Take My Word for It

There is so much to tell you about the island of Oahu and Honolulu but I don’t know where to start so you’ll just have to trust me on these random thoughts as I have no pictures to share this time!

Space is at a premium but what is the population of Honolulu? Great question with several answers. For the incorporated city of Honolulu the population is around 371,657. For the city and county you are looking at closer to 909,863. Then there’s Oahu and Waikiki. I’ll let you Google those. Let’s just leave it with this fact: Oahu is the most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaii.

Space cost money! If you want to live in the heart of everything you want to live in Waikiki, but it will cost you. Don’t expect to see green grass everywhere and don’t expect to hear lots of horns honking. Waikiki is full of high rise buildings and landlords who want to charge a premium for their unit. And people are willing to pay it! In Hawaii you don’t honk your horn. You are supposed to be relaxed and enjoying the island and go with the flow.

The streets or infrastructure had no thought put into it. I’m serious! One street can change names 4 times and there may only be two signs telling you the street name! Some street corners lack a street sign period! Put this together with tons of one way streets and the inability to make U turns and it could take you awhile getting someplace!

Can I buy a consonant? Yes, you read that right. The Hawaii alphabet is made up of 5 vowels and 7 consonants and consonants can’t touch each other! Don’t believe me? Try these common street names that I’ve come to know and love:
     Kapiolani Boulevard
     Kalakaua Avenue
     Kamehameha Highway
And they don’t all start with a K (although they are my favorite):
     Ala Wai Boulevard
     Beretania Street
     Halekauwila Street
     Ala Moana Street
     Ewa Street (the w is pronounced as a V)
Then there are the one’s that make me feel at home:
     King Street
     Paula Drive
     Fletcher Avenue
     Main Street

Some of the roads here rival I-70 through Missouri. Rough! Although it may not seem as rough since the speed limit doesn’t go above 60 mph and that stretch is only about 2 miles in length! Most of the speed limit signs on the high ways I have been on max out at 50 mph! But they are in desperate need of repair!

It rains just about every day; or it has in the past 3 weeks! Luckily if it rains in Waikiki it only lasts a few minutes and it’s a very light, light rain. It rained most of Easter but that was inland and closer to the mountains. It got heavy a few times but for the most part it’s a light mist and I haven’t heard thunder or seen lightning.

The entire island of Oahu is not a tropical paradise. It might be a paradise but not tropical. One weekend I took a drive towards the North Shore but only went about 20 miles and hit terrain that reminded me of a desert. It was very dry, mostly dirt with not much greenery. There is a rain forest on the island but it still isn’t as green or as humid as San Juan.

Sam’s is upstairs and Wal-Mart is downstairs. I’m not kidding! The two stores share one complex and Sam’s is upstairs. The parking garage is four levels and luckily there are elevators. I’d say the selection at Sam’s is about 75% of the one in West Wichita but the Wal-Mart I would guess to be about 50% of what I am use to. I definitely can’t do all my shopping in one place now. And I’m still not use to seeing wine and hard liquor sold in regular grocery stores.

The water tastes good but don’t drink the salt water! I actually don’t mind the taste of the water out of the faucet here. It tastes very fresh and clean and doesn’t taste of chlorine. I still refrigerate my water because I like it cold but I’m saving money on bottled water and water filters!

You can’t drive up to a store, park, run in, pick up a few items and leave. Shopping here involves either walking to the store or driving around looking for a parking spot. I spent way too much time trying to find a parking spot during a recent trip to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. This place is huge! 4 stories of shops and restaurants and parking to match. I only spent 3 hours there and this only involved 3 stores and lunch! I miss the shopping strips back home! What I’d give for an Eastgate Shopping Center right now!

One last thought…there is no Kohl’s, Olive Garden, Slumberland, Quik Trip, Timberline Steakhouse or Mr. Goodcents in Oahu. And I miss Cherry &-Up!