Waikiki is an incredibly fun place, but one complaint that I’ve often heard is that it lacks ‘authenticity’. I don’t agree, because while it is indeed touristic, commericial, and manicured – Waikiki is perfectly authentic as a post 20th century urban & tropical mid-high-end tourist beach destination. There is no place more authentic than Waikiki…
Category: Hawaii
A Note on Changes from 2001 to 2019 on Oahu in Chinatown and Elsewhere
I love Oahu. Have no doubt about it – this island is one of my favorite places in the world – but, unfortunately, there have been some negative changes from the time I fell in love with Oahu during 2001-2008 and my current residency here from 2017 to the present. Rents have gone much higher…
#FlashbackFriday #vanlife on Oahu in 2004
This is the story of me living in a van on Oahu in 2004. You can read a bit about it in a letter I wrote to the Honolulu Advertiser at the time – Down and Out on the Island of Oahu A bit of context here so that my Hawaii timeline makes sense. I…
Kahala Neighborhood – Old Money, Presidents, Descendents, and CEOs
The Sony Open is being played right now (and every January) at the Waialae Country Club in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kahala on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It’s not just wealthy golfers who love Kahala – it’s known throughout the islands as the place where old mone, new money, and crooked money goes…
Top Five Delicious Hawaii Tourist Traps on Oahu
There are no shortage of delicious treats hidden away on Oahu and yes, many of them are tourist traps designed to capture Hawaii tourist dollars by getting you in the door with the hype that has grown around them. When you go to these five locations you will wait in line, you will be joined…
Ted’s Bakery at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore
The North Shore of Oahu is known mostly for surfing but there are those who head there just for the Chocolate Haupia Pie from Ted’s Bakery too. While the North Shore’s 7-mile-miracle of surf breaks draws crowds, dont’ be surprised to find crowds also lining up at Ted’s. It’s easy to whiz past it when…
Hanauma Bay – Oahu’s #1 Snorkel Spot – See Hawaii Underwater
No trip to Oahu is complete without a visit to Hanauma Bay on the south shore of this beautiful Hawaiian Island. Whether you are going to snorkel or simply look down at one of nature’s wonders from the lookout point above – this is a definite must see natural attraction in Hawaii. To get there,…
The Shrimp Ponds and Food Trucks of Kuhuku on Oahu, Hawaii
In ancient times, Hawaiians harvested more than 2-million pounds of fish and shellfish each year – much of that came from fishponds. It’s estimated that there were more than 750 major fishponds in the islands at the time of Captain Cook’s arrival here. Hawaiians were one of a handful of civilizations who had mastered aquaculture….
The Polynesian Hostel Beach Club in Waikiki – Slideshow Saturday
In 2001, I came to Hawaii with $100 and no plan. Through good fortune and good luck, I somehow became the manager of the most rocking backpacker hostel in Waikiki. The Polynesian Hostel Beach Club in Waikiki. It was a terrible time for my liver, but the rest of me enjoyed it immensely as I…
Kaneohe Town, Kaneohe Bay, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii at K-Bay
One of the prettiest places in the Hawaiian Islands – and thus anywhere in the world – is Kaneohe Bay on the Windward Side of Oahu – oppossite Honolulu. I’m sorry to tell you that you can’t experience the best parts of it unless you are in the U.S. Military in Hawaii or have base…