In 1939, San Francisco hosted the Golden Gate International Exposition to celebrate the opening of its two new bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.  

Held on the 576-acre man-made Treasure Island, the GGIE was packed with fairgrounds and other attractions, and its theme was Pageant of the Pacific – the goal being to promote unity and trade between nations all around the Pacific Ocean. In 1941, the expo closed because of impending war.

The delightful menu cover showing a Hula girl was from the Bal Tabarin nightclub and we know it’s dated 1939/40 because it offered an Exposition Special Supper Plate, served after 11pm and costing $1.25.

Bal Tabarin (the phrase means chaos and was adopted from the popular French nightclub of the same name) was an elegant restaurant with a stage for live music and dance shows. It had been issued California’s first liquor license after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.

The cocktail bar was Moderne style, typical of the jazz age, and had a champagne fountain.

A sophisticated spot, visitors to the Expo no doubt flocked here after wandering around Treasure Island and stayed till the wee hours.

This menu offered a deluxe dinner and a special Hawaiian Dinner – hence the hula girl illustration.

In the 1930s, wealthy travelers cruised on the Matson shipping line to Hawaii and the first commercial passenger flight to Hawaii was on April 20, 1935, by Pan Am aboard a Martin M-130 flying boat, marking the start of luxury transpacific air travel.

It  would be the 1950s before commercial air travel to Hawaii really took off.