NewYorkFirst.com:

Beachcombing on Central Park South.

After World War II, US soldiers stationed in the South Pacific returned to the States with stories of trees loaded with exotic fruits, azure lagoons rimmed by white-sand beaches, and a race of strikingly beautiful people who wore clothes made from grass and feathers, who danced half-naked during all-night orgies of food and music.

Americans fell in love with this romanticized version of island culture, and, at the height of the Polynesian craze in the 1950s, any number of cocktail lounges had a tropical theme, including Trader Vic's, a temple of kitsch in the basement of New York's Plaza Hotel. It had the thatched hut feel of a surfside village with bamboo poles, fan backed rattan chairs, secluded booths, tiki torches, leis and exotic tropical drinks.

Although Trader Vic's is gone, Tiki Culture remains alive and well, providing a bit escapism at barbeques and poolside parties. Keep the party surfin' with any number of retro spirituals like the Scorpion, Missionary's Downfall, Zombie, Blue Hawaiian, and Singapore Sling. Settle back with your 16-ounce Tiki Lounge Glass, rescued from Trader Vic's, string some tiki lights around the living room, spin some Don Ho records, and take a long, wicked sip of paradise.

Keep the party surfin' with any number of retro spirituals like the Scorpion, Missionary's Downfall, Zombie, Blue Hawaiian, and Singapore Sling. Settle back with your 16-ounce Tiki Lounge Glass, rescued from Trader Vic's, string some tiki lights around the living room, spin some Don Ho records, and take a long, wicked sip of paradise.

Alternative to Life on the Fast Track.
We've uncovered a few precious copies of Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink, 1946 First Editions of a guide to over 1,500 recipes from legendary Victor Bergeron. You'll find directions on how to make the favorite potions of pirates, sailors, massacring Indians, and beachcombers, the joys and perils of bartending, and how to mix and shake your way to paradise. Truly a blueprint for uncomplicated living. Rare, previously-owned First Edition.