{"id":4150,"date":"2012-06-18T22:00:32","date_gmt":"2012-06-19T02:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=4150"},"modified":"2024-12-03T16:57:27","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T21:57:27","slug":"welcome-to-honolulu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=4150","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to Honolulu"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Honolulu, Hawaii <\/em>\u2013 \u201cI see the ocean!\u201d Granddaughter Kayla began the day with this revelation; yes, there was ocean-blue a few blocks away, we could see it between the high-rise hotels that now define Waikiki Beach. Directly below our balcony was an oasis of green; that has to be the International Market, we surmised, looking over a tourist map. \u201cLet\u2019s get unpacked,\u201d I said. \u201cLet\u2019s get outside!\u201d Kayla said. All the weariness from yesterday disappeared during the night; we unzipped our bags and dumped out shirts and shorts and underwear; divvied up the dresser drawers. \u201cLook at this,\u201d I said, finding both the Holy<\/em> Bible<\/em> and the Teaching of Buddha <\/em>in \"\"<\/a>the nightstand drawer. I propped the two between my traveling talismans, an angel-on-watch, the fearless lion, and the cat, a depression-era hobo code-sign meaning a \u201ckind lady\u201d lived there. \u201cThat should do it,\u201d I smiled. \u201cI\u2019m ready for Honolulu.\u201d No breakfast offerings at this hotel; we agreed to walk the neighborhood until we found a place we liked. \u201cEven if it\u2019s lunch?\u201d Kayla asked. It turned out to be brunch, and our first Honolulu sticker shock. A glass of chocolate milk, $4.95. \u201cWe have to import milk,\u201d our server explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a small island.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We were in the Rock Island Caf\u00e9, at the corner of the King\u2019s Village. It was cute, a fifties look, old Chevy fins and Elvis bobble-head dolls the d\u00e9cor; our server dressed in pink with ruffled apron. Nothing Hawaiian here, we laughed. But, oh yes, Elvis filmed Blue Hawaii<\/em> on Oahu, maybe that explains? The Kings Village had a \u201cChanging of the Guard\u201d ceremony every evening at 6, we noted. British? More to learn about Hawaii, King Kamehameha and King George were friendly; wow, even the left-hand corner of the Hawaiian state flag is the Union Jack.<\/p>\n

After our thirty-dollar brunch of grilled cheese-sandwiches and chocolate milk (drink every drop!) we ambled on to a park where \u201cPrincess of the Peacocks\u201d held center stage, surrounded by a hundred pigeons pecking at crumbs, and yellow hibiscus blooming beside every bench. History, symbols, and \"\"<\/a>the daily bird, all tucked between the highrises, preserving a tiny triangle of the Princesses\u2019 once vast estate. \u201cWe need to find out about this Princess Victoria,\u201d I said, as Kayla stalked pigeons with the Nikon. \u201cI don\u2019t know about her, but I do know the yellow hibiscus is the state flower.\u201d Kayla stopped to read the bronze plaque and pose with the Princess, intrigued.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Hubbub best describes our walk; hubbub and hype. Signs touted Best Vacation Specials<\/em>, Luau<\/em> at Jimmy Buffet\u2019s place, Huladogs<\/em>, Italian Hawaiian Gelato<\/em>, Da Big Kahuna<\/em> (where you can order Pupus for starters and there is a Keiki menu for under 12). Fist-waving drivers honked at everything; fast-walking people bumped our elbows; a woman coming from the beach hitched pants up over bikini as she crossed the street. \u201cDon\u2019t run ahead,\u201d I cautioned, afraid I\u2019d lose a granddaughter on the very first day. Ah, there\u2019s the International Market Place, let\u2019s check it out. Vendors hovered \"\"<\/a>over every possibility; the sales spiel set off by the slightest glance at their merchandise. Kayla chose a many-flowered dress, her clothes were mostly northwest gray and mine were mostly black. Pink and purple, yellow and lime-green green, that\u2019s what we need. Lighten up! Oh, there\u2019s the Stupid Factory, where Spooning Leads to Forking<\/em>, said the sign. Stop for a picture by the banyan tree; a tangled dangle of roots.<\/p>\n

Stretch out on the bed and take a nap. Look out from the balcony again; yep, that\u2019s the Market Place below, just as we thought; next we\u2019ve got to find the beach, it looks so close. The walk, the crowd again, the pigeons too. There it is, the ocean blue; the sand is purest white and soft; we step into the swirling waters, \"\"<\/a>my shoes fill up with sand. Mistake. Take off the shoes, you ocean plebe. The view of Diamond Head is free, but all else is blocked; rent a chair, umbrella, surfboard, boat. \u201cLet\u2019s get prepared and come back tomorrow,\u201d I propose; \u201cwe\u2019ll get a big beach towel, and I\u2019ll wear sandals; isn\u2019t that a good idea?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I start some blisters walking back in squishy shoes, Kayla shakes her head at my silly hobble walk. \u201cThis is an awesome place, GMom,\u201d she bubbles as she skips ahead of me. \u201cIt\u2019s so different!\u201d Now, that\u2019s the truth. We stop at Da Big Kahuna; it\u2019s right by our hotel; I can\u2019t walk another step. Savannah is our server, \u201cWelcome to Honolulu!\u201d she says, giving us a genuine New Jersey smile. \u201cYou\u2019re going to love it here. Would you like some Pupus for a start?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Honolulu, Hawaii \u2013 \u201cI see the ocean!\u201d Granddaughter Kayla began the day with this revelation; yes, there was ocean-blue a few blocks away, we could see it between the high-rise hotels that now define Waikiki Beach. Directly below our balcony was an oasis of green; that has to be the International […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4586,669],"tags":[703,1248,1253,3066,1250,1249,716,1251,1254,1255,1252,1256],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4150"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4150"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27251,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4150\/revisions\/27251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}