A virtual postcard: I can’t say this enough. The best way to see a place is with people who live there. And I am so lucky to have made friends here in Hawaii with people who are fun and kind and good company.
I spent the morning at Shangri-La with Lance, who told me lots about the local arts community. I spent the afternoon buzzing around Kailua and Kaimuki with Tammi, a Waikiki resident who grew up here.… continued…
As they appear in this slideshow:
- What’s Hawaii without Elvis? Inside Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts. At Bailey’s, you can buy, among other things, a pale yellow aloha shirt with a ukulele on the back for a mere 3000 dollars.
- On Kalakaua, Duke Kahanamoku perpetually raises your faded leis like an offering to the high rise hotels of Waikiki.
- The educated person’s source for Hawaiiana and history, Tin Can Mailman. The vintage aloha and swimwear ads alone are worth the visit.
Mysteries.
- Drop dead handsome surfer type in shorts and a t-shirt. Perfect sandy blond hair, straight almost to his shoulders, that deep tan that shows he lives outside. He could be a fashion model. He’s on the sidewalk, not far from the statue of Duke Kahanamoku, pacing furiously, a bible in one hand, the other waving around in the air. He is shouting fire and brimstone into the street. Repent, you sinners leaving the ABC store!
Heads up: Our stay was hosted by the hotel. We paid for tips, only. We were totally spoiled and I loved the place. I’m going to sound kind of like a shill but I’m not, you’ll have to trust me on this. The pics are mine, shot with a D200 in daylight with a fixed 50mm lens.
I have become picky about hotels. Don’t mistake this for snobby, that’s not the same thing. I will stay at a Travel Lodge just as happily as I’ll stay at a Grand Hyatt and I have been known to prefer the Travel Lodge if the amenities are right.… continued…
I sucked as an expat.
As an inveterate traveler, this was shameful to me, I was embarrassed by the bouts of homesickness. I was ashamed of the days I spent bleakly staring at what was, by all accounts, a breathtakingly beautiful landscape and wishing, with all my might, that I was elsewhere. I felt awkward and out of place at dinner tables even though I was surrounded by people who were kind and hospitable, who complimented my clumsy German while they swerved effortlessly in and out of English.… continued…
