Happenings | THE LOBBY
Red Lanterns and Red Lights - Honolulu's Chinatown Uncovered TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025 5PM CHECK-IN $27+++ PER PERSON Researcher, historian, and author Gary Coover will delight us with many surprising things he discovered while digging deep through thousands of source materials to conduct the first-ever comprehensive study of Chinatown's buildings and storied past. Like a true history detective, he uncovered a wealth of information about the builders, fires, vices, and the many characters (savory and unsavory) who have made Honolulu’s Chinatown one of the most unique neighborhoods in the United States. Learn about the real Charlie Chan, tattoo artist Sailor Jerry, the birthplace of the Aloha Shirt, the scandalous business that inspired an Academy Award- winning Hollywood movie starring Frank Sinatra, and more. Gary recently published his findings in Honolulu Chinatown: 200 Years of Red Lanterns and Redlights (Rollston Press, 2022); Downtown Honolulu's Lost Buildings and Forgotten Architects (2023); Honolulu 1854: The Drawings of Paul Emmert (2023); A Tour of Honolulu in the Early 1840s (2023); and pocket walking tours of Chinatown and Downtown. His latest book is Honolulu’s Royal Mile (2024).
Stew & Rice
By Nancy Lueck
Tiki Time - Tales of “Don the Beachcomber” and "Trader Vic" TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2025 5PM CHECK-IN $27+++ PER PERSON Find out the fascinating story of Donn Beach ("Don the Beachcomber") and Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron, the 1930s originators of the Tiki bar, which played an integral part in launching Americans' obsession with all things Polynesian. Bishop Museum Historian DeSoto Brown will tell the story with historic photos, menus, and other ephemera from both Bishop Museum and his personal collection. These two created fantasy settings for Americans in which foreign foods and unique drinks embellished with quirky props were served amidst unusual artifacts from distant lands. Donn and Vic also invented a famous exotic cocktail—the Zombie and the Mai Tai—among a galaxy of many others. Learn how the Hawaiian expansion of their successful California origins eventually led to both men being cut off from the chains that bore their names.
RSVP on the OCC website, app, or by calling the Front Desk. Open seating; tables reserved only for parties of 10.
MARCH / APRIL 2025 | AMA 15
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