I cannot believe what we have gone through to get to this point (sitting in the SF airport waiting for boarding call.) We were told where to go to get our Covid tests. All 7 of us piled into one car and headed for Walgreens. The lady gave us the kits and we probed our brains and gave them back and were told the results would be ready in 3-5 working days!!! So they had told us to get a test 72 hours before our flight and the results would not be there in time!!!!! Of course, a few brief moments of panic set in. Then we gathered our wits and made phone calls. Our choices were; get it at the airport for $250 EACH or drive an hour and get tested for $90 each. So, Sunday morning we piled into the car, again, drove to Oakland and did it all again! The upside is; we all tested negative and are pre-cleared to skip the line when we land. Will update this trip diary as time allows.
If you're not already aware, there is a railroad museum and excursion train in Ewa (other side of Pearl Harbor from Waikiki). As of my last visit to Hawaii, the people there were uncommonly nice even by Hawaiian standards: I'd taken several wrong turns walking in from the nearest bus stop, arriving a few minutes after the last excursion train of the day had already pulled out: the stationmaster got on the radio to the conductor, had them hold at a grade crossing, and drove me out to the train. Then, after closing, she gave me a lift: my memory isn't entirely clear on whether she dropped me off at the bus stop, or drove me all the way back to Waikiki. The excursion train route, as I recall, goes through the Disney Aulani, and continues to the end of the line, not far from a large power plant. The Hawaiian Railway Society - Oahu, Hawaii Also, the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium are open, both within walking distance of the heel (i.e., Diamond Head end) of Waikiki. So is the Bishop Museum, albeit at limited capacity. There's also a military museum that may be of interest, in a historic bunker in Fort DeRussy Beach Park. Will you be visiting other islands, or staying entirely on Oahu?
Thank you for the tips. We are way out in Makaha. I just figured out what bus to take to get to Town. Don't really know how much time we will have for sightseeing. We have plans with family. We will only be on Oahu this trip.
Hmm. The furthest I've ever been out that direction was when the aforementioned excursion train passed within eyeshot of the power plant. Definitely well away from the hustle and bustle (not to mention extreme touristiness) of Waikiki. Population only slightly larger than that of Montpelier, VT.
It is awesome! Our semi-private beach is practically empty compared to Town. We attempted the Arizona today but between Covid and post 9/11; it is super complicated. We have to get online at 3 tomorrow to get tickets that go in 3-5 minutes! And if you don't leave your bag in the car; you have to check it for $6. My daughter's family rented a van so we can circle the Island this weekend. Tonight the SIL'S family brought over a ton of authentic food.
Yesterday we had use of a friend's car. It was great to have the freedom and not have to take The Bus... but... we made the mistake of attempting to drive to our old neighborhood. The traffic was so bad we turned around and went for a swim in Haleiwa. We decided to track down an old friend. We had forgotten exactly where he lives. After a little goose chase; we found his address and lo! he is 2 blocks away from us!!! We were not sure he would remember us or if he was even still alive. Not only is he alive (he is now78) he saw us and yelled, "OH MY GOD!!!" and grabbed Rod up in a huge bearhug. We had a wonderful catch up conversation and we plan to take the family there at some point. I will give more details later as it is a wonderful story. Today we stayed at the condo to chill. We got in some great snorkeling before the surf got a little too rough. Just sitting on the lanai now enjoying the cooling Trade Winds.
That's awesome that you guys were able to find your old friend! I'm glad you had the opportunity to catch up.
Today is our last full day. Unfortunately, the SIL has dialysis right in the middle so activities have to be scheduled around that. I am trying to talk the boys into staying in Makaha and snorkeling as the water is perfect. Hard to believe these kids' father is (was) local. They fried themselves yesterday!
We ended up spending our last full day relaxing. We did get the family over to Gigi's farm which was super special. More on that later. In the evening the SIL's family came over with MORE food!!! We still had leftovers from the first visit. I refuse to get on the scale as I do not want to know how much I gained in a week. We had to leave the condo by 11AM Tuesday but had the car until 7:30. We made it to Alamona to shop and eat lunch. We were also able to visit the Aquarium. We never did make it back to the Arizona. I am still confused about what day of the week it is. I seem to have lost a day from leaving Honolulu at 9PM Tues and landing in SF at 5AM Wed. I got no sleep to speak of on the plane so it just felt like it was the same day. Kind of like crossing the Dateline.
I agree that it is a rough time change going to/from Hawaii, and I can never sleep on a plane either which is problematic when flying to Europe. I'm glad that you guys had a great time. You'll be able to see the Arizona on your next trip. Steve and I were surprised at the changes they had made when we went 10+ years ago...it's crazy that it was that long ago!
Again I've been crazy busy but figured somebody should post something. We're leaving for Oahu a week from Wednesday. I love Hawaii and hope to have some time to just relax. The reason for the trip is for the Family to return our son-in-law's ashes to the beach where he grew up. At last count, the caterers (also family members) are expecting close to 100! All of his children and grandchildren, his mother and sister and many old friends will be there.. It will be a full blown Hawaiian Luau. Our family has rented a house so expenses will be shared. If the boards stay up; I will give updates with pictures.
Hmm. My two trips to Hawaii (first one was 3 islands in a week, the second was more leisurely: four islands in two weeks), I saw a bunch of museums (ranging in size from multi-building complexes down to an unattended gallery in a shopping mall), along with zoos, aquariums, agricultural exhibits, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the underwater scenery off Lahaina (from the comfort of a nice, air-conditioned submarine), but I didn't set foot on a single beach, and didn't attend a single luau. Enjoy your trip. Even if the occasion is somewhat somber.
This will be a real luau; NOT Paradise Cove. We will be swimming/snorkeling but not in Waikiki. We're also planning to hike Diamond Head. We only have 8 days so not sure how much we'll be able to fit in. We missed the Arizona last trip so we will be trying that again. You have to make reservations a day ahead.
I was going to ask, "What's a Paradise Cove?", but I decided to ask Google instead. And found out. And I don't blame you. A canned luau. I like tourist-friendly things, not touristy things. On the strength of a Rachael Ray "$40 a Day" segment, I visited "La Mariana" on two separate occasions. The first time, I got lost (not an easy place to find, especially on foot, in the dark), and had to call them, to talk me in, arriving after the kitchen had closed; I ended up bumming some water, and getting a cab back to my hotel. The second time, I was a bit nonplussed by the whole "members only but membership is free to anybody with a pulse" business; I ordered the chicken (I've never been able to get any kind of seafood past my nose, and very few restaurants can do a steak the way I like it, i.e., just before the last bit of pink goes away, but with as little surface searing as possible); I found it decent enough, but unremarkable. And given that I've never had the inclination to learn to swim, I'm much happier with the submarine, for the underwater scenery. And a bit closer to home, in San Francisco, I was sad to see both Alioto's and Fishermen's Grotto empty and locked up (even though it's been decades since I patronized either one), but not devastated, the way I still am about Pompeii's Grotto (the epitome of "tourist-friendly but not touristy") closing.
I felt that way when Louis' didn't survive COVID. It was one of our favorite places. It was walking distance from the Cliff House. We had gone to the Cliff House and looked at their menu and didn't even see anything that sounded good. We walked to Louis' and they had great food for about 1/3 the price. We went back many times.
I think I might have eaten there once, and would agree with your assessment. The Cliff House reinvented itself several times since the last time I found anything there that I actually liked. That time, I was there for lunch, and they had a delightful chicken dish -- baked in a white sauce -- that they jokingly called "succulent filet of seagull." (I'm told that actual seagull, while edible, is extremely tough [maybe worse than Kauai feral chicken], and tastes fishier than actual fish.)
Never eaten seagull but that doesn't surprise me. I do miss many favorite places. We had a place in Stockton called The Olde Hoosier Inn. It started as a truck stop ages ago and grew and grew. The legend was that they couldn't get a 5star rating because they didn't serve alcohol. (Didn't bother us.) To add insult to injury; when it was torn down a decade or so ago; they put a Kentucky Fried Chicken in its place !
In San Francisco, I miss Pompei's Grotto. Tourist-friendly, but not touristy. Between Hyde Street Pier and the Fishermen's Wharf tourist-traps. Their chicken scaloppine inspired mine. Victim of the Pandemic, and of apathy in the current generation of the owning family. I miss the version of Schroeder's before the most recent ownership change. I miss Sinbad's. It had gotten a bit run-down (no doubt the result of the Port Authority trying to squeeze them out), but I liked their chicken piccata. And the people were nice. The Port Authority had it in for them for decades; they wanted the space to build more ferry docks. I miss the Carousel Restaurant, down by the Zoo. It was the last survivor of the once-thriving "Doggie Diner" chain, that was still a restaurant. It was featured prominently in the Zippy the Pinhead comic strip. Superb hamburgers. A victim of a greedy landlord (namely, the Sloat Garden Center). All that remains is a restored-to-pristine-condition dachshund-head sign, installed in the median strip of the street as a monument to what was once there.
One of our favorite places has always been Tommy's Joynt for Buffalo Stew. I just did a bunch of searches and couldn't get anyone to admit whether or not they still have it on the menu. I found one that explained that it was off the menu but put back in 2022, but nothing more recent than that. Haven't been there for years.
Funny thing: I've had lunch there a few times (it's within easy walking distance of St. Mark's Lutheran Church), and I've usually regretted it. Just too much food, and I'm not entirely thrilled with the quality or the service. Now, for Sunday lunches, I usually go over to Mel's Kitchen (It wasn't until my second or third visit that I knew it was affiliated with the statewide Mel's chain, although I'd suspected as much from the beginning) for a bowl of chicken soup. And for pre-concert dinners, I usually go to Max's Opera Cafe, which appears to be the last surviving location of the once-mighty bay-area Max's chain (and is within easy walking distance of Davies Hall).
