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While the news is a few weeks old, it stings fresh as this morning's rain. See, word has it that the new plan to turn part of Nob Hill's Fairmont Hotel (which, oh noes, is a CHAIN!) into condominiums will mean an end to its famed Tonga Room. Ack, is right. Plans call for deconstructing the tower and replacing its rooms with as many as 160 condos. (.pdf warning) And said plans do not include keeping the best place in the city to drink rum while watching a band perform KOIT classics in the middle of a pool. Does this mean the Tonga Room will go the way of the 711 Club and 177 Townsend (Club Universe)? Probably. But as Curbed points out seven tiki lounges will still remain in San Francisco.
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Oh the musty smell of damp, the rude staff, the crap drinks and the ridiculous prices. Yes, the Tonga room must be preserved for our once-a-decade trip down disappointment lane. However hotel condos, let me think of a concept with worse timing. no.
The Tonga Room is far better as a concept than an actual gathering place.
The last time I was there, they set up a disco. My friends and I laughed at all the old people who were out on the floor doing "the hustle", worried they might fall down and break a hip. Then, we realized that these were the original disco dancers from like the 1970's. We felt very old and musty after that.
BTW, I'm surprised there has been no outrage here over what they did to The Owl Tree...
Bobby's son sold off all the old owls for meth, so there wasn't really anything left to recreate.
Fucker!
I brought some friends from out of town to The Owl Tree and nearly had a seizure when I saw what they did to the place. They gutted it. It looks like some vapid Marina dive, stocked full of the kinds of people I normally think should be rounded up and gassed. Why couldn't the new owners have been more like the folks who took over Aub Zam Zam? I mean that place was Bruno entirely, but at least I can still go there with friends, explain the hows and whys of the many times Bruno kicked me out, and they're able to actually comprehend.
:(
That sucks. Yes, the drinks are overpriced and watered-down, and the decor is as cheesy as it gets, but that's the whole point. Besides, the pina colada with banana makes up for its many drawbacks in taste, and I for one like a little fake rain with my mini umbrella.
And all of this for hotel condos that I'm really surprised they're still planning to roll out... *sigh*
Ah...the Tonga Room.
Some of the most amazing food poisoning I have ever witnessed! Those happy-hour hour-devours were NOT kept at the appropriate temperature, methinks.
Sigh.
NOOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!!
I love the Tonga Room! It's my favorite place for tropical birthday drinks. And I love seeing people's faces light up when they see the rain storm for the first time.
I LOVED CLUB UNIVERSE! Those were the days . . . so much fun. I had just moved to SF in 1997 and used to go to Club Universe at least every other Saturday. I would go to the Pleasuredome frequently too. The Tonga Room is quite fun too.
Guerrilla Queer Bar is having an event at the Tonga Room tonight at 5p: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=70337129125