http://www.waikikiaquarium.org/
My primary memory of the Waikiki Aquarium is that it was small. It was fine, but nothing really stuck out to me.
I think that is somewhat of an underestimation of it. First of all, in doing some research for this article, I realize that it is much more historic than I realized. It was started in 1904, making it over a hundred years old even when we were there, and the second oldest public aquarium in the United States, second only to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium in Massachusetts. (There were other aquariums that opened earlier but have since closed.)
Fittingly, the aquarium is surrounded by history, located near the even older Honolulu Zoo, the World War II Memorial Natatorium, and Diamond Head.
Also, it is right next to a natural reef, which makes for some nice correlation between the aquarium and the nature that surrounds it. It was established to show the world the reefs.
The other thing that makes me think I may have underestimated the aquarium is that I have seen so many positive comments on it. It seems to be very popular, especially the 1:00 Monk Seal feedings. However, I also see that in 2004, just two years before we visited, they appointed a new director who saw potential and was going to focus on modernization and expansion, so it seems possible that it would be a different experience if we visited there now.
Based on all of that, I have to consider the Waikiki Aquarium as worth checking out.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Oahu - The Don Ho Show
When we started planning our trip to Hawaii, we were kind of joking about needing to have the Brady Bunch itinerary.
We did get a luau and some hula lessons at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and we did go to Pearl Harbor. We did not return a tiki figure to an archeological site, nor did we enter a surfing contest, which was probably for the best.
We knew we could not count on randomly running into Don Ho, but we found out that he had a dinner show and bought tickets, and then he didn't come.
He was sick that night, and he died not too long after our trip. (We went in February 2007 and he died in April.) The show did go on.
One thing we hadn't realized is that he had built the show not just on his own act, but as exposure for local talent, and that he had constantly been developing musicians and dancers and giving them chances to perform. Some people might have performed that night anyway, but also they started calling people in.
There was a real family feeling to the show. The person who led the show that night told us her name was Tiny Bubbles - possibly more of a nickname - but Don was like an uncle to her and her parents had met through him. She sang some songs, and she brought a young girl up to dance with her, and there was a male singer who had more of a rock style whereas their songs and dances had been more traditional, and it kind of went on in that vein.
It really wasn't bad. It wasn't what we were expecting of course, but we learned a lot about the island, and about Don Ho himself.
There were some unintended lessons about island life too. We were seated with a couple and a single man. All three were probably in their late 50s/early 60s, and they spent large portions of each winter in Hawaii. Obviously they were relatively affluent, and so there was this sort of competition going on between them, of how long they would spend, and how long they had been doing it and various ways of saying what they could afford.
When we were talking to other people, especially younger people, and they were talking about how to survive you needed three jobs and five roommates, well, I think it's the affluent people who make that happen, and while they are not doing that deliberately, they are still pretty gross. The big tip from them is that the real show you have to see is "The Magic of Polynesia" show, because he makes a helicopter disappear, and there's a lot of pyrotechnics.
That might be something to check out, because this show is gone. It sounds like they tried to keep it going as the Ohana Ho show, and then that didn't work out and Jimmy Buffet took over the space, and I don't know what's going on there now. An era has ended, but we caught a part of it.
We did get a luau and some hula lessons at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and we did go to Pearl Harbor. We did not return a tiki figure to an archeological site, nor did we enter a surfing contest, which was probably for the best.
We knew we could not count on randomly running into Don Ho, but we found out that he had a dinner show and bought tickets, and then he didn't come.
He was sick that night, and he died not too long after our trip. (We went in February 2007 and he died in April.) The show did go on.
One thing we hadn't realized is that he had built the show not just on his own act, but as exposure for local talent, and that he had constantly been developing musicians and dancers and giving them chances to perform. Some people might have performed that night anyway, but also they started calling people in.
There was a real family feeling to the show. The person who led the show that night told us her name was Tiny Bubbles - possibly more of a nickname - but Don was like an uncle to her and her parents had met through him. She sang some songs, and she brought a young girl up to dance with her, and there was a male singer who had more of a rock style whereas their songs and dances had been more traditional, and it kind of went on in that vein.
It really wasn't bad. It wasn't what we were expecting of course, but we learned a lot about the island, and about Don Ho himself.
There were some unintended lessons about island life too. We were seated with a couple and a single man. All three were probably in their late 50s/early 60s, and they spent large portions of each winter in Hawaii. Obviously they were relatively affluent, and so there was this sort of competition going on between them, of how long they would spend, and how long they had been doing it and various ways of saying what they could afford.
When we were talking to other people, especially younger people, and they were talking about how to survive you needed three jobs and five roommates, well, I think it's the affluent people who make that happen, and while they are not doing that deliberately, they are still pretty gross. The big tip from them is that the real show you have to see is "The Magic of Polynesia" show, because he makes a helicopter disappear, and there's a lot of pyrotechnics.
That might be something to check out, because this show is gone. It sounds like they tried to keep it going as the Ohana Ho show, and then that didn't work out and Jimmy Buffet took over the space, and I don't know what's going on there now. An era has ended, but we caught a part of it.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Oahu - Aloha Stadium Swap Meet
http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/
I am not sure about how important the Swap Meet really is. It is a traditional thing to go. I guess it depends on how much you want to get in the way of souvenirs.
People will especially tell you that you need to go for the T-shirts. I did purchase some, because my Italian family likes American T-shirts, so that seemed like a good investment. Also if you want things like magnets or key chains or things like that, you can find pretty good deals here. This was where Maria got souvenirs for her class.
Many of the souvenir vendors are practically identical, with similar merchandise and prices, so wandering around can feel pretty repetitive. It may be best to do one broad circle, and then decide what you want.
In addition to very inexpensive souvenirs, you can find handicrafts here too, which will be more expensive but still reasonable. There was also a good selection of Hawaiian shirts.
I guess my lack of enthusiasm is because I am not that into shopping. Most people feel that it is much better to shop here than in town, based on prices alone. Still, my sisters thought it was overrated too. I guess what I should say is that we were not impressed but many people will tell you that we are wrong, so don't listen to us.
If you do not want a lot of souvenirs, it is still worth considering in that it is really close to Pearl Harbor, so if you go to Pearl Harbor on a day when the Swap Meet is open (Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday), it just makes sense to stop by.
I do not remember an admission charge, but that might be because we walked there, as something else made it sound like a per vehicle charge. We took the bus to Pearl Harbor, walked to the Swap Meet, and then grabbed the bus back into town and it was fine.
I am not sure about how important the Swap Meet really is. It is a traditional thing to go. I guess it depends on how much you want to get in the way of souvenirs.
People will especially tell you that you need to go for the T-shirts. I did purchase some, because my Italian family likes American T-shirts, so that seemed like a good investment. Also if you want things like magnets or key chains or things like that, you can find pretty good deals here. This was where Maria got souvenirs for her class.
Many of the souvenir vendors are practically identical, with similar merchandise and prices, so wandering around can feel pretty repetitive. It may be best to do one broad circle, and then decide what you want.
In addition to very inexpensive souvenirs, you can find handicrafts here too, which will be more expensive but still reasonable. There was also a good selection of Hawaiian shirts.
I guess my lack of enthusiasm is because I am not that into shopping. Most people feel that it is much better to shop here than in town, based on prices alone. Still, my sisters thought it was overrated too. I guess what I should say is that we were not impressed but many people will tell you that we are wrong, so don't listen to us.
If you do not want a lot of souvenirs, it is still worth considering in that it is really close to Pearl Harbor, so if you go to Pearl Harbor on a day when the Swap Meet is open (Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday), it just makes sense to stop by.
I do not remember an admission charge, but that might be because we walked there, as something else made it sound like a per vehicle charge. We took the bus to Pearl Harbor, walked to the Swap Meet, and then grabbed the bus back into town and it was fine.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Oahu - Pearl Harbor
https://www.pearlharboroahu.com/
We went to Pearl Harbor on the Sunday that we were there, and that was appropriate. It's not that it's exactly a religious experience, but I did feel a sense of reverence there.
There is the monument built over the ship, and that is the image that everyone has, but there is more there.
You take a launch to the monument, and before you board there is a short film that tells about the attack, and that we found really effective. It is a good preparation for going.
Even before that the exhibits that you see in the museum give you a feeling for the individuals who died there. The story I remember most was that of some men who were trying to escape via a porthole, and one wouldn't fit. The others did not want to leave him, but he dropped aside so that he would not hold them back.
History can feel like this inevitable abstract tide, but it is made up of humans too, and learning their stories helps make it real to us, and we feel our connection.
Pearl Harbor does this well.
We went to Pearl Harbor on the Sunday that we were there, and that was appropriate. It's not that it's exactly a religious experience, but I did feel a sense of reverence there.
There is the monument built over the ship, and that is the image that everyone has, but there is more there.
You take a launch to the monument, and before you board there is a short film that tells about the attack, and that we found really effective. It is a good preparation for going.
Even before that the exhibits that you see in the museum give you a feeling for the individuals who died there. The story I remember most was that of some men who were trying to escape via a porthole, and one wouldn't fit. The others did not want to leave him, but he dropped aside so that he would not hold them back.
History can feel like this inevitable abstract tide, but it is made up of humans too, and learning their stories helps make it real to us, and we feel our connection.
Pearl Harbor does this well.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Mistakes of Oahu
There is a lot to talk about with Hawaii, but there were several things we did wrong, and I think it makes more sense to treat them here, all at once, and then focus on the individual attractions.
While this was before I had gone digital with cameras, so there wouldn't have been a lot of great pictures regardless, a friend who loves Hawaii and was thrilled that we were going snorkeling gave us four disposable cameras for underwater use. That was way more than we needed for underwater pictures, but I was using disposable cameras then anyway, so I thought fine, they're still cameras.
What I did not know was that they are set up differently for the focus, and they do not do well out of the water. It makes sense, but I had never thought about it. In a nutshell, there will be even less good pictures for this than there were for the Toronto trip. That being said, I still think disposable cameras make sense for underwater photography, unless you do a lot of it.
The biggest mistake was not understanding the logistics of the island. If we didn't travel on the cheap, we would never travel at all, and it usually works out for us. We were going to do everything by bus and walking, and that worked pretty well around Honolulu and Waikiki, but we lost a lot of time for the other side of the island, which led to us missing some things.
We took the bus to the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and then we were supposed to stop off for shave ice at Aoki's, which is the traditional place, and then hang around Waimea Falls before heading back into town for our dinner show.
The bus ride took much longer than originally planned, even though I had checked schedules. That has us running later, plus the other thing we did not realize is that the windward side of the island gets a lot more rain. We ended up not making either of those two stops, and in fact did not have shave ice at all, so we missed something iconic for the area. (We had chances for Spam and eggs that we just skipped.)
Transportation to and from the Polynesian Cultural Center was included with our package, but that did add several hours, and your ticket allows you to go back and see more of the villages, without the show, but it was logistically impossible for us to take advantage of that.
The other issue is that for Hanuama Bay, the first bus that goes there leaves around 9, but there are real advantages to getting there when it opens, around 7.
For all these reasons, it may be worthwhile to consider renting a car for the trip, at least for specific days. It could also make sense to switch hotels, starting by staying on the windward side for those attractions and then moving into town for the rest of the trip. It's at least something to think about. Because of too much time spent in getting around we missed out on Diamond Head and Punchbowl as well, and though we passed by the Iolani Palace, we did not have time to go in.
(The International Market was missed not because of time but because we ended up inside another market and did not immediately realize we were in the wrong place. There's actually a lot of shopping there.)
There was another big mistake that was manageable but it led to a small mistake that was pretty horrific, but even that was combined with another mistake that was pretty stupid.
One sister invited a friend along. Traveling together is kind of a risky proposition, and because we had such different goals for the trip, that ended up causing various frustrations. She learned her lesson.
It was this same sister who likes being tan and thinks getting sunburned is a good way of doing that because it will fade into a tan and last longer. She learned a lesson here too, I think, but not before she had picked up a really bad burn that caused her to be hobbling everywhere. Don't do that.
Anyway, the way these worked together is that we bought her some aloe vera, and the friend suggested putting it in the freezer first so it would be really cold. I don't know if I was out of the room or what, because that seems like the kind of thing I would have stopped, but putting chilled aloe vera onto the burning hot skin could have easily sent my sister into shock. As it was her teeth were chattering for the rest of the night. That's not to say that she wasn't uncomfortably warm before, but no, that was just stupid. Don't do that ever.
While this was before I had gone digital with cameras, so there wouldn't have been a lot of great pictures regardless, a friend who loves Hawaii and was thrilled that we were going snorkeling gave us four disposable cameras for underwater use. That was way more than we needed for underwater pictures, but I was using disposable cameras then anyway, so I thought fine, they're still cameras.
What I did not know was that they are set up differently for the focus, and they do not do well out of the water. It makes sense, but I had never thought about it. In a nutshell, there will be even less good pictures for this than there were for the Toronto trip. That being said, I still think disposable cameras make sense for underwater photography, unless you do a lot of it.
The biggest mistake was not understanding the logistics of the island. If we didn't travel on the cheap, we would never travel at all, and it usually works out for us. We were going to do everything by bus and walking, and that worked pretty well around Honolulu and Waikiki, but we lost a lot of time for the other side of the island, which led to us missing some things.
We took the bus to the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and then we were supposed to stop off for shave ice at Aoki's, which is the traditional place, and then hang around Waimea Falls before heading back into town for our dinner show.
The bus ride took much longer than originally planned, even though I had checked schedules. That has us running later, plus the other thing we did not realize is that the windward side of the island gets a lot more rain. We ended up not making either of those two stops, and in fact did not have shave ice at all, so we missed something iconic for the area. (We had chances for Spam and eggs that we just skipped.)
Transportation to and from the Polynesian Cultural Center was included with our package, but that did add several hours, and your ticket allows you to go back and see more of the villages, without the show, but it was logistically impossible for us to take advantage of that.
The other issue is that for Hanuama Bay, the first bus that goes there leaves around 9, but there are real advantages to getting there when it opens, around 7.
For all these reasons, it may be worthwhile to consider renting a car for the trip, at least for specific days. It could also make sense to switch hotels, starting by staying on the windward side for those attractions and then moving into town for the rest of the trip. It's at least something to think about. Because of too much time spent in getting around we missed out on Diamond Head and Punchbowl as well, and though we passed by the Iolani Palace, we did not have time to go in.
(The International Market was missed not because of time but because we ended up inside another market and did not immediately realize we were in the wrong place. There's actually a lot of shopping there.)
There was another big mistake that was manageable but it led to a small mistake that was pretty horrific, but even that was combined with another mistake that was pretty stupid.
One sister invited a friend along. Traveling together is kind of a risky proposition, and because we had such different goals for the trip, that ended up causing various frustrations. She learned her lesson.
It was this same sister who likes being tan and thinks getting sunburned is a good way of doing that because it will fade into a tan and last longer. She learned a lesson here too, I think, but not before she had picked up a really bad burn that caused her to be hobbling everywhere. Don't do that.
Anyway, the way these worked together is that we bought her some aloe vera, and the friend suggested putting it in the freezer first so it would be really cold. I don't know if I was out of the room or what, because that seems like the kind of thing I would have stopped, but putting chilled aloe vera onto the burning hot skin could have easily sent my sister into shock. As it was her teeth were chattering for the rest of the night. That's not to say that she wasn't uncomfortably warm before, but no, that was just stupid. Don't do that ever.
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