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Recommendations: Hawaii
Work is sending me and a coworker to Hawaii (for work, alas). However, I'll have two free days (6/24 and 6/30) as well as one free evening (6/23) to have a look around the place. I'm staying in Honolulu, and will be on Oahu the entire time I'm there. The hotel is one of the Honolulu International Airport hotels -- a Best Western, I think. There is a car available, but it's in my coworker's name, so I will likely not have ready access to it.
Questions for the assembled folk who know Hawaii:
* Does Honolulu have decent public transit? How about the rest of Oahu? If so, is there a website for trip planning?
* Do you have any tour books you particularly like?
* What do you recommend I do in my spare time?
I like trying out new food, new beer, and I suppose I should make at least one beach stop that involves fru-fru drinks with umbrellas in them. I also think I'd like to stop by Pearl Harbor and see the WW2 memorials there.
Thoughts?
Questions for the assembled folk who know Hawaii:
* Does Honolulu have decent public transit? How about the rest of Oahu? If so, is there a website for trip planning?
* Do you have any tour books you particularly like?
* What do you recommend I do in my spare time?
I like trying out new food, new beer, and I suppose I should make at least one beach stop that involves fru-fru drinks with umbrellas in them. I also think I'd like to stop by Pearl Harbor and see the WW2 memorials there.
Thoughts?
no subject
WWII memorials at Pearl are all awesome, and "the Punchbowl" - the National Cemetary of the Pacific is disquieting. It is a bowl shaped Pacific version of Arlington cemetary; only more beautiful, set in stunning surroundings in the crater of a dormant volcano.
I am certain all the food and bar recommendations I had from the mid 80s are long outdated, but an interesting novelty that was pretty much available everywhere is that drinks that would be served with a slice of lemon or lime here are served with a slice of fresh pineapple there... Hell, even the McDonald's in Waikiki served cokes with a slice of pineapple when I was there! Fresh pineapple is amazing. I used to hate pineapple when I was a kid and all I saw were the tinned ones... but after my Hawaii assignment I love pineapple. YUM!
Warning: The locals have a staple called POI (a tuber I think) that you can survive on, but it tastes like crap. Think of the worst parts of ochre, potatoes, turnips, and radish all rolled into one. Gah!
The whole Eastern (or Windward) side of Oahu is lush jungles and tropical flowers on fantastic volcanic slopes - stunningly gorgeous. Any park or picnic time will be amazing.
Waimea has a State Park famous for it's waterfalls and exotic flowers and exotic birds.
Culturally Oahu is a fascinating melting pot of pacific cultures, and you can find fantastic Sushi, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Portuguese (yeah - never did figure that one out), Samoan, Phillipine, Vietnamese, California, New England, and even Russian food/communities/influences. All of that on top of the native polynesian/Hawaiian culture.