4. The Proud Bird
Near the Los Angeles airport, there is a very nicely aviation themed restaurant, that opened its doors to business in 1967. It did not live to see today, but they did remodel it to a food hall in 2017, all full of modern appliances, and it now features six food serving stalls. They have everything, from Asian to Italian, staple American food, and more! Despite de remodeling, the theme has been preserved: the place is riddled with model planes that hang above your head like you are outside.
Even the lingo has been preserved: you order from the “Arrival” stall, and then you wait for your order to be read before you pick it up from “Departures”. If you fancy a drink, you can visit the Mile High Club bar. They may have modernized the old Proud Bird, but they kept its heart alive and its wings soaring in the wind! If you remember the old place, it’s still a great idea to visit it now, but even if you have never been before the place has a lot to offer.
Book your tickets in advance!
5. The Airplane Restaurant
Colorado Springs has a lot of things to offer, including its majestic glacier-carved Pikes Peak, multiple hiking trails, and the cog railway leading up the summit. Very close to the small town-owned airport, you can find the Airplane Restaurant! It is housed inside a KC-97 Air Force Tanker, whose inside has been converted into a restaurant. You can choose to eat inside the plane itself of in the attached “terminal”, the dining room that was attached to the vehicle.
It is nothing spectacular outside of the location of where you are taking your meal, but it will make for a fun stop if you are traveling through Colorado Springs. There is something about eating non-airplane food while inside an aircraft that will make you long for the clouds!
6. Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar
In other parts of California, there is an accent put on a more exotic scene. San Francisco, like many other cities, has a few tiki bars under its belt, as the whole nation seems to be into the Polynesian fun. Yet one of them stands up since no one else has developed such an obsession for them as Nob Hill’s classic Tonga Room.
The restaurant and bar are located inside the Fairmont Hotel, which is an iconic landmark by itself and has been making iconic cocktails and serving delicious food in a themed environment since 1945. Much like its other Californian brother mentioned earlier on the list, Tonga Room was renovated, and despite the 1 million dollar facelift, it has kept the atmosphere and theme intact! The finger food and the drinks are amazing, but it’s truly the ambiance that we go for when coming here: the restaurant is built around a lagoon made out of the hotel’s old swimming pool. The best thing yet? The lagoon has a floating stage that has a live orchestra that never misses a night to play.
If you miss the old tiki bars, this one is definitely going to scratch that itch!
