Vintage Tacky Hawaiian

I'm not an expert on the Hawaiian language, but even I recognize that this Hickey Dula nonsense bears no resemblance to real Hawaiian words. What I didn't know is that these Hawaiian Territory cards from the 1920's refer to lyrics from a well-known song composed in 1916 by  E. Ray Goetz,  Joe Young and Pete Wendling. Many famous musicians recorded this song, including Fats Waller, Al Jolson, and Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band! You can even get it as a ring tone for your cell phone. Where have I been? And although the song was designed to appeal to mainlanders entranced with tropical Hawaii, the strange song was also a big hit in Hawaii.

Here are the lyrics:

Down Hawaii way
Where I chanced to stray
I heard a hula maiden say; singin'
Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

Down Hawaii way
By a moonlit bay
As I lingered awhile
She stole my heart away; singin'
Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

Oh, I don't care if you love the ladies far and near
You'd forget about them all if you could hear
Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

I'm coming back to you
My hula lou
Beside the sea at Waikiki
You'll play for me
And once again
You'll sway my heart your way
With the yaaka hula hickey dula tune Yaaka hula hickey dula
Yaaka hula hickey doo

Hotel Portland - Portland, Oregon

This wasn't exactly a request, but Beth commented on yesterday's card and mentioned that her grandmother worked at the Hotel Portland. So, I thought I'd post a card of the hotel in all its splendor. You just have to use your imagination to fill in the finery of the elegant guests and the parties. In its heyday, this was the place to see and be seen. The Hotel Portland opened in 1890. It closed in 1950 and was demolished shortly thereafter to make way for a parking lot for the Meier and Frank department store. Thirty years later it was replaced with Pioneer Courthouse Square, also known as Portland's living room. The square is lively and hosts many great events, so if the Hotel Portland had to be replaced with something, this was actually a good outcome. The card was sent in November, 1906. It reads:

Portland Nov 9 -

This is a little better than the Columbine both in grub and furnishings. Regards   JM

Will see you all soon.

Although Portland lost the Hotel Portland, it is very fortunate to have retained a number of its old hotels, including the Heathman Hotel, the Benson Hotel, and the Hotel Multnomah (now an Embassy Suites.) I still have fond memories of a visit to Portland when I stayed at the Imperial Hotel (now the Hotel Lucia.)

Hotel Albert-New York

The original 12-story building of the Hotel Albert was designed in 1881 by Henry Hardenbergh, who also designed the Plaza Hotel and the Dakota. The postcard probably dates from the early 1920s.

This card has a lot to tell. It is not a postcard to be mailed, but rather a letter of introduction. For a woman traveling alone, a letter of introduction  was very important. Without it, hotels might wonder if you were a prostitute and deny you a room. The letter of introduction is from The Margaret Louisa at the New York YWCA, which itself offered rooms for single women. The women would receive room and board for $6 a day in exchange for helping with cooking and cleaning. There was often a long waiting list at the Margaret Louisa, which may explain why Mrs. Hoagland was referred to the Albert.

The Hotel Albert later fell on hard times until it was renovated into a co-op apartment building in 1985. Some of the apartments in the building currently sell for around $2.5 million.

Here's another card of the Hotel Albert.