A Week in Waikiki
Blog Entry #5
Saturday, 22 July 2017
Honolulu

It's already Saturday and our week in Hawaii is almost over.  One week gives us just enough time to relax into the tropical mood of the island, but hardly enough time to see many of the attractions on offer.  If you wish to stay in Waikiki and enjoy the local shops and restaurants and beaches, renting a car is not necessary.  Between buses and tourist trams, there are many options for transportation.  And with taxi and other car services, the variety is almost unlimited.

But if you wish to escape the hubbub and tourist crowds of Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, a car is really necessary.  Be prepared for high rental rates (almost $500. per week for our Toyota Corolla, when you add an extra driver), and gas is even higher (compared to mainland prices:  $207.99 per gallon regular in Tucson; almost $3.00 per gallon here on Oahu)--not to mention $40.00 per day for self-parking at the Hilton.  Although we haven't used the car every day, we are glad to have it when we want it.  In fact. we won't even use a full tank of gas for our entire visit.

But today, having a car makes the trek to the Bishop Museum a short and easy adventure.  Located just off the H1 freeway, past downtown and the airport, the Bishop Museum is the official state museum of Hawaii, with permanent exhibits detailing the geologic and cultural history of the islands, with emphasis on Oahu.  There are also special exhibitions several times a year, a small planetarium, a nice shop, and a small cafe serving home-made sandwiches and hot plates.

The museum is housed in a series of buildings especially erected for exhibition purposes.  The main building--exterior of rusticated stone; interior of magnificent local woods--has three levels of displays, including historical documents and colorful examples of native crafts.  There are extensive views of the panorama of high-rise Honolulu from the grounds. Somehow I managed to miss the museum on my previous trips to Hawaii, but I am happy to have finally made my visit.

Will and Anita Sit Beneath a Very Large Fish

Local Crafts

Historical Artifacts

After a light lunch at the museum we return to the Hilton.  I decide to walk from the hotel down the main shopping and hotel street, Kalakaua Avenue, all the way to the twin towers of the Hyatt Regency Hotel where Will and I stayed in March 1992.  Pedestrians can keep cool by strolling through two large shopping centers: the Royal Hawaiian (attached to the Sheraton hotel of that name), and the International Shopping Mall, which used to house the most tacky souvenir and beach supply stores, but is now the home of many high-end shops with other branches at Ala Moana--including a Macy's just a few feet from the beach.

Anita and Will have remained in the cool comfort of the Grand Waikikian, and when I return from my two-hour walk we are all ready for an early dinner.

A Week in Waikiki
Blog Entry #4
Friday, 21 July 2017
Honolulu

The weather here in Hawaii has as little variety as it has at home in Tucson:  "tomorrow's forecast is for clear skies, bright sunshine, and warm temperatures."  But I will certainly not complain about that while we are here.

We get a late morning start as we take the short drive from the Hilton to Ala Moana Mall, the largest shopping center in all of Hawaii.  Its three levels of open-air walkways include the anchor department stores of Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom's, and Neiman-Marcus--no slouching shoppers here--as well as all the high-end boutiques you find in Las Vegas and New York, and the more middle-priced typical mall shops.  Oh, yes, there is even a Tesla dealership in the Mall, with car models you can sit in and buy.

Anita recommends a mall restaurant for lunch that serves excellent Illy Italian coffee.  Of course, like everything else here, change has swept away the restaurant Anita remembers and replaced it with a post-modern designed oasis serving fusion sandwiches and salads, with unlimited excellent bread and rolls.

   

But since Illy coffee is not on offer here, after lunch we head to Nieman-Marcus, where there is a small coffee stand selling various concoctions made with the desired very strong Italian brand.  I will attest to the excellence of the iced latte.

Both Will and Anita are suffering from various physical aches and pains and they decide to drive back to the Hilton for some R and R.  I stay at the mall for a while, marveling at how expensive everything has become.  I used to shop at Bloomingdale's often when I was living in New York in the mid 1960's, but even their sales and clearance prices today have soared mind-bogglingly above my comfort level.  The 20-minute walk back to the Hilton, crossing the bridge over the Ala Moana Canal, restores my sense of self amidst all this over-priced luxury.

Crossing the Ala Moana Canal 

Hilton Hawaiian Village from the Canal Bridge

Dinner tonight is a large take-out pie from the pizzeria in the Hilton Rainbow Village food court (we do seem to be having many of our meals here, but the food is good and convenient).  We bring the pizza back to our 12th-floor condo so that we can watch the Friday Night Fireworks in comfort from our private balcony--a great view!