You guys, blue Jukes are haunting me.
Twice in the past two weeks, I have seen bright blue Jukes out in about (whereas up until now, I really never saw another bright blue Juke besides mine and maybe 1 in the 4 years I owned one - they discontinued the color after 2012) and it's as though my old car, Betty, knows I got a new one and she's come back from her car grave to haunt me about it. How dare I get a new yellow Juke!?
Well, it's not like I had a choice! Doesn't she know that? She's in car heaven for crying out loud!
Regardless, it was strange. Driving past one on the highway, I wanted to yell out a warning: "don't take her on this road! This road takes blue Jukes away from their families!!!" Then I saw one for sale as I was out and about one town over and it felt like I got punched in the chest (don't worry - I looked it up when I got home and found out it had over 100,000 miles so it would never have been a contender in my car shopping even if I found it in time).
Don't worry - I know how crazy I sound above. And I know Betty is not haunting me but it is rather interesting how these things happen. I wonder if I'll park by a bright blue Juke while grocery shopping next...
Speaking of how things happen - I have driven by this abandoned restaurant all my life, always thinking it was probably the coolest place (and by cool I mean FULL of kitsch) and never knowing what it was. I never thought much of it but when I started this blog, it was added to my list of locations for future posts.
Then, this summer I got bit by the tiki bug and expanded my wardrobe to a few tiki items and accessories. One of those items being this beautiful (and quite comfy) wiggle dress by Collectif. I ordered in my usual UK12 and it fits PERFECTLY. I do have a bit of room due to the stretch in the material (plus a super stretchy back panel) but I am definitely happy with the fit and wouldn't have risked sizing down.
I love the colors in this dress as well as the fact that the straps are completely adjustable - in length but also in style! I can remove them completely, wear them criss-cross in front or back, and I am sure straight back as well. Love a versatile dress!
Because of this versatility, I plan to wear it again this weekend for Cody and my tiki party we are throwing - all I have to do is wear it strapless with my hair up in a head scarf, an orange beaded necklace, and a grass skirt and BOOM! An entirely different look!
So back to this location - apparently in the 1970's it was in fact a restaurant called the Tanela Restaurant, a Chinese and Polynesian restaurant. It didn't last too long and closed down. Then in the early 2000's it apparently re-opened as a heavy metal nightclub called Trance Buddha. Not surprisingly, that didn't last long either and it's been abandoned ever since.
OH YEAH - if this doesn't scream pre-2000's I don't know what does!
I love finding out the history of places like this! It cracks me up - corny tiki family restaurant turned moshpit central. Either way, the building is pretty run down and stickers still remain on windows from its nightclub days but the tiki man statue still stands along with the unique details on the building - all perfect for this post!
