas party there in 2008 and it was a total blast. One of the JABC members, Laurel True, of The Institute of Mosaic Art, designed and installed a beautiful mosaic mural in the entrance to the restaurant. I wonder what happened to it?
I had some really fun times with friends at Tiki Tom's. I drank my Jack neat while my friends sipped evil-looking dirty martinis; the food was guaranteed to seriously harden the arteries in mere minutes. The floor had thick glass panels in it so you could look down into the green water of the estuary (years earlier it looked really cool but by 'Tiki's Time' it was actually pretty rank). The joint looked like a cross between a junk store and a teenage surfer's dream gone amok with every conceivable type of tiki paraphernalia ever manufactured. There were surf boards on the ceiling, a giant fish tank and I think I saw a lava lamp somewhere. There was a neat old cannon just outside the windows you could see while you dined. Bands appeared at Tiki Tom's from time to time and there was even a marriage performed there (see link below).
The JABC (Jingletown Arts & Business Community) held its Christmas party there in 2008 and it was a total blast. One of the JABC members, Laurel True, of The Institute of Mosaic Art, designed and installed a beautiful mosaic mural in the entrance to the restaurant. I wonder what happened to it?
photo by Mitiki
There are videos on YouTube (links below) of the fire as well as a wild video that vividly conveys (maybe a little TOO vividly) the ambiance of Tiki Tom's; the notorious and VERY crass Tiki Tom (Tom Davies) appears in it (PG rated, by the way). Actually, as I wrote the last sentence, I realized I wrote about another colorful, on-the-same-level, waterfront denizen, Juanita of Sausalito (see link below).
There were many juicy stories of illicit activities going on but I never saw any of it. As I said, the fire that destroyed the restaurant was considered suspicious by the authorities. Hummmm!
I remember the restaurant before it was Tiki Tom's.
It was frequented by a crowd of mostly older folks. I loved to go in to have lunch and look at the water through the glass panels on the floor (it was cool at that time).
Pier 29 from Park Street Bridge - 2006
Pier 29 with cannon - 2006
canon, Pier 29 - 2006
Pier 29 - 2006
Pier 29 boat ramp - 2006
The restaurant, Pier 29, closed, moved to another location and the building lay empty and abandoned for a couple of years before Tiki Tom's made its startling appearance.
Pier 29 entrance - 2006
Tiki Tom's
Although they are quite tame (the party pix at the joint would only get me sued!), the following photos are a tribute to those happy adventures we had at Tiki Tom's.
Enjoy,
Styrous ~ January 12, 2014
Styrous ~ January 12, 2014
Tiki Tom's front entrance - 2008
the frog
under the frog
inside
the surfboards
the tacky tiki objects
and especially the food
potatoes, rice & macaroni, oh, my!
gone but certainly not forgotten
more Tiki links:
Viewfinder article on what has become of the Tiki Tom's site
Viewfinder article on Juanita's Galley
Video links:
video of Tiki Tom's (with Tiki Tom) on YouTube
video of fire at Tiki Tom's on YouTube
Coverage of the tragic event:
Sean Jones ~ Midnight Fire photos
Alameda Sun ~ Tiki Tom's Tragedy
East Bay News ~ 3-alarm fire routes Oakland waterfront restaurant
InsideBayArea ~ Tiki Tom's destroyed by fire
InsideScoopSF ~ Tiki Tom's fire officially ruled suspicious
San Francisco Appeal ~ Police: $750K Fire At Tiki Tom’s Deemed Suspicious
San Jose Mercury News ~ Tiki Tom's destroyed by fire
Oakland North ~ After the Fire, Oakland's Love of Tiki Burns On
more articles:
Tiki Central ~ Tiki Marriage
Examiner.com ~ Happy Hour on the Oakland Riviera
Styrous® ~ January 12, 2014
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January 11, 2014
Phoenix Commons @ Tiki Tom's
On Thursday, the 9th of January, the Elder Village Development, LLC, held it's ceremonial event to launch the begining of the construction of the cooperative senior lifestyle community project, The Phoenix Commons.
In Greek mythology, a phoenix or phenix (Ancient Greek φοίνιξ phóinīx) is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. In my reality, the name of the project comes from the sad tale of the restaurant, Tiki Tom's. The site was once the location of the waterfront restaurant and bar that burned down in October 2010. Link to article about Tiki Tom's below.
Back to the Phoenix Commons. Rising from the ashes of what was once Tiki Tom's, it is touted as the "New model for sharing golden years", it is on the Oakland waterfront, located at 340 29th Avenue, right off the Park Street bridge directly across from Alameda and across the street from my studio (there goes the rest of my view, see: The Estuary).
site of the future Phoenix Commons
photo by Styrous®
The event was held in high style complete with baloons . . .
. . . food and coffee.
photo by Styrous® The developer of the project, Christian Zimmerman and community facilitator, Kryspin Turczynski (say that ten times without making a mistake!), proudly showed their project to the general public for the first time. 
photo by Styrous®
Phoenix Commons, architectural model (front)
photo by Styrous®
Phoenix Commons, architectural model (rear)
photo by Styrous®
They had visual representations on chairs and easels scattered around the now empty lot of what the project will look like when it is completed.
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
In attendance was councilman Noel Gallo who grew up in the Fruitvale/San Antonio District neighborhoods (Jingletown). Gallo is not a fan of medicinal marijuana. He supports youth curfews and "stop and frisk." He abhors trash and graffiti and appears to be a fan of the "broken windows" theory. He can often be seen cleaning up the neighborhoods either alone or with groups. He supported Head Start on April 2nd, 2013 at a special City Council Meeting about the budget. He also believes in the City Council holding themselves to a level of professionalism where they "speak to their differences outside of Council meetings."
photo by Styrous®
Also there was Oakland Democratic Mayor, Jean Quan. Quan was inaugurated on January 3, 2011, and is Oakland's first female mayor. She helped save the music program in the Oakland Schools and was appointed by the Clinton Administration to represent School Boards on the Title I Rules Making Committee. She led several initiatives. “Measure Q”, to prevent the closure of city libraries and increase funding for materials. The “Oakland Wildfire Prevention District”, which funded annual programs of vegetation control, safety inspections and homeowner education, and green waste/composting programs. The “Oakland Cultural Arts Funding”, a Hotel Tax to fund the Oakland Zoo, Oakland Museum of California, Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Fund for Arts. She also was behind “Measure Y for Public Safety and Measure BB”, these initiatives funded Fire, Police and Violence Prevention Programs. The measure funded 63 police officers including geographically deployed "beat officers" and programs to prevent crimes and violence.
In 1996, with Quan as president, the Oakland school board established a program using Standard English Program strategies to teach standard English to African American students. The move created national news with the perception Oakland schools were teaching students "Ebonics" because there was discussion about Ebonics being used as a teaching tool. A pretty interesting subject; worthy of investigating both sides of the issue.
Oakland Mayor, Jean Quan
photo by Styrous®
There was time to catch up on friendships before the event . . .
Oakland Mayor, Jean Quan (left)
developer, Christian Zimmerman (right)
photo by Styrous®
First, the developers gave their speeches . . .
. . . the politicians gave theirs . . .
photo by Styrous®
developer, Christian Zimmerman
photo by Styrous®
. . . the politicians gave theirs . . .
Oakland Mayor, Jean Quan (right)
developers, Christian & Laura Zimmerman-Cook (left)
photo by Styrous®
Oakland Mayor, Jean Quan (left) Noel Gallo (right)
photos by Styrous®
. . . the ground-breaking began . . .
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
. . . and everybody had a great time!
a future developer
Among the amenities of the future building at 340 29th Ave. will be a patio and a private dock, plus it will have a 7,000-square-foot shared space with a communal kitchen and a dining room that overlooks the waterfront. Some residents will have views of the San Francisco skyline.
The four-story building in the city's Jingletown neighborhood will have about an equal number of one- and two-bedroom units, each with a private kitchen and bathroom, from 630 to 1,100 square feet.
The price will range from $350,000 to $650,000, Zimmerman said. The residents, who will be age 55 and older, will take part in maintaining the property, including gardening. Homeowner association dues are expected to be about $450 a month. As a cooperative, the future residents/owners will have FULL control of every aspect of the community, its operations and its finances (seniors getting to create their own rules!)
Originally, Phoenix Commons was scheduled to open in fall of 2013, however, that seems to have been delayed. Kryspin told me it is scheduled to open in spring or summer of 2015.
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There is the last video taken at Tiki Tom's by zennie62 on YouTube
Viewfinder article about Tiki Tom's
Styrous® ~ Saturday, January 11, 2014
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