The last stop of the evening was Bali Hai.

Granite Tiki and Khan Tiki Mon - self appointed Guardians of the True Tiki Torch Flame.

Pu-pu platter.

Third stop on the tour and the dinner stop was the Shanghai Social Club.

Barrel tasting the Queequeg rum.

First bus stop - Kowloon.

Bargoyle stakes out some real estate in the bar.

This is not a cover. It doesn't mean there is a three drink minimum. I read the sign wrong.

Friday night was the kick-off party for the Northeast Tiki Tour and also Bob's birthday. Here I am with a Navy grog, enjoying Ninth Wave playing poolside, and toasting to Bob's birthday.

Some audience participation.

The Knights Inn in Danvers, Massachusetts.

In anticipation of the bus tour there was much revelry Friday night at the kick-off party.

The two sax attack. Granite Tiki sits in with Ninth Wave for an awesome kick-off party.

Saturday morning and the bus arrives.

... and we're underway.

14/09/14 20:00 I got back from the Northeast Tiki Tour (NeTT) this afternoon. The drive home was uneventful and there wasn’t much traffic. I made good time the whole way. NeTT was an awesome time. The bus picked us up yesterday about eleven. Our first stop was Kowloon where we had lunch. Kowloon is a big place. The front, which I understand is the original part, was a pagoda style. The side entrance, which is now the main entrance, is a classic Polynesian A-frame. I had a Mai Tai with my lunch and then a Zombie in the bar after. The Mai Tai was okay but nothing to write home about. The Zombie was better. The next stop on the bus tour was the Ryan and Wood Distillery. I sampled an unfiltered and unfinished rum right out of the barrel. After the distillery we went to the Shanghai Social Club for dinner. The décor there is not Tiki per se. It’s actually not Tiki at all. But the food was excellent and the craft cocktails were very good and they were served in Tiki mugs. Last stop was the Bali Hai. I guess it is best described as a Tiki dive bar. No craft cocktails here. A big glass of cheap rum with a dash of grenadine and then a different name for the drink depending on which glass it went in. The drinks were stiff to say the least. They were cheap and it was good that this was the last stop and not the first. The bus got back to the Knights Inn and I had every intention of going to bed. Sometimes when there is alcohol involved I make questionable decisions. On my way to my room I got talked into a late night trip to Bananas. Bananas is a strip club not far from the Knights Inn. With a name like Bananas you might think it was a club featuring male dancers. Not the case. I guess the club used to feature male dancers and that wasn’t working out so they went with female dancers but didn’t change the name. That is a little weird. There were nine of us that went and we poured into two cabs. There were four girls and five guys in our party. I haven’t been to a strip club in a long long time. What I remember was that the only girls in a club were employees. Times have changed I guess because I was surprised to see so many girls there with their boyfriends, husbands, or whatever. The club was only funny for about a half hour. I had been drinking cocktails all day. The only thing I felt safe drinking at Bananas was bottled beer. I had a Corona and I was ready to go. I called a cab. I got back to the motel and still didn’t make it to bed. I had one last cocktail in front of Geoff and Kristy’s room. We were talking, laughing, and overall just having a good time. I guess we were too loud because the night manager came and told us to “wind it down and go to bed”. I thought that was a little over the top. Tell me to be quiet okay but I am severely past the age where anyone tells me when to go to bed. However, it was past my bedtime and so I went to bed but not because the night manager told me to. Overall my stay at the Knights Inn was pleasant. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. The Knights Inn in Danvers is a place that time and technology has passed over. The room key is a key; a metal key not an electronic card. And my receipt was printed on a dot matrix printer. If anyone is location scouting for a movie set in the 90s and needs a motel I know of a perfect place. The NeTT was just a great time and I hope it happens again next year.

Ninth Wave playing the kick-off party for the 2014 Northeast Tiki Tour.

2014/09/13 09:30 I am sorry my Bostonian friends but your traffic really and truly sucks. I left Syracuse, NY headed towards Boston about two hours later than planned. It should have been about a five hour trip but it ended up taking over six and a half hours. The last 20 miles took an hour and a half. I checked into the Knights Inn in Danvers, Mass., home base for the 2014 Northeast Tiki Tour (NeTT). The day before there had been a shooting at the motel. We learned that there were two construction crews staying at the motel. They were working different jobs and the crews were unrelated. I guess some of them got together to share some whiskey and play some cards. The ‘friendly’ game ended up with a guy from Wisconsin shooting two guys from Tennessee; one in the thigh and the other in the knee. My favorite line from the published report was how the motel staff advised patrons to “lie on the floor” so as not to be shot. The kick-off party was a lot of fun. Ninth Wave played an acoustic set poolside. Granite Tiki sat in on the tenor saxophone. The band had to quit at ten because of the motel’s noise curfew. I am not sure exactly what time the shooting was so I am not sure if that violated the noise regulations. Clearly if you are going to shoot someone at the Knights Inn you should be considerate of others and use a silencer. I was in bed before midnight getting a good rest before the bus tour today. I had a continental breakfast in the motel office this morning and I am writing this poolside. No one is in the pool as it is way too cold. While technically still summer, the Autumnal Equinox is not until September 22nd, it feels like a very pleasant Fall morning. I am just hanging out waiting for the bus to arrive.