hula's crosses the pacific

rage magazine's bar listings this month include hula's at 142 university ave. in hillcrest, which puts it directly west of, and across the street from, urban mo's. in case you've never been to waikiki beach (and you're not gay), hula's is a 33-year-old mainstay of the gay scene there; several years ago they moved to their current location in the waikiki grand hotel just down the street from the beach.
there's nothing on their website or on google about a san diego opening, and i haven't seen any ads (nor been down that part of university recently), but i'll take rage's word for it. hula's should be a great addition to hillcrest - a bar within walking distance of mo's, and one that likely shares its casual, outdoor theme. now someone can take the spillover when that sunday afternoon line stretches around the corner at mo's.

another plus is that this replaces what was apparently an awful restaurant, seasons 142, at least according to the yelp reviews. i think it was the same owner as the prior restaurant in this spot, brazil on the hill, and i can testify to that place being a disappointment. while it's sad to see someone fail, i'm looking forward to this spot being more vibrant, considering there's plenty of good restaurants nearby and a high-rise going in just down the street.

i have a special fondness for hula's in waikiki - we rolled in there with my brother and his wife after a few drinks, thinking we had made clear that it was a gay bar. apparently we hadn't, as they were flabbergasted by the islander go-go boys dancing onstage, and creeped out by a middle-aged guy smiley who would not stop leering at my brother. anyway, there was a completely loaded older woman really digging on one of the go-go boys as he danced with this ridiculous thing flopping back and forth in his banana hammock. after several minutes of gyrating and hollering at him, she actually reached out, grabbed his package, and held on to it in front of the entire bar. to this day my brother still tells the story of the floppy and the misguided cougar. san diego could use some of that island charm.