It was 2009 and Dutch Kills has just opening in Long Island City. I was working in advertising on 42nd street and living in Astoria. Dutch Kills was the perfect stopover on my way home and I'd pop in a couple times a week. One day, one of the bartenders mentioned they were opening a tiki bar in the city and I said "If you need some design work I know a guy that does great vintage styled design"
Painkiller, later renamed PKNY became a much beloved drinking den by people near and far. They are credited with being at the forefront of the worldwide tiki resurgence, inspiring bars and new cocktails the world over.